Chapter 23: You Have Never Been Wrong

This medicine was the one she had procured to be sent to the Marquis's estate.

In the past, Gu Zhaozhao had never made such a mistake.

Gu Zhaozhao possessed a graceful and luxurious aura. Compared to Dou Hongyan’s vibrant and alluring beauty, she possessed a more dignified and stately elegance. Her features were cold and solemn, and her conduct was always impeccable.

She glanced at the medicine bottle, her red lips parted slightly, and she said with a calm expression, "Perhaps I picked the wrong one. If Your Highness still requires it, I shall fetch another bottle."

Her tone was respectful, leaving no room for criticism.

However, Xiao Ze’s expression suddenly darkened. His scrutinizing gaze fell upon Gu Zhaozhao, and he suddenly gave an amused smile.

The dashing, debonair air he usually carried vanished. His face, once bright as the moon and overflowing with nobility, turned icy cold. His tone was casual yet laced with an underlying impatience: "You have never erred before."

That was precisely what he valued about Gu Zhaozhao.

"Your Highness."

Gu Zhaozhao remained cold-faced. Hearing this, she frowned at Xiao Ze, her lips pressed into a thin line, her tone exceptionally solemn: "I do not harbor feelings for you; there is no need for you to test me in this way."

She appeared as if she were trying to avoid him altogether.

"With the banquet held in the palace a few days ago, I went to help ease the burdens of the court. Now that Your Highness has returned in triumph, I must also deal with the solicitations and probings of various families. With so many people to manage, it is inevitable that I would become distracted and exhausted."

She frowned, explaining in a deep voice, "I am merely too tired; I had no intention of sabotaging Your Highness. I hope Your Highness will forgive me."

Her dignified, cold, and composed demeanor was no different from what it had always been.

Xiao Ze looked at her intently. "There will not be a next time. I have no need for subordinates who make mistakes."

He tossed the medicine bottle into Gu Zhaozhao’s hand, tucked away the letter Dou Hongyan had sent back, and rose to leave, heading straight for the Marquis’s estate. His top priority was to rescue Dou Hongyan from her plight.

Not until Xiao Ze had left the Crown Prince’s residence did Gu Zhaozhao’s rigid posture suddenly relax. She bit her lip in lingering fear.

Her face was pale, her brow heavy with fatigue, as she bit her lip to suppress the intense, simmering resentment within her.

Thank goodness...

Thank goodness he was too anxious to see that woman, Dou Hongyan, to investigate further. Otherwise, she was not sure if she could have perfectly hidden her jealousy.

"Partners..."

"Heh."

Clutching the medicine bottle, Gu Zhaozhao steadied herself and walked away with unsteady steps. Her fingernails dug into her palms, her heart turning cold.

Xiao Ze was far too callous; he never permitted personal attachments. If she were to show even the slightest hint of lingering affection for him, he would discard her without a second thought.

If she hadn't taken the initiative to draw a line with Xiao Ze, feigning an attitude of wanting to avoid him, her position as Crown Princess would likely have been lost.

"You really are cruel," Gu Zhaozhao murmured, her eyes lowered, her tone mocking. "You call it a partnership, yet you allow not even a shred of genuine feeling."

"And if I..."

"Were to lose my heart?"

He was the one and only Crown Prince in the world.

A man of such imposing stature, a man who held everything in his grasp—who could help but lose their heart to such a person?

But since the water had already been spilled and could not be retrieved, Gu Zhaozhao’s steps gradually regained their composure. Her gaze grew firm: "She is nothing but a woman with nothing but beauty—that Dou woman is an eyesore. His Highness will see clearly sooner or later that she is merely an ant, and I am the only one who can truly help him."

The fact that the news of Shen Yishu’s resurrection had spread so quickly was entirely due to her fanning the flames from the shadows.

If she could not kill Shen Yishu herself, she would create more opportunities for others to do so.

It was a pity, however, that she still hadn't managed to sever the Crown Prince’s obsession with that Dou woman.

She tossed the medicine bottle aside, no longer dwelling on this mistake. She watched the silhouette of the distant Marquis’s estate with cold eyes, scenes flashing before her.

What other way was there to make His Highness give up this hope?