CHAPTER 48: JEALOUS HEARTS AND HIDDEN WOUNDS

During the meal, he had already caught Rong Tieshan glancing at Yue Mingxuan several times.

And now, seeing that Yue Mingxuan looked sleepy, Rong Tieshan wanted to leave in a hurry.

It was clear that those rumors about the Third Prince disliking the Fifth Prince were not entirely believable.

"Royal Brother," Rong Yuelin suddenly spoke up, her cheeks faintly pink. "This afternoon, I wanted to go with Sister Lianhua to the temple outside the city to offer incense. Since you’ll be busy, I wonder if Prince Shang could perhaps accompany us?"

Her words that was spoken in front of everyone were practically a public invitation to Shang Qinghua. It was considered something bold even for a princess.

Her heart pounded nervously as she thought, He shouldn’t refuse, right?

But Shang Qinghua didn’t respond as she expected.

Instead, he calmly and directly refused. "What a pity. I also have important matters to handle this afternoon. If you wish, I can have my guards escort both princesses to the temple."

Rong Yuelin froze and stunned that a hostage prince would dare reject her so bluntly.

Her face turned red, then pale, full of embarrassment.

Rong Tieshan noticed and felt a flicker of irritation toward her, though he still stepped in to smooth things over. "The royal family already has their own guards, Prince Shang. You need not trouble yourself."

Shang Qinghua gave a faint smile and said nothing more, he then bowed his head politely to Rong Tieshan before turning around to leave.

Even after he was gone, Rong Yuelin kept staring dreamily in the direction he had gone, her eyes full of longing.

Seeing this, Rong Tieshan frowned unhappily. "Xiaolin, as a princess, you should be more mindful of your behavior. Don’t make a fool of yourself in front of others."

"Yes, Royal Brother," she replied softly, her mood clearly sour.

At that moment, Xie Lianhua somehow slipped to Rong Tieshan’s side, her tone syrupy sweet. "Prince Rong, when you finish your official duties, could you come to the temple this afternoon to pick us up?"

Rong Tieshan glanced at Yue Mingxuan who had already woken up and was quietly preparing to leave.

Without thinking, he refused Xie Lianhua’s request.

This single look, however, was enough to fill Xie Lianhua’s heart with renewed jealousy and hatred toward Yue Mingxuan.

Hearing Xie Lianhua’s sickly sweet tone made Yue Mingxuan feel he couldn’t stand another second in this place.

"Thank you for the meal," he said calmly, standing up. "I should be going now."

"I’ll escort you," Rong Tieshan said quickly while rising to his feet as well.

He didn’t even know why, his body simply moved before his mind could catch up.

Yue Mingxuan could practically feel Xie Lianhua’s glare stabbing into his back like sharp knives.

He felt like a fish on a chopping board about to be sliced into pieces.

Staying in a place full of drama was never his style.

"Don’t," Yue Mingxuan said lightly, glancing back. "You’d better stay and take care of them."

Leaving those words behind, he turned around and hurried out of the room as if escaping.

Xie Lianhua watched Rong Tieshan’s anxious expression as Yue Mingxuan disappeared and tears quickly welled up in her eyes.

"Prince Rong, do you really hate me that much?" she whispered, her voice trembling with fake sadness.

Looking at her tearful face, Rong Tieshan felt nothing but weariness and irritation. His tone grew heavy as he said, "You came from afar as a guest. I treat everyone the same, whether it’s you or Prince Yue, there’s no difference."

His words, though polite, carried a chill that made Xie Lianhua’s face stiffen.

The room fell silent, leaving only the faint rustle of the departing wind.

When Rong Tieshan said those words, Xie Lianhua’s face turned as pale as snow.

Beneath the table, her hands twisted her silk handkerchief so tightly that it had almost become a rope.

Seeing that Xie Lianhua had hit a wall with Rong Tieshan, Rong Yuelin couldn’t help but speak up for her. "Royal Brother, how could you say that? Sister Lianhua is naturally much closer to us than that person."

Rong Tieshan’s expression stayed calm. "Your friendships as young ladies have nothing to do with me. To me, everyone is the same. You’re going to the temple this afternoon, so I’ll arrange guards to escort you."

After emphasizing his stance once more, he turned around and left the private room, leaving behind a pale faced Xie Lianhua and a furious Rong Yuelin.

Yue Mingxuan who had already left the restaurant had no idea what was happening behind him.

For him, today had been a good day except for a few annoying "flies" that had spoiled his mood.

Suddenly, he thought of Shang Qinghua’s look and cold attitude at the restaurant and a strange discomfort rose in his heart.

"That bastard," Yue Mingxuan muttered under his breath while clenching his fist. "Pretending not to know me, huh? Next time, he can forget about me giving him a massage."

Beneath the irritation, there was a faint, sour feeling he couldn’t quite name.

Meanwhile, the private room that Rong Tieshan had left behind had fallen into utter silence.

Xie Lianhua said nothing, but her tightly clenched fists revealed her true emotions.

The blood slowly dripped from her palms onto the floor as she had pressed so hard that one of her fingernails had snapped.

Rong Yuelin saw the blood dripping from Xie Lianhua’s hand and spoke nervously, "Sister, you..."

"I’m fine," Xie Lianhua interrupted softly. She wrapped her wounded hand in a handkerchief and stood up, her pale face showing a trace of false guilt. "I might not be able to accompany you to the temple this afternoon."

Seeing that Xie Lianhua was still thinking of her despite being injured, Rong Yuelin was moved almost to tears.

"Elder Sister, it’s my brother who’s blind for not seeing your worth. Don’t worry, he listens to our mother the most. I’ll speak to her, she’ll definitely make sure you’re married to him," she said earnestly, truly believing it would help.