YM778.TV Chapter 219 - You Will Be Mine, Milady (3)
Chapter 219 – You Will Be Mine, Milady (3)
"Master!" One of Xuan Yanrui\'s guards stepped forward to protect him from the huge white fox. They had never seen such a majestic creature in the past. They thought that the rumors about Young Miss Su having a wild fox as a pet were an understatement. None of them mentioned how huge and vicious the fox was.
Even if the three of them came to Prince Rui\'s defense, there was no telling if they could come back alive after fighting such a ferocious beast. At this, the three guards even shuddered as the fox revealed its sharp, long fangs to them.
The moment Su Daji saw the white fox, she hurriedly ran towards her protector and wrapped her arm around the neck, avoiding Xuan Yanrui\'s curious gaze. She would rather be in the fox\'s company than stay with these humans who wanted nothing but to terrorize her. After all, she could still feel Prince Rui\'s gaze boring into her.
Xuan Yanrui merely chuckled and raised his hand, gesturing his guards to lower their swords. The fox was just trying to protect Su Daji. If they didn\'t lay a hand on the young woman, he was certain that the fox wouldn\'t attack them blindly.
"There\'s no need for Lady Su to witness violence tonight. I know, more than anyone else, how she loves and cares for her people. Yet, it was surprising to know that she had this wild side to her… keeping a fox as her pet."
Su Daji raised her head and glared furiously at Xuan Yanrui. This fox was her guardian, her companion. Such a regal and magnificent creature couldn\'t be anyone\'s pet! She hated when people thought lowly of this white fox.
"Calm down, Milady. There\'s no use in being angry right now. However, I suggest that you consider my proposition. Unless, of course, Lady Su doesn\'t mind more people losing their lives because of her," Xuan Yanrui said with amusement.
"But… why me?" Su Daji asked in a trembling voice. She had never thought that being a woman with such an exceptional beauty would put her in this precarious situation, where the lives of her loved ones and constituents would depend on her decision.
"Why not?" The ninth prince countered. "Although it\'s impossible for me to crown you as my empress, your place as my noble imperial consort is secured."
Damn that title! She didn\'t need it at all!
Who cared about that title? She didn\'t have the intention of becoming his woman at all!
Su Daji was miserably in love with her Brother Mo. Ever since she realized that, she had decided to spend the rest of her days in a monastery once she had served her purpose to her family. She wasn\'t planning on becoming someone\'s wife, especially to one as violent and deadly as the ninth prince!
"I would rather die than to become your woman!"
The smile on Xuan Yanrui\'s face vanished. His eyes were then filled with such coldness that promised death. However…
"Unfortunately, death is not an option for you, Milady. You should really give it a good thought," he replied, his cold, dark eyes never leaving hers. "Else, you might receive packages in the future… ones that contain your father\'s and your brother\'s heads."
Su Daji shivered hard, but not from the coldness of the night… but from his warning. He was clearly giving her a warning that she couldn\'t have an easy way out now that he had seen her.
She bit her lower lip and said no more.
With the white fox next to her, Su Daji was sure that these people wouldn\'t dare to lay a hand on her… kidnap her. Still, she could not lower her guard, just in case they decided to do something to harm her and the fox.
"I\'ll give you a month to decide, Lady Su. I suggest you not to waste your time trying to escape me. No matter where you hide, I will surely find you…" were Xuan Yanrui\'s parting words before he disappeared with his guards soundlessly, leaving the trembling young woman next to the huge fox.
The fox calmed down and gave her a quick sniff, trying to see if she had sustained any injuries. Fortunately, there were none. However, the fox\'s nose slightly scrunched as she detected a curse on the left side of Su Daji\'s neck.
The ninth prince had marked the young woman. No wonder he was confident that he would be able to find Su Daji anywhere she went. The fox knew that some humans could use black magic, but she had never assumed that a prince was associated with a person capable of doing it.
\'Must be one of his people,\' the fox thought before nudging Su Daji to stand up for them to start making their way back to the camp.
Su Daji forced herself to stand up, and with the fox\'s assistance, she managed to return to the camp without encountering any problem. She must have been gone for at least a shichen now.
"I was sure that I didn\'t walk too far from the camp, so how did I end up on that clearing?" she muttered as she realized how close the camp was from where she encountered the ninth prince and his bodyguards.
The fox grunted as she sensed a spell that had just recently dissipated. That prince must have been waiting for a chance to infiltrate the camp, not expecting Su Daji to come out on her own without even bringing a guard with her.
When they reached the camp, a man in his early twenties ran towards them, pulling Su Daji in a tight hug. Following him were Su Daji\'s maidservants, who had been frantically looking for her when she didn\'t return from her stroll.
"I heard that you went missing. Where have you gone?" The voice of the man had a hint of worry on it. This man… he was Jiang Mo, Su Daji\'s adoptive brother.
Unlike other noblemen whom Su Daji had seen and met before, Jiang Mo preferred to keep his midnight hair short. It had been trimmed during one of his sparrings with Su Daji before he left to protect the borders.
Su Daji was momentarily stunned, being engulfed in a hug from her brother. She shut her eyes and allowed a single tear to roll down her cheek.
Since there was no way they could be together, at least she had a chance to save his life.
However, if Jiang Mo and her father found out about Xuan Yanrui\'s proposition, Su Daji had no doubts that it would only infuriate them. It would only make them more determined to crush their enemies with their own hands.
"I just took a stroll for fresh air. This one didn\'t intend to make everyone worry." She apologized to her brother once he released her. She avoided meeting his gaze, worried that he might be able to see past her lie.
"I see…" Jiang Mo replied as he looked at her. "Don\'t ever do that again. If you really need to take a stroll, bring someone with you."
"It won\'t happen again, Da Ge." Su Daji forced a smile on her face. She couldn\'t tell him that she had just met Xuan Yanrui, who made a proposition to her.
He didn\'t say more to her, but he instructed her maidservants to bring her back to their tent.
As Su Daji walked with her maidservants, Jiang Mo remained rooted to his spot, looking at her retreating figure with complex emotions in his eyes.
Since the white fox remained, she was able to sense a disturbance coming from the young man. The fox wondered briefly if Jiang Mo was aware of the feelings Su Daji had for him and if he reciprocated them. Was it regret that she was seeing, or was it something else?
Humans… couldn\'t they at least be honest about their feelings? Alas, she was a demon, and she couldn\'t relate or have sympathy when it came to love.
She also heard what the ninth prince told Su Daji even before she decided to show up to save the young woman. She knew Su Daji would surely consider that proposition. With the kind of emotional attachment she had with Jiang Mo and her father, it would be easy for Xuan Yanrui to force her to make such a decision, by harming either one of them.
The white fox\'s amber eyes glowed in the darkness of the night. Xuan Yanrui was forcing Su Daji to make a mistake, which would eventually taint her soul… turning her into something similar to the rest of the humans.
While it\'s true that she had accompanied Su Daji for years now, the fox wasn\'t sure if she should intervene.. Her purpose was to stay by Su Daji\'s side to see her end, but if she was to lose herself without fighting for what she wanted and what she believed in, the fox would be disappointed with her.