Lai En: "Qiao Ying, Miss Qiao's name sounds so nice. You haven't answered my original question yet."
Qiao Ying: "I'll tell the Duke after visiting Karina."
Lai En said with a smile: "I'm looking forward to it."
The group then went to Karina's palace.
The servants saw Lai En and bowed down, not daring to stop them at all.
The group went upstairs unhindered, and happened to meet a servant carrying a bowl of black stuff. Qiao Ying smelled it and knew it was medicine for Karina, she was actually taking Chinese medicine.
"We're here to visit the princess, give us the medicine," Qiao Ying took the medicine and dismissed the servant firmly.
When they arrived outside Karina's door, Lai En hesitated a little, feeling inappropriate, but thinking that with Qiao Ying accompanying, and Karina was still unwell, it would be fine to go in and visit for a while.
Lai En raised his hand, about to knock on the door.
Suddenly someone pushed him hard from behind, and Lai En stumbled straight through the door into the room.
Karina was sitting on the sofa, holding a small mirror and applying medicine to her face. She was greatly startled by Lai En's sudden intrusion.
Lai En was also terribly shocked, thinking he'd seen a ghost in broad daylight. Seeing Karina hurry to cover her face with a pillow, Lai En tentatively called her, "Princess Karina?"
Karina: "Get out!"
Karina hadn't even seen who the intruder was.
Qiao Ying put the medicine on the flower pot stand by the door, "I'll leave the medicine here for the princess, remember to drink it while it's hot."
"Qiao Ying?" Hearing Qiao Ying′s voice, Karina peered out from behind the pillow with resentful eyes. Seeing Qiao Ying followed by two men, the utterly embarrassed Karina was even more furious, "It was you, wasn't it?!"
If her face wasn't so unsightly, Karina would have gone to confront Qiao Ying already.
Qiao Ying spoke lazily, "Just as you said, since some don't support this marriage, others do. You want to stop it, others want to make it happen. Someone wants to kill me, naturally someone else wants to deal with you who interferes."
Karina was furious beyond containment, no longer caring about a princess's propriety, "Don't pretend with me, it was you who did it, wasn't it?!"
Qiao Ying innocently said, "I'm just a student, how could I have such capabilities."
Karina was determined it was Qiao Ying, "Give me the antidote and treatment, and this princess can let you off."
Qiao Ying: "How generous of you. I'm afraid not, no matter if you hand over those scumbags or not, I won't let you off."
After speaking, she turned and left.
Lai En who was on the side was confused. He looked at the departing Qiao Ying, then at Karina. He apologized and hurriedly left the troublesome scene.
Lai En caught up with Qiao Ying, "You almost got me into big trouble."
Qiao Ying casually said, "The Duke came willingly."
Lai En thought that he was the one who approached her first, he was speechless, "You should say I willingly came knocking."
Qiao Ying didn't respond to him.
Lai En: "Can you tell me who you are now? You've got guts messing with Karina, she's notoriously nasty."
Lai En: "Don't ignore me, you promised to tell me just now. There's a saying in Hua Country: 'A noble man never jokes around', right?"
Qiao Ying: "Who said I was a noble lady?"
Lai En: "So I was tricked?"
Qiao Ying: "Don't follow me."
Lai En: "This is not your turf. If you don't want to tell me who you are that's fine too. We can still chat about other things."
Qiao Ying didn't stop walking, "I have a boyfriend."
Lai En's enthusiasm was extinguished, "What a pity."
He then said, "Is your boyfriend here? If he's not, can I invite you to be my female companion tomorrow?"
Qiao Ying looked back at him and stopped walking, smiling lightly.
Seeing her smile, Lai En smiled too, thinking he still had a chance.
Qiao Ying stepped closer to him, staring into his eyes, "The Duke has such beautiful eyes, like glass beads. My boyfriend loves collecting these pretty things."
Lai En: "???"
There was suddenly a Qin Hanyue on a video call in the room, casually digging out people's eyeballs as a hobby. He sneezed as well.
Qin Yan turned up the air conditioner temperature.
Lai En watched Qiao Ying leave with a smile, "Hua Country girls, quite interesting."
Qiao Ying: "Keep an eye on this Lai En."
Moon Shadow: "Discovered anything?"
Qiao Ying: "Nothing yet."
Moon Shadow: "Let me keep watch."
Flowing Shadow: "You brought me to see this show? I thought you were going to kill her."
Qiao Ying: "Killing her so soon would be less fun. The show's just starting."
The next morning, invited royal family members arrived one after another. The palace became lively very quickly.
The annual national banquet finally began.
Outside, Lin Meng was run off his feet. Inside the room, Qiao Ying slept until past noon. When she opened her eyes, she saw Qin Hanyue sitting at the bedside.
Qiao Ying closed her eyes again, "Here for an affair?"
Qin Hanyue said, "Sounds thrilling but really not nice to hear." He was the proper host, yet became the one coming for an affair.
Qiao Ying lightly pulled up the corners of her mouth.
Qin Hanyue leaned down and nuzzled her cheek, "Get up for breakfast?"
Qiao Ying: "Behave yourself. I feel like I'm full of your scent." She had lain in Qin Hanyue's room for over half a year, fully saturated with his scent.
"Oh really, let me check." Qin Hanyue smiled and leaned towards her neck.
Qiao Ying dodged his advance, warning him with her eyes.
Qin Hanyue didn't dare make another move. He suddenly called her, "Little Ying, who is Lai En?" His tone was ominous as he asked.
Without thinking, Qiao Ying said, "Don't know."
Qin Hanyue: "You don't know? He's been asking around about you everywhere."
Qiao Ying oh-ed, "Lai En? I remember now. A duke, fair complexion, tall, blue eyes. Has the charm of a mature man and the passion and innocence uncommon in peers."
Qin Hanyue's smiling expression didn't diminish, but his question was dangerous, "Your type?"
Qiao Ying looked at him, "Does liking mean owning?"
Qin Hanyue: "No."
Qiao Ying: "Then why the hell ask."
Qin Hanyue: "Just a casual question, yet you're angry at me." Qin Hanyue felt upset inside. Other women fawned over him and he was the uncomfortable and nervous one. But when other men fawned over her, he was still the uncomfortable and nervous one.
Qiao Ying: "Serves you right looking for trouble when there's none."
Qin Hanyue gently knocked her head with his forehead, using a bit of force to show his inner displeasure.
Night fell and the banquet began.
Soothing music played in the great hall. Royal family members who came for the national banquet were all dressed up.
Some men even wore court dress.
The women's gowns even more so, mostly intricate stiff high-waisted ball gowns, decorated with all kinds of ceremonial hats.
The magnificent palace, men and women in court dress, here was completely a medieval European court.
In a simple red strapless long dress and loose long curls, Qiao Ying looked conspicuously eye-catching among the rest.
