"The person beside the young prince must be His Highness Prince Jin, right?"
As the words fell, Yun Yueyin suddenly knitted her brows. After carefully observing the person beside Zhen Lin, the color drained from her face in an instant. She hadn't seen clearly from a distance, but now she could see the face of His Highness Prince Jin clearly! The person standing beside Zhen Lin… it was actually…!
Her blood seemed to freeze. She looked at Zhen Lin and Zhan Tianye, who were gradually approaching, in disbelief, feeling as though she were dreaming. No wonder, no wonder Hong Ling had said His Highness Prince Jin was a dragon among men. Everyone who had seen His Highness Prince Jin in the capital had lost their hearts, and anyone would have lost their heart! Hadn't she been the same in the past? How could this be? How could Prince Ye have become Prince Jin of the Western Xia Kingdom? What was going on? Why didn't she know anything? Her mind became a chaotic mess.
Her body stiffened, and she suddenly remembered that she was a dead person in front of Prince Ye. She absolutely could not let anyone discover her true identity! With a panicked expression, Yun Yueyin didn't dare to think of anything else. She hastily got up and hurried away in another direction.
When Hong Ling came to her senses, she saw that her mistress had left! Hadn't Madame said she wanted to see His Highness Prince Jin? Why had she left just as Prince Jin arrived? Could it be that she was truly scared by the County Princess's threat? Madame didn't seem like someone who was easily intimidated! With a heart full of doubt, Hong Ling rushed in the direction Yun Yueyin had left.
"Huh? What's wrong with the second young madam? Why did she leave just like that?" Lü Qiao said, surprised. The second young madam had been speaking so assertively just now, and it looked like she had no good intentions, perhaps wanting to ruin the County Princess's image in front of His Highness Prince Jin! Her intentions were quite malicious. But how did she seem to flee in disarray in the blink of an eye? Could it be that the County Princess's threatening words had worked?
Princess Ning De looked slightly surprised, then seemed to think of something. She let out a cold laugh, then composed herself and looked at the two people approaching step by step. She saw two figures drawing nearer. Perhaps it was the backdrop of the blooming flowers in the garden that made her feel the man was even more exceptionally handsome. His cold, icy eyes swept in her direction. Upon seeing her, there was no change in his indifferent gaze. Her heart pounded violently again. She took a deep breath. She never thought that one day she would be so unable to control herself when seeing a man, unable to control her own heart. Perhaps only this man in her life would make her lose control like this.
"Your Highness Prince Jin, Brother," Princess Ning De said softly, lowering her head slightly as she walked towards the two of them.
Zhen Lin knew he would meet Ning De here; he and his sister had agreed on it yesterday. As they walked, he had been extremely distressed, trying to intercede for his sister. However, His Highness Prince Jin's mind was made up. He gave her no opportunity to plead, even stating clearly that if the Pingyang Prince's Estate made no move within a month, His Highness Prince Jin would directly announce to the world the cancellation of the engagement with Ning De. In fact, His Highness Prince Jin acted very honorably. He could have simply announced the cancellation of the engagement to the world without coming to inform them.
Princess Ning De didn't notice Zhen Lin's somewhat somber expression; her attention was entirely on His Highness Prince Jin. Today, Prince Jin was looking at her.
"There's no need for formalities," Zhan Tianye said coldly. Princess Ning De's heart trembled slightly, but she still curtsied, etiquette being paramount. "Thank you, Your Highness Prince Jin." She lifted her head slightly. Standing so close, she realized he was a whole head taller than her, and she had to look up at him. Her heart trembled again.
Zhen Lin could see that Princess Ning De's ears were slightly red. He had never seen his sister so smitten, but… "I came here for a stroll. I ate too many tea snacks just now and felt stuffed. I didn't expect to run into Brother and Your Highness Prince Jin." Princess Ning De explained softly why she was there. She didn't want Prince Jin to misunderstand.
Zhen Lin sighed inwardly. He would talk to Ning De properly after Prince Jin left. For now, it would be like this. He smiled, "Since we've met, let's go sit in the pavilion together." Zhen Lin invited Zhan Tianye, "Your Highness Prince Jin, the pavilion offers a good view of the entire estate. Our guests usually like to sit there and enjoy the scenery." Zhen Lin felt a great deal of apprehension, believing that Zhan Tianye would most likely refuse. However, he was mistaken. His Highness Prince Jin was not as unapproachable as he thought.
"Alright." Hearing this, Princess Ning De's cheeks flushed even more. If she hadn't restrained her inner emotions, she would have revealed more of her feelings by now. This was not good for her. She absolutely couldn't let Prince Jin know about her romantic feelings.
The three of them walked towards the pavilion. The pavilion was elevated and required climbing stone steps. After following the siblings up to the pavilion, Zhan Tianye stood and looked down. Instantly, the entire Pingyang Prince's Estate came into view. His dark eyes, sharp as an eagle's, scanned the busy servants of the Pingyang Prince's Estate below, but they seemed unremarkable. The person he was looking for was not there.
"Your Highness Prince Jin, please sit," Zhen Lin said. As soon as they arrived, His Highness Prince Jin looked down without speaking. However, if His Highness Prince Jin didn't sit, he and Ning De naturally couldn't sit down first. Princess Ning De gazed at Prince Jin's tall figure and slightly curved her lips. This was the man she was going to marry!
"Alright," Zhan Tianye replied, but his gaze remained fixed below. It wasn't until he saw a figure walking towards the garden that a subtle smile flickered in his eyes. He then turned around and sat at the stone table. The siblings immediately followed and sat down.
"Your Highness Prince Jin, are you accustomed to life in the palace now?" Princess Ning De asked softly. The entire imperial palace now consisted of people Prince Jin didn't recognize. In a strange place, where everyone had to be guarded against, he must be very tired, right? After all, he probably didn't have anyone trustworthy by his side.
Zhen Lin sighed inwardly again, but he remained silent. He felt he should give Prince Jin an opportunity to get to know Ning De. If, after getting to know her, he still wanted to break the engagement, it would mean Prince Jin truly had no feelings for Ning De.
"It's acceptable," Zhan Tianye replied indifferently. As soon as he finished speaking, he stood up and looked at Zhen Lin, "Have someone show me to the latrine."