Chapter 26 - Be Careful On Your Way

The maid led Li Rui inside the room. On the bed, behind the translucent curtains, a blurry feminine figure could be seen resting. The maid announced Li Rui's arrival. A soft voice from behind the curtains was heard.

"Prepare some delicious snacks and drinks. This Princess is going to have a long chat with Lady Li today."

The words were followed by the appearance of Princess Wenling as she stood up from the bed and appeared through the curtains with the help of a maid.

"Yes, Your Highness."

The maid departed to do the ordered chore.

With Elegant and graceful steps, she sat leaning comfortably on the chair closing her eyes, and put her legs on the wooden stool completely ignoring the standing Li Rui.

Xi Ying looked at the snobbish Princess coldly and his lips twitched in rage. He knew that the Princess was spoilt rotten by His Majesty, the Emperor, and Her Majesty, the Empress, but now it seemed that the condition was worse. Because she had gained enough courage to humiliate his wangfei, Li Rui.

This was a great mistake.

Ten minutes passed and no one said anything. A maid was combing the Princess's long black hair. The second maid entered the chamber with a tray that had some eatable snacks. The drinks were set on the table soon. But Li Rui was still standing and Xi Ying's frustration was growing more and more with each passing second.

At this moment, Princess Wenling finally decided to open her eyes and looked at Li Rui surprisingly as if she noticed her only now.

"Lady Li, Why are you standing there? Please take the seat."

She politely pointed to the chair placed in front of her.

Li Rui glanced at the chair for a moment and then sat down without showing any change in her emotion.

The Princess waved to the maids to dismiss them and then she asked Li Rui with a small smile.

"Are you feeling comfortable? Else This Princess can ask the maid to place another chair that is more comfortable than this one. Lady Li must not hesitate to tell this Princess."

Without squirming under the scrutinizing gaze of the Princess, Li Rui said her next words calmly

"Princess does not need to worry over such small things. Rui is very comfortable with this arrangement."

Her words widen the smile on Princess' face.

"Well, That is good to hear."

All these actions were very creepy in Xi Ying's eyes and her words seemed to carry more meaning than they expressed. He glanced at the chair; Li Rui was sitting on but found nothing suspicious. He forwarded his hand to touch the chair but remembered that he would not be able to find anything by this. With a frustrated sigh, he took back his hand. He looked carefully at Li Rui's sitting posture.

Her back was straight and she didn't lean her back on the chair. The posture would only make her tire after today's fuss. His frown deepened. She didn't even finish her breakfast and came to Imperial Palace in such a hurry. A look of disapproval flashed past through his eyes.

His wangfei does not care about her health at all.

Princess Wenling said her next words with an innocent smile while blinking her eyes innocently.

"It has been so long since this Princess last met you like this, right my dear friend? "

Getting no reply from Li Rui, she didn't mind and continued to talk alone.

"Why are you looking so pale? Do your maids not take care of you diligently or perhaps .. someone sacred you on your way here." She emphasized her last words.

Xi Ying's eyes went cold after she finished her words. How could he not understand what her words implied? She knew whatever happened in the Imperial Garden and it was supposedly all planned by her. He looked at Li Rui. She must have understood all this then she still was sitting so calmly here.

Was she really scared? Her face was pale as the Princess said but he didn't know if it was because of fear or because of lack of rest.

When Li Rui still didn't say anything, Princess Wenling put on a fake concerned expression on her face.

"You have changed so much Rui? Why are you not talking and laughing as you used to in childhood? Did that incident scare you so much? But it has been so many years now. You should try to forget about it."

The words confused Xi Ying when he saw Li Rui stilled at the mention of some incident by Princess. Her eyes flickered with something he didn't understand and she finally opened her mouth

"Are you sure, it is only me who had changed? Because from what I know, The Princess sitting in front of me is far away from that innocent and na?ve girl who used to be my best friend. "

Li Rui's eyes were filled with confusion as she said her next words

"I am still wondering what happened between us for you to behave like this with me, Wenwen?"

For the first time after entering the First Princess Wenling chamber, Li Rui did not hide her emotion. However, it didn't affect Princess Wenling. Her words only lit a fire of hate and anger in her heart. She looked at Li Rui with so much resentment as if she wished to tear her into pieces.

"That's Your Highness for you, Li Rui?"

Li Rui hid her emotion and said with a cold smile present on her beautiful pink lips

"Of Course, It is."

But Princess Wenling ignored her words and continued

".. and don't dare to use all this to influence me. You don't have any right to ask me anything. It is you made me like this."

Li Rui seemed to remember similar words from years ago.

"It is not my fault. It is you who made me like this."

Princess Wenling was now full of anger. She stood up from the chair. She walked around the table and bend to Li Rui's face level. Leaning towards Li Rui, she looked in her eyes

"I had left you alone after you were banned from entering the Palace, Didn't I? It is you who came back. It is you who stole the man I have loved dearly."

Princess Wenling's eyes had a dazed look as she said her next words. Her eyes were blurry and had an obsessive look in them.

"I had planned everything so perfectly. He was drugged. I had planned to save him by giving my body. Then we would have married and I would finally get the man I wanted so much. But you ruined everything. I went to give him my first time without caring for my reputation only to see..."

Tears fell through her eyes. Her chest was heaving with anger and she leaned more towards Li Rui making her back completely touch the chair. Li Rui closed her eyes for a second.

"only to see you inside the room with him." She screamed

Xi Ying looked startled at the new discovery and then he looked at the Princess with disgust. Saving him by giving her body. He would not have even touched her.

While Li Rui shook her head in disbelief

"You have gone insane."

historical

Princess laughed like a crazy person and looked at her with sneer and contempt

"Who are you to say this about me?"

This time Li Rui leaned towards her and looked into her eyes provokingly. Amidst the Princess's laughter, her words sounded

"The wangfei of the man you are obsessed with."

Xi Ying's heart trembled on hearing Li Rui's words. It was the first time he had heard something like this from her mouth.

The laughter stopped and the whole chamber was silent. A second after Princess Wenling screamed crazily sweeping all the things placed on the nearby table. She pointed her finger towards Li Rui.

"Soon you will be not, I promise you."

She patted Li Rui's cheek but Li Rui avoided her touch and moved her face away.

"Don't worry, I won't kill you so easily. After all, you are my best friend."

At her words, Xi Ying looked like he would have killed her if he could.

After finishing her words, Princess Wenling shouted for her maids to come inside. Two maids came inside and saw the mess on the floor. Their body trembled in fear of thinking that Princess was in anger. They bowed their head and said

"This servant is present at your command, Your Highness."

Pointing towards one of the maids, Princess Wenling said

"You... Accompany Lady Li to the Imperial Palace exit gates."

"Yes, Your Highness."

The maid bowed her head and indicated Li Rui to follow her. Li Rui stood up from the chair and followed the maid outside the chamber.

Just as she was about to step outside, Princess Wenling said something

"Lord Xi's Wangfei, Please be careful on your way."

She dragged the word Wangfei mockingly.

Li Rui didn't turn around to reply and walked out of the chamber with the maid walking ahead. Princess Wenling waved to the second maid to come near and she whispered something in her ears. The maid looked confused but still ran out to do as asked.

Looking at the closed door of her chamber, Princess Wenling smiled coldly and whispered

"It's good that you are like this. At least, I will not feel guilty to hurt you."