General Evan Xiao, May I Speak With You Alone

Elder Shane glanced at the newcomer, then at Evan Xiao, and calmly cupped his hands in greeting. "Vice President Sun, my apologies for not welcoming you sooner!"

Vice President Sun is Sophie Sun.

Her father is the President of the Spirit Alliance, and she is the Vice President.

"And Prime Minister, General Evan Xiao, it's been a while," Sophie Sun said, her eyes fixed on Evan Xiao.

Evan Xiao nodded coolly.

"Princess Maya Summers and Miss Lawrence are here too—what a coincidence!" Sophie Sun added.

Qingluan stayed silent.

Maya Summers replied indifferently, "Likewise."

"I heard Miss Lawrence caught the eye of the Emperor Henry of the Vermilion Kingdom and was supposed to be taken back there! Why are you still here?" Serena Liu, who followed Sophie Sun, asked with a puzzled look.

That remark was clearly meant for Evan Xiao.

Qingluan glanced at her and asked, "What do you think?"

"Me, guess? Let me think... Oh, oh, oh! I remember now!" Serena Liu covered her mouth and said, "I heard you defied the emperor by threatening to take your own life! So the Emperor of the High Kingdom didn't take you away after all! I never thought you'd turn out to be such a virtuous and chaste woman!"

"That's right! But Miss Lawrence must be truly captivating—she's got both our emperor and the Emperor of the High Kingdom fighting over her. No wonder she's the top beauty of our Blue Moon Kingdom!" Sophie Sun chimed in.

Qingluan glanced at Evan Xiao but kept quiet.

"Are you two jealous of her?" Maya Summers asked coolly.

"With all the men she attracts, even if we wanted to be jealous, we couldn't compete!" Serena Liu laughed.

"No way you could compete. With your looks and talent, you could chase her for a hundred years and still not catch up!" Maya Summers retorted, full of sass.

Serena Liu's smile froze. She glanced at Qingluan and said, "I can't catch up, and I don't want to! I'm just envious of my cousin, who gets to marry General Evan Xiao. They're a match made in heaven!"

Evan Xiao, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Elder Shane and Maya Summers also stopped.

"Oh, right, since we've run into you, Miss Sun." Evan Xiao turned and said, "Today, His Majesty has officially canceled all my marriage engagements. Here is the imperial decree."

As he spoke, he took out a scroll from his chest and handed it to Sophie Sun.

Sophie Sun took it and, upon reading, her expression changed dramatically. "Why? Why did the engagements get canceled again?" she demanded.

"As General of the Blue Moon Kingdom, I could die in battle at any time. It's really not suitable for me to have a family," Evan Xiao said. "So I requested His Majesty to dissolve all my engagements."

He made this request formally at court.

So Elder Shane and Maya Summers were already aware of it and weren't surprised.

But Sophie Sun was stunned, staring at the decree for ages, her face disillusioned. "General Evan Xiao, can I talk to you alone?" she asked.

Evan Xiao thought for a moment, then nodded.

Conveniently, there was a large lake nearby covered in a thin layer of ice, so the two of them walked over.

Qingluan stroked her chin, whispered a few words to Maya Summers after turning a corner, and then dashed off.

She took a different path, sneaking around to hide behind a bamboo grove by the lake.

As soon as she got there, she overheard something explosive: "General, I've admired you for years!"

Peeking through the bamboo, Qingluan could just make out Sophie Sun standing very close to Evan Xiao—she looked ready to throw herself into his arms.

Oh, for crying out loud!

Qingluan gritted her teeth.

"The engagement is off. I wish you happiness and hope you find your perfect match soon, Miss Sun," Evan Xiao said coolly.