Through the settling dust of the shattered entrance, a man stepped into the courtyard, his handsome face marred by a look of insufferable arrogance. Trailing behind him was a girl who appeared fragile and delicate, followed by a small entourage of stone-faced imperial servants.
Bai Xifeng didn't so much as blink. she remained seated, watching the intruders with a blank, bored expression, having absolutely no intention of offering a greeting. Xiao Li, however, was nearly paralyzed by the sudden appearance of royalty. She scrambled to her feet, her movements frantic as she offered a deep, formal bow.
"This servant offers her humble greetings to Your Highness, the Crown Prince, and to the Second Miss," Xiao Li stammered, her voice trembling.
Bai Xifeng's eyes finally lit up with a flicker of recognition, though not the kind they expected. 'Ah, so this is the famous Crown Prince.' She mused, a string of thoughts firing off in her mind. 'First time meeting the legendary fiancé. And that woman must be Bai Chunhua, the "saintly" older sister of the girl I thrashed yesterday.'
"Bai Xifeng!" the Crown Prince, Liu Jun, bellowed, his finger trembling with rage as he pointed it directly at her. "How dare you remain seated? Have you no shame or respect for my station?"
Bai Xifeng's brow furrowed in annoyance. This was the hallmark of the royal family, a delusional belief that they were divine beings walking among mere mortals. She found it utterly exhausting. Instead of cowering, she simply rolled her eyes and looked away.
Incensed by her blatant disrespect, Liu Jun stepped forward, his hand twitching as if he intended to strike her. However, Bai Chunhua quickly intervened, her voice like honeyed poison as she attempted to "calm" him.
"Your Highness, please, restrain your anger," Bai Chunhua pleaded, placing a delicate hand on his arm. She moved closer, leaning into him and lightly patting his chest in a display of intimacy that was clearly meant to be seen. "Third Sister must still be in pain from the unfortunate... altercation... yesterday. She is likely not in her right mind."
Bai Xifeng watched the display with a dry smirk. The "old" Bai Xifeng would have been consumed by a jealous rage at the sight of her sister flirting with her fiancé; she probably would have lunged forward to tear them apart. But to the current Xifeng, Liu Jun was a non-entity. He was a fiancé in name only, a boring obstacle she needed to remove.
Bai Chunhua, meanwhile, was internally reeling. She had expected a hysterical reaction, yet Xifeng sat there as if she were watching a dull street performance.
"You see, Xifeng? Your sister bears no ill will toward you, even after you brutally beat her younger sibling. This," Liu Jun said, his arm sliding around Bai Chunhua's waist to pull her close, "is the mark of a true lady. You would do well to learn from her."
Bai Xifeng let out another long, dramatic eye-roll. 'A true lady, indeed.' She knew the truth: this "true lady" wanted her dead so she could slide into the position of Crown Princess. The only thing standing in Chunhua's way was the "old hag" of the family, who was too terrified of the Great General's wrath to allow a direct assassination. Most of the misery Xifeng had endured in this household likely had Chunhua's fingerprints all over it.
"Bai Xifeng, let me be perfectly clear," Liu Jun sneered. "I do not like you. I have never liked you, and I never will."
Bai Chunhua's lips curled into a triumphant smirk. 'Do you hear that, Xifeng? It doesn't matter who your father is. You will never have his heart.'
"If that's the case," Bai Xifeng said casually, leaning back and flashing them a vacant, almost mocking grin, "then why don't you just dissolve the engagement right now?"
The courtyard fell into a deathly silence. Liu Jun, Bai Chunhua, and even Xiao Li were struck dumb. For a fleeting second, a look of pure joy crossed Liu Jun's face until he remembered his father's strict warnings regarding the political necessity of this union.
Bai Chunhua was nearly giddy with excitement. If the engagement was broken, she was the natural next choice. But poor Xiao Li looked like she was about to collapse, she assumed her Young Miss was so heartbroken that she had finally snapped.
Bai Xifeng waited expectantly. As a woman from the 21st century, the idea of being tethered to a man who would inevitably fill a palace with concubines was a hard "NO."
"Marriage is a decision made by our elders," Liu Jun eventually bit out, his jaw tight. "Even I cannot simply overturn the Emperor's will." With a huff of frustrated pride, he turned on his heel and stormed out of the courtyard.
Bai Chunhua lingered for a second, casting one final, venomous glare at Xifeng before scurrying after him.
Bai Xifeng merely smirked. "'Elders' decision,' my foot." She stood up and stretched her limbs with a series of loud cracks, looking more like a weary old man than a noble lady.
"Young Miss! Please!" Xiao Li hissed, looking around frantically. "Someone might see you!"
"Xiao Li, I'm going to rest. Do not disturb me until I come out," Bai Xifeng commanded, her tone brooking no argument.
"Yes, Young Miss," Xiao Li sighed, beginning to clear the wreckage of the meal.
Xifeng ducked into her room and bolted the door. "Baishe, I want to go back in," she whispered. Without waiting for a reply, she touched the mark on her wrist and willed herself into the mirror world.
The scenery blurred and shifted instantly. "Baishe, show yourself," she called out.
With a soft swish of scales against the ethereal floor, the massive white python materialized before her. Xifeng sighed, her neck already aching from having to look up at his towering head.
"Baishe, can you shrink down? I want you to be... human-sized. But keep the snake appearance," she clarified, emphasizing the last part.
Without question, Baishe's form shimmered and condensed until he was no longer a mountain of scales, but a manageable size.
"Perfect. Now I can actually save some energy," Xifeng yawned, her eyes drooping.
"I do not follow," Baishe admitted, his ruby eyes blinking in confusion. "Why does my size matter?"
"Because, Baishe, I like to look people in the eye when I talk to them," Xifeng explained, leaning against a shimmering pillar. "When you're a giant, I have to crane my neck so far back it's a waste of calories. I'm a busy woman; I don't have the energy to spare for bad ergonomics."
Baishe's serpentine face shifted into a look of slow, dawning realization. "Oh. I understand.".
*** This novel is a work with w e b n o v e l. c o m. If it is not read this novel on w e b n o v e l. c o m, then it has been stolen. It breaks my heart when someone steals my hard work. For those who read my novel on another website besides w e b n o v e l .c o m, can you consider reading it on the original website? As your support to me. Thank you, for your shameless author, ZerahNeko***
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