Obsessively Raised by My Doll 36

Chapter 36

Zheng Xuening was a head taller than Lu Dieqing. When she reached out to steady her, the line of her jaw was beautiful, yet slightly sharp. But her frame was also slender, like a woman’s. It was only because of her cool and composed aura that she gave off an impression of being exceptionally tall.

Lu Dieqing looked up in a daze, her arm held by the Crown Princess, her mind not yet having reacted.

She hadn’t expected to run into the Crown Princess again here. Running into her once in the Library Pavilion was enough of a coincidence. How could she have run into her again on her way home, just after leaving?

Lu Dieqing’s lips parted, wanting to say something, but her mind was a blank.

She even turned her head to look at her surroundings.

This is the way to the side-palaces, that’s right. It doesn’t pass by the Library Pavilion, nor does it lead to the main road out of the palace. Why would the Crown Princess come here?

The little girl was dazed, feeling a sense of confusion, as if she didn’t know what day it was.

Seeing her in a daze, Zheng Xuening felt both amused and helpless. When she released her hand, her gaze grew a little deeper.

“What are you spacing out for?”

Lu Dieqing came back to her senses, her mind quickly recalling what had just happened. Only then did she answer in a small voice, “I was thinking about something just now and wasn’t looking at the road. I didn’t mean to bump into Your Highness. Did I hurt you, Your Highness?”

After taking her small hand from her forehead, Lu Dieqing subconsciously looked at the Crown Princess’s chest.

—I bumped into a soft wall. Was it the Crown Princess’s chest?

Thinking of the sensation on her forehead just now, Lu Dieqing felt both ashamed and embarrassed, feeling very much in the wrong. Her watery eyes looked at the Crown Princess, waiting for her to pronounce judgment.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness.”

When she had done something wrong, Lu Dieqing was always a good child who would obediently apologize and was willing to make amends.

Zheng Xuening, however, did not react as the girl had expected. She didn’t even dwell on the topic for too long, just looked at her faintly, her voice light and clear.

“I don’t blame you. But, where are you looking?”

Huh?

At the place I bumped into, of course.

Realizing what the Crown Princess was saying, Lu Dieqing froze, quickly averting her gaze, not daring to stare at the Crown Princess’s chest anymore.

Just now, I was like a hooligan, staring at that spot. But I didn’t mean anything by it…

It’s just that, the Crown Princess seems to be only two years older than me. Why is she so well-developed, so much more ample than me?

Lu Dieqing didn’t know why such a comparison would uncontrollably pop into her head.

Aiya, stop, stop, Lu Dieqing, what are you thinking!

Frightened by the thoughts constantly popping into her mind, the girl became even more flustered, her face flushing red. Like a helpless little quail with its wings tucked in, she looked as if she had forgotten how to fly.

The more constrained she was, the more Zheng Xuening wanted to tease her.

This wicked streak was something Zheng Xuening would never have had in the past. Her personality was not particularly interesting. In fact, she often seemed overly serious and sharp, always jumping between the two. In the eyes of others, they probably only saw her cold face. Zheng Xuening would also forget what she liked and what she disliked.

But now, for some reason, perhaps because Lu Dieqing had turned her into a wooden doll and had broken her rules several times, she was beginning to not be herself. The recent series of out-of-character actions had left even her own self confused.

However…

I can’t just let this girl hold me in her arms every day as a wooden doll, kissing and cuddling and bullying me, while I can only watch?

That’s not right.

It’s only interesting when there’s a back and forth.

Zheng Xuening’s gaze fell back on the food box in Lu Dieqing’s hand. She curved her lips and asked again, as if unintentionally, “What is that?”

Lu Dieqing held the food box in one hand, feeling a little uncomfortable. But meeting the Crown Princess’s burning gaze, she still answered in a small voice, “It’s some pastries.”

A’Sang had told her it was pastries, but Lu Dieqing herself hadn’t opened it to look. She assumed it must be pastries and not something else.

After saying this, Lu Dieqing fell silent again.

Mhm, what else should I say to the Crown Princess now?

She blinked, deep in thought, trying to figure out how to handle this scene.

However, the Crown Princess said nothing more, just stood in front of her, blocking her way home, making her impossible to ignore, yet leaving her with no idea what the other was up to.

Zheng Xuening was also silent, thinking about what to say.

In truth, she was not good at interacting with people after shedding her identity as the heir.

Lu Dieqing was the first person to break through her shell.

But it was clear that as long as she didn’t say anything, Lu Dieqing would never connect her with the wooden doll that the girl held in her arms every night. So, the way she treated her was completely different from the way she treated the wooden doll.

As long as she didn’t speak, this girl would never take the initiative to coax her as she did with the wooden doll.

So the scene came to a standstill, the atmosphere a little awkward and overly silent.

Lu Dieqing realized this and felt a little nervous. Her hand holding the food box was getting tired.

The little girl cautiously spoke.

“Then, Your Highness, shall we part here?”

She wanted to go back early to ask her mother about the Shan envoy. And the pastries in the food box, she wanted to share them with her parents while they were still warm.

Zheng Xuening pressed her lips together. The pressure in the air around her dropped another notch at the little girl’s reply.

“You may go.”

She spoke coldly, looking away, making it impossible to tell if she was happy or not. Only her long lashes, like beautiful crow feathers, fluttered twice over her beautiful eyes.

This made Lu Dieqing unable to resist taking another look.

“Then… I’ll be going.”

Lu Dieqing squeezed out a smile. She had wanted to bow, but was afraid of causing more trouble. After all, the Crown Princess’s mood was sometimes indeed hard to predict.

She took a step, looking back every three steps to observe the Crown Princess’s reaction. Seeing no movement from the other, she slowly relaxed, her steps becoming lighter, and she quickly disappeared with the food box.

If the Crown Princess were someone else, like A’Sang, she would have enthusiastically shared the contents of her food box. But how could the heir of a nation care about such things?

Lu Dieqing’s sharing depended on the person. How could someone who was used to a life of luxury and all kinds of delicacies care about the humble food in her food box?

The Crown Princess must have just run into me by chance.

Perhaps she was in a bad mood because something was on her mind.

Thinking this, Lu Dieqing walked away with light steps, turning around the alley.

Zheng Xuening looked up, her gaze following the direction of the girl’s disappearing back, her lips tightening even more.

She just watched as the little girl, like a little rabbit that didn’t look back, ran off happily the moment she was let go. Her heart felt so stifled.

There was an inexplicable sense of frustration in her chest, but she couldn’t put her finger on why. In short, she was very displeased.

Compared to the day outside the palace, Lu Dieqing didn’t seem to rely on her as much.

“Your Highness.”

The attendant who had been hiding in a corner and hadn’t come over, seeing that only Her Highness was left standing there, steeled himself and came forward, asking respectfully, “Your Highness, it’s time. We should be going.”

Even though she was the Crown Princess’s trusted subordinate and thought she understood what was on Her Highness’s mind, she was still very confused about why Her Highness had come to see a little palace maid today.

Today, His Majesty had summoned all the royal children. The other princes and princesses had already gone. Only Her Highness was left, and she was not in a hurry to go. Instead, she had come to have a chance encounter with a little palace maid?

The attendant had never seen her Royal Highness be so pleasant to any palace maid.

She had been bumped into, yet she showed no blame, and even waited so calmly for the other to speak, not even requiring her to bow.

If the Crown Princess were so approachable, she would have long been surrounded by palace maids wanting to latch onto her.

To be honest, with the Crown Princess’s looks, if her personality were a little gentler, even she would be willing to warm her bed.

“No need to say more. This Princess has her own plans.”

As the attendant urged her, Zheng Xuening shot her a cold glance.

Just that one indifferent look was enough to make one feel as if they had been plunged into an ice cave. The attendant immediately fell silent, lowering her head and not daring to say another word.

This is the Highness we are all familiar with.

The way Her Highness was so gentle just now, smiling at that little palace maid, was truly not normal.

*

Lu Dieqing sat at home, having already opened the food box A’Sang had given her. Inside were two layers of still-warm little rabbit pastries.

They looked so exquisite.

She shared them with her parents, but they both said they were full and told her to eat them herself.

Lu Dieqing had something on her mind and asked, “Mother, do you know that the Shan Kingdom is sending an envoy to the Chaoying Kingdom?”

She had been thinking about this all the way.

Lu He and Bai Ming were reluctant to eat the pastries their daughter had brought back, but they couldn’t resist Lu Dieqing’s coquettishness. They each ate one, leaving six little rabbit pastries for their daughter.

Lu He hesitated for a moment. Seeing that her daughter was really curious, she no longer hid it.

“I know.”

“Didn’t I just tell you that I sent a letter to the Shan Kingdom, and there’s been a response? Perhaps they can take you back.”

This time, Lu Dieqing noticed that her mother had said “you,” not “us.”

The little girl said with a serious face, “Mother, is it just me, or can we all go back together?”

If A’Sang hadn’t mentioned this to her in the Library Pavilion today, she would have never thought about this question.

Lu He froze, turned to look at her husband, and for a moment, didn’t know how to answer.

She hadn’t expected her usually naive daughter to be so meticulous this time, to have noticed this detail.

“This… it’s not up to me. It depends on what the Chaoying royal family and the envoy say.”

Lu He was afraid that if she told the truth, her daughter would refuse to go back, so she was being evasive, wanting to leave some room.

Lu Dieqing was indeed very easy to placate. Hearing her mother say this, she said seriously, “Then it doesn’t matter what they say. Anyway, my parents and I are always together. Mother, you promised me that no matter what happens in the future, we will be together.”

The little girl felt a little uneasy and wanted to seek comfort from her mother.

Lu He hadn’t expected her daughter to be so sharp, to be able to vaguely sense her thoughts.

She didn’t want to deceive her daughter, but she couldn’t just let her daughter stay in the Chaoying Kingdom and waste her life away with them. After thinking for a while, she could only speak the truth.

“Qingqing, you’re grown up. I won’t hide it from you. If the envoy intends to take you back to the Shan Kingdom, your father and I do want to send you over first.”

“This is a den of dragons and tigers. What future do you have here? If you can go back, your life will be different.”

At the very least, in the future, her daughter’s marriage could be to someone of high status, and she could have a say in it, not be bullied.