Chapter 10
The next morning, Ji Yan’an lay stubbornly in bed, staring at the ceiling.
She was awake—fully awake, in fact—but had absolutely no intention of moving.
Xiao Leyan, however, remembered perfectly well that today was the day they would enter the palace. She had been standing outside the door since dawn, waiting to help Ji Yan’an wash up and get dressed.
“She’s still not up?”
Song Yi had already changed into the clothes Shopkeeper Zheng had sent over. Standing beside Leyan, she asked the question quietly.
Leyan hugged the wooden washbasin and nodded.
Ji Yan’an wasn’t getting up, and nobody dared go inside to wake her.
Sure, the young miss’s temper had improved considerably lately, but she still had a notorious case of morning grumpiness. Once, Jinxi had woken her up, and Ji Yan’an had ignored the poor girl for an entire day afterward.
Just remembering that icy silence made Leyan shiver.
No matter what happened, she refused to be the one responsible for waking Ji Yan’an.
Song Yi said nothing more.
She took the soft cloth from Leyan’s hands, soaked it in warm water, wrung it out, and headed inside.
The room was quiet.
The only sounds were the occasional crackle of charcoal burning in the brazier and the faint rhythm of someone’s breathing.
Song Yi moved without making a sound. When she reached the bedside, she found Ji Yan’an lying on her side.
Her thin sleeping robe was wrinkled, making it obvious she tossed and turned all night.
From where she stood, Song Yi could see the girl’s eyes slightly open.
Understanding immediately dawned on her.
Without hesitation, she placed the damp cloth over Ji Yan’an’s face.
A startled yelp followed.
Ji Yan’an nearly jumped out of bed.
She’d been startled awake and was ready to unleash her irritation on whoever had dared disturb her. But the moment she opened her eyes, all she saw was a breathtakingly beautiful face.
“We’re entering the palace today.”
Song Yi tossed out the reminder lightly and stood beside the bed watching her.
The fire that had been building in Ji Yan’an’s chest instantly sputtered out.
Pouting, she slowly slipped on her shoes, looking deeply wronged.
Once she was dressed, Song Yi turned and opened the door, signaling for Leyan and the others to come in.
The maids immediately filed inside.
Some carried water, others prepared clothing.
Though all of them were still quite young, every movement was orderly and practiced, evidence of strict training.
After half an hour of bustling activity, Ji Yan’an emerged before everyone once again.
Bright and stunning.
The pale blue dress draped elegantly over her figure, the color flattering her fair skin perfectly. Only the dangling hairpin ornaments at her temples still swayed gently with each movement.
Song Yi was looking at Ji Yan’an.
And Ji Yan’an was looking at Song Yi.
As promised, Song Yi had worn the goose-yellow jacket and skirt they had picked out together.
The warm color softened her usual coolness, adding a touch of sweetness and youthful charm.
Ji Yan’an vaguely remembered the first day she’d arrived in this world.
The first time she’d ever seen Song Yi, she’d been wearing a worn goose-yellow dress.
The clothes themselves hadn’t been remarkable.
Yet that single glance had lingered forever.
From that moment on, Ji Yan’an had been convinced that Song Yi looked best in this color.
As expected, she had been right.
“You’re really beautiful.”
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
Only after speaking did she realize Song Yi had been staring at her as well.
Embarrassed, she immediately lowered her head.
“So are you.”
Song Yi’s voice was extremely soft.
So soft that Ji Yan’an almost couldn’t hear it.
Her eyes curved mischievously.
“What? Who did you just say was beautiful?”
Naturally restless by nature, she even trotted over to Song Yi.
Leaning closer and closer, her soft little ear nearly brushed Song Yi’s cheek.
Song Yi knew perfectly well that she’d heard.
Her eyes shimmered with amusement, but she remained silent.
Because she had been stretching upward the entire time, Ji Yan’an was standing on tiptoe.
When Song Yi stubbornly refused to answer, Ji Yan’an finally gave up and turned away.
Only for her balance to suddenly disappear.
Before she knew it, she was falling straight toward Song Yi.
Ji Yan’an had fully expected Song Yi to push her away.
She had even braced herself to hit the floor.
Yet the anticipated pain never came.
“Huh?”
Cautiously opening her eyes, she discovered herself wrapped in a warm embrace.
Song Yi…
Was actually…
Holding her.
Ji Yan’an hadn’t even finished processing that shocking realization when Song Yi spoke helplessly.
“We’re about to enter the palace. Do you really want to show up covered in bruises?”
The words themselves were perfectly reasonable.
But the warm breath brushing lightly against Ji Yan’an’s neck felt like feathers gliding across her skin.
Her face instantly burned.
Damn it! Have I been single for so long that getting hugged by a beautiful woman is enough to make me blush?
Mortified, Ji Yan’an hurriedly scrambled upright, silently condemning herself.
The soft figure suddenly leaving her arms left Song Yi feeling oddly unaccustomed to the emptiness.
After a moment, she slowly lowered her hands.
The cool calm returned to her eyes, as though she hadn’t been the one holding Ji Yan’an just seconds earlier.
After all that dawdling, there was no longer time for breakfast.
Madam Ji instructed Jinxi to pack some pastries so Ji Yan’an could at least fill her stomach on the way.
A heavy snowfall had fallen during the night.
A thin layer of ice still coated the roads, forcing the carriage to travel slowly through the streets.
Having never ridden in a horse-drawn carriage before, Ji Yan’an found it fascinating at first.
Like a country bumpkin seeing the world for the first time, she examined every decoration and furnishing inside.
But gradually, the novelty wore off.
And before long, her thoughts were occupied entirely by the moments she’d shared with Song Yi that morning.
The more she thought about them, the more a smile crept onto her face.
Sitting beside her with a tray of pastries, Leyan had no idea what her young miss was thinking about.
Still, seeing Ji Yan’an smile made her happy too.
“Where’s Song Yi?”
Ji Yan’an suddenly asked.
She felt an unreasonable sense of longing after only a short separation.
Even if they didn’t speak, simply looking at Song Yi improved her mood.
Honestly, she couldn’t understand why the novel’s male lead had treated Ji Yan’an as his unattainable white moonlight.
Leyan thought for a moment before lifting the carriage curtain and pointing outside.
“Miss, Miss Song is walking beside the carriage.”
Ji Yan’an immediately frowned.
Even Leyan was riding comfortably inside.
The Ji household wasn’t some stingy family.
Surely they could spare an extra carriage.
“There’s no other carriage available?”
Her voice sank noticeably.
Leyan could tell something was wrong again.
Setting down the tray, she carefully thought back.
After a moment, she answered,
“There was one originally, but Third Miss and Third Madam went to the temple today to pray for blessings. Master and Young Master also needed carriages to attend court, so… there really aren’t enough left.”
The Third Miss she referred to was Ji Tong’an.
The moment Ji Yan’an realized that, irritation surged through her once more.
Resting her chin on her hand, she thought back to the morning.
She had seen two carriages waiting outside and wondered who they were for.
So they had been reserved for Ji Tong’an and Third Madam.
A concubine’s daughter and an姨娘 going to pray at a temple… and somehow that’s considered more important than entering the palace?
The thought burned in her mind.
Naturally, she didn’t dare say it aloud.
Instead, after staring at Leyan for a long moment, she began wheedling in a sweet voice.
“Dear Leyan~ Could you walk outside with the carriage instead? Let Miss Song come inside and keep me company?”
Leyan nodded so enthusiastically it looked as though her head might fall off.
Seeing how cooperative she was, Ji Yan’an immediately beamed.
“Stop!”
At her command, the carriage came to a halt.
After receiving an excessive amount of gratitude from Ji Yan’an, Leyan climbed down.
The weather wasn’t actually that cold.
But Song Yi’s body had been weakened after years of mistreatment by the household’s concubines and their daughters.
Even during the harshest winters, she’d been forced to wash clothes herself.
Those years of abuse had left her unusually sensitive to the cold.
“Miss Song!”
Leyan ran over cheerfully.
She had never imagined a day when a master would treat her with such respect.
Even if it meant standing outside and freezing in the winter air, she was perfectly happy.
Hearing someone call her, Song Yi turned around in surprise.
The sight of that stunning face left Leyan momentarily dazed.
It took her several seconds before she remembered what she was supposed to say.
“Miss wants you to come ride in the carriage.”
