Xiao Ying frowned, muttering under her breath just loud enough to be heard, "Here we go again. Every time Miss and His Highness are having a private conversation, she conveniently appears to disrupt them."
Although Qiao Yihuan was visibly displeased by the interruption, she masked her annoyance and offered a gentle smile. "Second sister, I was actually planning to accompany you today, but His Highness the Crown Prince graciously sent a carriage to collect me, so I departed ahead of schedule."
Qiao Wanyan returned the smile, executing a graceful bow towards He Zhiyu before replying, "Ah, so that explains it. I was beginning to wonder where my dear sister had vanished to."
Then, Yanyan's gaze swept over Qiao Yihuan's attire, and she couldn't help but muse to herself, The heroine truly embodies her character: not overwhelmingly beautiful, yet delicately pretty, perpetually pitiful, and radiating an aura of innocent charm. However, a subtle frown furrowed her brow as she scrutinized Qiao Yihuan's simple outfit. She distinctly recalled requesting her mother to send Qiao Yihuan a bolt of Shu brocade. What had transpired? It seemed highly improbable that her mother would disregard her request. "Why aren't you wearing the Shu brocade that Mother so thoughtfully gifted you, sister? I personally selected the color, envisioning how radiant you would look wearing it today. And you also haven't adorned yourself with the hairpin that I gave you. Do you dislike it? Or perhaps you never received it, even though I specifically asked someone to deliver it to you?" Yanyan inquired with genuine concern, desperately hoping to bridge the gap between them and rehabilitate her tarnished reputation.
A flicker of unease flashed in Qiao Wanyan's eyes, as she internally questioned what had gone awry. If only she could recall the details of this particular plot point, which she vaguely remembered occurring in the second timeline, but unfortunately, her memory failed her at this crucial moment.
Qiao Yihuan was somewhat taken aback by Qiao Wanyan's sudden display of intimacy, but she was primarily flustered by the unexpected line of questioning.
She cast a furtive glance at the Crown Prince, noting that his expression remained placid and inscrutable, yet she found herself unable to quell the rising tide of unease within her.
Xiaoying, sensing the awkwardness of the situation, interjected in an attempt to smooth things over. "Miss, it was entirely my fault. Madam did indeed send someone to deliver the Shu brocade, but I inadvertently placed it in the cabinet and completely forgot about it. As for the hairpin, it struck me as being a tad old-fashioned and ill-suited to complement your attire today, so I discreetly put it away."
He Zhiyu lowered his gaze, his eyes briefly flickering towards Qiao Yihuan, a subtle hint of disapproval etched upon his features.
The maidservants attending Yi Huan are, indeed, somewhat lacking in discipline, he mused, his thoughts tinged with a hint of condescension.
While defending one's master was perfectly acceptable, the blatant string of fabrications rendered the entire explanation utterly unbelievable.
Qiao Wanyan wasn't particularly concerned that the Crown Prince would grow suspicious of her sudden shift in demeanor, given that she had rarely, if ever, interacted with him alone in the past few years. However, her elder sister and her maid would undoubtedly question her unexpected display of intimacy, so she needed to temper her actions, carefully blending her own personality with that of the original Qiao Wanyan.
In every iteration of the plot, Qiao Yihuan was the constant presence, and whenever the original Qiao Wanyan made an appearance, the Crown Prince would invariably concoct an excuse to depart, seemingly unwilling to spend any time in her company, as if he feared causing Qiao Yihuan any distress.
The Crown Prince clearly possessed a limited understanding of her true personality; even if he knew a smattering of details, it was likely gleaned from secondhand accounts and biased opinions. Therefore, she wasn't overly concerned about him perceiving her behavior as being out of character.
He Zhiyu interjected, his voice laced with a subtle undercurrent of reproach, "Yihuan, I happened to be present the other day when your sister visited Huibaolou to purchase hairpins. The hairpin she selected for you was far from old-fashioned; in fact, it complemented your features perfectly."
Qiao Yihuan visibly stiffened, her eyes widening in surprise as she turned to face him.