Father God Is So Greedy

Grace nodded, grabbed the Violet Minksprite, and—shing!—ended its little mischief with one swift sword strike.

The Violet Minksprite squealed—"Eek!"—and died dramatically, eyes wide in shock.

"Princess, who knows which clown raised this little pest! It actually dared to sneak in and munch on your spirit fruits!" Grace quipped. "Don't worry, I've already taken care of it for you. Hope that lifts your mood a little?"

Bianca Whiteshire stared as her beloved Violet Minksprite got the chop from Grace—and was even called a 'little pest.' She was so mad she nearly coughed up blood.

But hey, she was the one who just denied it was hers, wasn't she?

With all the princes and princesses from the big empires watching, Bianca couldn't exactly backtrack now.

No way was she letting herself look bad in front of everyone.

She took a deep breath, swallowed her pride (and her rage), and huffed, "Well, it's your sloppy management that let the spirit beast sneak in!"

"Absolutely! We'll tighten things up," Grace grinned. "Let me get rid of this troublemaker's body first. Hang tight, Princess—someone will bring you a fresh fruit platter soon."

With that, Grace slipped out, making herself scarce.

Grace had zero interest in getting tangled up with Bianca Whiteshire again—so she sent someone else in with the fresh fruit platter and made her escape like a ninja.

She was really just looking for her mentor, Jun Lionhead...

Okay, fine, it wasn't just about catching up—she was totally hoping to see Evan Xiao.

It had been ages since she'd seen him, and she missed him like crazy...

On the way to the Divine Reception Hall, Grace asked Ray, "Ray, did your Father God really drop by that night? You sure you weren't imagining things?"

"Of course I wasn't imagining things," Ray replied. "Father God really showed up, but he left in a huff."

"Oh? You really think he was mad?"

"Yup. Super mad."

Grace couldn't help but laugh.

"Mom, why was Father God so grumpy?"

Ray piped up, "Because... he was craving Mom's cooking, but you weren't home!"

Father God has serious foodie vibes.

Grace coughed. "Ray, seriously—whatever happens, do NOT show yourself, okay? These folks are all Divine Race. If they spot you're a baby dragon instead of a baby snake, they'll snatch you in a heartbeat."

"Eek! Ray's scared now..."

"Don't be scared, just stay hidden and you'll be totally fine."

"Okay! Don't worry, Mom, I won't budge—promise!"

...

With that, Grace made her way to the Divine Reception Hall.

The elders had said before: if the Divine Race showed up, their few special disciples could hang around and soak up the drama.

So Grace snuck inside, all stealth mode—no one bothered to stop her.

Inside, Lady Sophia of the Phoenix Clan was there, along with Evan Xiao and his crew.

Up front, Evan Xiao was chatting with Lady Sophia—

Somehow, just by sitting there, Evan Xiao made everyone so tense you could cut the air with a knife.

The elders and disciples were holding their breath, trying not to make a sound.

Especially the Grand Elder, who looked so nervous he couldn't even make eye contact.

Only Jun Lionhead, her mentor, was his usual chill self—cool as a cucumber, breezy as ever.

Mentor's nerves? Unbreakable.

Grace stood proudly behind Jun Lionhead, feeling pretty smug about it.

Maybe she was just too invisible, because Evan Xiao didn't even spare her a glance—totally missed her.

Leon Zane, though, spotted her right away. He shot her a wink and made a little gesture: Catch up with me outside later.

Grace gave him a quick nod.

So Leon Zane said something to Evan Xiao, then slipped out.

Grace stared at Evan Xiao, longing for just one little glance.