Perhaps there was a more grave reason.
“What is it? Are you being treated badly? If someone else had spoken like how you speak to my emperor sister, they would have already been killed. But my emperor is lenient with you—and you are the only person to be granted this rare privilege.”
Qu Feiyun had seen Su Xin and Qu Feiqing together countless of times. Yet every time, she would still pinch a sweat for Su Xin, afraid that her sister would suddenly take out her blade and end Su Xin’s life.
But her worries were all for nothing. Qu Feiyun saw instead a different scenario.
Even if Su Xin was bordering towards being offensive and invading Qu Feiqing’s personal space, Qu Feiqing didn’t become angry, but was rather happy. This was such a stark contrast from her usual cruel way of dealing with those who dared who to get too close to her.
It was like a miracle had unfolded in front of her days.
From this, Qu Feiyun naturally understood that Su Xin did not just occupy a small part in her sister’s heart.
“Although the palace is beautiful, it’s too lifeless inside. I want to go out and see something else. Have a taste of adventure, but enough about that. I’ve been meaning to ask you this for a long time—Princess, why do you laugh at the smallest things?”
Su Xin couldn’t help but add the question at the last bit of her sentence. She had always wondered why Qu Feiyun would laugh at everything, even if it was something so boring. She wanted to say she looked like a deranged woman doing this, but refrained her tongue from speaking.
“You don’t like laughing so are you telling me you just want to cry?” Qu Feiyun shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly and rolled her eyes, her mannerisms as a princess all blown to dust in front of Su Xin.
Qu Feiyun agrees that she might seem a little crazy to others, even Su Xin fearlessly pointed this out.
But so what, she thought.
People will always judge you for anything no matter who you are, what your accomplishments are or status.
She was already even confined to this palace, brought down by her duties as a monarch and pressured from the responsibilities she has to uphold as a princess.
Qu Feiyun had wanted some semblance of control in her life. If being able to laugh to her heart’s content was one of it, then she was going to cling to it even she looked like a lunatic in front of others.
This life was hers and no one else could could interfere with it.
“The palace can feel lonely sometimes.. but it’s tolerable.”
Qu Feiyun was used to living in such a luxurious, yet melancholic place. She had been brought up here since she was young and was naturally accustomed to the constricting walls, thus, she really didn’t know what to say to Su Xin.
With the prior topic about leaving silently swept under the rug, the conversation slowly dulled until both parties agreed to retire to their respective rooms.
Qu Feiyun saw Su Xin take the other path and she turned the other way, her steps taking her closer to her destination: Qu Feiqing’s royal study.
Qu Feiqing was already inside, and she wasted no time to tell a summary of the conversation between her and Su Xin.
She tried to depict the scene on the spot but instantly turned still once she accidentally caught sight of Qu Feiqing’s face.
Qu Feiqing stood on the other side of the room with an indecipherable mask.
Qu Feiyun couldn’t make out the anger from her face, but she could feel it in the air. The silence was thick and her fury was palpable in the air. It scared Qu Feiyun to her bones and she reflexively moved her body to the side, cowering, as if to hide away from Qu Feiqing’s sight.
“You may withdraw.”
Releasing a shaky breath, Qu Feiyun forced her rigid muscles to move out of the room hastily.
She did not turn back to see Qu Feiqing whose hands were slightly brushing against the cool wooden table in front of her in eerie calmness.