Did You Really Admire Me Before

"No matter what happens, I'm truly happy for you! From now on, no one will dare bully you or call you useless ever again!" Wendy Zhu said.

Grace nodded.

At that moment, Cindy Zhu knelt down in front of Grace with a cup of tea in her hands. "Big Sister, I was foolish and once did things that wronged you. Please forgive me."

"Cindy, get up! We're sisters—there's no need for this." Grace helped her up.

"This cup of tea is my apology to you. If you can forgive your little sister, please drink it!" Cindy Zhu said sincerely.

Grace nodded, took the tea from Cindy Zhu, and tasted it.

A Spiritual Alchemist's five senses are much sharper than ordinary people's.

With just one sip, Grace could tell—the tea was drugged.

It was... a fertility drug.

Drink this, sleep with a man, and there's a sixty or seventy percent chance you'll get pregnant—and it'll be a boy.

This drug was a fourth-tier spirit medicine. It must've been tough for Wendy Zhu to get her hands on it.

Looks like, even though she's now a Spirit Practitioner, Wendy Zhu still hasn't let go—she still wants to use her as cannon fodder.

Grace tilted her head back and drank the whole cup of tea.

Fertility medicine is still a tonic—no point wasting it.

Both Wendy Zhu and Cindy Zhu broke into happy smiles.

Grace put down her cup, poured a fresh cup of tea, and handed it to Cindy Zhu. "Cindy, to be honest, I used to hate you. But now, I don't blame you anymore. Everyone makes mistakes, right?"

Cindy Zhu nodded emotionally. "Thank you, Big Sister, for your generosity!"

"From now on, no matter what happens, we have to trust and support each other. Can you promise me that?" Grace handed her the cup. "If you agree, then accept this cup of tea from your sister!"

Cindy Zhu nodded and drank it all in one go.

Grace smiled with satisfaction.

Fertility medicine... she had plenty of it.

Many of the royal concubines from the Vermilion Bird Empire had asked her for it.

It never missed—if you wanted a boy, you’d get a boy; if you wanted a girl, you’d get a girl. It had never failed.

...

That night, Colin Gu really did come over.

And once he arrived, he didn’t leave.

As bedtime approached, Grace blushed and said, "Your Majesty, I don’t know if the Department of Affairs told you, but these days I’m... not really available. You..."

"I know," Colin Gu said, sitting down beside her.

Her shy expression, her hands, her face, the little sliver of pale neck she revealed—all of it made his mouth go dry.

"But I still want to stay here tonight. Is that okay?" Colin Gu asked.

Screw you!

Grace got up and knelt down. "Your Majesty, I have a request to make of you."

"What is it?" Colin Gu asked.

"I heard that ever since Cindy was demoted to Noble Lady, Your Majesty hasn’t called for her again. Is that true?"

Colin Gu frowned. "Why bring her up now?"

"My grandmother, father, mother, and aunt are all especially worried about her," Grace said. "Just last night, they told me to take good care of my two sisters."

Colin Gu said nothing.

"Could Your Majesty, for my sake, forgive Cindy?" Grace said. "She’s still young, and it was only because she loved Your Majesty so much that she made such a terrible mistake—"

"Grace." Colin Gu interrupted her, his expression unreadable.

"Your Majesty?"

"You once said you admired me. Was that true?" Colin Gu looked at her beautiful face, his eyes deep and searching.