The Princess Wants to Live (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 22
‘It’s about two lovers going on a secret outing in disguise. They encounter various incidents along the way, but in the end, they only reaffirm their love for each other in a sweet, harmonious way…’
The more she spoke, the fiercer Olivia’s expression became.
‘Your Highness, you look ready to punch someone right this instant.’
‘Of course I am! While I’m slaving away to the point of bending double—dealing with murders and… well, anyway! Working myself to death—and Lady Taren thinks I’m just merrily strolling around with you? It’s infuriating and unjust!’
Realizing immediately that she’d gotten worked up over something utterly trivial, Olivia quickly slumped her shoulders in resignation.
‘Anyway, just follow me without showing your face. That much should be as easy as eating cold porridge.’
‘That’s not difficult, but… are you really that upset?’
‘Huh? No, let’s just drop that topic.’
Olivia, who had been drifting through memories just moments ago, snapped back to reality at the sound of Ambre’s voice calling her.
“When we arrive, shall we start by visiting the homes of the missing persons?”
“What?”
“The investigation! Where should we begin? Just leave it all to me! Since this is the merchants’ district, I know the area inside out—and all the people who come and go here!”
Ambre pounded her chest confidently, her eyes sparkling brightly.
“Or should we look for clues about the culprit instead? We’ve already sent the information gathered by our house to the Imperial Palace, but maybe reviewing it again will reveal something new!”
Olivia firmly halted Ambre, whose eyes shone with overwhelming enthusiasm—so intense it seemed she might throw herself into the task wholeheartedly.
“That’s not what you’re here to do, my lady.”
“Huh?”
“Your role today, accompanying me, is to accurately learn the circumstances of the Imperial citizens affected by this disaster, comfort them, and help determine the proper course of action moving forward.”
Could anything be clearer or more resolute than that?
Ambre’s long eyelashes fluttered rapidly like a hummingbird’s wings, but Olivia emphasized once more.
“Catching the criminal or tracking down clues is the work of trained professionals.”
“Yes. I understand.”
Ambre nodded obediently.
Though clearly disappointed, she didn’t insist stubbornly or recklessly dash off on her own to help catch the culprit.
Normally, someone that innocent and genuinely eager to help others would plunge headlong into danger without a second thought.
But this was different…
She was proving full of surprises.
At this rate, perhaps it would have been fine to simply accompany Cryer instead.
Olivia’s thoughts reached that point, but she quickly shook her head.
Then again, who could say? Life always defies expectations.
“Shall we go?”
“Yes.”
Not long after, Olivia and Ambre, along with Cryer moving like a shadow, entered the Taren merchants’ district.
“The investigators have probably been constantly coming and going from the missing persons’ homes already, so it’d be better to gather statements from the neighbors.”
And though the odds were extremely slim, maybe they’d even find the house where the dead culprit was discovered.
Olivia, swallowing the rest of her thought, began walking—and Ambre followed without a word.
However, surveying the area didn’t proceed as smoothly as Olivia had anticipated.
“I lost something important all of a sudden…”
“Oh, I see. Will this help resolve it?”
Ambre approached someone flustered in a corner of the street, asked what had happened, and upon hearing their plight, promptly handed them a heavy purse.
“Th-thank you! Thank you so much!”
“I hope everything works out well for you.”
Ambre cheerfully waved to the person who bowed repeatedly, then bowed slightly toward Olivia.
“I’m sorry for the delay.”
“No, helping Imperial citizens is never a rush.”
Olivia dismissed the matter indifferently with an impeccable reply, then resumed walking.
Having let Ambre’s first act of kindness pass without comment, Olivia soon encountered a second.
“I’m at a loss for how to win back her heart once she’s turned away…”
“That sounds tough. Why not start by buying her a gift she’d like?”
Ambre approached a man sighing as if the world had collapsed, and, as always, offered him her helping hand.
Again, Olivia merely nodded.
But then came a third, a fourth… Ambre truly became a tree that gives endlessly, offering all the help she could to every struggling person she passed.
“Waaah! Boo-hoo-hoo!”
“What’s wrong? Don’t cry—tell me what happened.”
“My… my big sisteree!”
Though their schedule was constantly delayed by Ambre’s habit of helping someone every few steps, Olivia—who had been passively letting the ceremonial outing run its course—pricked up her ears.
“What happened to your sister?”
“My sister… she’s getting married this time, and the gift…”
“Oh dear, you ruined the gift you wanted to give her. Hmm…”
Ambre patted her pockets but had already given everything away to previous people and had nothing left.
Yet, despite her obvious embarrassment, Ambre never once looked back at Olivia or asked her for help.
Helping others was purely something she chose to do herself.
Given how often they were already falling behind, she couldn’t shamelessly ask Olivia to help this child too.
Anyway, there’d surely be a shop nearby—they could send the child there and give them something…
But Ambre’s dilemma didn’t last long.
“Your… your shoes are pretty, big sister.”
Amidst everything, the child eyed Ambre’s outfit and mumbled. Without hesitation, Ambre gladly took off her shoes.
“They’ve been worn, but if you don’t mind, you can have these.”
“Thank you!”
Clutching the shoes to her chest, the child beamed and ran off, while Ambre behind her waved farewell.
Only once the child had vanished completely did Ambre straighten up and turn toward Olivia.
“I’m truly sorry for causing more delays.”
“No, as I said before, don’t worry about it. Rather…”
Olivia continued, gazing at the spot where the child had disappeared.
“My lady.”
“Yes?”
Ambre, who had smiled so brightly earlier, was now nearly stripped of all her belongings.
She didn’t even have shoes—hers were now nestled in the arms of the crying child, heading off somewhere.
If luck favored her, the child might safely exchange the shoes for money or treasure them in her keepsake box.
But more likely, about half the value would be stolen by someone else, and worse, the child herself might even get hurt.
After all, goodwill doesn’t always bring good outcomes.
And someone raised in the Taren household like Ambre surely already knew that.
Yet still…
“Why go so far as to extend such kindness and help everyone you meet?”
It was an odd question on the surface—why help others out of goodwill at all?
Ambre gave a perfectly natural answer.
“Because there are people in need.”
“I saw it too, of course. But even when people are in need, not everyone actively helps them like you do.”
Olivia narrowed her eyes slightly, half-expecting Ambre to respond with, “If I hadn’t been here, Your Highness would’ve done exactly the same.”
But Ambre’s mind wasn’t so tangled—she simply tilted her head in mild confusion.
“Hmm… I’m not sure. I just saw someone hurting and sad, and since I could help, I did.”
Her answer, brimming purely with goodwill, held not a trace of pretense.
She didn’t even seem to consider using her aid to show off what a wonderful person she was.
Thus, Olivia impulsively spoke.
“May I offer one piece of advice?”
“Of course!”
Olivia fixed her gaze directly on Ambre and began.
“Good intentions don’t always lead to good results. People rarely accept goodwill as goodwill alone.”
It was a remarkably cold and harsh statement—but Olivia’s words were nothing but reality.
“Especially when someone powerful, like you, offers help—the ripple effect is always greater.”
The moment Olivia finished speaking, she briefly regretted it.
That was unnecessary meddling. Given how well things had gone so far, Ambre would surely have handled any outcome just fine on her own.
“You’re so kind.”
Ambre said it with a bright smile.
Olivia, completely baffled by where Ambre’s mind had gone, found no reply.
“Are you worried I might come to harm—or that those I help might suffer because of me?”
Olivia didn’t actually believe Ambre Taren would come to harm—but she didn’t deny it either.
“Perhaps that could happen.”
It was an answer far too light, far too sincere.
Ambre added, smiling as brightly as the sun,
“But I’ll keep helping those in need as much as I can.”
Faced with that answer, pure and wholehearted, Olivia ultimately had nothing more to say.
“Let’s head back now.”
“Yes!”
Though they hadn’t caught the criminal or found the missing, Ambre’s face glowed with satisfaction from having helped so many in need.
Just as the two were about to leave the Taren merchants’ district—
“Is it over?”
A low, resonant voice, like one echoing from the depths of a well, broke the silence.
“Who’s there!”
Seeing a strange man appear suddenly, Ambre naturally stepped forward, shielding Olivia while tensing in alert.
“Step aside.”
Though born with a pure, trusting nature that rarely doubted others, she was, after all, the Taren heir.
Knowing clearly whose safety took priority in this situation, Ambre stepped forward without hesitation.
But Olivia, hidden behind Ambre’s back, gaped with undisguised astonishment.
Why here, of all places?
“If you don’t move, I’ll make you move.”
As Cryer reached toward Ambre—who now seemed shockingly resolute, unlike the gentle helper from before—Ambre drew a deep breath, ready to scream or shout.
But in the next instant—
“My lady, it’s alright.”
Olivia yanked Ambre’s arm, glaring fiercely at Cryer.
Cryer obediently stepped back, and Ambre fell silent.
“He’s someone I know. He’s disguised himself just like I am.”
“Oh, I see.”
Once again, Ambre nodded agreeably and stepped aside, and Cryer moved without hesitation to stand directly before Olivia.
Olivia, who clearly had much to say, grabbed his sleeve as if ready to throttle him.
After Being Cheated On, She Picked Up a Treasure (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: The husband I married on a whim had been secretly in love with me for a long time.
On the day when Jun Shao finally obtained the imperial decree for her marriage, Lan Qu, the person she had admired for six years, defied the decree and ran away.
Her gentleness and devotion, her promise of a lifetime together, were all disregarded by him. Instead, he dreamed of entering the palace to serve the Emperor’s sister as a sixth-rank attendant.
News of this incident spread throughout the capital, and the alleys in front of and behind the Lan mansion were crowded with people who came to watch the commotion.
Jun Shao should have been embarrassed and angry.
But someone stepped in to protect her dignity.
The figure was in a miserable state, yet still possessed an undeniable elegance and handsomeness.
The young lord struggled to climb the wall of the Lan mansion and shouted to her, “If he won’t marry you, I will!”
So, Jun Shao took advantage of the situation and married the person.
She thought the young lord did it to save the Lan family from the crime of defying the imperial decree, but never imagined that from beginning to end, what he coveted was her.
*
After the wedding, Jun Shao felt like she was living in a dream.
Her Wife-master was as beautiful as a fairy in a painting, skilled in the six arts, well-versed in poetry and literature, capable of being gentle and attentive, and also grand and dignified. Most importantly, she was the only one in his heart and eyes.
Jun Shao didn’t know how Lan Shiwu, as a illegitimate son without a father and blessed with beauty, had managed to preserve his purity, recklessly escape, and use his last ounce of strength to ruin his own reputation, all because of his love for her, just to stand before her.
She could only see him gazing at her with eyes full of love, and when she bestowed a name upon him, his eyes shone like stars.
“You have come to me like a weary bird perching on a branch. I shall call you A Qi.”
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