Chapter 2 — I was once traded for, then became someone they couldn't reach for the rest of my life

A person wants to have the woman he loves and exchanges me. A person who wants to keep the woman he loves does not hesitate to use me as a substitute. Those two noble men, from beginning to end, no one asked about my wishes. No one asked. Whether Ly Trieu Ca agrees or not. Outside, Trieu Viet smiled softly. He looked towards the canopy where I was sitting, his tone carrying some mockery.

"Ly Trieu Ca is the sole daughter of General Tran Quoc's palace, and is also the Crown Princess that her mother chose for her a long time ago."

"You use her to exchange for Giang Nguyet Bach."

“You are not bad.”

That one sentence. Completely crushed the expectations that I have held for more than ten years. It turns out that the painting he looked at every day wasn't because he missed me. It turns out that what the Queen said about a destiny destined for love was just a joke. He never wanted to know what kind of person I am. Never wanted to meet me. Never cared whether we were happy or heartbroken. In his eyes, I am just an item that can be exchanged. Ta Van So was silent for a long time. Finally, he bowed his head and accepted his command. Giang Nguyet Bach's eyes still had tears, leaning into Trieu Viet's arms. The two of them left the palace together. Their backs gradually disappeared behind the door. In the large room, only Ta Van So and I remained. He adjusted his clothes, then picked up the golden hairpin from the ground and slowly put it back into my messy hair. This was the first time he saw my face clearly. His eyes widened slightly. In that moment, I saw wonder flash through the bottom of his eyes. He said in a low voice:

“General Ly's daughter…”

"I didn't expect to have such a charming appearance."

I said nothing. After a while, he smiled softly and bitterly.

"I didn't know the Crown Prince used her to exchange for Nguyet Bach..."

“Is it truth or lies?”

Another knife stabbed into the place that was already full of wounds in my heart. I looked at the man in front of me. I remember the man who just left. Someone sees me as a chess piece. Someone sees me as a substitute. They all feel like they have lost or gained something. Just no one thought that. People are changed. A human being of flesh and blood. I burst out laughing. Very light laughter. But in the quiet of the temple, it seemed especially cold. I looked out the door, where the two figures had long disappeared, and slowly opened my mouth:

“In your eyes.”

“I was never a human being.”

After saying that, the palace was so quiet that you could hear the crackling sound of burning candles. Ta Van So stood in front of me, his face pale, his palm pierced by the pin was still bleeding, but he didn't seem to feel any pain. The eyes he looked at me were very complicated, filled with guilt, confusion, and also a kind of helplessness that only people who are caught up in a game of chess can't escape. He was silent for a long time, then finally said in a low voice:

“Miss Ly, what happened tonight was not what I meant.”

I smiled softly. It wasn't his intention, but he wasn't innocent either. Because when Trieu Viet used me in exchange for Giang Nguyet Bach, he knelt down and prayed for fulfillment. From beginning to end, he never asked me a question, nor did he look to see who was left behind. Perhaps in his eyes, as long as he can save Giang Nguyet Bach's reputation, as long as he can give a chance to the person he loves, who I am, whether I'm hurt or not, it all matters. not important. Ta Van So lowered his eyes, used a handkerchief to temporarily wrap the wound on his palm, then said:

"A woman's reputation is more precious than her life. Tonight has turned out like this. If she returns to the general's palace immediately and the rumor spreads out, the person who will be hurt the most will be her."

I tightened my sleeves. What he said was not wrong. I am the sole daughter of General Tran Quoc's palace. From a young age, I was placed in the position of future Crown Princess. If word gets out tonight that I was drugged and lived in the same hall with another man, no matter what the truth is, the world's tongues will turn me into someone worthy of criticism. This world is like that. When a man makes a mistake, it only takes one polite sentence to forgive it. The woman was harmed and had to spend her whole life proving her innocence. Ta Van So saw my hesitation, his voice slowed down:

"I can take her back to the Ta palace first. In front of outsiders, she is temporarily my wife. When General Ly returns from the border, if the general's palace wants to take her away, I will absolutely not stop her."

I raised my head to look at him. This is the first man tonight who said something to me that seemed like he was thinking for me. Although that kindness probably only comes from responsibility, not pity, but for someone who has just been traded like a commodity by her future fiance, such a small bit of warmth is enough to make people's hearts tremble. Before I could answer, the sound of rapid footsteps could be heard outside the palace.