Chapter 50 — The Stallion ML Meltdown (2) | ML, You Dropped Your Halo
In the carriage, the Ninth Princess lifted the curtain, her face bright as a blossom. With a sigh she said, “Yan Kingdom. We are finally home.”
The man beside her wore black from head to toe. He slung an arm around the princess’s slender waist and breathed in the scent of her hair. “If you miss it that much, we can come back often. I cannot bear to see you frown.”
The Ninth Princess flushed scarlet at his boldness. Ever since they had defined their relationship, Han Lang had been attentive in everything. His casual touches always sent her heart racing. So this was what love felt like. It was wonderful.
“We will see Father soon. Are you ready?” She poked his cheek with a fingertip. “My father may look gentle, but he values etiquette. If he sees you being this careless and lazy, you will definitely get a scolding.”
Han Qian chuckled and grew even more languid. “Were lords and nobles born from different seed than the rest of us? So what if he is a king? I will be myself. What can he really do to me?”
The girl gazed at him in adoration. “Han Lang, your resolve is incredible!”
The Ninth Princess had already fallen hard. She did not think it shameful in the least that her father was being slighted by her beloved. She even felt proud. “I am so lucky to have met you in this life. You are a man who holds up the sky. My peerless hero!”
Her dewy eyes brimmed with worship, something no man could resist. Han Qian pulled her close and kissed her deeply.
Laughter and murmurs spilled from the carriage.
The two were so absorbed in nuzzling each other that they forgot their escort altogether.
The carriage stopped before the red palace gates.
“Your Highness,” the lady-in-waiting at the window whispered, “we have reached the Myriad Gates. You must alight and proceed on foot.”
The Ninth Princess’s cheeks were still flushed. With limp jade hands she pushed at the man’s chest.
“Little vixen,” Han Qian nipped at her earlobe, then finally stood and straightened his clothes.
When they stepped down, a maidservant had to support the princess. She walked alongside Han Qian, laughing and chatting, paying no attention to the strange looks around them.
Hmph. Han Lang had told her that the world was shallow and ignorant. What was perfectly normal affection between a man and a woman was twisted into something sneaky, as if they were thieves. They loved each other sincerely, so of course they wanted to be close. What were other people’s rumors worth?
“Up ahead is the Hall of the Supreme Polarity, where the court convenes. Let us go together. Father will be thrilled to see us.”
Han Qian did have thoughts of his own about this guileless princess.
He might lean on a princess, but as a commoner walking straight into the place where court was held, he might be executed a hundred times over. How much weight did this princess’s title really carry?
He pretended to hesitate and fell a few steps behind. The Ninth Princess immediately turned to ask why he was not moving.
“To gain the favor of Your Highness has been the blessing of three lifetimes for Han Qian. From the first moment I saw you, you became the flawless moon that hangs in my heart. As soon as I think of you, there is no way to forget.” Han Qian confessed with feeling.
The Ninth Princess’s face bloomed like the morning clouds. She twisted her fingers shyly.
This was the first time Han Qian had confessed to her in public.
“But precisely because of that, I cannot drag Your Highness down.” His tone suddenly shifted. With a heavy sigh he clasped his hands and bowed to her. “I am a commoner and unworthy of your noble blood. Therefore, I can only take my leave.”
He spoke sorrowfully. “From a distant land I will always bless my moon.”
He turned to go.
The Ninth Princess shook off the palace attendants and hugged him from behind. Bossy as ever, she said, “You are the consort I have chosen. If anyone dares show you a bad face, this princess will not let it go!”
“If your father does not agree, then…” Han Qian continued to hesitate.
“If Father refuses, then I will cry. I will go on a hunger strike. We will see if he cares for his daughter or not. In any case, I am following you. You are not escaping me in this lifetime!”
Han Qian was deeply moved. “Your Highness…”
The Ninth Princess grabbed his face and planted a fierce kiss on his lips. “This is the princess’s exclusive seal.”
The two embraced, brimming with affection.
“Come. I will take you to see Father. I will make him agree to our marriage!” She clutched Han Qian’s hand tightly, afraid he would take his leave again.
True to her impulsive nature, the Ninth Princess dragged Han Qian straight into the Hall of the Supreme Polarity. The first thing out of her mouth was, “Father, I want to marry Han Qian!”
In the great hall the civil and military officials stood with eyes lowered.
Behind a beaded curtain the emperor sat alone and upright. His voice drifted out, light and cool. “Attend her back to the inner palace.”
Guards waiting in the shadows of the hall stepped forward at once. Before they could act, flames burst from the Ninth Princess’s palms and forced them back.
To be honest, those flames looked like nothing more than sparks to Xing Ge. The Ninth Princess could not stand the hardship of cultivation. Her talent was decent, but she had only barely stepped into Foundation Establishment, and that was after consuming a great many expensive pills.
Still, she was a princess, and the guards dared not lay hands on her. With that confidence, the Ninth Princess stood her ground in the center of the hall.
She declared with absolute certainty, “Father, I know you look down on Han Lang right now. But his potential is limitless. I believe that sooner or later he will become even stronger than you. If I follow him, I will not suffer.”
Her words rang out. The elder ministers glanced at Han Qian and shook their heads in unison. To present himself before the sovereign in a black casual outfit showed shocking disrespect.
If he were a powerful cultivator, that would be another matter. The minds of high experts often ran counter to common sense. But this wet-behind-the-ears youth was so ordinary you could lose him in a crowd. Yet before a king, a Golden Core cultivator no less, and his prospective father-in-law, he was this slack. How could a life be entrusted to him? The princess was being foolish!
To be fair, they misunderstood him. Han Qian wore black precisely to catch Yan Hongwen’s eye and be seen as different. But the male lead forgot that when you have no foundation, drawing attention to yourself is not personality. It is blatant provocation, my guy.
“You are that certain he is your good match?” The emperor’s voice was unhurried. “I observe his eyes ripple with spring water, his thoughts drift. I fear he is a naturally flirtatious person. This type of man generally cannot control his lower body and accepts all beauties who come his way.”
The Ninth Princess’s head had been turned completely by Han Qian’s sweet talk. She could not bear to hear Xing Ge slander him and snapped, “You keep three thousand beauties in your harem, and you cannot stand that Han Lang is devoted to me. To insult him like this makes you a hypocrite!”
She wrapped her arms around Han Qian. “If you dare say one more bad word about him, I will cut off our father daughter bond. From today on we will be strangers!”
“…”
Had this girl’s head been caught in a door?
And not just once?
Xing Ge’s mouth twitched.
The girl raised her chin and stared at her lover with unwavering resolve. “Do not worry. If Father truly tries to separate us, I will stop being a princess. This stupid title is worth nothing to me.”
Han Qian had not expected her to go this far. He was moved and squeezed her jade hand. “If I have you, I can die without regret.”
The two of them went right back to showing off their love.
“You mean it? You are truly willing to break with your father for this man?”
Suddenly, the emperor spoke a single sentence from behind the curtain.
The Ninth Princess lifted her little face proudly and answered with courage. “Love is great. No one can stop us from loving each other!”
Xing Ge did not bother speaking logic to the brainless. With an impatient wave of her paw she said, “Very well. From this day forward, your princess title is revoked. Your name will be struck from the clan registry. Still, for the sake of our years as father and daughter, although you are now a commoner you may live within the borders of Yan. You may not set foot in the imperial city again.”
She even added a kindly reminder. “I will post an imperial notice announcing the change in your status. Do not go around causing trouble in the name of a princess. You are no longer of the royal house and will be wanted by the authorities.
“Since you wish to sever our bond, then if you are cut down or dragged off, I will not interfere.”
“Huh?”
The Ninth Princess, who had been smugly waiting for a nod of consent, went blank in an instant.
The male lead went blank too.
Why was this person not playing by the script?
Where was the promised protagonist halo?!
F***. This was not the plot he signed up for!
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