She trembled and pushed Song Xiuyuan away, "You... don't come so close to me."
"I..." Before Song Xiuyuan could finish speaking, he heard Feng Yun's voice from outside, "Ninth Princess, you cannot enter, master is currently..."
"Where is Song Xiuyuan? Let him come out. This Princess wants to see him. He keeps hiding from this Princess every day. Does he think this Princess doesn't know? He must give this Princess an explanation for today's matter." The Ninth Princess's voice reached them.
"Ninth Princess, master is truly not here," Feng Yun said.
"Not here? Are you fooling this Princess?" The Ninth Princess did not believe him.
"Ninth Princess, how would your subordinate dare?"
The Ninth Princess snorted, "Don't think this Princess doesn't know, he is indeed hiding from this Princess. Song Xiuyuan, you come out for this Princess."
"Ninth Princess, you..."
Before Feng Yun could finish, the Ninth Princess whipped her whip, lashing out towards the study, "Song Xiuyuan, if you don't come out, this Princess will..."
Song Xiuyuan's brow furrowed slightly. Just as Xue Xingyue was about to leave through the inner room's window, her hand was suddenly grasped by him.
She tried to pull away, but found his grip so tight that she couldn't.
"You..."
Before Xue Xingyue could finish, Song Xiuyuan waved his hand, and the door was opened.
And the Ninth Princess's whip met them head-on. Song Xiuyuan suddenly leaped into the air, carrying her and flying out of there.
When the Ninth Princess saw Xue Xingyue in Song Xiuyuan's arms, she felt his fury. His gaze was so angry it seemed as if he wanted to devour her piece by piece.
"Um, Song Xiuyuan, let me down. You've successfully drawn the hatred onto me." Xue Xingyue pushed him away with one hand when Song Xiuyuan wasn't paying attention.
"Song Xiuyuan, you... you are actually with this peasant girl," the Ninth Princess said, looking at Xue Xingyue with anger.
Xue Xingyue felt a bit awkward. Shouldn't she be angry with Song Xiuyuan at this moment? Why did she feel the Ninth Princess's anger was directed solely at her? She was truly wronged.
"Ninth Princess, speak with caution. This is my lawful wife," Song Xiuyuan said calmly, looking at the Ninth Princess.
The Ninth Princess's anger was successfully ignited. Her eyes were like a wild beast's, seeming as if she wanted to tear Xue Xingyue apart. "You little slut, I'll beat you to death for seducing Xiu Yuan Ge Ge."
The Ninth Princess flicked her whip, lashing it towards Xue Xingyue.
Hit her? Xue Xingyue secretly circulated her energy, waiting for the whip to strike.
However, she did not expect that just as the whip was about to lash her face, a hand firmly grasped it. She saw slender fingers clenching the whip, making it utterly still.
This revealed his formidable power, something even she could not achieve.
"Xiu Yuan Ge Ge, you... you are actually helping her." The Ninth Princess pointed at Xue Xingyue, her eyes already welling up with tears.
"Ninth Princess, as I said from the beginning, I have never harbored any romantic feelings for Your Highness. It is Your Highness who has misunderstood."
"No... no, you clearly said you liked me, you definitely said it," the Ninth Princess shook her head, clearly disbelieving.
"Ninth Princess, you were young then. I was merely speaking casually."
"Speaking casually?"
The Ninth Princess trembled all over. When she looked up, her eyes were bloodshot, and her expression was dazed. "But do you know? Your casual words have forever been etched in my heart."
Song Xiuyuan stepped forward and leaned in, saying, "If I have caused Your Highness to develop these thoughts, then it is my fault. I beg Your Highness to punish me."
The Ninth Princess retreated several steps, shaking her head, "No... no..."
"Your Highness..."
"I don't believe it. This peasant girl must have given you some medicine, otherwise you wouldn't treat me like this."
Xue Xingyue, who had already walked to the doorway, almost stumbled upon hearing this. How could the blame be shifted onto her? She was truly wronged.
"Your Highness, the words have been spoken. Whether you believe it or not, I cannot deceive you. My heart holds no affection for Your Highness, nor will I marry Your Highness. I implore..."
"Shut up, I don't want to hear it, stop," the Ninth Princess covered her ears and retreated step by step.
"Your Highness..."
"I don't want to hear it..." the Ninth Princess said, turning and fleeing as if pursued.
However, as she left, Xue Xingyue felt the Ninth Princess's rage.
She inwardly cried out, "Not good." It seemed that her future days would not be peaceful.
Looking at the instigator, she was quite annoyed. She stepped forward and asked, "Why did you say that? What's wrong with the Ninth Princess? Is she not beautiful, or not a noble daughter of heaven? What makes her unworthy of you?"
Song Xiuyuan turned to look at her. For some reason, she saw a fleeting hint of faint sadness in his gaze, but it quickly returned to normal, so quickly that she thought it was her imagination.
"The Ninth Princess and I can never be," he said slowly.
She was startled, and a thought suddenly occurred to her. "Actually, you like the Ninth Princess, don't you? It's just for some reason..."
"Miss Xue, dismiss your thoughts," Song Xiuyuan interrupted her coldly.
She was slightly taken aback. This was the first time Song Xiuyuan had spoken to her in such a cold tone. In her memory, he always carried a hint of roguishness, making her feel he was an unreliable person.
But now, she realized he was not.
The starlike brilliance in his eyes was clear and cold, and his body carried a subtle hint of anger.
"My affection for the Ninth Princess is merely the doting affection of an elder brother for a younger sister," he said, raising his starlike eyes to look at her.
For some reason, she had the illusion that his anger was simply because she had said that one sentence.
Did he care about her thoughts?
She raised her head, her gaze still clear, but with a faint distance and coldness. "Song Xiuyuan, these words are meaningless to me, and you don't need to explain them to me."