Who? Who could it be?
Shu Yue was so embarrassed she wanted to die.
She had just come to watch someone else’s confession out of curiosity, but as she watched, someone pushed her—she didn’t even know who—and sent her stumbling right into the center of the crowd, instantly making her the target of everyone’s attention.
She instinctively looked in that direction, and suddenly, a familiar figure caught the corner of her eye.
She shifted her gaze slightly.
Eustia, that girl?
Golden shoulder-length hair, deep blue eyes, long ears—wasn’t that Eustia?
Wait, why was her aura only at Tier 2?
Shu Yue’s mouth twitched, and she immediately understood.
That had to be Eustia’s doing!
Could it be Vanessa instead?
Standing beside Eustia was another person, side by side.
Beneath a white turban was a head of platinum blonde, wavy hair.
She had a radiant, beautiful face, yet wore a gentle, friendly smile.
Dressed in a common white-and-gold robe of a female cleric, the garment looked quite high-grade.
Shu Yue sensed that the woman seemed to be sizing her up.
That wasn’t strange in itself—after all, many people in the crowd were sneaking glances at her—but she still felt that this woman’s gaze was somehow odd.
As for what exactly was odd, Shu Yue couldn’t quite put her finger on it for the moment.
For now, though, she had to deal with Miss Luolan first.
This girl, hailed as “Your Highness” in the Northern Frontier, was not someone to be handled carelessly.
One wrong move, and the fate of that false Li Ya would very likely become hers.
Even if she could manifest her bloodline, she had absolutely no chance of escaping from this opponent.
Luolan possessed a bloodline that was in no way inferior to hers.
In fact, that bloodline was even stronger than Shu Yue’s by quite a margin, faintly suppressing the Silver Dragon Bloodline within her.
Shu Yue was secretly shocked.
Just what kind of bloodline is this…
The rumors that great nobles all carry powerful bloodlines were indeed true.
She just didn’t know if Luolan was especially unique, or if everyone else was the same.
If they were all roughly similar, Shu Yue didn’t know who she could complain to.
She had worked herself to death for years just to save up the “down payment” for her Silver Dragon Bloodline, only to find that others were born with it, and theirs was bigger and stronger!
Shu Yue met Luolan’s icy blue eyes.
Looking at the girl’s features, she couldn’t help thinking—powerful bloodlines even grant such ethereal, otherworldly beauty; it practically leaves no room for ordinary people to survive.
But remembering what she looked like after transforming into her Dragon Princess form, Shu Yue regained a bit of confidence.
Even if she couldn’t match her in power, when it came to looks, she hadn’t lost!
As for figure…
The two of them were at best a tie!
Luolan had a standard maiden’s physique, while Shu Yue’s Dragon Princess form was more on the petite side.
There was a gap of one growth stage between them.
If you forced a comparison, the outcome would depend entirely on personal taste.
Once I grow up, I definitely won’t be weaker than you!
Relying on this stream of random thoughts, Shu Yue managed to withstand the pressure from Luolan’s gaze.
The two stared at each other for a long time, the scene completely silent.
Finally, it was Luolan who spoke first.
Her red lips parted, and her voice was cold.
“Why did you agree?”
Shu Yue froze, a momentary daze on her face.
She understood that Luolan was asking why she had agreed to this marriage contract.
In other words, Luolan believed she was the real Li Ya.
The disguise of Mirror Flower Water Moon had actually fooled her!
Eustia hadn’t lied after all.
Thanks to her, Shu Yue could pretend to be the real Li Ya, rather than being seen through by Luolan at a glance and casually killed like that fake earlier.
Thinking about it that way, should she owe Eustia a life-saving favor?
Bah!
It wasn’t her doing!
If it weren’t for Eustia, Shu Yue would never have taken this risk in the first place.
She could have simply fled to the Outlands, hidden for a year or two, and slowly collected Dragon Blood.
It was more like Eustia making up for her mistake.
But the issue now was—since Luolan hadn’t seen through Mirror Flower Water Moon, how should she answer?
What was her relationship with the real Li Ya, exactly?
What should she say to avoid slipping up?
Use amnesia as an excuse?
No.
She had come all the way here; claiming amnesia would be too far-fetched.
Although she could also pin the blame on Vanessa…
But wouldn’t that be handing her life over to Vanessa?
Vanessa was a wicked woman who loved to toy with others.
Shu Yue wasn’t about to put a collar on her own neck and then hand her the leash.
She didn’t have that kind of twisted hobby.
In just a few seconds, Shu Yue’s mind raced.
She recalled the day she first met Eustia, when Anna had taken her to the cliff to retrieve Li Ya’s corpse.
She remembered that face.
Li Ya was dead.
And she had taken his place, coming to Grey Pine City to pull off a big heist.
She had been received by the Baron and the Viscount.
That mysterious old man had given her a fleeting murderous intent, and so she had agreed to this marriage contract.
She already knew how to answer.
Shu Yue snapped back to the present.
In reality, only about five seconds had passed.
She refocused her gaze and looked directly at Luolan.
“If I didn’t agree, I would die.”
The next moment, a special force enveloped her and Luolan.
No one else could hear their conversation.
The people around only saw Shu Yue’s lips move, but heard no sound.
They were startled for a moment, then quickly lowered their heads.
A stronger pressure suppressed their curiosity, and no one dared to pry into Miss Luolan’s private affairs.
Luolan’s brows furrowed slightly.
“That’s impossible. With me here, no one dares to kill you.”
“They think I’m not worthy of you.”
Shu Yue’s expression was calm.
“I also think I’m not worthy of you.”
Luolan paused.
“There’s no such thing as worthy or unworthy…”
“On the way here, someone tried to kill me.”
Shu Yue’s tone was steady.
“Many of my people died, but I survived. I understood that this was a warning.”
“So I agreed.”
“Only then could I live.”
She met Luolan’s gaze without flinching, weaving her lie without changing expression.
“I want to become stronger.”
“I want to go out and explore, to grow until I’m worthy of standing by your side.”
“Only then will I be worthy of you.”
“Baron Leicester planned this fake wedding for me, allowing me to escape, and also sacrificed Miss Emily’s future.”
“I hope you won’t do anything to the Leicester Family.”
“If possible… please compensate Miss Emily on my behalf.”
Luolan was silent for a long time.
After a while, she finally spoke slowly.
“I agree.”
“But staying by my side can also make you stronger.”
“Come back with me. That way, they’ll have no more chance to hurt you.”
Shu Yue remained silent on the surface, but inside she let out a long sigh of relief.
She believed it!
Sure enough, amnesia was too far-fetched.
A drastic change in personality between life and death was far more convincing.
And the real Li Ya had indeed been ambushed; there should still be traces at the scene.
As for why she pleaded for Baron Leicester…
That certainly wasn’t to help that old bastard.
She just didn’t want to see Emily’s family destroyed because of this affair.
If Emily had been the kind of noble lady who said “let them eat cake,” Shu Yue would have coldly watched the Leicester Family collapse.
Let’s just say that fools have fool’s luck.
Also, she didn’t want to leave a mental demon behind.
It was just a casual favor.
Shu Yue was selfish, ruthless, and killed anyone who offended her without hesitation.
She was no saint.
It definitely wasn’t because she had gone soft over some insignificant Emily!
Just then, Luolan’s gaze shifted slightly.
Her thick eyelashes drooped as she coldly fixed her eyes on the girl behind Shu Yue.
“Who is she?”
Her tone was flat, but clearly carried a hint of danger.
Shu Yue remained composed.
She glanced back.
Sure enough, Vanessa was still holding her waist, pressed tightly against her back, showing no sign of letting go.
This woman really wasn’t afraid of death.
Shu Yue shook her head.
“I don’t know her.”
“Maybe she was just scared and grabbed me in fright.”
The air fell into silence.
Neither Luolan nor Vanessa spoke.
After a tense standoff, Vanessa finally pouted and reluctantly released Shu Yue.
She knew this was not the time to be willful.
So she lifted her skirt and curtsied softly.
“Thank you for shielding me from the wind and rain just now.”
As she spoke, she gave a soft, charming smile full of admiration.
Shu Yue curled her lip.
“You’re the one who latched onto me.”
“Then thank you for not pushing me away?”
Vanessa blinked, an innocent look on her face as she fired back.
Their brief exchange ended in a draw.
Finally, Vanessa obediently stepped aside.
The arena fell silent once more.
The wedding obviously couldn’t continue.
No one dared to say a word.
No one even dared to raise their heads.
Though they were the prominent figures of Grey Pine City, in the vastness of the Empire and the continent, before true great nobles, they were no different from the lowliest commoners.
All were ants.
Emily looked at Shu Yue standing among the kneeling crowd, then at Luolan nearby, and sighed deeply in her heart.
Shu Yue meeting Luolan was probably like herself meeting Hecate, right?
One was a border noble boy and the most dazzling gem of the Northern Frontier.
The other was a mortal girl and a mysterious Dragon Race girl.
Both felt they weren’t worthy of the other.
The difference was—
Li Ya, or rather Shu Yue, dared to fight for it.
But she herself was timid and didn’t dare to take a single step.
She had originally looked down on Li Ya a little.
Now, thinking back, she felt like a complete clown.
No wonder his eyes had never held her.
The girl gave a bitter smile and clenched her fists secretly.
She didn’t want to be like this anymore.
She wanted to become stronger.
Baron Leicester was drenched in cold sweat.
His conversation with Shu Yue and Luolan had been blocked; he couldn’t hear anything.
But he knew that his actions had surely displeased Luolan.
To Luolan, wiping out the entire Leicester family was no different from stepping on an ant.
The Northern Frontier was vast, and there were plenty of barons.
Countless people in Grey Pine City were waiting to take his place.
Luolan didn’t turn around, only spoke flatly.
“His engagement with your daughter is hereby annulled.”
“Also, send your daughter to Wolmund.”
“I… Your subordinate understands!”
The boulder in Baron Leicester’s heart finally fell.
But he hadn’t expected Luolan to send Emily to Wolmund.
Recommendation letters for that place were extremely hard to obtain—only upper-rank great nobles had the qualifications to recommend talent.
Emily was also stunned.
She had never imagined the outcome would be like this.
When she sensed Vanessa’s gaze and looked over involuntarily, Vanessa smiled at her.
It was only at that moment that Emily finally understood.
It was Li Ya…
No, Shu Yue who had helped her.
Knowing the truth, the girl’s tears instantly fell uncontrollably.
Seeing her crying like a “little pearl,” Shu Yue couldn’t help but complain inwardly.
What a foolish, troublesome woman.
If anyone married her, they’d probably be annoyed to death for the rest of their lives.
At the entrance outside the venue, Eustia’s eyes were deep and unfathomable.
She watched the constantly shifting “threads” between Emily and Shu Yue.
Threads of Fate were not real threads; they were the “appearances” in her soul vision that she used to understand the connections of all things.
Earlier, she had seen the thread between Emily and Shu Yue.
It was floating and loose, about to break soon.
But now, it had clearly become much more solid.
This was also the reason she had kept Shu Yue alive.
“Emily… she’s not famous in the future.”
“In my memories, she never appears.”
“She was probably destined to live an ordinary life in Grey Pine City.”
“But in this life, there seems to be a huge change.”
“It looks like his taking over Li Ya has indeed become a variable.”
Eustia pondered silently.
“There might be a deep connection between him and my rebirth.”
“But what exactly that connection is…”
“I still need to keep observing.”
As she thought, she tilted her head and glanced at the female cleric beside her.
In her eyes, every person was a tangled, chaotic mass of threads.
And the female cleric also had some kind of karmic link with Shu Yue.
Just then, the cleric was staring at Shu Yue, as if confirming something.
Sensing Eustia’s gaze, she turned, met those deep blue eyes, and smiled slightly.
“Miss Eustia, what do you see?”
“Nothing.”
Eustia did not speak of what she had seen.
The Veil fell, the main actors exited, and the audience departed.
And so, this wedding finally came to a complete end.
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