Unexpectedly, just as she was about to leave the Imperial Garden, Grace spotted Consort Penelope from afar.
Henry Tuoba lost his mother at a young age, and the late emperor entrusted him to the care of the current Empress Dowager, Lady Wu.
The Wu family is one of the great noble houses of the Vermilion Kingdom.
Consort Penelope, whose full name is Wu Pingting, is the Empress Dowager’s niece. With no empress yet crowned, she holds the highest status among the consorts in the palace.
In her previous life, because Henry Tuoba liked Grace, Consort Penelope wished she could skin Grace alive.
This time around, Grace had no intention of dealing with her again, so she quickly changed direction and tried to avoid her.
"Stop right there!" Consort Penelope’s commanding voice rang out from behind.
Grace picked up her pace and ran even faster.
But suddenly, a shadow flashed before her eyes—a swift palace guard blocked her path.
"Consort Penelope told you to stop! Are you deaf?" the guard barked, his face fierce.
Grace narrowed her eyes and delivered a swift kick to the guard's chest, sending him sprawling.
"You’re just a guard, how dare you speak to me like that?" Grace demanded, looking down at him with authority.
The guard, heart pounding from the kick, stammered, "C-Consort Penelope called for you!"
"Who is Consort Penelope?"
"Oh? Who is this bold woman? She just kicked a palace guard without a second thought!" As she spoke, Consort Penelope approached Grace from behind.
Grace turned and glanced at her. "Why should I tell you who I am?"
"How dare you! You should kneel before Consort Penelope!" the palace maid scolded angrily.
"Oh, you are Consort Penelope? Greetings, Your Ladyship." Grace bowed. "May I ask why you summoned me?"
Consort Penelope sized her up, realizing Grace was a stunning beauty—perhaps even more beautiful than herself.
A flash of hostility flickered in her eyes as she asked slowly, with regal poise, "Who are you?"
"I am Grace Lawrence, daughter of the newly appointed Deputy Prime Minister, Minister Zhuo."
"Grace Lawrence... Are you aware of your crime?"
"Crime?" Grace raised an eyebrow. "I have no idea, Your Ladyship. Please enlighten me."
Consort Penelope gave her a sinister smile. "Your crime is daring to stand before me. Kneel!"
"Kneel?" Grace looked at Consort Penelope. "Do you truly expect me to kneel before you, Your Ladyship?"
"What, you—a commoner without rank—refuse to kneel before a consort like me?"
Just as Grace was about to speak, Felix Zeng came running toward them.
"Oh dear! Your Ladyship, what brings you here so early?" Felix Zeng greeted Consort Penelope with a bow.
"Felix Zeng?" Consort Penelope frowned. "Shouldn’t you be attending the Emperor at this hour? What brings you here?"
"His Majesty instructed me to escort Miss Lawrence out of the palace," Felix Zeng replied. "What happened here? Why is Her Ladyship asking her to kneel?"
"She just offended Her Ladyship, Consort Penelope!" the palace maid declared confidently.
"Oh, she offended Her Ladyship?" Felix Zeng smirked. "Speaking of offenses, Consort Penelope, did you know your maid Aloe got into trouble just now?"
Penelope's expression changed. "What happened?"
"She was caught spying on His Majesty in the Imperial Garden. The Emperor ordered her beaten to death on the spot! You might want to explain this to His Majesty, or he might think you sent her."
That maid had been watching Dreamer's Pavilion all night, but the Emperor’s experts noticed her long ago.
Penelope looked visibly flustered.