Chapter 358: Your lordship will remember (2/2)
“Your Highness, esteemed wangfei, the bride escort party’s left the palace!” the tremulous Zhao mama finally found her chance to dissolve the awkward atmosphere.
Han Yunxi quickly followed with her own remarks. “It’s really coming! And here I thought we’d miss it.”
Fine, she might be pretending that nothing had happened, but she really wanted to see the expression on Long Feiye’s face right now. It would’ve been fine even if Zhao mama never brought it up. Now that she did, did His Highness Duke of Qin really have no reaction at all?
After waiting a bit longer, all she heard was silence. Han Yunxi eventually hid the smidgen of disappointment in her heart and feigned excitement as she peered out to watch the procession. Still, everything she saw was enough to make her smile.
That wedding procession couldn’t be counted as a procession at all! Although the crown prince had opted for simplicity, this was a little too bare! Any noble family in the capital could whip up a better bride escort party than this one! The crown prince rode on a horse at the head of the procession, which consisted of one sedan chair, one wedding granny, and a few musicians bringing up the rear. After that, there was….nothing!
Including the sedan chair bearers, there was only a grand total less than 20 people!
Han Yunxi couldn’t help but worry for Mu Liuyue’s sake. Judging from the current situation, Long Tianmo harbored no feelings towards his bride-to-be at all. He didn’t seem to dread Great General Mu’s reaction to the lack of pomp and ceremony, either. In other words, the wedding wasn’t simply to draw the general’s forces to his side, but also act as a threat in itself. Imperial favor and imperial might were both in play here. General Mu’s actions would determine how well Mu Liuyue spent her days in the future.
Because the wedding procession was so tiny, and because the charity auction had stolen the spotlight for news in the past few days, there was no sensation at all. It couldn’t be compared with her own wedding, which had emptied out multiple streets. Han Yunxi could admit she liked to harbor grudges. Right now, she dearly wanted to see Mu Liuyue’s face at the general’s estate. But that was fine–she’d definitely get her chance when they reached the palace. Long Feiye had kept quiet throughout the entire affair. Han Yunxi spent the carriage ride staring out the window, while Zhao mama had stuck her ear against the curtains from outside, listening in vain to nothing. Soon enough, they arrived at the gates of the palace, where they had to descend the carriage and switch over to a sedan chair. Han Yunxi was in a rush to get off, but Long Feiye held her back with one hand to get off first, then offer his hand to help her down.
What does he mean? Is he pretending that nothing happened back then?
Admittedly, she was still brooding on those words. She placed her hand in Long Feiye’s own and lowered her head, her thoughts preoccupied. But Long Feiye suddenly said out of the blue, “The wedding…you retaliated against it beautifully.”
“Ah?” Han Yunxi’s head whipped up at the same time her foot trod on air. She immediately sank down in the gap between step and carriage. Long Feiye quickly grabbed her slim waist with both hands and lifted her clear out of the carriage. Han Yunxi hadn’t done it on purpose; her alarm caused her to instinctively wrap her arms around his neck.
If Long Feiye had started spinning in circles with her right now, what a beautiful scene they’d make!
Of course, he did no such thing. Still, their posture attracted quite a few lookers. Aside from Zhao mama and the carriage driver, there were plenty of palace guards who simultaneously turned their heads to observe the pair. Because of their positions, Long Feiye had no choice but to look up at Han Yunxi, who also had no choice but to look down at him. This was the first time in their life that they’d looked on each other as equals!
It was also the first time Long Feiye had ever looked up at a woman, and the first time Han Yunxi had ever looked down at his icy lordship. Despite this, they seem quite familiar with the view, because they remained staring at each other in silence for a while. If nobody had come to interrupt them, Han Yunxi might have continued staring at Long Feiye up until the wedding procession returned. However, Long Feiye was quick to recover his senses. He said nothing else, but adjusted his grip until he was holding Han Yunxi in a princess carry and strode forward.
Zhao mama was completely gobsmacked. Hadn’t her master always been reserved when it came to matters between men and women? He would get angry even if esteemed wangfei so much as took off her stockings, but now he was carrying her like that in view of everyone in public…
Your Highness Duke of Qin, esteemed wangfei…is it really alright for you two to be so affectionate on the day of the crown prince’s wedding?
Leaving aside Long Feiye’s domineering air, there was Han Yunxi. She had no objections to this at all, but enjoyed the whole thing immensely. She allowed him to carry her as she stared at Long Feiye’s face with unconcealed delight. Anyways, it wasn’t like she’d die if she admitted she liked him carrying her! In fact, she loved it to bits! Screw her lack of betrothal gifts, that was all in the past, anyways!
She, Han Yunxi, had always been someone who enjoyed the present and looked to the future!
Han Yunxi had already dismissed her regrets, but after Long Feiye carried her to the sedan chair, he stopped to whisper in her ear, “Han Yunxi, your lordship will remember.”
Her ear was still warm with his breath by the time he withdrew from the sedan chair.
What will he remember?
The two sedan chairs rose from the ground as their bearers took them into the palace, one after the other. Nobody noticed the white-robed man standing at the edge of the wall to stare after the pair. As before, a white face veil obscured his features, but even that couldn’t hide the clean and refined aura about him. His eyes were clear and bright despite their faint traces of exhaustion. He watched until the sedan chairs vanished into the palace gates before turning to disappear.