Obsessively Raised by My Doll 60

Chapter 60

This Yunxi Hall seemed good in every way, except that it was too, too, too big!

Previously, Lu Dieqing had only felt that this palace was overly ornate and grand, and had been a little suspicious. But after listening to Helian’s words, she realized that Yunxi Hall had a significant background.

But, but… what did this have to do with her?

Now that she knew this place had a special meaning, Lu Dieqing’s heart became even more apprehensive.

How could she live in Yunxi Hall?

After listening to Helian’s words, Lu Dieqing took a few steps back and almost turned and ran.

However, Helian, who had been smiling and amiable just now, flashed in front of her and blocked her path.

“Miss, please don’t make things difficult for us servants.”

Helian’s words were polite, and her expression was even somewhat humble, but her figure blocking Lu Dieqing’s way exuded a domineering air that said she would not move, very much like a certain someone.

Lu Dieqing pressed her lips together, a trace of grievance appearing on her little face.

If I had known earlier, if I had known earlier, I wouldn’t have eaten that meal!

Sob, sob, sob. It was too late to leave now.

Lu Dieqing tried to negotiate with Helian.

“My parents don’t know that I’m living here yet. I have to go back.”

Helian answered very professionally, “Miss, you don’t need to worry. We have already sent someone to deliver a message.”

Lu Dieqing’s lips parted again. “I haven’t prepared a change of clothes yet. It will be inconvenient to stay here today.”

Helian smiled and clapped her hands. A group of little palace maids immediately came in, carrying several boxes and opening them one by one.

Inside were full of new clothes of all styles.

Helian even added, “Her Highness the Crown Princess holds you in high regard, miss. All these clothes have been custom-made to your size, and they have all been washed and scented in advance. You can wear whichever you like.”

Custom-made to my size?

Lu Dieqing was dazed.

She wanted to struggle a little more. “There should be a more suitable person to live in Yunxi Hall, and that’s not me. If I stay here, it’s against etiquette.”

Helian smiled. “There is no one in this world more suitable than you, miss.”

In any case, no matter what Lu Dieqing said, she would skillfully brush it aside.

Her tone was gentle, but her attitude was firm. She was determined to stop Lu Dieqing from leaving.

Lu Dieqing was at a loss. After a moment of silence, she lowered her head in dejection.

“I want to see your Highness. I’ll tell her myself.”

Helian smiled. “No rush, miss. This servant will prepare a bath for you first. Her Highness will be here shortly.”

The wooden tub was filled with water, enough for Lu Dieqing to sit in and have a good soak. There was even a layer of flower petals floating on top, which looked very elegant.

Some palace maids wanted to serve Lu Dieqing personally, but she refused in a panic.

She was just puzzled.

How had things developed to this point?

Clearly, it had all started with her agreeing to study at the Caiyun Academy.

Then it had become Matron Zhang proposing that she move to Yunxi Hall for her convenience in going to the academy in the morning and evening.

And then…

It felt as if she were on a chessboard, and because she had made a wrong move, the subsequent situation was no longer under her control.

The clothes the palace maids had prepared were neatly folded on the square table at the side, but Lu Dieqing looked at the swirling water vapor and did not move for a long time.

She really didn’t want to take a bath.

The unfamiliar environment made her feel insecure.

Just as her mind was in a mess, she heard footsteps from behind.

Lu Dieqing was like a wary little Bambi, looking at the newcomer with her watery eyes wide open.

Zheng Xuening stood in front of the screen, her voice devoid of emotion.

“Finished with your bath?”

Lu Dieqing poked her little head out from behind the screen, annoyed.

“No!”

When Zheng Xuening arrived, the pent-up anger in the little girl’s heart suddenly found an outlet.

She took several quick steps, walked up to the Crown Princess, stood in front of her, and looked up.

“Your Highness!”

Zheng Xuening looked at her with a hint of a smile, almost as if she were admiring the girl’s rare coquettishness—so soft and fluffy, she couldn’t be fierce at all.

“Why are you looking at this Princess like that? Are you not satisfied with this place, or did this Princess come too late and make you wait anxiously?”

She looked at Lu Dieqing and bent down slightly, the distance between them immediately closing.

The anger that had been building in Lu Dieqing’s heart was like a punctured bag, and it all leaked out at once. She couldn’t say anything forceful to the Crown Princess.

“…” She took a deep breath, trying not to be carried away by the Crown Princess’s rhythm.

“I’ve heard people say that Yunxi Hall was built for you by your mother, the Empress, for you to live in after you get married.”

Lu Dieqing finished her sentence, word by word, her enunciation clear.

Zheng Xuening looked at her. “So?”

She was so unhurried, which made Lu Dieqing so ashamed and annoyed she wanted to stomp her feet.

“Ordinary people can’t live in Yunxi Hall. I shouldn’t be living here.”

Lu Dieqing forced herself to look the Crown Princess in the eye and not be cowardly.

“Anyway… I can’t live here.”

Although the little girl’s voice lacked confidence, her determination was very strong.

Zheng Xuening listened to her words, and her eyes gradually dimmed.

“You really want to go?”

She no longer had her usual forcefulness, nor did she block Lu Dieqing’s path. She even stepped aside.

Lu Dieqing didn’t react for a moment. Seeing the Crown Princess’s lonely back, she retracted the foot she had been about to take to leave.

“Why aren’t you going? This Princess is not stopping you.”

Zheng Xuening’s back was to her. Her figure was a little desolate, her voice cool but with a faint hint of sadness.

Lu Dieqing stood frozen in place, as if stuck, unable to move her feet.

At this moment, the Crown Princess gave her a completely different feeling from before.

She wasn’t using her power to force her to stay, yet it made it even harder for her to leave.

“Since you know the origin of Yunxi Hall from others, you should also know that this place has no master.”

“Every time I come here, I am reminded of the past. I will think of my mother, the Empress, who is no longer here… Perhaps she will never see me move in after I get married.”

“You should go.” Zheng Xuening’s words stopped halfway. She didn’t say any more.

She stood there, facing the screen. The landscape painting on it was beautiful and grand, with both the classical charm of Jiangnan and the unrestrained spirit of mountains and rivers.

But the Crown Princess, standing behind the screen, seemed to be trapped in this small space. All the sorrow of parting had dissipated, but she was still here.

Lu Dieqing belatedly remembered the Crown Princess’s background.

The other had lost her mother at a young age.

Yes, so when the Crown Princess comes to Yunxi Hall, will she miss the former Empress and feel sad?

What child doesn’t miss their own mother?

Even Lu Dieqing herself thought that she would never leave her parents in the future. Their family had to be together forever.

A home was called a home not because of where you lived, but because the family was together.

Where was the Crown Princess’s home?

Her father, the Emperor, had once sent her to the sky prison, to the brink of life and death. Was that a real family?

Lu Dieqing’s heart suddenly grew sour, and her nose also tingled.

She felt that she had been too much.

Knowing that someone had a wound, yet she had taken it for granted and ignored it, only seeing the other’s glamorous appearance, completely forgetting the care and empathy of a friend.

Just as she had hoped that there would be a little doll in this world that could always belong to her and accompany her.

The Crown Princess must also have this kind of longing, right?

As long as one is a person, one will be lonely, will be afraid, will be uneasy, and will long for care.

She had forgotten this, and had always thought of the Crown Princess in a “complex” way.

“Your Highness.” Lu Dieqing quietly stepped forward and stood shoulder to shoulder with Zheng Xuening.

Zheng Xuening’s back was to her, showing no sign of responding.

The little girl hesitated for a moment, then reached out and gently hugged the Crown Princess.

“Don’t be sad. I didn’t mean to leave.”

Zheng Xuening froze. Her face touched the girl’s shoulder.

Lu Dieqing was smaller than her. Her shoulders were weak, even thin, but when she opened her arms, she felt a long-lost warmth.

But this warmth was too unstable. It did not belong to her from birth.

“Weren’t you going to leave?” Zheng Xuening turned her face away.

Lu Dieqing was close to her. As she hugged her, she could see the Crown Princess’s fine, long lashes.

She coaxed her in a small voice, “Your Highness, I can’t stay here as the master of Yunxi Hall, but I can stay as a guest of Yunxi Hall, as your friend.”

“Which one do you want me to choose?”

She was almost clinging to the Crown Princess, trying hard to coax the person she had just made unhappy.

Zheng Xuening ignored her and tried to break free from her embrace, walking behind the screen.

Lu Dieqing was like a little kitten that had done something wrong, quietly following at her side.

“Your Highness,” she called out.

No response.

“Zheng Xuening,” the girl said, a little wronged.

The Crown Princess still didn’t look at her, but her steps had stopped, as if her attitude had softened.

Lu Dieqing was inspired.

“Ningning.”

The next moment, the Crown Princess, who had been facing away from her, suddenly turned around.

“What?” The two of them met each other’s gaze.