"Uh... my condolences," Sean Shaw finally managed, his voice thick with awkward sincerity. "Please take good care of High Goddess Vivian."
"Got it!" Lucia Lu replied, then shot back, "Are you okay? Did you run into any trouble coming back to the palace?"
"I've been holed up in my father's territory, cultivating. I only just came out today and heard the news," Sean said, sounding bewildered. "What happened? How could it all change so suddenly...?"
"She was poisoned—by some kind of bug bite," Lucia said, her words clipped and tense.
"A poisonous bug? Here in Peach Blossom Haven? That's impossible!"
"I'm stumped too. Still chasing leads," Lucia admitted with a sigh.
Sean paused, then said quietly, "I read somewhere that certain gu worms are bred using dead infants. Maybe that's worth investigating?"
Lucia's heart skipped a beat. "Wait, seriously? Which book was that?"
Sean shrugged. "I've read a ton of weird old books. Can't remember the title, but I do remember it said some special gu worms are fed with dead babies. Sometimes people even get pregnant on purpose, then abort the child just to feed their gu. It freaked me out so much, I never forgot it."
"Let me call you back," Lucia said abruptly. "I need to check something right now."
"Okay," Sean replied, his voice soft.
...
The little one was buried beneath a peach tree, just outside High Goddess Vivian's bedroom window.
Not wanting to alarm her mother, Lucia slipped over, invisible, to check on things herself.
Under that peach tree, there was only a tiny mound of earth—no outsider would ever guess a little life lay sleeping there.
She cast a spell to see through the dirt. The child was still there, untouched and peaceful.
Her divine body hadn't decayed at all. Wrapped snugly in swaddling, then another layer of waterproof cloth—through Lucia's spell, the baby looked heartbreakingly alive.
Lucia let out a shaky breath, standing quietly, gazing up at her mother's window.
Vivian and Quentin hadn't gone to bed yet. Lucia saw her father fussing over her mother—dosing her with medicine, helping her lie down, tucking her in, and finally switching off the light.
Vivian looked much better than she had in days. Lucia felt a little of the weight lift from her own heart.
Turning back to the little mound, Lucia's chest tightened. She knelt, whispering, "Little Five, I guess we weren't meant to be sisters in this life. Maybe next time. Please, if your spirit's listening, help me find the one who hurt you."
As soon as she finished, Lucia realized she'd called the baby 'Little Five' without thinking.
After all, this child was the fifth in their family.
Except 'Little Five' also reminded her of someone else entirely.
His Majesty was always calling Sean Shaw 'Little Five'—that nickname had practically become legendary at court.
Thinking about him, Lucia found herself—ridiculously—comparing Sean to Divine Lord Soren.
Just a few days ago, Soren had come by in person to see her mother.
He didn't just offer comfort—he brought all sorts of supplements and spoke with a gentle warmth that made everything feel a little less bleak.
Thanks to him, her mother's pain over losing a child had eased, if only a little.
Sean, on the other hand... well, let's just say words aren't his strong suit.
But why was she even comparing them? What was she thinking? Lucia shook her head at herself.
She gave her forehead a little smack, then pressed a Tracking Rune onto the baby's swaddling. Time to get moving.
Suddenly, the earth beneath her feet twitched.
Lucia whipped around, eyes wide, not daring to blink.
A spell split the soil open, and the swaddled infant shot out—gone in a blink.
Not a soul in sight. Whoever did it must've been invisible too.
Then, the mound was restored, perfectly arranged—so neat you'd never know anything had happened.
Lucia watched as the aura from her Tracking Rune zipped off into the distance, vanishing like a ghost in the night.