Gifted Bride of the Sinned Prince

595 Opposite of elegance

“Why isn’t anyone coming here?” Lin Jiao murmured and again started shouting for help. “Where are the servants?” She muttered and again looked at Mingquan, whose eyes were fixated on her.

“Did you send everyone away?” Lin Jiao asked.

“Why would I do that?” Mingquan mumbled when the door opened. Lin Jiao immediately started shouting for help.

Li Tian rushed in that direction and was shocked to see them stuck. He moved the heavy bookshelf. “Your Highness, please come to this side,” Li Tian said.

Mingquan somehow came to the empty side. Lin Jiao also came to his side and asked him if he was okay.

Li Tian left the grip on the shelf and it hit the wall. He turned around to check on Mingquan, who didn’t look good. “Your Highness, let me escort you to the palace,” Li Tian said.

Mingquan hummed and looked at Lin Jiao, who looked tense.

“Don’t drink too much. It will affect your body in later life. Also, go home,” Mingquan said. Li Tian looked at Lin Jiao, however, Mingquan turned to leave, so he followed him.

“He could have let me get hurt if he was a bad person,” Lin Jiao murmured. “I hope he is super annoyed at me and will not marry me.”

.....

She walked out and saw Mingquan had not left. He was looking at her from the carriage’s window. Lin Jiao averted his gaze from him and turned to the left when Mingquan stopped her.

“Get in!” Mingquan said.

Lin Jiao glanced at him with curiosity and shook her head. “I will go by myself,” she said. Li Tian squinted his eyes at her and asked her to be respectful to the Fourth Prince.

“My humble apologies,” Lin Jiao said and bowed ninety degrees.

“I have something to say to you,” Mingquan said and asked her not to make him wait. Lin Jiao stood straight and then went to the carriage. She placed her shoe on the footplate and got in.

“We will go first to Minister Lin Wujian’s residence,” Mingquan told Li Tian, who nodded at him.

Li Tian closed the door for them and the carriage moved forward.

“Does it hurt a lot?” Lin Jiao asked.

“Hmm.” “Forgive me for speaking a few things in anger. I should not have brought your mother into our argument,” Mingquan said.

Lin Jiao kept her eyes on her lap. “I do not like when someone asks me to do things against my wish,” she truthfully told him and then lifted her head.

“The Fourth Prince will not gain anything from marrying me,” Lin Jiao stated.

“His Highness is right. It will be a disaster if anyone marries me. I will annoy him daily. Even my family is unable to hold me. How can a man outside my family handle me?” she chuckled.

“I have understood that,” Mingquan stated.

“Then, why isn’t His Highness telling my father he wants no relationship with us?” Lin Jiao asked curiously.

“My mother told me that I would meet an elegant lady from the Lin Family,” Mingquan said.

Lin Jiao laughed and then pursed her lips together. “I apologize, but I am the opposite of elegance,” she proudly said.

“I like your truthfulness,” Mingquan said and again looked out of the window.

“So, did you make the decision to not marry me?” Lin Jiao asked. Mingquan still needs to respond to her question. She also turned quiet.

The carriage stopped outside the Lin residence. Lin Jiao stepped out of the carriage and thanked Mingquan for giving her a ride. She bowed while the carriage left for the palace.

~~~~~~~~~

Song Jia’s face shimmered to hear the message from the King. Her marriage day had been fixed. Eunuch Shi Rang told her she would get married next week with Tianjie.

Shi Rang handed the royal order to Song Jia, who accepted it by forwarding both of her hands. She bowed to Eunuch Shi Rang.

“Prince Tianjie will not come to see Miss Song until the day of their marriage. Here are the betrothal gifts which the Third Prince’s mother has sent for Miss Song,” Eunuch Shi Rang said humbly and looked out of the door.

Several palace servants walked in with numerous valuables with them. Song Jia had asked Tianjie not to send gifts, but he did not listen to her and she told the same to Eunuch Shi Rang.

“Miss Song, these are important for the betrothal ceremony. Prince Tianjie’s mother is delighted with his marriage and she has already built a personal liking toward Miss Song,” Shi Rang explained to Song Jia.

Song Jia hummed and told Eunuch Shi Rang that she would bring tea for him.

“Thank you, Miss Song, but I have to leave for the palace,” Shi Rang stated with a smile. Song Jia nodded at him. She found the room was filled with many gifts. Eunuch Shi Rang took his leave with the palace servants while Song Jia wondered what to do with all of those gifts.

Song Jia’s people, who accompanied her for the Qiqi Festival, had already left for Qijiang province after Tianjie told them he would marry him. She would have given those gifts to them since they were her family for a long time.

At that moment, she missed her family. She truly wished her parents and her siblings to be with her. The servants in her service told Song Jia that they would arrange them.

“You can do that later. Have your lunch meals,” Song Jia told them. The servants bowed and left the room. Song Jia’s eyes had turned misty and she wiped the tears from her eyes.

A familiar warmth she felt as Tianjie’s hands wrapped around her and she was stunned for a second.

“Your Highness?”

She tried to turn around, but Tianjie asked her to stay still.

Song Jia turned quiet and heard him speak, “The royal astrologer delayed our marriage from this week to the next week. I thought we would soon be together. Are you ready to be mine completely?” He asked while keeping a gentle smile on his lips.

“I am already of His Highness,” Song Jia said. “But why is His Highness here? Was he not supposed to not see me? He will get scolded if anyone finds out.” She was finally able to turn around and looked into his eyes.