"I'll put him in my Sanctum and burn him there," Grace said. "That way, it's a true erasure—no one will ever find him."
Felix Xi nodded.
So Grace placed Eugene Ye into her Sanctum, lit a fire and burned him to ashes, then buried the remains in the earth. With that, he vanished from the world forever.
Then, the two of them rode together to find Rina Chu.
After flying for a while, they spotted Rina Chu's Falcon circling above the forest.
But Rina herself was nowhere to be seen.
Feeling uneasy, the pair landed and searched the area for her.
......
Drake Abyss.
After the Crown Prince finished his meeting, Leon Zane stayed behind.
"Is there something you need?" Evan Xiao asked.
"Nothing in particular..."
"If there's nothing else, you may leave. I have things to do."
"Uh... I just wanted to ask, are you really not going down to see Chloe Zhu?" Leon Zane asked. "I've already told you everything about the two of you. Aren't you even a little bit curious?"
"Not at all."
Leon Zane: "..."
"Anything else?"
"She can cure Winterbane Poison," Leon Zane said. "I suspect that Luke Kee's legacy may have fallen into her hands."
"So what?"
"Even if you don't care about her anymore, you should at least keep her alive," Leon Zane said. "I reckon that since you left, life's been pretty tough for her."
"If you're so concerned about her, maybe I should demote you and send you down to keep her company!"
"Your Highness, what are you saying?" Leon Zane replied righteously. "Even if you forget about her and can't be husband and wife, we're still friends! Why treat her like an enemy?"
"What did she give you in return?"
"Oh, come on!" Leon Zane felt exasperated. "Fine, I won't mention her anymore! I'll take my leave."
He turned and walked away.
Halfway out, he turned back and said, "By the way, I meant to say—even though the Saint Maiden's situation is dire, if there's any chance of saving her, it'll have to be through Chloe Zhu! If she bites your Heartscale, you must go help her immediately."
Evan Xiao frowned. "What do you mean?"
"You told me before: if she ever gets into trouble, you said she should bite the Heartscale on your neck as a rescue signal."
Evan Xiao stared at Leon Zane, expressionless.
"Alright, forget I said anything!" Leon Zane turned and left.
At the doorway, still uneasy, Leon Zane turned and said, "Back then, you spoiled her so much, made her so many enemies—uh? Where'd she go?"
He realized she was gone.
......
Eastwood Forest.
Grace and Felix Xi searched everywhere for Rina Chu.
But after shouting for ages in the woods, there wasn't a single reply from her.
"What on earth happened to her!" Grace plopped down by a little river. "The Falcon's here, but she's not."
"Falcons usually circle where their master landed," Felix Xi said. "If the master dies, it won't stay here."
"So where did she run off to?"
"We're both starving. Let's eat something and get our strength back before continuing the search." Felix Xi pulled out some rations and handed them to Grace.
But Grace said, "Wait!"
She took out a handkerchief, dipped it in the river, and gently wiped the blood and dirt from Felix Xi's face.
Felix Xi stiffened a bit, frowning at her.
"Elder Samuel told me I must take good care of you and your mother," Grace said. "Elder Su said the same today, so from now on, just treat me as your big sister."