73 Follow The Trap (1/2)

The snake around her arm tightened, and Hongyue gently patted her sleeve and felt a soft tongue flicking out against her skin in response.

What a timing, Hongyue thought as she gently clicked her tongue. Why was the emperor here? Her mind began to spin as she formed possible theories.

She received an edict that forced her to go to the palace. Nonetheless, that was only in name since she was led into an empty road to be killed. While in the carriage, Hongyue had noted the ground was substantially covered in patches of grass. Since the palace had men returning and traveling back and fro on the trail, there meant there was to be little to no grass due to the heavy stomping of horses and foot travel.

But...the emperor was someone busy so why would he be here? Could it be someone informed him of something? Or did he know something already?

However, what would he had to be informed about in to order to be so stirred up like this?

Too messy.

She needed more information.

Ah~

The royal family really can't be trusted, can they?

There were only two things she could deduct from this situation. One, this indicated that it was a trap arranged for her, and everything else had been a cover-up for the trap or two, she was overthinking it.

But, she thought as she looked down, overthinking would be better than underestimating.

Hongyue extended her fingers and flipped over the blade in her hands ever so slightly, purposely letting it fall to the ground before she reached down and picked it up.

However, if it was the first option....whoever it was, they were sitting prettily playing puppets. It was someone who wanted the emperor to find her as a threat he couldn't control and that same someone who seemed to know that the eldest miss wasn't all she appeared. So this was merely a case of a borrowed hand.

Jiayi?

Seeing that he was more careful of her, it wasn't likely, but it was not impossible he could have acted out of character. The third prince seemed to hold different ambition in which he seemed to want to borrow her strength so he wouldn't dare rid of her yet. Hongyue was willing to bet this much.

Then...

A slight gleam came into her eyes, and Hongyue covered up a smirk that was starting to appear. With a quick change to her blood-thirsty eyes and expression, she acted to have a great interest in the dagger in her hands.

She'll have to play their little game...only in the opposite direction.