Chapter 58: How Could He Fall in Love with Someone Else

Chapter 58: Chapter 58: How Could He Fall in Love with Someone Else

Several seats separated them, enough distance to escape that unsettling gaze.

Down in the Beast Fighting Arena, several Beast Tamers carried two enormous iron cages, draped in black cloth, onto the field.

The arena instantly fell silent.

Just then, more people made their way up to the high platform.

A man and a woman.

The man appeared to be in his early twenties, dressed in a long, wide-sleeved robe. His arm was wrapped around the woman at his side, the voluminous sleeve completely concealing most of her body.

His gentle and protective air, paired with his handsome face, made for an admirable sight.

—What a loving couple.

Peeking through Zhao Shijie’s sleeve, Cui Lingyao saw Chen Minrou’s gaunt, pale face, and her heart clenched uncontrollably.

’Rumors are just rumors, after all.’ When she’d heard her good friend was gravely ill and on her deathbed, she had wondered if there was some hidden reason for it. After all, Minmin was from the General Mansion and had always been robust and healthy.

But now, seeing her in person, the truth of it finally hit home.

Among the guests, someone recognized Zhao Shijie.

The host had arrived, and as guests, they certainly couldn’t be rude.

Everyone rose to greet the Heir of the Duke Mansion.

Only Xie Jinbai remained seated, casually twirling a wine cup in his hand, his posture relaxed.

Zhao Shijie led his wife forward, cupping his hands in greeting.

Xie Jinbai grunted softly and gestured to two empty seats beside him. "Sit."

Chen Minrou acted as if she hadn’t heard, her gaze sweeping over the crowd of lavishly dressed young noblewomen.

’This man, who usually puts on an air of being chaste and faithful to his late wife, never letting a woman within ten feet of him... and yet now, on this small viewing platform, there were more than a dozen young noblewomen alone.’

All of them just of marriageable age, like flowers in bud.

They were beautiful, delicate, and so very young.

She couldn’t even tell which one was the girl Zhao Shijie had spoken of—the one who had supposedly captured Xie Jinbai’s "interest."

A sarcastic smile touched Chen Minrou’s lips. "Is the Prince planning to choose a new main wife?"

So much so that he’d arranged a special banquet just to summon them here.

Over the years, Xie Jinbai had campaigned far and wide. His power had grown daily, and his ascent to the throne was now unstoppable.

Barring any surprises, he would become an Emperor who commanded absolute authority within the military.

And now, in this public setting, he was being openly mocked by a married woman.

Her barbed words, a needle hidden in cotton, plunged the surroundings into silence.

The air grew strangely stagnant.

Countless guests who were unaware of the history wondered to themselves, ’Has the Heir’s wife gone mad?’

Only Xie Jinbai’s expression remained unchanged.

He set down his cup, acting as if he hadn’t caught the sting in her words. He didn’t even deny it. Instead, he went along with her. "Why don’t you help this Prince take a look, madam, and see which of these young noblewomen best suits your tastes."

Anger flashed in Chen Minrou’s eyes, and she glared at him resentfully.

After a few moments, she actually did let her gaze sweep across the crowd of young noblewomen.

Having been away from the capital for many years and then bedridden since her return, Chen Minrou was not familiar with these girls who had only just come of age.

She had certainly never met Pei Shuyao.

But when her gaze fell upon Cui Lingyao and met her eyes, she paused for a fraction of a second.

Xie Jinbai raised an eyebrow. "Does this young lady meet with your approval, madam?"

As he spoke, his gaze landed brazenly on Cui Lingyao’s face.

He scanned her from head to toe, taking in every micro-expression of her suppressed nervousness. Xie Jinbai raised his brows and chuckled. "If that’s the case, then I shall..."

"Your Highness, choose your words carefully," Shen Tingyu said, stepping forward to block his gaze. His tone was level. "She is my cousin and my betrothed. She is not an object for anyone’s idle jests."

"Betrothed?"

The smile vanished from Xie Jinbai’s lips. "How is it that this Prince has never heard of this?"

At his words, the crowd was once again baffled.

Shen Tingyu was merely the eldest legitimate grandson of the Duke Shen Mansion, not even the heir.

Though he was gifted and promising, his marriage would have no effect on court politics—unless one were paying special attention...

Otherwise, wasn’t it perfectly normal not to have heard of it?

Shen Tingyu pressed his lips together. "She is indeed my betrothed. The elders of my family are all aware of it."

"So they are merely ’aware’... which means the engagement isn’t formally set," Xie Jinbai scoffed. "A verbal agreement doesn’t count."

He was unexpectedly fixated on this topic.

It was as if he was determined to pick a fight with the very concept of her being "betrothed."

Chen Minrou was now certain: this female cousin from the Duke Shen Mansion was the object of Xie Jinbai’s "interest."

’How laughable,’ she thought. ’The girl is already engaged.’

’Does he plan to snatch a respectable girl by force?’

Soon enough, that question was answered.

Xie Jinbai leaned back in his plush chair, tilting his chin to look at the girl mostly hidden behind Shen Tingyu. In an exceptionally nonchalant tone, he said, "Miss Pei, why don’t you tell me? Do you think this engagement counts or not?"

As soon as he spoke, silence fell once more.

’He even knows her surname is Pei.’

His intentions were now an open book. It wasn’t just Chen Minrou who saw it; no one else present was a fool, and they naturally noticed what was happening.

Several gazes fell discreetly upon Cui Lingyao.

’She was just a female cousin of the Duke Mansion. What had she possibly done to be singled out by Prince Yu?’

Cui Lingyao’s expression stiffened, and she finally spoke for the first time.

She said, "I am unworthy of Your Highness’s great favor. My cousin and I are in love, and my heart belongs to him alone."

—Even for the chance to be the future Emperor’s woman, her heart would not be swayed.

Xie Jinbai understood.

Ever since he had recognized her, he had come up with countless reasons for why she refused to admit her identity.

’Perhaps it was because he took a concubine three years ago, and it broke her heart.’

’Or perhaps it was that cup of wine at the wedding, which made her feel she’d lost face, and she still held a grudge, unable to forgive him.’

’He had even considered that it might have been their last night together—he had been too demanding, his desires insatiable, and it had made her grow weary of him.’

But the one thing he refused to believe was that she truly, genuinely wanted to marry another man.

And now, even that last piece of self-deception was no longer possible.

A storm raged in Xie Jinbai’s chest. His heart felt as if it were being pierced by a thousand tiny silver needles, riddling it with innumerable bleeding holes.

The pain was unbearable. He wanted nothing more than to rip her away from that man and crush her in his arms.

To teach her what words should never be said.

And what things should never be done!

He closed his bloodshot eyes, took a deep breath, and clenched his jaw, forcing two words through his gritted teeth.

"Very good."

Very good indeed.

Chen Minrou, who had witnessed the entire exchange, was extremely displeased.

She liked seeing Xie Jinbai lost in the past, trapped in a pain from which he could not escape.

But that pain was not supposed to be over his inability to obtain another woman.

That would be a betrayal of Yaoyao.

’Yaoyao died because of him. He should spend the rest of his life suffering as a tribute to her memory.’

How could he dare fall in love with someone else!

Chen Minrou let out a cold, mocking laugh. "It seems the Prince’s grand plan to choose a wife has failed."

As if sensing her thoughts, the pain that filled Xie Jinbai’s chest eased slightly.

’That’s right.’

’He had let her die with those misunderstandings; all this pain was what he deserved.’

Her refusal to acknowledge him, her choice to marry another man—it was possible she was only doing it to punish him.

A glimmer of hope flickered in his heart once more.