Said No to the Prince and Yes to the King novel Chapter 2

Chapter 2 Peeping Toms Have No Class

The wind howled mercilessly, snow swirling in chaotic spirals. The treacherous cliff face gleamed white, and even at its base, thick snow blanketed everything—soaking through the clothes of a young man who stood there, scanning his surroundings.
Hearing a sound, the man stepped forward slowly. Looking up, he saw a flash of stark, jarring red.
“Your Highness,” the young man said quietly, gesturing upward. “It’s a body. Female. Looks like she fell from the top.”
As if summoned by the words, another figure emerged from the falling snow—a man in white robes, a long sword gripped in his hand. His hair was pulled high, and not even the raging storm could mask the danger that clung to him like a second skin.
“Forget it. We keep moving.”
“Your Highness, you’re wounded. We should rest here. Those b*stards won’t catch up for a while, and this snow’s only getting worse. Let me scout ahead, find some shelter. We can wait it out, then keep searching for the Void when the weather clears.”
Cyan Ashford didn’t wait for permission. He just turned and started scouting.
Theodore Hayes didn’t argue. His body was screaming at him, every step agony. He forced himself toward a dead tree and leaned heavily against it.
“Sh*t. That hurts.”
A sound came. His eyes snapped toward the tree, every muscle coiling.
What the—
He’d sensed nothing a moment ago. No heartbeat, no breath.
That corpse… Was it moving?
Up in the branches, the woman’s body still hung there, limp and lifeless. Blood pooled beneath her, stark against the snow like roses on a white satin sheet.
For a second, Theodore thought his wounds were making him hallucinate.
Then she moved. Not much. Just enough to shift her weight—then drop, landing on her feet in front of him like it was nothing.
And she didn’t even look at him. She didn’t seem to notice him at all, actually. She just started picking at her wounds, checking them over. Her clothes were shredded, every inch of exposed skin torn and bloody.
“Huh. That actually worked…”
Just seconds ago, she’d been in her laboratory, studying spatial storage. She’d barely implanted the newly developed chip into her brain when, in the next instant, she found herself in this frozen wilderness…
F*cking fantastic.
Her head still throbbed, and the memories in her mind kept shifting and churning…
Margaret Campbell. Daughter of the Prime Minister. The one who had driven her to her death, Stella Campbell, was the second legitimate daughter of the same household.
Three years ago, the Crown Prince—well, back then just the eldest prince—had been wounded during a bandit crackdown. Rumors flew that he’d be crippled for life. Stella, his intended bride, heard the news and vanished. Just disappeared while out with Margaret, leaving Margaret to take the fall. Margaret’s family blamed her. Everyone blamed her.
But Christopher had believed in Margaret. So during the two years of his disability, even when she tested medicines on herself for his sake, she bore it without complaint!
Six months ago, he walked again. The Emperor named him Crown Prince. Finally, after all that suffering, things were looking up.
Then just two months later, Stella returned…
And everything fell apart.
The schemes. The betrayals. The accusations. Her family, her friends—everyone chose Stella. Pushed Margaret to the edge. Until she jumped.
The b*stard prince wanted to marry them both on the same day? Just the final straw.
Recalling all this, Margaret couldn’t help but sigh.
Here she was, a renowned poison doctor of her generation, only to transmigrate into the body of such a weak and useless ancient young lady…
Truly pathetic.
But so be it. Since she had been reborn, the deepest grudges in her heart—she would settle them herself!
As these thoughts ran through her mind, she had already roughly treated the wounds she could see.
Her outer robe was completely shredded, so she simply stripped off the tattered remains.
“Eyes front, young master. Haven’t you seen enough?”
Theodore’s jaw tightened. He looked away.
Just as he was about to turn and leave, the woman’s voice came again from behind.
“Blood parasites,” she said calmly, not looking up. “Leave them too long, and best case, you’re in constant agony. Worst case? Say goodbye to your martial arts.”
“You know about blood parasites?”
Before she could finish, Theodore turned to her, an unusual agitation in his voice.
“Depends.” Finally, she met his eyes. “Can you pay?”
His gaze sharpened, trying to cut through her. “What do you want?”
“You see these wounds?” She gestured vaguely at herself. “Hard to dress them properly out here in a snowstorm. So—”
“I have medicine. Bandages.”
He cut her off, already pulling supplies from his robes and tossing them at her.
Margaret caught them easily and started working.
“Well?”
“Still cold.”
She glanced meaningfully at him—at his clothes.
Theodore’s frown deepened, but he stripped off his outer robe and threw it at her.
“Tell me everything you want. Now.”
If this b*tch couldn’t cure him, this snowfield would be her grave.
He thought she would ask for more. Instead, after wrapping herself in his robe, Margaret simply nodded. “Alright. Let’s begin.”
That’s it?
He stared at her, waiting for the catch. The royal physicians couldn’t cure this thing. If this woman knew who he was, she’d be demanding a fortune. Either she didn’t know—or she was crazy.
She stepped closer. “Open.”
“What?”
Before he could react, she’d cut her finger, pressed it to his lips—
He slapped her hand away, murder in his eyes. “The hell are you doing?”
“Curing your blood parasite.” She looked at him like he was the crazy one. “Blood parasites flee at the taste of virgin blood. It’s the simplest cure in the book. You didn’t know?”
Theodore stared at her.
Blood parasites. He knew them. They’d tortured him for a year. No one in the capital could cure them. That was why he’d braved this frozen wasteland—to find the legendary healer of the Void.
And this woman was telling him all he needed was a taste of her blood?
Such a bizarre cure?
Almost unconsciously, he licked the trace of blood lingering on his lips. Nothing happened…
A feeling of being duped surged within him. Theodore’s expression darkened, and the murderous intent in his eyes grew ever more intense!
Just as he was about to speak, a searing pain suddenly tore through his chest. Then, before he could stop himself, he coughed up a mouthful of blood!
The blood was pitch-black, and upon closer inspection, something seemed to be writhing within it…
At the same time, the persistent ache in his body miraculously ceased. His entire being felt incredibly light and unburdened, as if all his strength had returned.
The blood parasites, was it truly cured?
Theodore’s eyes flew wide in disbelief!
He looked up, only to see Margaret already walking away.
“Thanks for the robe. It’s very warm. Farewell.”
Her figure was solitary and forlorn, stepping through the white snow, gradually fading into the distance…
Then, suddenly, she stumbled and fell into the snow.
And didn’t get up for a long, long time…
Still reeling from shock, Theodore instinctively moved to rush toward her—but at that moment, a crowd of people surged into view from the other direction.
“It’s the second young lady! The second young lady isn’t dead!”
“Quick, report to the Crown Prince—Margaret is alive!”
“Incredible! Falling from such a height, and yet she…”
“Everyone, quiet!”
“Carry her back first, quickly!”
The crowd appeared in a flurry and departed just as swiftly.
In mere moments, the area was once again empty, save for that solitary white figure.
Theodore stared meaningfully at the bloodstains in the snow, his heart still churning with shock.
Who was this woman?
“There’s a cave up ahead—let’s rest there for a while!”
Cyan had finally returned. But the moment he arrived, the sight before him startled him.
What had happened?
He’d only been gone a short while—how had Theodore’s clothes ended up stripped off…
“Investigate what happened on that cliff,” Theodore ordered calmly.
“Yes.”
Cyan nodded. Then, remembering they still hadn’t found the reclusive doctor, he added, “And the Void…?”
“The poison is cured. There’s no need to search further.”
What?!
Cured?!