When they finally arrived at the Duke's Mansion, Lang Huan stepped down from the carriage and looked up at the grand building before her. It was as imposing as she remembered, and just as suffocating.
Her chest tightened. She had never wanted to return to this place. Living under someone else's roof, no matter how luxurious, still felt like wearing chains.
Although the princess would have preferred to return to her own residence, she still gave the Duke of Huguo face and stayed by Lang Huan's side without a single complaint.
Su Qing spotted her from afar and before Lang Huan could even turn fully toward her, Su Qing suddenly ran and crashed into her embrace. Her arms wrapped tightly around Lang Huan's waist, trembling with emotion.
Lang Huan froze for a heartbeat. Then she gently patted Su Qing's back, closing her eyes as she tightened the embrace, trying to steady the storm inside the woman in her arms.
Su Qing shook her head against her shoulder, her voice breaking. "I waited for you," she choked out. "Countless nights… I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat. And then—someone told me you fell into a ravine. That you might never come back."
Su Qing had once knelt before the Duke of Huguo, pleading for him to send his men to search for Lang Huan. Yet the old man remained too calm for a father whose child was rumored to have fallen into a ravine.
Not a single order was given. Not a single scout dispatched. Her heart cracked with a realization, perhaps he had never cared whether Lang Huan lived… or quietly disappeared from the world.
Realizing how much this woman had worried for her made guilt bloom quietly in Lang Huan's heart.
"I was so worried about you…" Su Qing sobbed softly.
But before Lang Huan could answer, a calm and intimate voice drifted from the carriage—
"Husband…" Feng Yao called out sweetly.
Only then did Lang Huan remember—her jealous wife was still inside the carriage. She quickly loosened her embrace with Su Qing and hurried to carry Feng Yao down from the carriage. The princess's presence alone was enough to shift the atmosphere; everyone in the Duke's Mansion froze for a moment, stunned by her noble aura.
All the servants and guards immediately dropped to their knees to greet The Eldest princess.
Feng Yao gave a small nod, then let her gaze drift toward Su Qing.
"Husband?" Su Qing whispered, as if confirming she hadn't misheard.
Feng Yao caught the stunned look on Su Qing's face and felt a flicker of satisfaction until she turned and found Lang Huan's eyes still lingering on the other woman. Her smile disappeared at once. You're so bold… even while I'm standing right here...
Without warning, Feng Yao reached for Lang Huan's waist and pinched sharply.
"Ah—!" Lang Huan gasped, startled by the sudden pain. She leaned in and quietly asked what she had done wrong. She truly didn't remember offending her wife… until the memory of Su Qing's desperate hug flashed through her mind. But she was certain Feng Yao hadn't seen it. So why was she being punished this harshly?
Lang Huan, still rubbing the spot on her waist where Feng Yao had twisted her, glanced at A Cai, who stood beside Su Qing. With desperate eyes, she sent him a silent plea for help, anything to ease the tension. She could practically smell the gunpowder between the two women.
A Cai, completely unaware of the silent battlefield, only felt the atmosphere turning strangely heavy. Trying to break the tension, he forced a wide grin and said brightly, "Young Master left for only three months and already came back married! If you disappear for a whole year, you might return with a cute baby!"
Su Qing slowly turned her head toward him, her expression darkening like a storm.
A Cai froze, smile stiffening, then let out a weak, dry laugh. Something… was definitely wrong.
But Feng Yao, who had been quietly torturing Lang Huan's waist with her fingers, suddenly smiled at him. "A Cai is truly clever. Later, go to A Li and collect a reward."
A Cai's eyes instantly sparkled. "Really!? Thank you, Your Highness!"
He straightened his back, chest puffed with pride, completely unaware of the chaos he had just fueled.
The Duke of Huguo walked out with a polite smile on his face. He invited everyone inside, maintaining formal manners, but after a moment, he asked specifically for time alone with The Eldest Princess.
Lang Huan didn't like it. She hesitated, her eyes fixed on her wife, clearly unwilling to leave her side. But when Feng Yao gave her a small nod, she reluctantly stepped away. Her shoulders remained tense until she disappeared down the hallway.
Once the door closed, the Duke of Huguo's face darkened, his expression turning stern in an instant.
"Your Highness should know—we were waiting for you."
The Fourth Prince, now sitting on the throne, had wanted to mobilize troops to capture her. The Duke of Huguo had stopped him because he still didn't know how much power the Eldest Princess held. No one dared to act recklessly.
"Uncle," she said calmly, "I am now Lang Huan's wife. He was with me on Bai Yuan Mountain and knows exactly what happened. And if something happens to me, I won't hesitate to drag your entire clan down with me."
The Duke's brows drew together sharply. "Wife?" His polite façade shattered.
"Absolutely not. This marriage is unacceptable. Since ancient times, marriage matters are decided by elders. What you two have done carries no legitimacy."
"Whether it is acceptable or not," Feng Yao replied evenly, "is not for you to decide."
She lifted a hand and brushed her palm over her lower abdomen, a subtle gesture, but its meaning was unmistakable.
She caught the Duke's expression freeze for a moment. Feng Yao had heard reports from her spies: the Duke of Huguo might be suffering from a hidden illness. Perhaps that was why he kept his distance from Su Qing. It was only a guess but the way his face shifted several times now told her she had struck the mark.
Will he acknowledge Langhuan's child as part of the Ye clan's bloodline? She was merely putting on an act, all to see how the Duke of Huguo would react. There were too many possible reasons why the Duke of Huguo disliked Lang Huan. Was it because her mother came from the Yan Kingdom, and a child with foreign blood might rebel at any moment? Or because Lang Huan might not be his child at all? Or perhaps… her origins were far more extraordinary than anyone dared to imagine?
Feng Yao raised an eyebrow, amusement flickering in her eyes. The entire matter entertained her. The more complicated and twisted it became, the more interested she felt. She liked peeling apart people's secrets—liked watching others squirm beneath the truths they tried so hard to bury.
The Duke's expression softened only slightly, still unsettled by what Feng Yao had implied earlier. His gaze kept drifting toward her hand, as if trying to confirm whether her earlier hint had been real.
"You chose to support my fourth brother. I merely wonder—was it because you truly believe he can bear the weight of the throne? Or because you find him easier to shape into a puppet?"
Her mocking tone struck harder than the words themselves.
"Your Highness is indeed talented," the Duke replied slowly, the tone of a senior correcting an ignorant youth. "Yet in the end, a woman remains a woman. Yin can never suppress Yang. Affairs of state, of throne… are hardly a place for women to interfere too deeply."
Feng Yao's interest faded at once. His answer was the same dull drivel she'd heard from every fossilized official who clung to outdated beliefs. "I see," she said coldly. "It seems Uncle truly is old. Be careful with the pieces you choose to move. One wrong step, and your entire board will collapse."
To her, the Duke was not simple-minded; in the end, her fourth brother would be nothing more than another chess piece on his board.
The corner of her lips lifted. Once again, she brushed her palm over her abdomen, a small gesture that made the Duke's expression tighten all over again.
"Well then," she said lightly, as if the matter no longer concerned her. "I suddenly find myself missing my husband. Any further conversation would be a waste of breath."
She turned and walked away, leaving the Duke standing in silence—caught between fear, suspicion, and the dawning realization that the situation was far beyond his control.