Luo Wushuang moved with startling efficiency. Having decided to issue a marriage decree for Luo Wuyan, she didn’t even wait for dinner to conclude before dispatching her attendants to the Prince’s Manor to deliver the imperial edict.
Along the way, the palace attendants followed their orders and picked up Shen Youran. The little fox had been in the middle of calculating how to jailbreak without being detected when she was suddenly whisked away.
Sitting inside the relatively spacious carriage, Shen Youran showed not a hint of joy at her narrow escape. Instead, her face was a mask of guarded suspicion and dread.
Not long ago, for reasons she couldn’t fathom, a splitting headache had struck her, plunging her into unconsciousness. When she finally woke, she found her soul unstable. Even her tails… she was missing one.
At twenty years old, she was a mere child by the standards of the Fox Clan. Usually, she would only have one tail, but she actually possessed four. One was her own; the other three were a gift—a legacy of a lifetime’s cultivation bestowed upon her by her aunt before her death.
Originally, she had planned to wait a few more years before leaving the Shen Manor to seek out the Land of Yousu her mother had spoken of. But before she could even begin her preparations, the Shen family met with a sudden, catastrophic downfall, and she was swept up in the chaos.
In the past, a simple spell would have been enough to secure her escape. But now, with her soul so fragile, she dared not use any magic beyond simple illusions. She lived in constant fear that a single slip-up would reveal her true form, leading to her being captured and burned at the stake.
So, when the soldiers arrived this morning, she could only follow the rest of the Shen family into the cold cells of the Imperial Prison. Yet now, while the rest of the Shens remained behind bars, she alone had been released. Why?
While Shen Youran was lost in hesitation and confusion, the carriage slowly groaned to a halt before a residence that exuded nobility even from the outside. Looking up at the plaque that bore the balanced, formal characters for “Prince An’s Manor,” the suspicion in her eyes deepened.
She had never met Prince An. Why had the palace attendants brought her here?
Inside the manor, where she was under temporary house arrest, Luo Wuyan received word of the palace visitors. Her expression remained neutral, neither happy nor sad. She knew this meant her Imperial Sister had finally reached a decision regarding her fate.
Had this been her past life, she would have been trembling with anxiety at this moment, knowing her destiny hung in the balance. But the modern Luo Wuyan had long since shed that adolescent innocence and fragility. She didn’t particularly care what became of her own life.
Her only concern was Shen Youran, who was supposed to be locked away in the Imperial Prison.
Thus, when she saw Shen Youran step out of the carriage, the emotions in the depths of her eyes shifted into something incredibly complex. In any other circumstance, she would have been ecstatic. But now, she herself was a prisoner in all but name…
She didn’t know what her Imperial Sister was thinking, and she was terrified that Youran would be dragged down by her own misfortune. Her expression changed drastically, however, when her gaze fell behind Shen Youran, where she saw three snow-white tails drooping listlessly.
(Author’s Note: Currently, only Luo Wuyan can see these tails. The reason for this will likely be explained later.)
Luo Wuyan didn’t know how many tails Youran was supposed to have at this age, but… she remembered that in her past life, Youran had once severed a tail to save her. Back then, her face had been just as pale and bloodless as it was now.
What happened?
Luo Wuyan’s hand instinctively drifted to the blood-red prayer beads on her wrist. Just as she was about to move, she was interrupted by the shrill, high-pitched voice of the palace attendant.
“An Imperial Decree has arrived! Prince An, please step forward to receive it.”
Luo Wuyan took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to pull the girl into her arms. She hiked up the hem of her robe and knelt with practiced, respectful grace.
“By the Grace of Heaven, the Empress decrees: Shen Youran is hereby appointed as the Princess Consort of Prince An. Respect this!”
Luo Wuyan froze for a moment, then let out a long, silent sigh of relief. The decree was simple and direct, wasting no words—entirely consistent with her Imperial Sister’s style. Though, it would have been nice if it mentioned when the wedding was supposed to happen.
Still, with this decree in place, both she and Youran were safe for the time being. As for what would happen later, they would cross that bridge when they came to it.
Feeling the weight lift from her heart, Luo Wuyan stood up and instinctively reached out to steady the woman beside her. Her gaze swept over Shen Youran’s eyes—eyes like autumn ripples, filled with fear and wariness, but not a single spark of affection.
Luo Wuyan felt a pang of sadness, though it was quickly replaced by resignation. She knew that at this point in time, her Youran didn’t know her yet.
As long as she’s alive… that’s enough.
With that thought, she reached into her sleeve with practiced tact and pulled out a heavy purse of gold and silver, handing it to the messenger.
Once the palace attendants were gone, Luo Wuyan silently unfastened the string of beads from her wrist. She slipped them onto Shen Youran’s porcelain-white wrist and said softly, “This is a token of my affection for my Princess Consort. I hope you won’t refuse it.”
Princess Consort. Luo Wuyan had chosen the title carefully. She was afraid that if she called her something too intimate right away, she would scare the girl off.
Shen Youran, who usually detested being touched, frowned as she looked down at the blood-red beads against her skin. For some reason, she felt a strange sense of familiarity from the beads, as if… as if they were always meant to belong to her.
The thought flashed through her mind and was immediately dismissed. She had never met Prince An before; how could he have something of hers?
And yet… why was it that the moment she put them on, her splitting headache seemed to dull? Even her soul felt more stable.
Shen Youran masked her confusion, quietly channeling a sliver of spiritual energy to test the beads. The moment her thread-thin energy touched the beads, it surged, becoming thick and robust. Her eyes widened in shock. This string of beads was… overflowing with Kingly Aura.
One had to understand that Kingly Aura was not something gained simply by sitting on a throne. It required royal blood, a soul of utmost purity and goodness, and the presence of Dragon Qi within one’s spirit to manifest. Because of this, Kingly Aura was a treasure that powerful demons would fight to the death over.
And yet, it had been handed to her so casually.
Shen Youran’s gaze fell upon Luo Wuyan’s gentle face and tender eyes. Her heart fluttered with a sudden, inexplicable panic. Did Prince An already know her identity and was testing her? Or was this… a complete accident?
“These beads are far too precious. I must ask the Prince to…”
When Shen Youran spoke, her voice was melodic and enchanting, like a warm spring breeze that made one’s heart itch with sweetness.
As the sound reached Luo Wuyan’s ears, a momentary haze appeared in her eyes. Looking at the beads held in Youran’s hand, Luo Wuyan lowered her gaze slightly to hide the tears threatening to well up.
“An eminent monk at a temple gave these to me,” she said softly. “I have worn them for a long time and am very fond of them. That is why I am giving them to my Princess Consort. I hope you do not find them lacking.”
A look of realization flashed in Shen Youran’s eyes. So, it was imbued with the aura through accidental proximity. However, for it to gather so much Kingly Aura, the Prince must have worn them constantly. From that perspective, he wasn’t lying.
Gaining confidence in her own charm arts, Shen Youran pressed further. “Does the Prince know why His Majesty issued this marriage decree for the two of us?”
In her past life, Luo Wuyan had been the frequent “practice target” for Shen Youran’s charm techniques. She had seen through the act the moment Shen Youran pretended to refuse the beads.
However, to put Youran at ease, Luo Wuyan maintained the facade of a man under a spell. She replied unhurriedly, “Perhaps my Imperial Sister issued this decree out of suspicion and caution. Rest assured, Princess Consort, I will not interfere with anything you do within this manor.”
Luo Wuyan felt no guilt whatsoever about throwing the Empress under the bus. Seeing that Youran remained silent, Luo Wuyan continued, “There are few servants in this manor. I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble the Princess Consort to select her own maids when she has the time.”
Luo Wuyan said this because she remembered that in their past life, Youran’s most trusted maid was actually a branch from a silk tree she had planted herself, transformed into human shape. She naturally wanted to make things convenient for her.
Hearing this, Shen Youran’s expression visibly relaxed. This… is for the best. She wasn’t used to being close to people. If the Prince had assigned her a maid, she wouldn’t have known how to handle it. Since she could choose her own, she would just bring a flower branch into the manor tomorrow and give it a human skin to wear.
Fingering the beads on her wrist, Shen Youran used their power to slowly mend her damaged soul. At the same time, she exerted her charm to make the Prince lead her to a courtyard she liked…
Luo Wuyan, pretending to be entranced, followed behind Shen Youran. Her gaze was greedy and full of deep affection as she stared at the graceful figure before her. Her heart was racing with excitement.
She had truly done it… she had brought her Youran back.
Regardless of whether Youran fell in love with her in this life, her only wish was for her to live—to live well.
Luo Wuyan’s long phoenix eyes flickered as she subtly hid the sorrow within them. A human’s life was like a season of grass, but a demon’s… She did not fear death, but she was still loath to leave such a wonderful woman behind.
Yet she also knew that the one who lived on was often the one who suffered most. If Youran truly didn’t fall in love with her this time, then… so be it. To forget her, and to forget the bone-deep love between them, might actually be a mercy for a demon with such a long life ahead.
She thought this, yet as long as she breathed, she couldn’t help but want to claim the title of husband—to be her legitimate spouse in the eyes of the world.
