Jiang Ying Yue gritted her teeth as she tried her best to control her anger. Her gaze was fixed on the Third Prince who was busy enjoying the puppet show.

    Looked like there was a family of seven people living in the small village who were popular for their unique puppetry skills and the Third Prince had taken some time off from his busy schedule to experience the show firsthand.

    Wu Xie felt the cold gaze penetrating the side of his head and when he turned his face to look at the girl, he found a small smile appearing on his lips as he noticed her dark expressions. But instead of commenting, he decided to enjoy the rest of the show in silence and peace.

    It took around half an hour before the show came to an end. Feng Wu handed a pouch of silver taels to the family before he followed his Master and Miss Jiang out of the courtyard where the show was organized.

    "What do you think about the show, Miss Jiang? Do you think it is as good as the rumors say?" The Third Prince questioned the girl as they headed towards the back of the village.

    "I have spent the previous five years of my life in the Cold Palace. It''s my first time watching such a show after coming to Capital City. For me, it was pretty good but I''m not the right person to judge whether it''s better than other puppet shows or not." Jiang Ying Yue answered in a calm tone.

    The three of them approached the wooden fence that was built on the edge of the cliff. The dark canopy of the forest and high mountain peaks were the only sights that they got to see but it sure was a good one.

    "Miss Jiang, since it was a good show according to you, then why you don''t look happy after watching it?" The Prince questioned her as he took a position against the fence that seemed too weak to support his weight.

    "Your Highness, I don''t think it''s safe for you to stand there... Aaahhhh!" Jiang Ying Yue let out a little scream when the man suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer to him.

    "Miss Jiang, you should not be wasting your energy in worrying about me. If there''s anyone here who''s in grave danger... then it''s you." His voice still sounded musical and calm but the twinkle in his eyes seemed to be carrying evil intents.

    Before Jiang Ying Yue could react to pull herself out of his hold, she both felt and heard the wooden fence giving up on its duty as it cracked from right where the Prince had pinned her against it. And if that was not already bad enough, the evil man gave chuckled softly before he gave her a push, making her lose her balance.

    It only took a blink or two of her eyes before she found herself falling down the cliff while an ethereal face looked down at her from the top with a contented smile on his lips.

    It was probably too late for her to realize it, but the Third Prince seriously needed help with his mental state.

    ***

    A groan escaped Jiang Ying Yue''s lips as she felt the sudden pain all over her body as soon as she woke up from her slumber. Her head was once again throbbing but this time it was far too powerful than before.

    Her back was hurting and so was her left hand. Thankfully, her legs were pretty much fine except for a few scratches and cuts that were decorating her pale skin.

    After examining her body, she finally let her eyes roam over her surroundings. She was lying on a pile of dry leaves inside a cave-like place and as far as she could see, there seemed to be no one else there beside her.

    She tried to stand up on her wobbly legs but it was not an easy job considering her weak body was not in a good state. Somehow, she still managed to walk as she tried to find the opening of the cave.

    Though she found no one in the cave, it was quite clear that someone had helped her while she was unconscious. The last thing she could recall was the smiling face of the Third Prince. After that, she had no more memories before she woke up inside the cave.

    She probably lost her consciousness during her fall. She didn''t even remember falling on the ground, let alone walking inside the cave. Someone was definitely there who saved her from dying. The question was - who?

    She got the answer as soon as she found the entrance of the cave. But it was definitely not something that she was expecting. The Third Prince was sitting on a rock as he played with a dagger. He seemed to be lost in his thoughts but still noticed her as she came to a stop just a few steps away from him.

    "Come here." It was more like an order instead of a request. The man seriously had some issues with his head. After doing all that with her, he still thought that she would listen to him? Hah! He could dream on!

    When Jiang Ying Yue didn''t move at all from her place, Third Prince finally turned his face to look at her only to find a pale face staring back at him with cold eyes and a piercing gaze.

    "You are heavily injured. I''m going to heal you. So... come here." The man once again ordered but this time with a little addition of explanation and softness in his tone.

    However, Jiang Yine Yue still refused to move. She didn''t trust this man at all. He was the one who tried to kill her in the first place and now he was pretending to be caring and all. She would be an idiot to trust such a guy with personality disorder.

    The Third Prince let out a sigh as he stood up and started moving towards the girl who was standing there like a statue. His movements were probably too sudden and quick because she didn''t get the chance to back away or react on time.

    She stared at him wide-eyed as he wrapped his hand around her wrist before channeling his spiritual energy inside her body to heal her.

    "I just wanted you to show me your true abilities while you would have tried to save yourself. According to the information I have, you were supposed to be powerful. Even though you seemed to be weak all the time, I thought that it was just a facade..." He started explaining as he healed her, taking away the pain and discomfort.

    "... Hurting you was never my plan. I not only put your life in danger, but I also failed in protecting you. Please forgive me."

    Jiang Ying Yue wasn''t expecting him to apologize. Well, she wasn''t expecting him to even explain his actions. Though most of his words made no sense to her and only created new questions in her mind, she did saw honestly in his eyes.

    The man finally let go of her hand when her body was perfectly back to normal. There was no longer any sort of pain in her body not was she having any difficulty while moving her limbs.

    "Your Highness, I would be lying if I said that everything is alright. I don''t know what you really want from me and I''m really not interested in getting involved with you and your problems. All I want is to live a life in peace. Is that really too much to ask for?" She was not sure if her question was directed at the man or herself.

    All the incidents happening to her nowadays seemed to remind her that she was not born for living a life with peace and stability. She was destined to either create or face troubles at every turn. Even after coming to a new world, it seemed like her destiny hadn''t changed much.

    "I would have liked to say that it''s not too much... But unfortunately, in your case, it is indeed too much to ask for at the moment. Before you can make your choice, you won''t find any peace in your life." The Prince told her as he looked at her with a weird emotion in his eyes.

    "What choice? And will I be able to live in peace after making my choice?" Jiang Ying Yue asked even though she had no idea about what his words implied.

    The Third Prince chuckled softly as he shook his head. There was a look of sympathy in his eyes while he answered her question, "The choice of which world you want to save. And no, there won''t be any peace in your life after making that choice. Instead.... your life will only become more problematic after making that choice."