Reborn Again : The Ice-Cold Prince Is After Me?

The Jiao Residence was bustling with murmurs and sounds of servants hurrying. Jiao Qingxia slowly opened her eyes. The familiar red sandalwood bed greeted her eyes. Her gentle brows furrowed. 

Was this how death felt like? She had heard from her nanny in her childhood, that when you die your life replays in front of your eyes for seven ke.

Moving the curtain away, she looked outside. It seemed to be the day of the moon festival. 

Her maid, Jiao Mei stood outside holding her embroidered boots. 

"Miss, it's slightly cold outside. Please cover your feet." She spoke with concern.

Qingxia's eyes reddened. Her own stupidity led to the death of Mei. A year younger than her, the young lady refused to leave her side even when she was banished to the cold palace. 

Walking towards her, she tightly hugged Mei.

"I am sorry Mei, forgive me."

Jiao Mei was stunned at the sudden change in demeanour of her lady. 

Hurriedly dropping the boots on the floor, she hugged her back, gently patting her. 

"Miss, what's wrong? Did you see a nightmare?"

Miss didn't cry even when the old lady caned her for sneaking away from the residence in the middle of the night, or when she had to kneel in the ancestral hall for three shichen for sneaking away inside the garden instead of entertaining the guests, or when she was locked up inside the room she ran away from the madam teaching her embroidery. Only once she completed embroidering a mandarin duck, she was let out.

Then how could she cry now? It must be an awful hell of a nightmare. 

After calming down, Qingxiao took a look at Mei. It no longer felt like her life replaying in front of her. If it was so, then how could she hear Mei speak and hug her like this?

Moreover, seven ke has long been over. Astonished, she pinched her fair frail wrist, which reddened immediately. 

"Mei, what year is this?"

"Ah? The year of Ox." Mei spoke, albeit feeling as if something was amiss.

So, she was reborn when she was 13. This was the year when she fell for that man, and naively walked towards her own demise. Whatever higher power there was, or maybe the universe, took pity in her and gave her a second chance in life. 

This time, she would no longer be as naive as before. Flashing a smile of reassurance at Mei, she allowed her to tie the boots.

Relieved that Miss was no longer crying, Jiao Mei, started hurrying again. 

"Here, I bought the Ruqun from the seamstress early in the morning. Look, it's made from the fabric you picked last month."

Qingxiao nodded. The pale blue ruqun embroidered with youthful golden flowers was pretty indeed. In her last life, to win his heart, she started to wear much simpler and paler colours. 

Once Jiao Mei was finished twisting Qingxiao's long hair into a simple bun, she brought the ivory box in front of her.

"Miss, it's the moon festival. Which hairpin would you want to wear?"

She stared at the colourful hairpins, adorned with colourful glowing jewels. Staring at the golden pin, with a small swan designed with red stone, she picked it with much consideration. Last time, without much consideration she picked a simple jade hairpin. 

Initially most probably she attracted his attention due to this. To live up to her image as an elegant simplistic woman in his heart, she sacrificed a lot. 

"A lady aspiring to enter the palace should never be extravagant."

She felt like laughing at herself for believing him. He clearly didn't want to spend money on her. How stingy despite being a prince. She wondered how he could ascend the throne. 

Standing near the kitchen, she spotted her mother instructing the maids. The elegant woman had advised her time and time again to not marry into the palace. She refused to listen. Finally giving in her last plea was to at least wait for another year. And she didn't listen even then. At the age of fourteen she entered the palace as a concubine of the third prince. 

She felt her throat choke. Banished in the cold palace for three years, she missed the red bean paste of her mother's hands the most. 

Qingxiao took a second to compose herself. Tiptoeing she entered the kitchen, gesturing at the nearby maid to stay silent, she hugged her mother from behind. 

Jiao Hua smiled as she lightly hit on her daughter's knuckles, "Be patient. The red bean paste isn't ready yet." She said, knowing very well, there was no other reason, this daughter of hers would enter the kitchen on her own accord.

"Mhmm." Qingxiao nodded obediently. Grabbing a tool from outside, she sat inside, looking at her mother mixing honey into the paste.

In her last life, she had learnt how to prepare this from her mother before entering the palace. 

'As my concubine, you should be well skilled in household work and manage the palace well for me in my absence.'

Heh, since when did a palace concubine need to cook on her own? Or do harsh handiwork? She was treated like a mere palace maid. 

No matter what she did, he refused to visit her palace.

He didn't take long to show his true face. Soon after ascending the throne, she was banished to a cold palace. She was the one to blame indeed. Despite being treated like that, she actually believed that he would make her the consort.

Like being splashed with cold water, she witnessed the wedding of the century between the daughter of the grand chancellor and the fourth prince. 

She wanted to merely leave. She knew her parents would wholeheartedly accept her despite everything. And yet, she was caught by the crown princess. Clearly considering her as an enemy, she was poisoned. 

She thought for the sake of her family and her helping him become the crown prince, he would be grateful enough to spare her. It was all but a delusion.