Chapter 46: The Bewitching Shadows of the State Preceptor

“Stop licking…”

Her small earlobe was licked until it gleamed with an indecent sheen. Lu Yihuan’s high nose tip pressed against the soft spot behind her ear, her teeth nipping solidly, again and again.

Jiang Li’s neck stiffened in place. She didn’t dare move an inch. The sensations from behind her ear were far too intense, and she could only pray silently that Lu Yihuan would soon tire of her ear.

She hadn’t refused at the beginning, so rejecting now felt too late.

Deep down, Jiang Li assumed Lu Yihuan was just seeking “revenge,” since Lu Yihuan had always firmly believed she was the one from that night.

And that night… she had gone too far with Lu Yihuan.

Though Jiang Li had never admitted it, she truly had been the one that night.

She had to hide it from Lu Yihuan because of the task, but she had genuinely bullied the woman.

Harboring this guilty thought, Jiang Li watched her boundaries recede step by step as Lu Yihuan grew bolder.

When Lu Yihuan left in anger, Jiang Li thought to coax her. When Lu Yihuan rejected her gifts repeatedly, Jiang Li thought to choose better ones. Now Lu Yihuan was biting her ear, so Jiang Li thought she would just endure it…

And so she endured until now.

Jiang Li figured that once Lu Yihuan got over the initial thrill, this sudden interest would fade. But Lu Yihuan seemed addicted, endlessly toying with that dainty earlobe.

She tried every trick on it, polishing it until it shone clearer than jade, then redder than ruby.

Jiang Li couldn’t see her own earlobe, catching only glimpses of her state in Lu Yihuan’s gaze.

It was a disaster.

The eyes fixed on her grew hotter by the second, scorching even the nearby skin red.

This wasn’t good…

The woman’s soft body nestled in Lu Yihuan’s arms felt perfect against the cool night breeze. Their body heat mingled, hers drawing in Lu Yihuan’s warmth and passing her own back.

One ear cooled in the lake breeze, while the other burned inside someone’s mouth, hot enough to ignite dry paper in the next instant.

Glacial ice and volcanic fire, both tied to the same person.

Jiang Li couldn’t take it anymore. Her fingertips rose to tug at Lu Yihuan’s sleeve, intending to make her stop. But the tug turned into a feeble pull, as if begging for more.

Was she craving an embrace? Or a hand to hold?

Lu Yihuan didn’t bother guessing. She simply did both.

She turned the woman to face her, threading their fingers together until every gap was filled. Their fingertips brushed by accident, dry skin sparking a chain of electric tingles.

Jiang Li stood stunned as her hand was firmly clasped.

Lu Yihuan… was holding her hand.

No—licking her ear while holding her hand.

No matter how she looked at it, something felt off…

Amid her slow breaths, Jiang Li dimly sensed something different.

She had thought she and Lu Yihuan were just friends getting along, that night a mere accident on Lu Yihuan’s part—a compromise.

To her, it was only a mishap midway through a task world.

But now, Lu Yihuan had taken her earlier joke seriously and leaned in. What she was doing now even qualified as a “tryst.”

For it to be a tryst, though, there had to be feelings to steal.

So, did Lu Yihuan like her? Did Lu Yihuan like women?

Her brows furrowed, trapping Jiang Li in her own confusion.

In the original world line, Lu Yihuan’s romance was clearly tied to the male lead, with no mention of anything after that.

Why was this happening?

Pondering their encounters, Jiang Li made a bold guess.

Maybe that night, her performance had been good enough to suit Lu Yihuan’s tastes and left her satisfied. So now, Lu Yihuan was just craving her body?

The more she thought, the more convinced Jiang Li became—even retrofitting her past behavior into the logic.

It was just like how her heart raced at the sight of that face, how she found it so pretty. Pure face-con behavior!

This was her Female Lead 2! She matched her tastes perfectly, so seeing her smile made her heart flutter happily. She just lusted after that face!

“Hiss…”

The once-comfortable pressure turned sharp as Lu Yihuan bit down hard on her earlobe. Pain yanked Jiang Li’s thoughts back, her pursed lips parting in a soft gasp.

“What is Your Highness thinking about?” The bite was followed by the lightest soothing licks. Without seeing those dark, displeased eyes peering over her shoulder, one might have been fully fooled.

Jiang Li fell for the gentle comfort on her earlobe.

She chalked the bite up to a momentary lapse.

The knuckles gripped in her hand twitched slightly. Jiang Li wanted to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear, but the moment she stirred, her hand was squeezed tighter.

A breeze happened to sweep by, lifting the hair from her cheek and back behind her head. Jiang Li quieted, no longer trying to pull away.

“It’s nothing. I was just thinking… you’re very beautiful.”

She paused midway, struck by Lu Yihuan’s earlier words. No one had ever praised her beauty so persistently before. Saying it repeatedly now might make her seem frivolous.

“Very beautiful.”

A low chuckle rumbled from Lu Yihuan’s throat, her breath tickling the earlobe before her. Itch and numbness spread; Jiang Li’s shoulder shrank instinctively under the resting chin.

Lu Yihuan had clawed her way up through bloodshed, never realizing this shell of hers held such allure. How many times had Jiang Li praised her now?

This useless skin drew people in, yes. But Lu Yihuan narrowed her eyes, recalling the intelligence report that had crossed her desk.

-Eldest Princess Jiang Li, fond of beauties, partial to handsome faces.

If she grew old and faded, would this woman discard her for others? Did she have nothing but her looks?

“Your Highness.” Lu Yihuan’s voice came low and ghostly.

Jiang Li hummed softly to show she was listening.

“If I weren’t beautiful, would you still want to keep spending time with me?”

The question struck Jiang Li as odd. She glanced perplexedly at the woman before her.

“Of course I would. I’m not that obsessed with looks.”

Not obsessed with looks, hm.

Lu Yihuan reflected on past incidents. Perhaps pinning her to the table in the palace, murmuring of ideal matches, stemmed from this face? Or even that night’s accident—had it been the face, not her?

Lost in thought, Lu Yihuan tied herself in knots, agonizing over whether Jiang Li’s affection boiled down to mere looks.

“Then what makes Your Highness choose a destined match?”

“Um… I don’t know now. It’s all about fate, right? Whether the connection is there.” She turned her cheek slightly, gazing at the lazily draped beauty leaning against her. Just looking eased her soul. “But naturally, they have to be good-looking.”

Jiang Li knew her face-con tendencies well. If it was the beauty etched on her heart, any anger would melt, and she’d lavish it with everything.

“Your Highness places so much weight on appearance. What if the one you choose ages and loses her looks?”

“Hm… let nature take its course?” In Jiang Li’s world, time meant little to worry over; aging was preventable with technology, keeping one forever youthful.

But in this small world, she followed its flow.

Aging was normal, so let it be. If she liked someone, she’d stay naturally until the end.

Her easy answer irked the sole listener. Let nature take its course—said so lightly. But whose nature? Staying together, or…?

Noticing the rare frustration on her face and recalling the question, enlightenment struck Jiang Li. She rephrased.

“Of course, if it’s you, Lord Lu—even if you age and fade—we’re friends now, aren’t we? I’d never abandon you.”

Friends. What kind of friends? Had she ever seen friends nuzzling ears together? Friends naked in bed, licking everywhere?

“Heh. In that case, I’d rather not have it.”

Her tone cooled abruptly, the earlier clinginess vanished. The hand hooked around Jiang Li’s palm loosened to pull away.

Irritation churned in Lu Yihuan. Annoyed at Jiang Li’s words, and at herself for arguing. Better to agree first, then maneuver the words later.

She shouldn’t let go. She should cling, make Jiang Li swallow “friends,” chant their future, force her to stay forever.

Age be damned. She wanted the now. Lusting for this face? She’d scour the world to lock it away, lock the person too.

Locked before her, in her grasp.

Regret bloomed, turning her withdrawal sticky. Her palm lifted from the center, caught at the base like it refused to leave.

They stood face-to-face, linked hands dangling between, long sleeves draping over the ambiguous sight.

Fingers halted at the webbing. Lu Yihuan nearly tightened her grip in reversal but hesitated—her “no” had been too crisp.

She froze. When Jiang Li moved, Lu Yihuan’s brows furrowed. Just as she swallowed her pride to interlace—

Suddenly, their suspended hands shot upward with force, yanked back hard.

Mmph.

Her footing slipped, and Lu Yihuan slammed back against the tree trunk. It didn’t hurt, but her lifted gaze brimmed with evident emotion, like the pressure had wrung out misty tears.

Seeing the moisture in those eyes, Jiang Li’s prepared mockery stuck in her throat. She jerked her head away, choking awkwardly, her built-up momentum crumbling.

The teary glint looked pitiful, but somehow, it tickled Jiang Li’s heart like a fluttering feather—itchy,, laced with hidden thrill.

Seeing Lu Yihuan so unlike her usual self, pinned and vulnerable—it was satisfying.

Those brimming eyes washed over her like clear waves, smoothing the itch into pure pleasure.

Excitement surged from her heart, racing through limbs. Gazing at the suddenly fragile figure before her, buried dirty desires surfaced.

Indescribable feelings seized Jiang Li’s body briefly. Her wrist guided her fingers to stroke Lu Yihuan’s lashes, as if calming the vapors in her eyes.

The long lashes fluttered fearfully under her fingertips. Jiang Li’s thumb pad gently rubbed the thin eyelid, trailing down. The corner was indeed damp; she grew even softer.

Even the pat on her cheek was unbelievably gentle, merely bouncing off the soft flesh.

So obedient.

Such force from those hands on her wrists. My Your Highness.

Mastering emotional disguise—the first lesson for entering court.

Lu Yihuan wielded it masterfully now.

The misty eyes: feigned. The pained expression: feigned. The troubled face: feigned. The recoiling steps: feigned.

She was supremely confident in this guise, her finest yet.

Her Your Highness seemed to eat it up. Perfect.

Her breaths slowed fearfully, then heaved. The vapors in Lu Yihuan’s eyes had fogged into mist across those clear black-and-white orbs. A slight droop—

—and she heard Jiang Li’s breathing quicken before her.

Yes, just like that. Be lured in…

Fall to hell with her…

Her feigned expression trembled under Jiang Li’s unconsciously leaning body, mistaken for refusal.

Jiang Li dimly knew she was drunk—drunk on a pair of stunning peach-blossom eyes brimming with their owner’s hidden brew. The intoxicating scent muddled her mind further.

The tighter she pinned the woman, the more the cold facade melted, leaving only heart-itching frailty.

Those misty peach eyes quivered with each pat on the cheek, shaking, beckoning: no.

How could she say no? You clearly like me so much. These eyes shine with joy for me.

Unable to hold back, Jiang Li’s fingers slid from the cheek, tilting her chin up in a dominant stance, gazing down.

Using those fog-shrouded eyes, Jiang Li lowly refuted her rejection.

“Don’t want me? Then dig out these eyes I love so much, alright?”

She said it like a simple, casual suggestion.

At tonight’s banquet, she’d applied vivid rouge to her nails as usual. The colored tips grazed and scratched Lu Yihuan’s prominent throat idly.

Her gaze lowered, drawn to the bobbing Adam’s apple. Her grip tightened with the body’s shivers.

She nearly crushed the whole body against the tree, spine flush to bark.

The space between them teetered on ruin.

Chest to chest, pulsing heartbeats pressed intimately, feeling each other’s blood thrum under her hand, drawing them closer still.

Ah, you win.

The tender skin at Jiang Li’s wrist pulsed wildly—she seemed thrilled. Lu Yihuan watched, mesmerized, as Jiang Li’s eyes roamed her body, captivated anew.

She took back her earlier words.

If this face was what Jiang Li loved most, she’d hide it away, hide Jiang Li too. Then, when she aged and withered, kill Jiang Li.

Madness overflowed her eyes, dyed blood-red—that was Lu Yihuan’s love and possession.

Kill her, and Jiang Li wouldn’t stray. She’d stay forever at peak adoration.

As for this body—did Jiang Li like it?

Lu Yihuan turned her head slightly. Her hands were vise-gripped by Jiang Li, framed by lingering eye mist. Her lips quivered, pitifully endearing.

Jiang Li must adore this body, Lu Yihuan thought.

Last time, she’d dragged Jiang Li into it first, true—but Jiang Li’s eagerness hadn’t seemed fake midway.

While she still had strength, Jiang Li had tormented her relentlessly.

At first, Jiang Li had been shy and at a loss. Later, she’d clung undetached, sticky and close.

Even Lu Yihuan flushed recalling Jiang Li’s state then.

Born with plum blossom patterns—like the cold plums on Jiang Kingdom’s snowy peaks. To stretch for admiration, branches bore nutrient veins. Nature’s law.

Jiang Li had to be curious about them.

She’d cradled them cherishfully in her palms, sniffing deeply at first, then inspecting closely.

Lu Yihuan sat in her lap, Jiang Li glancing up amid pinches on her shoulders—ignored pain.

She focused solely on observing until Lu Yihuan slapped her down in annoyance.

“Don’t just look.”

Jiang Li oh-ed obediently, then turned mischievous.

She probed persistently, like a treasure hunter.

Not the best timing for Lu Yihuan, though.

Jiang Li looked up pleadingly, her eyes pitiful.

Lu Yihuan still pinned her head.

Fearing she’d slack, Jiang Li kept at it diligently while peering up beseechingly, never pausing her “work.”

Lashes wet, Lu Yihuan glared down at the begging face, fury rising.

She shoved her back roughly.

“Are you some babe never weaned?”

The woman acted utterly inexperienced, leaving her itchy and aching.

Thanks to the aphrodisiac, amid the pain lurked tingles.

But admit finding pleasure in Jiang Li’s clumsy fervor? Impossible.

So she merely shoved her back, without kicking her off.

After the scolding, Jiang Li took it literally, as if inspired.

Like an oblivious child, she rubbed her eyes, nose, lips, chin across it—top to bottom, bottom to top—dent on cheeks, then release.

Her grip on the shoulders tightened. Eyes closed, Jiang Li worked earnestly, deeming it pleasing.

Sweat beaded thinly. Rogue-like, Jiang Li buried her face in the sway, tongue scraping idly, cheeks dragging through.

As her body shuddered violently, Lu Yihuan looked down at the buried Jiang Li, mustering strength to rake nail marks on her shoulder.

When Jiang Li had energy left, she’d driven her mad—consciousness hazy, yet sharpening at key moments from her moves.

So, with strength to spare, Jiang Li fancied this body plenty.

Then, like it more.

Best if she liked only her, eyes holding none else.

Lu Yihuan’s lips curved pleasedly at the dazed beauty before her. A dark glint flashed in her eyes—such a gullible darling.

Her lips parted slightly as she leaned close, tempting.

“Does Your Highness like only my eyes?”

Her breath fanned the corner of Jiang Li’s lips; distance near nil. Eyes brimming with desire, Lu Yihuan hooked the staring woman.

“Will you like my mouth too?”