I Think Adrian Drake Is a Good Match

The Celestial Empress said nothing.

Lily Bai smiled faintly, picked up the roster, and slipped away with a spell.

But she didn’t actually leave.

She turned invisible and quietly returned to the Empress’s Palace, watching her in silence.

She asked the Heir-Consort, "Is the eldest still the same as ever?"

The Heir-Consort replied, "Yes! He meditates all day and ignores everything else."

"And now... I’m injured, and he hasn’t even come to see me." The Celestial Empress looked heartbroken.

The Heir-Consort said nervously, "Please forgive him, Mother. Maybe he’s just been shaken."

The Celestial Empress didn’t say anything more. She turned to Lia Summers, "How’s the second prince?"

"Second Prince has been irritable every day," Lia said coolly. "He’s already killed two Divine Attendants by accident."

"Take good care of him!" The Celestial Empress snapped. "You’re his side consort, aren’t you? Quit hiding in cultivation all day and start handling palace affairs!"

Lia stayed cool as ever. "Yes, Mother."

Looking exhausted, the Celestial Empress waved her hand. "You all go back for now."

"Yes!" The daughters-in-law all left.

Only Princess Quinn Xiao and the Celestial Empress were left.

Quinn asked, "Mother, are you really going into seclusion?"

"What else can I do?" The Celestial Empress sighed. "All three of your brothers are hopeless. There’s no place for us in the Celestial Palace anymore."

"But you’re the Empress!" Quinn protested, her face full of indignation. "You’re supposed to be the mistress of the Celestial Palace!"

"Silly child!" The Celestial Empress patted her head. "When your father is here, I’m the mistress of the Celestial Palace. When he’s not, the gods only recognize Heavenly Dao and Sean. If I stay here at odds with him, I’ll just embarrass myself."

Quinn burst into tears. "How did that bastard end up as Crown Prince?"

"Stop crying," said the Celestial Empress. "There’s a long road ahead! You need to learn patience and strategy, understand?"

Quinn looked puzzled. "Strategy for what?"

"Quinn, you’re not a child anymore. It’s time to help your mother and your clan carry some weight," the Empress said.

"What do you need me to do, Mother?"

"I think Adrian Drake is a good match," said the Empress. "I’m planning to betroth you to him."

"What? Adrian Drake?" Quinn was stunned. "No way! We’ve always been like fire and water!"

"Do you two have some deep hatred or vendetta?"

"Not really! It’s just because of Sean. He and Adrian have been best buddies since childhood! We never got along!" Quinn said.

"Forget all that and judge him just as a man. What do you think of him then?"

Quinn thought for a moment. "He’s... passable, I guess."

"I think he’s excellent. First, he’s kept himself clean all these years—no concubines at all. Second, his cultivation is solid, and he’s Young Lord Adrian Drake. Third, his temperament is good. In Drake Abyss, you won’t find anyone better."

Quinn frowned, silent. "But two people who fight every time they meet—how could they be husband and wife?"

The Celestial Empress said, "Once you’re married, you’ll see—that stuff doesn’t matter. Couples grow into their own kind of affection."

Quinn stayed silent.

"Are you still hung up on that jerk Darren Xuan?"

Quinn lowered her head. "No!"

"Don’t think I don’t know. You’ve spent years searching for him," said the Empress. "He’s the Vermilion Clan Chief’s son—he only got close to you for his own gain. Forget him!"