Chapter 1415 - 768: Your Majesty

Qin Qingluo silently carried Qin Yue away, without looking back.

Due to the New Year's Eve, the maids either took leave to visit family or retired early, making the Prince Mansion very desolate. Along the corridor, the swaying red lanterns outlined tall and straight shadows.

"Whoosh, bang!"

"Crackle, boom!"

The sharp whistles pierced the night sky. Qin Yue secretly looked up at the sound, seeing bursts of fireworks leaping into the sky, splendidly blooming. Golden chrysanthemums, colorful willows, fiery trees, silver flowers; the sky over Dragon Tail City was filled with brilliance, gradually obscuring the moonlight. Sulfur and smoke drifted into the Prince Mansion with the wind, and there seemed to be lots of laughter inside.

Qin Yue suddenly thought that a few days ago, Daddy set off fireworks with others but not with Father.

The brilliance in the sky occasionally illuminated Qin Qingluo's hard side profile, flickering on and off.

The little one sensed something was amiss, and obediently lay in Qin Qingluo's arms without making a sound.

Perhaps she vaguely remembered that long ago, Qin Qingluo did not welcome her.

Rather than ignore, it was more like hate.

Hatred for this life forcibly pushed into her embrace.

Arriving near the old warm room, the wet nurse was already waiting. She, adept at assessing situations, hurriedly stepped forward, carefully trying to take Qin Yue: "Prince, let me take the young lady. It's getting late."

Usually, Qin Qingluo would hand Qin Yue over expressionlessly, then give one or two instructions.

But this time, she didn't let go, without even the hint of handing her over, causing the nurse's hand to pause in mid-air.

Qin Yue was about to slide down, but felt her mother's arms suddenly tighten, holding her firmly.

The wet nurse could only awkwardly withdraw her hand.

The Princess still remained silent, slowly starting to walk past the warm room.

Qin Yue felt inexplicably scared, leaning tighter against her shoulder nook.

Following the path and turning through the corridors, they came to the courtyard of the main residence. She pushed the door open, finally putting Qin Yue down.

Qin Yue looked up with a small, uneasy face at her mother.

Qin Qingluo took off her outer robe, casually draping it over the screen. There weren't many lamps inside, only an Everlasting Lamp in the corner casting faint light, leaving most of the Princess's face shrouded in shadow.

Her serpentine eyes appeared even deeper in the shade, staring straight at Qin Yue. The vertical pupils subtly trembled as if tracing Qin Yue's outline; her eyebrows were so much like her father's...

"Wretch."

Qin Yue froze, Father hadn't called her that in a long time.

"Father, Father..." She trembled as she called softly.

Then she stepped forward a few paces, hugging Qin Qingluo's shin.

Perhaps this small action awakened a hint of maternal instinct in Qin Qingluo, her gaze softened slightly. She pushed Qin Yue away, pacing in the hall, then lit an oil lamp with the Everlasting Lamp's fire.

She held the lamp as if searching for something.

Finally, she took down the sword hanging on the west wall, originally intended to ward off evil spirits. With a swish, it was drawn nearly halfway, glittering under the lamp.

She seemed to be savoring the intricate patterns on the sword by the light.

Qin Yue shivered, as if the sword might strike her.

"Wretch... come here."

Qin Yue didn't dare move at first, her legs trembling, slightly shaking her head, but neither could she truly stay away, hesitantly inching closer, taking a step forward and retreating half a step.

"I won't kill you."

As the words fell, seeing her father's gaze grow even more dangerous, Qin Yue still walked over.

Her father wrapped her close in his wide embrace.

She didn't look at her, but at the sword, then she heard her father murmur,

"If I were just an ordinary general's daughter, tonight I would have killed myself with this sword."

Qin Yue stood still, unable to understand its meaning but sensing it was something bad.

She shouted anxiously, "Father, don't!"

The serpentine eyes slowly swept over from the flickering shadow.

Qin Yue trembled, yet somehow instinctively, her small hands fiercely grabbed the sword.

Her strength was surprisingly large, snatching the sword from her father's hands, throwing it to the ground.

"Sword, sword broken!"

"Father, father don't sword sword..."

"Want, want Yue'er."

Qin Qingluo looked at the sword thrown aside, just inches away. She said, "This sword is not broken."

"Yue'er says the sword is broken, so it is," said the little one.

Qin Qingluo glanced back at her again, her expression unreadable, "You're as stubborn and overbearing as your father."

Perhaps by a flash of intuition, Qin Yue seemed enlightened, saying, "It's Daddy who's bad!"

The Princess paused for a moment after speaking, "Mm."

"Daddy's bad, Daddy looks like the worst, the worst." Qin Yue used her limited vocabulary to try and organize her thoughts, then turned back to hug her, saying, "Yue'er is the best."

"...Mm."

Hearing her father's response twice, the little one breathed a sigh of relief, clinging to Qin Qingluo's leg.

Qin Qingluo slowly squatted down, and Qin Yue buried herself in her embrace, rubbing her little face against her chest.

"Yue'er."

Qin Qingluo suddenly spoke.

"Mm?"

"Yue'er..." The Princess paused, then said, "You don't know how much I once wanted to kill you."

These words scared the little one a bit, and she said, "Don't kill Yue'er, go kill Daddy."

The daughter's innocent words left Qin Qingluo momentarily stunned; she smiled silently and then extended a foot to kick the sword far away.

Outside the window, the fireworks feast continued, with colorful lights casting ever-changing patterns on the curtains and floors, flickering with every explosion seeming close, yet distant as another world.

Qin Qingluo closed her eyes, gently resting her chin on her daughter's soft hair.

The warmth of this child, truly belonging to her flesh and blood, soothed her cold and hollow heart little by little.

However, the cold was too deep.

Disappointment, the anger of having her bottom line challenged again, left her exceptionally tired, feeling absurdity along with... a sting she herself did not wish to delve into.

He kept claiming he wanted to contribute to "our family," but turned around and let another woman bear his child—those pictures and candies now seemed like a poor joke.

She had given him unprecedented indulgence, even tacitly allowing many things.

At this moment, she suddenly realized the reason she could tolerate him having many women was because they shared... a small family.

How many more people would be added to his "family"? How many attentions could his "heart" hold simultaneously?

He was a man beyond her control.

Qin Yue snuggled in her mother's embrace, rubbed her eyes, and soft, muddled words came:

"Father... Yue'er is sleepy, wants to sleep."

This voice, laden with tiredness, was like a soft feather temporarily lifting the heaviness from Qin Qingluo's heart.

She took a deep breath, suppressing the turbulent thoughts, realizing she could not lose composure before her daughter, at least not now.

She nodded, instinctively softening her grip on Qin Yue's arms, hugged her daughter, stood up, and walked towards the bed inside.

The fireworks outside were near their end, leaving only a few dull sounds and gradually fading trails of light, making the indoor lamps seem even more dim and yellow.

Qin Qingluo gently placed Qin Yue on the wide bed.

Qin Yue's eyelids drooped heavily as soon as she touched the pillow; her small hands still clutched Qin Qingluo's corner of clothing, with her breathing quickly becoming even and long.

In this dim light and the gradual stillness of the world, Qin Qingluo's emotions, following her daughter's sleep, slightly calmed, but inevitably slipped into deeper contemplation.

Outside, there came a faint sound of footsteps.

The footsteps paused at the door, seemingly hesitating for a moment.

Qin Qingluo collected her gaze, stood up, and went out.

Just then, the hall door was quietly pushed open.

A man's silhouette, against the remaining faint light from the corridor, reflected upon.

Qin Qingluo's muscles tightened instantly.

At the junction of light and shadow, Chen Yi stood there. His expression was complex, devoid of the usual teasing or scheming, no longer bewildered like earlier in Lin Wanxiao's room, seemingly in a hurry, his gaze first landed on the sword on the ground, paused for a moment, and then moved towards the exiting Qin Qingluo.

In the dim light, their eyes met.

Then, Chen Yi's mouth slightly curled upward, revealing a smile.

A repulsive smile.

Qin Qingluo looked at that smile, her heart surging with agitation.

Initially, there was a hint of anger.

But this anger came naturally and dissipated abruptly, it didn't turn into scolding words, vanishing suddenly.

Like burning charcoal exhausted, only leaving white-cold ashes.

She realized she no longer had any expectations of this person.

So, she merely asked calmly, "What are you here for?"

The man's smile didn't retract, he didn't answer immediately, nor did he draw close with a cheeky grin, his silhouette seemed increasingly solitary.

Qin Qingluo collected her gaze, her serpent eyes becoming more dangerous, slowly shifting from him to the sword on the ground.

Then, for reasons unknown, he suddenly raised both hands, bowed, and saluted,

"Greetings, Your Majesty."