Chapter 295 “Triangle Relationship”

“I cannot let go of the palace’s glory and wealth, nor can I let go of my mother’s hope and dreams.” Bittersweet in his smile, Xia Hou Qi nevertheless holds strong, “But in the in end, I cannot give up on you either. Forever until the end, I will only have you as my main wife.”

The prince was a frank person. He’s not selfish nor cruel so he would make a perfect ruler. Sadly, that’s precisely the reason why he wouldn’t make a good lover.

“Xia Hou Qi, my answer to you will always be the same, I will not marry you.” Ling Yue believes her words are clear enough by now. Also, due to the pregnancy, it’s certain the queen wouldn’t have the time to worry about the boy’s marriage.

See the girl’s adamant attitude, Xia Hou Qi too didn’t want to keep forcing the issue.

“Ling Yue, I only want to ask you this. Your reason for refusing me, is it because of the Phoenix Lord….” A bit sulky in his tone, he brought out what’s on his mind in the end.

Phoenix Lord?

To hear Feng Shen’s name out of the blue, Ling Yue suddenly found herself lost for a proper reply.

I wonder how his body is doing… Has he recovered yet? Since her return to the city, she hasn’t had the chance to meet the boy yet.

“I heard that you and the Phoenix Lord is very close.” Xia Hou Qi tactfully went about his question.

Since his encounter with Sir Qing at the Royal Hospital, the prince had been keeping an extra eye out for the third competition after learning of the unusually good relationship between the two.

Originally he only knew the basics about the Phoenix Lord, merely rumors and hearsay. But after some digging, he was horrified to learn Ling Yue was the only person allowed free passage into the Phoenix Manor.

Both individuals are at the age of love and quarreling. If someone told him that neither held feelings for each other than Xia Hou Qi would call them liars.

“My refusal has nothing to do with Feng Shen. He and I are only good friends.” In her mind, the picture of the boy’s gentle and kind smile once again appears. For that face, Ling Yue’s gaze softened somewhat.

And of course, the changes here didn’t go unnoticed, which caused quite the stir inside the poor prince’s heart.

Maybe it’s out of jealousy or unwillingness to give up, a flicker of resolve suddenly crossed Xia Hou Qi’s eye after he noticed the purplish figure coming over at the end of the corridor.

In order to win Ling Yue’s heart, he’s willing to be the bad person here for once despite going against his heart.

“You mean, you don’t have any feelings for Feng Shen?” The prince chases with another question.

“No, I only thought of him as a brother.” Without any forethought, Ling Yue directly blurts this out and roused a slight shivering sound from her back. A bit surprised by the strange noise, she turns around to find Feng Shen standing there.

Due to the winter season coming to a close, most of the snow had already melted away. Nevertheless, the sickly boy still donned a fresh coat of fur to keep his body warm while he eyed the precious girl before him.

Naturally, the sentence just now had all reached his ear….

What is he doing here? For a second there, Ling Yue didn’t know how to react.

“Greetings to you, Phoenix Lord.”

“Greetings to you too, Prince Hou Qi and Princess Yue.” Based on his appearance, Feng Shen’s condition wasn’t bad at all.

After staying at the hot spring for more than a month and having his body “restored”, its only proper for Feng Shen to come thank the king himself. Therefore, it was quite unexpected for him to encounter that familiar figure across the corridor just now.

Despite the frosty cold of the season, Feng Shen only felt the warmest sunshine hitting his face at the sight. Unconsciously, he moved forward only to be stopped by the presence of Xia Hou Qi.

Feng Shen knows, this should be a time where he’s supposed to go away to give the two some privacy, but he just can’t, his feet won’t go. Then came the marriage proposal. In that instant, Feng Shen’s entire being was riled up.

Although he had long known about his own situation where he couldn’t be a match for Ling Yue, nevertheless he can’t help but ache inside still.

The girl in his heart may not have agreed…. But the following words was more than enough to throw him into the darkest ditch.

Elder brother, Ling Yue only takes me as a brother.

Not even a month had gone by, but the boy has grown thinner which outlined his contour much more clearly. This should’ve been a merit to showcase his maturity, but in Ling Yue’s eye, it only appears like it’s been covered in a layer of gloom.

“Feng Shen, just now, I…” Nervous in her tone, she glances at the boy.

“I don’t have such a big younger sister like you.” With plaintive eyes, Feng Shen only uttered this out using a mournful voice.

“Pfff~!” Unable to keep herself together, Ling Yue directly burst into a giggling fit.

“Ha, alright Feng Shen, you are even more of a brother than a real one.” Assuming her friend here wasn’t angry anymore, she immediately exhaled a sigh of relief. Then it struck her, why was she being so happy over the fact?

Swelling red in her cheeks at the realization, Ling Yue’s appearance only made the boy even happier inside.

In the next while, the two continued to exchange some more informal greetings. Naturally, this left quite the bitter taste in Xia Hou Qi’s tongue after seeing this scene.

There’s no denying that the girl was but a few steps from himself, yet it’s like there’s a barrier built up around the two. No, it’s more like the world in that space only belongs to the pair.

Inexplicably, the hands under Xia Hou Qi’s sleeve had tightened into a ball that even his veins were swelling out on top.

“Phoenix Lord, I’m assuming you are looking for my father the king. If that’s the case, let me bring you over to him.” Not wanting to let this continue, he abruptly interrupts their conversation.

“Oh yes, I almost forgot. Feng Shen you are afraid of the cold so you better hurry. The sooner you are done, the sooner you can go back and rest.” Urgent in her voice, Ling Yue rushes the boy to go.

Despite the push to leave, Feng Shen instead made a grab for the girl’s hand: “Your hands are already red from the cold. Here, I had Du Nao bring over a packet of warm water. Use this to warm your hands.”

This move should’ve been a very intimate gesture, but since it was Feng Shen doing it, it came out very naturally.

While Ling Yue was still paralyzed there, the two men were already well on their way.

“Phoenix Lord, did you hear Princess Yue’s words just now?” Xia Hou Qi turns around and asked after they reached the garden area.