Shen Yu was truly standing in front of the Grand Princess’s chambers now, hesitating for a moment. Her hand reached out, then pulled back, reached out again, and pulled back once more.
Was she truly about to marry the Grand Princess?
At this moment, Shen Yu was plunged into an unprecedented state of bewilderment.
She had originally thought she had sorted out her feelings thoroughly, believing she could accept this calmly. Yet as she stood right outside the door, about to face the Grand Princess separated from her by a single wall, she faltered.
She touched her own heart.
Thump-thump.
Thump-thump.
Thump-thump.
Feeling it beat with every passing moment, more and more powerfully, alive, passionate, and throbbing.
She was going to marry the Princess!
Her hesitation dissipated, and Shen Yu’s expression grew resolute.
Shen Yu, you have no way out.
She told herself this.
The sky grew steadily darker, the ink-like night deepening. The lanterns along the eaves cast a faint red glow. In the span of just a few breaths, Shen Yu’s thoughts surged like billowing waves, experiencing a struggle that outsiders could scarcely imagine.
Squeak.
The door opened.
Shen Yu strode in, step by resolute step.
Warm red candlelight, flickering lamplight, and dim flames.
The beauty was already seated on the bed, waiting respectfully for a long time. The red veil shrouded her face, making it seem as though she were separated into another world.
Shen Yu’s tightly clenched heart could not help but quietly release a breath of relief.
It is fine as long as I cannot see her.
“Your subject, Shen Lan, pays respects to the Xingxia Grand Princess.”
She stopped two paces away from Song Shiwei, bowing respectfully. According to protocol, she had to wait for the Grand Princess’s permission before straightening up, a rule that, in a sense, implicitly reflected her status and relationship relative to the Grand Princess.
Yet Shen Yu did not care. To her now, marrying the Grand Princess was simply a task, a routine procedure. As for any implicit meanings, she neither knew nor wished to know, and had no need to pay them any mind.
“Consort, rise.”
Song Shiwei said faintly, her voice just as devoid of joy or sorrow as Shen Yu had observed earlier.
Shen Yu was momentarily struck dumb, taking quite a while before she seemed to find her voice again.
“You have been wronged, Your Highness.”
With those words, she made up her mind, taking two strides forward right up to Song Shiwei, turning around, squatting down, and lifting her onto her back.
The girl weighed almost nothing, feather-light and as thin as a garment. Shen Yu tightened her fists, her throat feeling as though it were blocked, unable to emit the slightest sound.
She could clearly feel Song Shiwei’s instantaneous stiffness.
Yet she merely pressed her lips together, saying nothing.
Shen Yu was warm, like a little personal stove. Although separated by layers of clothing, Song Shiwei could still feel that blazing warmth penetrating the obstacles, comforting her own body which had been chilled for years.
Her body, like a rusted gear, suddenly resumed its rotation. It was such a fresh sensation, a pulse, a heartbeat, and blood that were so distinct, seeming to revive step by step.
Unconsciously, the arms wrapped around Shen Yu’s neck tightened, pulling her closer.
This time, it was Shen Yu who stiffened.
Her pace visibly stuttered for a fraction of a second in the air.
Immediately afterward, she blinked as if nothing were amiss, remaining as composed as possible.
“Your Highness, do not be afraid; this subject is quite steady.”
She simply assumed the young lady was terrified like this for the very first time, and did not think much of it in her heart. After turning it over in her mind several times, she still chose to speak out and comfort her, after all, this person would be her wife from now on!
To be entirely too indifferent simply would not do.
They were very close. Song Shiwei’s breath brushed against the back of Shen Yu’s neck, making the fine hairs tremble and sway.
Shen Yu’s voice fell into Song Shiwei’s ears, neither too loud nor too soft.
“Mn.”
It was a soft-spoken, trailing syllable that dropped lightly, sounding inherently bashful and inviting endless imagination.
The corners of Shen Yu’s mouth lifted slightly, a genuine smile appearing on her face.
She felt she had laid a solid foundation for building a good relationship with the Grand Princess.
It was a pity this blockhead could not see the expression of the woman on her back, nor knew of the gloomy gaze and rigid smile hidden beneath the red gauze.
What is wrong with her?
Shen Yu’s memory was exceptionally good, even paths with multiple turns were clearly remembered by her. Her pace was light, and carried on her back, she felt almost no jolting, moving as if on flat ground. Only when they reached the entrance was she pulled back from her thoughts by the sounds of wedding music at the door.
The entrance was naturally extremely lively. Especially upon catching sight of Shen Yu and the princess, the musicians blew and beat their instruments even harder, creating a deafening roar.
Shen Yu gently set her down. Not until the soles of her feet touched the ground did Song Shiwei develop a faint sense of reality regarding everything around her, her perceptions gradually clearing.
She was truly getting married.
Suddenly, for some unknown reason, her eye rims turned red, and a surge of heat threatened to well up. Panic and lingering dread wandered through her heart.
Her hand suddenly fell into a warm, large palm, to say it was large might be a slight exaggeration, but it was certainly bigger than her own hand.
She instinctively gave a slight struggle, but abandoned the effort the very next instant.
This was her grand wedding, this was her husband.
This was the entrance of the Grand Princess’s estate, surrounded by onlookers of all types. If she pulled away today, the whole world would know.
She paused silently and submitted.
Her hand was also very warm, a temperature she had never experienced before. Song Shiwei suppressed the envy rising in her heart, using the corner of her eye through the gap in the head veil to fixate on those intertwined hands.
Those hands were fair, with slender, well-proportioned fingers and distinct knuckles. They made her own hands look delicate and frail, not as large as her younger brother’s, but easily capable of holding hers.
With the two hands overlapping, it was also a perfect match.
Song Shiwei let out a ruthless, silent sneer in the depths of her heart.
A perfect match?
Shen Yu was socializing with the crowd on one side, her face practically aching from smiling, exchanging polite and insincere pleasantries. She pulled pouch after pouch of loose silver from her robes, causing the crowd to roar with excitement as the festive atmosphere peaked.
As for Song Shiwei, she stood quietly to one side, unmoving, as though the two of them existed in entirely different worlds.
It was not until they entered the carriage that Song Shiwei repeatedly clenched and opened her palms. She felt the warmth on her skin gradually fade away, returning to her own natural temperature. Her fingertips remained slightly cool, pricking against her still-warm palms with an indescribable sense of abruptness.
After a moment, she lowered her hands and sat straight without moving.
A carriage meant for one person was somewhat quiet, but with the hustle and bustle outside, it did not seem quite so lonely.
Shen Yu drove the carriage, offering kind smiles to the crowds on both sides of the street, while attendants diligently scattered money nearby.
Liveliness, clamor, frantic scrambling, all rising one after another.
Shen Yu smiled on the surface, while her eyes remained utterly detached within.
The carriage proceeded at a moderate pace down the wide street, yet Shen Yu’s eyes occasionally swept past a small alleyway.
Her brows furrowed in a way that was almost imperceptible.
Someone is over there?
The Shen family? The Emperor? Or someone else?
This was already the fourth wave of probing gazes she had received today!
She glanced back at the Grand Princess in the carriage behind her. Is there really this massive of a setup?
Entering the imperial palace truly is like descending into a boundless sea!
The Princess’s estate and the Consort’s estate were not far apart. When Shen Yu arrived, the place was already packed with guests. The massive Consort’s estate was brightly lit, adorned with red wax candles, red lanterns, and giant crimson flowers, painting the entire place in a blazing, auspicious red.
“Look, Lord Consort has brought the Grand Princess!”
A startled cry instantly dragged Shen Yu and her entourage back into the gaze of varied expressions.
High-ranking imperial officials with status and influence cupped their hands in congratulation, their gazes filled with appraisal, pity, and mockery. In places she could not see, undercurrents were surging.
Shen Yu ignored it all, simply offering a polite smile.
Amidst the churning crowds, dim and flickering lamplight, and gazes harboring a trace of sharpness, the main event was actually waiting inside!
Shen Yu let out a long breath inwardly.
She then took the red silk ribbon handed over by the matchmaker, gripping one end tightly while Song Shiwei held the other.
“Your Highness, be careful.”
Shen Yu supported Song Shiwei as she stepped out of the carriage, terrified that this delicate porcelain doll might injure herself anywhere.
Song Shiwei took hold of it with effortless grace as well, dignified and elegant in a formal gown with a three-foot train, stepping down gracefully like a proud phoenix.
Shen Yu possessed a tall and slender figure, standing about a head taller than Song Shiwei. Unmatched in handsomeness and possessing the elegance of an orchid tree, she wore bright red wedding attire without a speck of dust on it.
Standing side by side, the two of them possessed an inexpressible match-making harmony that caused the surrounding circle of onlookers to quiet down for a moment.
Shen Yu looked at Song Shiwei, a complex emotion flashing through her eyes. Through the red veil made of gold-threaded gauze, she could seemingly feel Song Shiwei’s gaze fixed upon her as well.
Is she hesitating too?
The two of them thought the exact same thing. Two people without intersection collided in that brief second, sparking brilliant fireworks.
Yet neither of us has a way out.
They composed their expressions, stowing away the hesitation on their faces.
Taking this step meant that from this moment onward, there was no turning back.
Their backs carried an inexpressible solemnity, every step treading right upon the hearts of the onlookers.
The red silk ribbon resembled a giant crimson cord, binding the two of them tightly together, pulling ever closer until not a single sliver of space remained.
Until a very, very long time later, Shen Yu would always tell every familiar acquaintance: “Shiwei and I are a match made in heaven, the kind of match made in heaven where, even if we had missed each other, time would have to restart just so we could meet again.”
Until the threads of fate wound them together so tightly that they could never be separated from one another ever again!