The door of the Yu Tang Pavilion, packed with jewelry, was slammed on hard. The loud banging made it seem like the door might collapse at any moment under the vicious yelling outside.
Rough voices from powerful men echoed with the creaking of the door.
"We're the Imperial Guards. Even if the emperor himself is inside, you better open the door and let us check. If that criminal escapes, your ancestors won't be enough to pay for it."
Manager Lao's timid voice answered weakly from the entrance.
"Oh no, General Yang, how would this old servant dare stop you? It's just that no one has entered or left this room except Her Highness, so that criminal is probably not..."
Before he could finish, he was slapped to the ground, covering his face and howling in pain.
Yang Shu didn't sound like a general at all. He sounded like a bandit robbing someone.
"You think I need an old crow like you to tell me how to do my job? I said the criminal's in there, so he's in there! You think I won't arrest someone just because a princess is around? Get lost!"
He kicked the door open.
Inside, Elara had already changed into the soaking wet palace dress that Tres had worn earlier. Uno was half undressed, with a beautiful male performer's robe from the Red Pavilion draped over him. His shirt had slipped off, exposing a strong, pale back. He straddled her lap, partly clothed.
When the intruders barged in, Elara grabbed Uno and pressed his face into her chest, as if not wanting others to see his face. She acted just like a spoiled, domineering princess obsessed with beautiful men.
"What are you doing? Can't you see I'm busy here? You dare interrupt me?"
Uno froze under her grip. His tall body stiffened, and his sword-wielding arms stayed limp at his sides.
"Your Highness sure enjoys herself," Yang Shu sneered. "But this enjoyment requires staying alive to continue. I've just received word that a wanted man is hiding here. For your safety, I'm conducting a search. I hope Your Highness will cooperate."
After kicking the door in, Yang Shu made a half-hearted salute when he saw Elara in the bath, but his posture was so casual it was insulting. He didn't even bow his back and walked straight in without waiting for permission. His fake smile and disrespect showed he didn't regard her as a princess at all.
Of course. Gregory's power ran deep in Plumera Kingdom. The original Elara and the emperor had been fooled by his sweet words. Though the kingdom still carried the Xia family name on the surface, most of the officials already followed the Gregory family in private. To them, Elara, a princess destined to be replaced, meant nothing.
Elara smirked. One hand held Uno by the waist, the other rested lazily on the edge of the bath. She met Yang Shu's stare without anger and said in her usual tone,
"Oh? Then what does this criminal look like? I can help you see if there's anyone like that in my room."
Yang Shu saw she was still acting like a lust-crazed fool and looked down on her even more. He chuckled coldly, raised his sword, and pointed it right at Uno's back.
"Princess, the criminal I'm looking for is him!"
The sharp sword edge skimmed Uno's nape. If Elara hadn't pulled him closer at that moment, it would've cut off his hair or worse, drawn blood.
Uno stayed silent in her arms, calmly cooperating with her without resistance.
Elara's eyes darkened as she stared at that sword point.
That bastard. Trying to frame her?
But she had a problem. Not only was she untouchable, she also protected her people.
She held Uno tighter and didn't move when the soldiers tried to come forward.
Even though these soldiers acted arrogant, they still feared touching the princess directly.
"Princess, are you really going to shield a criminal?" Yang Shu sneered.
The original Elara had always been led by Gregory. That old dog liked playing both good and bad cop, manipulating her and Benedict carefully. The Gregory clan showed fake kindness, while others pressured them in secret to follow their script.
Sensing that pressure, the original Elara often didn't fight back. When Yang Shu acted like this before, she would silently back off.
But not today.
Elara kept holding Uno. She gently ran her fingers through his wet hair. When Yang Shu moved closer, she looked up, confused and questioning.
"Lord Yang, are you saying this little performer I brought in today is a criminal? He's not from this pavilion and didn't sneak in. How did he suddenly become a criminal in your eyes?"
Yang Shu was surprised she talked back, though only a little. He already saw Plumera's capital as his turf. Other than Gregory and that distant Regent, he feared no one.
He walked closer and squatted in front of the bath, meeting her eye to eye. His wicked face stretched into a fake smile.
"Princess, I know more than you. If I say he's a criminal, then he is. You'd better not get charged for protecting him. That's a small problem. Not being able to explain this to Lord Gregory is the real problem."
Then he suddenly reached out to grab Uno.
Elara spun around and shielded Uno behind her. She stood up straight from the bath, her thin body soaked by the hot spring. From a distance, it looked like she was about to take Yang Shu's slap head-on.
Yang Shu had just said hurting her was no big deal, but now he panicked. Before his hand could touch her, he pulled back forcefully.
Elara saw his reaction and smiled coldly.
She had guessed right.
Just as Yang Shu struggled to pull back his energy, Elara bent down and suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood all over him.
Yang Shu froze in shock.
As his stunned eyes watched her, Elara clutched her chest with one hand and grabbed Uno's wrist with the other, stopping him from pulling out a dagger. Feeling his body still tense, she leaned fully into him, forcing him to stay still.
She looked pale and weak, pressing him down with her back. Her face showed disbelief and pain as she stared at Yang Shu and gasped,
"Yang... cough... Yang Shu! You... cough... how dare you... hurt me! Cough..."
Yang Shu, who had been full of arrogance since entering the pavilion, finally looked rattled.
He knew clearly he hadn't touched her. How did she suddenly start bleeding like this?
"You..."
Elara didn't let him speak. She weakly stretched out a hand and cried,
"Quick! Take me... cough... back to the palace! Yang Shu dared threaten and accuse me! He even laid hands on me... cough... I must see my brother! I must see Lord Gregory!"
Yang Shu's face twisted even more. His forehead darkened, and his expression warped.
She was blackmailing him?!
Elara felt a bit satisfied inside. But the pain and the blood weren't fake. She really was hurting.
Yang Shu hadn't dared touch her, but she had asked System 92 to temporarily turn off her pain-suppression setting just to make her act look real.
She didn't expect that little trick to nearly kill her. Even with twenty extra days of life purchased with her national luck points, she still felt like she was dying.
This body was seriously a mess. She needed to store up a lot more points.
Still, the result was even better than she'd planned. While she told System 92 to block the pain again, leaving only her pale look, she stared at Yang Shu's contorted, angry face and smirked.
Angry already? This was just the beginning.
You want to frame her? Go ahead and try. Let's see who gets played.