Chapter 2: He is a devil, a viper, and his future retribution

Chapter 2: She is a Devil, a Vixen, and His Future Retribution

Two young maids were attending to Xiao Li as she wiped her head. Outside, Hong Yue entered to report, "Princess, the Consort has returned."

The hand Xiao Li had raised to stroke her temple paused, and her gaze turned cold and dark.

"The Consort, is he?" She slowly picked up a comb to smooth her cascading hair, her long lashes drooping slightly to conceal that bloodthirsty malice.

Although the original owner of this body was a princess, her biological mother was of low status and lacked capability, dying early in that man-eating imperial palace.

Because she was the first daughter, she had received a shred of compassion from the late Emperor, allowing her to be raised under the Empress's name.

It seemed she held a noble status, but in reality, she was merely living under someone else's roof, enduring constant disdain, cautiously pleasing the Empress, and struggling to survive with humility.

After her Imperial Brother ascended the throne, she was immediately used as a pawn for a political marriage to restrain the civil official clans.

The Consort was the second legitimate son of the Lu family, a prestigious clan. He was a noble scion, well-read, and a top-tier handsome man. Despite his high birth, he lacked the impetuousness, extravagance, and debauchery typical of sons of the powerful.

Indifferent to fame and fortune, with an ethereal grace, he was the dream lover of countless young noble ladies.

Had it not been that the Lu family had no daughters of marriageable age to send to the palace, and that the new Emperor wished to restrain the civil official Lu family, a man like him would likely never have been paired with a princess of low maternal origin and a weak personality.

Naturally, the original owner could not help but fall for such an excellent man. Even though he was cold, indifferent, and devoid of desire, she tried to move him, wanting to become a true husband and wife with him.

Alas, her humble pleas could not warm the Consort's heart, which had long since been promised to someone else.

In a drunken state, she tried to seduce the Consort to consummate their marriage, only to be thrown to a guard who coveted her, resulting in her being defiled—and subsequently becoming pregnant.

After losing her chastity, she began to go mad. It wasn't madness directed at others, but at herself. She would bathe incessantly, scrubbing her body until it was covered in scratches, yet no amount of blood-stained water could wash away her sense of filth and disgust.

When she discovered she was pregnant, she wanted to abort, but someone had replaced the abortion medicine with medicine to preserve the pregnancy. As the bowls went down one by one, her belly grew larger day by day, and she descended into complete madness. Ultimately, she gave birth prematurely to a child, only to die herself from a massive hemorrhage.

The Consort... an ethereal gentleman, as pure and untainted as the wind and the moon.

What did he do wrong?

He merely pushed away a woman he loathed. Simply because his beloved childhood sweetheart could not bear to see a living life vanish, he was even willing to wear a green hat and replace those bowls of abortion medicine, allowing the Princess to give birth to that bastard.

How wonderful he was. He never took any other concubines, staying in the Princess's manor to carefully raise that illegitimate child.

From beginning to end, he remained clean, guarding the childhood sweetheart in his heart with profound devotion and unwavering loyalty. Who wouldn't be moved?

But what did that have to do with her?

Xiao Li covered her face with both hands to prevent her hideous, ferocious expression from being reflected in the bronze mirror, but that hatred could not be hidden; it leaked through the gaps in her fingers like a tangible substance.

The original owner was humble and a hopeless romantic; what did her tragic end have to do with her?

The second male lead's devoted obsession in the story—what did that have to do with her?

Why did she have to transmigrate into this book and experience such pain and despair firsthand?

"Consort."

An ethereal figure in white appeared at the doorway, and the maids hurriedly bowed in greeting.

The newcomer strode in but stopped outside the screen, unwilling to take another step inside.

"I heard something happened here..."

His voice was clear and cold, quite pleasant to the ear, yet he was stingy with his words.

Impatient, arrogant, and indifferent.

Xiao Li slowly lowered her hands, looking at herself in the mirror by the bright light of the lamps.

For some unknown reason, this face was identical to her own, yet previously it had always been humble and cowardly, or jealous and distorted, or fearful and manic—so ugly it was unbearable to look at.

At this moment, her features were as beautiful as a painting, her phoenix eyes upturned, possessing a heavy, glamorous beauty, a confidence that everything was under control, and a madness capable of slaughtering everything.

This look truly satisfied her immensely.

"Everyone, leave."

A faint scent of blood still lingered in the room. The maids were still shrouded in fear, showing a level of respect to this Princess they had never shown before, obeying her every word.

Watching the maids withdraw in an orderly fashion, Lu Yanzhi frowned slightly. He had no desire to be alone in a room with the Princess, but he truly wanted to know what had happened.

To be fair, it was the Princess's fault. If she hadn't shamelessly tried to force him to consummate the marriage, he wouldn't have impulsively dismissed a guard in his anger.

At the time, his thought was, *'Since the Princess is so desperate for a man, I'll give her one.'* However, he had felt some regret after leaving.

He loathed the Princess, but they were husband and wife after all. If the Princess were defiled by another man, where would his dignity lie?

This was also why he had rushed back. For once, he felt uneasy, but he hadn't expected to hear the news of Zhang Jing's death.

The charge was theft, but he knew immediately that this was to cover up the truth.

So, did he succeed or not?

The Consort had rushed over the moment he heard something happened to the Princess; anyone watching would surely say he still cared for her.

Only Xiao Li knew he had come back to inspect the crime scene.

His figure was reflected in the bronze mirror, standing beside the screen. He was tall and slender, with handsome features and the elegant, upright bearing of a gentleman like an orchid. Between his brows was a cold indifference, making him look like a transcendent immortal who did not belong to the mortal world.

What a beautiful, devoted second male lead.

A pity. She wasn't the female lead, nor was she a reader moved by his devotion.

She was a devil, a vixen, and his future retribution!

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but curl her lips: "It is quite strange. It's just a thief, not a major matter. Why would it be worth the Consort coming personally to ask?"

Though her tone was normal, a guilty person would surely feel there was a deeper meaning behind it.

Lu Yanzhi's hand tightened around his folding fan as he maintained his cold composure. "As long as the Princess is fine, I shall take my leave."

Compared to an insignificant truth, he was more afraid of the Princess entangling him again.

As he turned to leave, Xiao Li's voice drifted from inside: "Before Zhang Jing died, he said he wanted to tell me a secret about the Consort. It's a pity..."

Lu Yanzhi's heart skipped a beat, and his steps froze. "What did he say?"

Xiao Li finished the sentence with regret: "It's a pity he died before he could finish."

Lu Yanzhi's heart was in turmoil. He prided himself on being an upright gentleman who had never done anything shameful, except for tonight, when he had been possessed by a momentary lapse in judgment and allowed a guard to defile the Princess.

He wasn't afraid of the Princess questioning him or causing him embarrassment; he was afraid this would leave a stain on his reputation. If Xue Yin found out, she would surely be disappointed in him. At the thought of Xue Yin's disappointed and disgusted gaze, his heart felt as if it were being squeezed tightly.

However, since Zhang Jing had said nothing, he truly felt a sense of relief.

Indeed, if the Princess knew this matter was related to him, she likely wouldn't be sitting here so quietly.

At this thought, he couldn't help but feel resentment toward the Princess. If she hadn't insisted on consummating the marriage, how could he have committed such a mistake?

It was all her fault!

With these thoughts, his disgust grew even stronger, and he prepared to leave without even wanting to speak.

*Whoosh!*

A sharp sound tore through the air as a porcelain pillow fell to the ground. It was of excellent quality and did not break.

Lu Yanzhi's body swayed twice. He raised a hand to touch the back of his head, only to find it covered in sticky, crimson blood.

"You..."

His head was spinning and he hadn't recovered yet, his face filled with shock and disbelief. In the next moment, another vase came crashing toward him in his line of sight.

*Thud!*

Watching the man fall heavily to the ground, Xiao Li smiled.

"You're just a character in a book. Do you think I can't handle you?"

She couldn't control the original owner's "love brain," and whether he was forced or not had nothing to do with her. But she was very clear on one point: it was because he allowed that guard to defile Xuan Yang that she had come to this world, trapped in this shell, forced to experience all that disgusting and painful misery.

She really wanted to kill him...

Xiao Li's eyes were full of madness, and full of regret.

She wished she could grind Lu Yanzhi into ashes, but she could not leave this world right now. Lu Yanzhi held a special status; if she killed him, she would invite massive trouble upon herself.

She would keep him around for now. She had plenty of interest in playing with them... slowly...

[Female Lead Setting: Madwoman, Villainess—in short, a bad person, a major antagonist.

Of course, her madness isn't without reason; she is driven to it, and she has always treated everyone as mere characters in a book.

I've wanted to write this style for a long time. This is my first time. I hope it can catch your eye.

Your likes are my motivation and source of inspiration. Please support me~~~~]

(End of Chapter)