Anning’s pov

"Please be reasonable." One of them said, he looked seconds away from losing his patience.

But did I care? No.

Reasonable? These people wanted me to walk back in there, face Wanqing and her fiancèe, and apologize like I had done something wrong. Absolutely not.

The feeling on Wanqing’s lips on mine was still fresh in my head, but mixed with how I felt when she had coldly dismissed me in front of Xiao Qingyue. It seemed like nothing.

I shouldn’t have been that stupid. We hadn’t seen each other for nine months and I still let her touch me.

"I’m being quite reasonable now." I said, shrugging.

"Anning—"

"We aren’t on a first name basis. Don’t call me that." I snapped, narrowing my eyes at the said guard.

"The imperial princess and Lady Gu aren’t angry." He said again.

"Do I look like I care?" I snapped, glaring at the guard. When he opened his mouth to speak again, I yelled. "Just shut up!"

The guard blinked, clearly taken aback. I took that moment to step past them, then turned around. "I’m going back to my room."

"You have to apologize." Both of them said in unison.

"Not interested." I said in a sing-song voice.

I had no idea what was going on inside that room, but I didn’t want to. Especially not if it involved Wanqing and the woman she was supposed to marry. The thought alone made me feel slightly nauseous.

I took in a deep breath, but then noticed the guards looking at each other again. That same look...

I frowned, "What are you both doing?"

Neither of them responded, they just gave the other person a small nod.

Shit.

"Don’t you dare touch me." I said softly, taking a step away from them.

One of the guard’s grabbed my arm before I could spin around. Then a strong arm went around my waist and lifted me smoothly off the ground.

I let out a loud scream as my feet tangled uselessly in the air. "You can’t do this to me. Fucking put me down!"

Just as I lifted my leg to kick the guard, the second guard grabbed my legs and flashed me a smile. "Keep struggling, it’ll make this easier."

"Don’t you dare." I threatened, staring deep into his eyes.

I thrashed wildly, twisting my body and clawing at the arm wrapped around my waist. My silver hair kept flying into my face but it didn’t stop me from fighting, kicking and shoving with the little strength I had.

But sadly, these bastards were built like walls.

"This is so unfair. You can’t do this to me." I said. But at this point, it was beginning to sound like I was whining.

"Stop struggling." One of them said, already taking a step toward Wanqing’s room.

"Then, put me down." I yelled.

"No."

"This is kidnapping."

"We aren’t taking you there against your will, this is merely called being escorted." One of them replied, snickering.

I tried to twist free again, but the guard carrying me simply adjusted his grip, holding me more securely. So much for now wanting to step back into the room!

I didn’t say a word after that, the two guards merely continued walking. The one holding my leg glanced at me with a raised brow. This wasn’t me giving up but merely thinking.

"Guys, can you please not do this?" I asked, deliberately making my voice sound softer.

The guard holding my leg smiled at me but still responded, "You should’ve resisted when your mistress tried kissing you. The imperial princess is a jealous woman."

Which should also secretly mean she would make me pay for ever speaking or behaving like that towards her. Honestly, I couldn’t even blame her.

I slapped the arm around my waist again, feeling both frustration and panic all at once. My pulse pounded in my ear, this was absolutely humiliating.

I took in a deep breath and kicked harder this time, the guard holding my legs had to tighten his grip on my ankles.

I scoffed, "Ya! You both are really courting death with this stunt."

"The order of royalty comes first. You’re a slave, Anning. Start acting like one." The guard carrying me said, he sounded utterly bored?

This bastard.

When I raised my head, I noticed we were now standing in front of Wanqing’s door. My hand beside my body curled into fists. "Don’t do it."

"Just deal with it." The guard carrying me said firmly, leaving no room for arguments.

After a few seconds, the guards finally let me go. But I wasn’t even given a chance to do anything before the door was yanked open and I was shoved into the room without warning.

Great, just amazing. I stumbled into the room, barely able to balance myself as I heard the door slid shut behind me with a small click. That sound made my heart drop to my stomach.

The sight that greeted me once I had balanced myself made my blood turn cold.

Wanqing was nestled comfortably into Xiao Qingyue’s side on the bed, her head was tilted upward as she whispered something to Qingyue in a low but cold voice.

Qingyue had her arm causally wrapped around Wanqing’s shoulders. They looked close. Far too close for comfort.

I scoffed loudly not stopping myself this time. Both of them turned to look at me. Wanqing’s expression remained blank, something I was awfully used to, while Xiao Qingyue had a little satisfied smile on her lips.

"Are you here to apologize?" Wanqing asked calmly, sounding like her so-called question was perfectly reasonable.

Before I could snap back, one of the guards that had followed me inside kicked hard at the back of my legs. My knees gave out instantly, and I dropped to the floor with a painful thud.

Pain and humiliation spread through me like fire. I bit on my lower lip, not wanting to make a sound. But inside, I was boiling.

How dare they? How dare she allow them to do this to me?

My hands curled into fists against the floor. They were still staring at me at this point, Wanqing had this calculating glint in her eyes and Qingyue just looked amused.

The weight of their gazes made my chest feel stuffy. I had walked into this room, expecting them to fight me. Yet, I had been forced on my knees like a common criminal.

At that point, I felt completely and utterly blank. I didn’t want to feel anything but my knees were throbbing slightly.

The pain was nothing compared to the anger of being forced to my knees in front of them. I sucked in a breath and tried pushing myself up.

The guard behind me immediately pressed a hand on my shoulder, shoving me back down.

"Don’t touch me again." I warned, my voice low and trembling with rage.

When I tried standing up again, he reached for me despite my warning. I moved faster than he expected.

My hand slipped into the hidden side of my dress, whipped out a small knife I always kept there. Then, I pressed the blade right against his wrist in one sharp motion.

"Go ahead. It just takes one slash and you’re dead." I hissed, narrowing my eyes at him.

The guard froze. The room went utterly silent.

Wanqing was the first person to break that silence but she just had to say something stupid. "Anning. Behave."

I turned my head slowly and looked right into her eyes with a sneer. "Oh, shut up."

The words landed heavily between us. I could see a small flicker of surprise in Wanqing’s eyes, but she quickly masked it.

The imperial princess watched with open interest, clearly entertained by what was currently happening. My heart pounded hard against my chest.

A part of me wanted to actually kill this guard, then Wanqing. Just so I wouldn’t have to kneel here.

But the exhausted, maybe heartbroken part of me just wanted this drama to end. I had let myself get too close again and now, I was paying the price for it.

Wanqing stood up carefully from the bed, leaving Xiao Qingyue’s side. Her movements were graceful, but to me they looked hideous. Qingyue reached out, touching her arm lightly. "Do not do anything drastic."

Wanqing ignored her and took another step toward me. She looked down at me as I knelt, her gaze dark and intense.

"Don’t force my hand, Anning. You belong to me and I can do anything I want with you." She said coldly.

Her words sent a chill down my spine, but it also stirred something in me I didn’t exactly want to feel right now. Honestly, I had no idea why she thought it was alright to stake her claim over me.

Now, I just saw her as nothing but some rich noblewoman. She wasn’t worthy to be my mistress.

Still, I nodded at her words. Then I turned to Xiao Qingyue. "I apologize for being rude and disrespecting you earlier."

My voice sounded polite, but it was actually dripping with arrogance and insincerity. Me give a sincere apology?!

Ha! Keep dreaming.