When Grace returned to Frostmoon Quarters, Lily greeted her with a huge grin, pulling her close and chatting away like they'd been apart for years.
Anna, on the other hand, looked at Grace like she'd seen a ghost—her face even paler than Cecilia Chen's that morning.
Honestly, you couldn't blame her.
Not only had Grace survived, she was now back in Frostmoon Quarters as the head maid.
Now Anna had to work under Grace. No wonder she probably thought her days were about to get a whole lot tougher...
Grace smiled gently at Anna and teased, "Anna, you don't seem thrilled to see me back. What's up?"
"No, not at all," Anna replied, forcing a smile despite her pale face. "Just busy, that's all."
"Well, don't let me stop you!" Grace said.
Anna muttered a few polite words, then quickly turned and left.
Her steps were so shaky, she nearly stumbled on the stairs.
Later, Grace peeked through a crack in the door and saw Anna, after returning to her room, sneak out of Frostmoon Quarters like she was on a secret mission.
She was probably off to find Cecilia Chen and plot her next move.
Grace didn't bother with her. She changed into a fresh, pretty outfit and went to thank Evan Xiao.
Evan Xiao was in his study.
Grace walked in, her smile as bright as sunshine. She bowed and said, "General, thank you for letting me come back."
Evan Xiao glanced up at her but didn't say a word.
For some reason, Grace felt like his look was... off.
He looked like he didn't want to, but couldn't refuse.
It suddenly reminded her of those stories where the bandit chief drags a bride home to be his unwilling wife...
"Ahem, and also... thanks for taking care of those two guards who tried to kill me." Grace quickly shook off the silly thought and added.
But Evan Xiao still didn't reply, just turned back to his papers.
He hadn't said a word, but Grace was starting to get used to his unpredictable moods.
If he wants to mess with you, he'll find a way—even if you haven't done anything!
But when he doesn't want to mess with you, even if you steal a kiss, you still get off scot-free.
So, Grace didn't wait for him to say more and just got on with her own tasks.
Evan Xiao stayed busy all afternoon.
Grace played the perfect maid—refilling tea, pouring water, grinding ink, just like she was supposed to.
But only Grace knew what was really going on in her head.
She wondered if she should find another chance to steal a kiss from him.
Maybe next time, she'd actually pull it off?
But when Grace snuck a peek at him, Evan Xiao behind his desk was the picture of cold, noble restraint—he practically radiated a 'keep your distance' vibe.
How could she even think about doing something so shameless with a guy working that seriously?
Plus, she’d only just gotten back to Frostmoon Quarters… probably best to take it slow.
On her first day back, aside from Evan Xiao occasionally shooting her that bandit-chief’s-wife look, he didn’t say much else.
By evening, Grace handed off her shift to Lily and headed back to her own room.
She’d barely settled in when Anna showed up.
Anna burst in and dropped to her knees in front of Grace with a dramatic thud.
Grace raised an eyebrow. "Whoa, Anna, what's going on?"
"She took my little brother! She threatened to kill him unless I lured you to the back garden," Anna sobbed. "Xiaoyu—my brother is everything to my parents. If he dies, they'll never recover!"
Grace looked at her. "Really?"
But Housekeeper Qin said her brother died two years ago. Did Cecilia Chen go to the underworld and drag him back?