46 Walk Home

The morning finally came. Tianshi Xue, as expected, did not catch a single wink of sleep. She was twisting and turning all night again but thankfully the period already subsided that it was not hurting her stomach that much.

They did not even bother with a half decent breakfast and ate their food as they were walking. The soldiers were more than ecstatic to be going back to Heping that Tianshi Xue felt a little bad for them.

They had just gotten back that morning that the invasion happened. They haven't spent that much time with their families yet and they had to get out of the walls again. Maybe that was the reason why Aiguo was so pissed at her.

If that was the reason, then it would be a good reason.

Tianshi Xue walked alone, in between the small procession of soldiers, munching on a piece of bread that would be as hard as a rock by tomorrow.

The redness of her face from her allergy were almost gone too. Doctor Jung still told her to apply a lot today as they walked. She should have no signs of illness and disease when she got back to the palace or else the emperor would have everybody's heads on a spike.

But… would he really still care a lot about Princess Yingyue now that he had already gotten what he wanted? The emperor wanted her as an official member of his family for the benefits that entailed her.

She doubted that the princess would still be as valuable as she had been when the she first stepped foot inside the walls of Heping Empire now that she was married to one of the emperor's son.

Tianshi Xue sighed. If you can hear me, Princess Yingyue, I emphatize with you. This is not the kind of life for you. I am sorry I failed and gotten married to a person you also probably hated.

**

Prince Qui was staying behind the princess with Aiguo at his side. Bolin, Feng, and the doctor were all walking in front. Aiguo and him were talking in hushed tones.

"What are we supposed to do if her brother would come for her next?" Aiguo asked. There was concern in his voice but it did not sound like it was for the princess.

"He could not take her away from Heping. She's my wife now. Her place is by my side," he said with a deep breath. He could not believe it either. This morning, he woke up married. He was a husband.

Never in a million years had he ever dreamt of something like this.

"But what if he comes?"

"Then we would welcome him with open arms," Prince Qui answered. "Isn't that the point of us getting married? So that there would be a life long truce between these two empires?"

"What about Prince Xiaodan?"

What he liked about talking with Aiguo more than the rest of his trusted soldiers was that he was like his own conscience and as he continued to ask, Prince Qui was forced to answer with the immediate solutions he could think of.

Prince Qui smirked. "Xiaodan can burn in hell for all I care."

"Wouldn't he get mad at you?"

"Of course he would be, but that was already a fact. I stole his bride. Just wait until he hears about what happened in the shack," Prince Qui hinted. But he was never going to tell anyone about how he and the princess slept for two nights. He was a man of his word and he would keep his lips sealed.

Aiguo stiffened. "General, you must not speak ill of the princess."

Prince Qui only barked a small laughter at that. "There's nothing to tell," he said. "But I did tell him that I would not touch her. Apparently, that was inevitable."

Then Aiguo asked the question that Prince Qui had been pushing away from his mind. "What about your living conditions when you get back?"

Prince Qui gritted his teeth. Now that they were married, they would probably move to another room. A bigger one with a bigger bed. "I try not to think about it. It was not like my father could lock me out of my own room."

Aiguo went silent on that. Of course the emperor could do just that. He could do anything that he wanted.

Where was he even getting all of these wishful thinking?

After about an hour or two of walking, he could already see that the princess was getting tired because her leg was already buckling under her. Prince Qui smiled at that, to think that she was not even carrying anything other than herself…

At least she had gotten outside the walls after all these years. Those small feet would probably be calloused by the time that they would reach the walls.

Soon enough, they reached the point that they had climbed up when they left. Now they had to climb down.

"I don't think I can do it," said the princess.

"It's okay, Your Highness, we'll guide you through it," said Bolin from the ground already. "I'll tell you where to put your foot."

It would be dangerous for two people to climb back down as one misstep would mean that they could pull each other down and roll painfully until they reach the ground.

"It's fine," Prince Qui said to Bolin. "I'll take it from here."

Princess Yingyue did not turn to look at him.

"Here's what we're going to do. You're going to step where I step. Do you understand?"

She did not answer but he knew that she would follow him anyway. Not unless she wanted to skid down and earn herself a bunch of scars.

Prince Qui got into the soil first, putting pressure on the heels of his foot.

"I don't think I can do it," the princess whispered at the back of his head.

"Well, we're all going back to the palace. Do you want to stay here?" he almost chuckled at the horrified look on her face. But then it immediately switched and an eyebrow of her twitched.

"Do you think you can carry me down?"

Prince Qui glared at her.

"I'm your wife. It would be such a mess if I'd get injured trying to get down this hill." She eyed Bolin, Feng, and the doctor below. "You have a duty to keep them safe, right? They are your people."

Prince Qui laughed aloud. That was what he told her. He pointed to his head. "You're smart. But I'll get you back on that." He turned his back on her. "Hop on."

Tianshi Xue was grinning. She could try to get down but she wanted to irritate Prince Qui for this. She wrapped her arms and legs around him tightly, not wanting to risk herself slipping off.

"Your Highness, I don't think that would be the best idea," Aiguo said from behind him. "You're heavier and you increase of your chance snowballing down. Or you'd hurt your ankles."

"It'll be fine, Colonel," he said and hitched the princess on his back, settling her. "It'll just take a few seconds."

He was not lying.

Everything happened so fast that Tianshi Xue had to close her eyes. She felt the wind on her face and her internal screaming as every cell in her body told her that she was going to die.

By the way that her body bounced, she knew that the prince was taking huge leaps and he did not stop.

Prince Qui moved quickly, his feet pressing on the bases of trees and huge rocks. He jumped the remaining few feet as it would be the safest way to break their momentum and land on his feet at the same time. The princess almost slipped off him with the pressure but he held on her thighs as he heard her whimper.

He breathed out loudly. "You're safe. Get down."

"I can't feel my legs."

"Save that for the bedroom."

With that the princess immediately scrambled away from him like he was some sort of a virus. She eyed him with disgust.

"It wasn't that hard, was it?" he rolled his eyes. Aiguo was already on his feet too on the ground. "Let's proceed."

He tilted his head and finally caught sight of the top of the walls of Heping.