The two of them turned to look—Lily Bai was feeding the Silver Dragon Stallion.
As the horse munched on her feed, it affectionately nuzzled her with its head. The scene between girl and horse was perfectly harmonious.
But to Cecilia Chen, this harmonious sight looked downright supernatural.
"You... How are you here?" Cecilia blurted out, pointing at her. "How is this possible?!"
She went into the Forbidden Garden—how could she possibly come back alive?
Even though she had no idea what was actually inside, nobody ever made it out of there alive!
Never!
"Miss Cecilia, you seem awfully surprised to see me," Grace said, her lips twitching in a half-smile.
Cecilia's breathing quickened. She stared at Grace, her face twisted with shock, but said nothing.
"Lily, Miss Cecilia is here to see you," said the stable manager. "Since you're both here, I'll leave you to chat."
Cecilia Chen reluctantly said, "Fine."
After Steward Ma left, Cecilia Chen walked over to the stables, eyed Grace up and down, and quietly asked, "How did you get out?"
"Miss Cecilia, are you asking how I got out of the Forbidden Garden?" Grace replied.
"Obviously! No one ever goes in there and comes out alive!"
"Because the General was inside at the time—he saved me!" Grace lied.
She hoped using Evan Xiao as a shield would make Cecilia Chen more cautious.
Cecilia Chen narrowed her eyes at her. "Lily Bai, you’ve got some skills! You even carry hidden weapons! Who are you, really?"
She hadn’t thought about it before, but now it hit her—Lily Bai not only cured her fatal illness, she even hid weapons on herself. No way she was just some farm girl!
"I’m just Lily Bai!" Grace answered.
"Hmph! I say you’re a spy!" Cecilia Chen declared with certainty.
Grace raised an eyebrow, suddenly leaned in, and whispered, "You’re right, I am a spy! So what? Why don’t you try catching me!"
Cecilia Chen’s expression changed. She reached out to grab Grace’s wrist.
She had to drag her before the General and have her executed!
This time, Grace didn’t dodge with her skills. Instead, she acted shocked, covering her mouth with both hands and looking like a frightened little bunny.
Cecilia Chen’s grab landed on a hand.
But when she looked closer, it turned out to be a man!
Two guards, one on each side, squeezed in and shielded Lily Bai behind them.
"Whoa, Miss Cecilia, what are you doing? You're making me blush!" Aiden said, shaking the hand Cecilia Chen had grabbed.
His tone made Grace get goosebumps all over.
Cecilia Chen quickly let go, flustered and angry. "Who are you people?" she demanded.
"We’re the guards in charge of the Silver Dragon Stallion," Leon replied.
"Move!" Cecilia Chen snapped, full of authority.
"Whoa there, Miss Cecilia, how exactly does one ‘move’? I’ve never done it before, no clue!" Aiden joked in a mocking tone.
Cecilia Chen took a deep breath. "I’m looking for Lily Bai! Get out of the way!"
The guards in this manor are all Spirit Practitioners, not mere servants. Cecilia Chen knew she couldn’t afford to offend them lightly.
Still, the two of them stood there like a pair of screens, blocking her path.
"What now?" Cecilia Chen glared. "You’re in charge of the Silver Dragon Stallion, so just look after the horse. Don’t butt into other business!"
"Miss Cecilia, we really do only take care of the Silver Dragon Stallion," Aiden said seriously. "Lily Bai is responsible for looking after the horse. If anything happens to her and the horse goes hungry or gets sick, we can’t take that responsibility."