A Royal Arrangement: The General's Daughter (Short Novel)

Chapter 5

Princess Wen Rui

All was quiet as they followed the prince and his wife, eyes downcast. No one dared to speak or move when the prince dismissed his soldiers, leaving only the servants to feel the tense atmosphere.

"Stay here," the prince commanded as they reached the gates of their quarters in the palace. His wife kept her gaze averted and continued inside, with the prince following behind.

"We are unfortunate. The princess is such a vile and ill-mannered lady," one of the new maids whispered to the others.

"You shouldn't say such things! If someone hears you and tells the princess, she might kill you herself," another spat back.

"I wish I'd been assigned to the sixth master. I heard his wife is like a walking piece of wood-rarely speaks or does anything," another maid remarked, shocking her colleagues with her bluntness.

---

"It was the night I intend to discuss. People in the palace were talking about your departure," Yuren said, her eyes burning with anger as she looked at the prince.

The prince sighed and took a seat, not even bothering to offer her one.

"I recall that you were okay with me leaving," Yuren continued, her fists clenched.

"Big brother, your new wife is not accustomed to the palace's scrutiny, but you are," she thought, worried about what others would say about her family outside the palace.

The prince remained silent, his expression emotionless, but Yuren could sense his growing irritation.

And that was precisely her plan.

"Regardless of whether it was taught to this wife and forgotten or not, the prince is aware. How can you do this to your wife?" Vile. Yuren regretted her harsh words for a moment, but her pride kept her chin high, eyes locked with the prince's.

"What do you want me to do?" the prince asked in defeat, exhausted and yearning for a quiet morning to think clearly.

"Fix this. I don't care how," Yuren demanded.

"Okay, I will," the prince replied, massaging the bridge of his nose. Having a wife was much harder than he thought. Another sigh escaped him as Yuren left his personal library.

Zihan watched his wife leave. Her simple white dress with green embroideries suited her sophisticated face, toning down the heavy and seductive aura around her.

But her ruby-colored wedding dress had suited her best.

The prince massaged his head, lost in thought about his wife. He had expected her to act as if he didn't exist, based on what people around her, including her personal maid, had said. But today, her firm words felt as if his father were ordering him about something.

Even last night, she had treated him like a servant, asking about their wedding gifts and what he wanted. He thought she didn't care about what happened that night.

But he was wrong.

The realization gave the prince a headache. Marrying into the General's family had not been a good idea after all.

---

The night ended with Yuren alone in their chambers, quietly combing her hair after sipping tea near the balcony. For her, the day had been both overwhelming and boring. She hadn't left the quarters after greeting the empress and spent her time staring at the grassland visible from the balcony.

Yuren missed her old home. The forest view was greener and more adventurous than the grassland, which seemed to mimic ocean waves with the wind. In the forest, she could fade into her true self without anyone saying anything. The grassland felt like the palace, while the forest was her ancestral home.