C3 Chapter 3

“Ah...” A sharp stab of pain shot through her head, like a blade driving into her skull. Chu Jiuge swayed, clutching her head as she cried out, nearly collapsing to the ground.

I’m going to marry the North Duke. I’m going to be the North Consort. I’m going to make the Crown Prince regret it!

The words suddenly surfaced in Chu Jiuge’s mind, burned into her memory, refusing to fade.

This was the original owner’s obsession, the deepest fixation she carried to her death. And just now...

In that brief instant, Chu Jiuge had clearly felt her consciousness slipping into chaos again.

Was this telling her that if she wanted to stay alive, she had to follow the original owner’s wishes and marry the North Duke?

“Damn it!” Chu Jiuge cursed under her breath, clenching her fists hard to steady herself before turning and heading back toward the city.

As for the bundle of gold and silver hidden at her feet?

Chu Jiuge didn’t even spare it a glance...

As a legendary physician trusted by patients’ families and highly valued by the hospital, Chu Jiuge had never lacked money, nor had she ever cared much about it.

What was in that bundle wasn’t worth her attention.

“W-what’s going on here?” The onlookers were dumbfounded as they watched Chu Jiuge start to leave, then suddenly turn back toward the city.

Wasn’t Great Miss Chu supposed to be eloping?

“Move.” Forced to return to the city, forced to get married, Chu Jiuge was in a terrible mood, and her tone reflected it.

Most of the people gathered here this early in the morning were ordinary folks on their way into the city. At Chu Jiuge’s cold, commanding shout, their bodies reacted faster than their minds, and they instinctively stepped aside to clear a path for her.

With the crowd no longer blocking the view, the maid in pink was exposed in front of Chu Jiuge once more. “M-Miss...”

“Traitor.” Chu Jiuge looked at the maid in pink with icy eyes. “I’ll remember this. We’ll see whether the person backing you will care if you live or die.”

“Mi-Miss... where are you going?” the maid in pink stammered. By the time she snapped out of it, Chu Jiuge had already reached the city gate.

Seeing this, the maid quickly scooped up the bundle from the ground and clutched it to her chest. She hesitated for a moment, then gritted her teeth and followed...

Miss had suddenly become terrifying. She desperately wanted to run, but if she did—if she failed to do what that person had ordered—she would definitely die.

She had to make a huge scene out of Miss eloping, make sure she could never marry the North Duke.

Whether it was because of the intimidating air around Chu Jiuge or because they recognized who she was, the people waiting to enter the city all stepped aside when they saw her coming. In no time, Chu Jiuge was at the front of the line.

But the moment she was about to pass through the gate, the guards stopped her. “Miss, your pass.”

“I...” Chu Jiuge had just started to explain who she was when a white horse came tearing in, kicking up a cloud of dust before stopping right in front of her.

“Jing’an, come take a look. Isn’t this the Great Miss Chu you were talking about? The one who was supposedly hopelessly devoted to you, refused to marry the North Duke, and insisted on eloping with you no matter what?”

The woman in red sat astride the white horse, whip in one hand and reins in the other, looking down at Chu Jiuge with open contempt and disdain, as if she were staring at something filthy and beneath notice.

“My lady, could you slow down a little? I can’t even keep up with you on horseback.” A richly dressed young man came galloping up. Before long, like the woman in red, he reined in his fine horse and stopped in front of Chu Jiuge.

The horse’s hot breath forced Chu Jiuge to take a step back—and let her finally see the young man’s face clearly...