Willow on the Palace Wall (Lily ABO) - Chapter 5

005: The Crown Prince

After having his weapon knocked out of his hands for the third time, the coarse Alpha landed on his back, sliding several feet until he hit a large water barrel at the edge of the camp.

He was a tough man. Bright red bloody froth dripped from the corner of his mouth, soaking the front of his tunic. He clenched his teeth and didn’t utter a single groan.

“Had enough?” Su Ce propped her three-and-a-half-foot long Mian sword on her shoulder with one hand. She then used her foot to kick up the weapon that had fallen at his feet.

Clang! The glinting blade sliced through the air and embedded itself in the dirt right in front of the Alpha, grazing the edge of his armor. It was just a hair’s breadth from cutting his flesh.

“No! I’m not!” the Alpha roared hoarsely, his mouth full of blood, looking like a dying beast. His Alpha scent surged, the thick, acrid odor making Su Ce’s stomach churn.

With another roar, the Alpha charged at Su Ce with his bare fists. Su Ce simply sheathed her sword.

She sidestepped his wind-cutting punch. The Alpha was quick, turning his punch into a claw and reaching for Su Ce’s shoulder. But Su Ce was as nimble as a swimming snake. She ducked and, in a swift motion, used her hand like a blade to strike the side of the Alpha’s neck, right where the scent gland was located.

The blow was so vicious that Xiao Chu, who was hiding in the shadows, couldn’t help but touch her own scent gland, which she had specially disguised to appear as an Omega’s. She shivered with fear.

In her past life, she had looked down on the Eldest Princess her father had arranged for her to marry. An insignificant Beta who only knew how to command an army and was covered in the perpetual stench of blood? She would rather spend time with the soft, sweet Omegas in the pleasure houses.

“Don’t you just like pretty faces? Is there anyone in Great Liang prettier than the Eldest Princess?” On that wedding night, she didn’t even lift the veil, instead leaving the Eldest Princess in the bridal chamber alone.

Her father was the one who dragged her out of the embrace of a beautiful, warm girl, pulling her by the ear. In the carriage back to the manor, he pointed a finger at her nose and cursed her out. “Can those common whores compare to a single one of the Eldest Princess’s toes?”

“She’s pretty, all right, but she’s too scary. I don’t want to marry a monster who kills without blinking. Besides…

“Besides what?” her father had pressed at the time, but Xiao Chu just shook her head.

She knew how beautiful Su Ce was. At the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet two years ago, Su Ce sat in the Crown Prince’s secondary seat, clad in a simple white brocade robe. The fingers holding her white jade wine cup seemed to blend with the cup itself, more enchanting than the bright moonlight.

If not for her concern about the Great Liang king’s lack of interest in the party, she would have gone over to greet the beauty then and there.

She scratched her head and ears, longing for the banquet to end, and couldn’t even bring herself to watch the vibrant, seductive dances of the Hu women.

If the lead dancer, an Omega, hadn’t suddenly lunged with a sharp blade in an attempt to assassinate the Crown Prince, she would not have been so opposed to marrying the Eldest Princess; in fact, she would have been ecstatic.

Because she had witnessed Su Ce kill with her own eyes.

Compared to the Crown Prince, who awkwardly dodged the first strike and had his wide sleeve pierced, Su Ce appeared far too composed. She effortlessly subdued the fierce Hu woman, dislocated her jaw, and pressed her onto the table. She even dug out the poison hidden under the woman’s tongue.

“Who sent you?” Were you sent by the State of Chu, the State of Yan…?” Su Ce lowered her voice discreetly and asked something else.

No one but the Hu woman heard what Su Ce said. But Xiao Chu, who had been watching her closely, saw the shape of her lips.

If she hadn’t been mistaken, she had said, “…or was it the Crown Prince?”