Amber was still reeling from Grace's earlier blow. As soon as she saw her mistress coming down, she rushed over and called out, "Miss—"
Smack!
Bianca Whiteshire slapped her across the face. "Useless thing! Move!"
......
Grace was still worried about Evan Xiao, so she left Louis Lin to handle the mess at the tea house and hurried to the Imperial Advisor's Manor with Shannon.
On the way, Grace had cooled off a bit and asked Shannon, "Your sister's cultivation isn't that strong. Is it really okay to let them go back on their own?"
"It'll be fine," Shannon replied. "She has a protective talisman. If anyone tries to kill her, they'll only hurt themselves."
"A protective talisman? Like... the one Wan Xuezhen has?"
"Yeah." Shannon sighed. "She said she wouldn't come again last time, and now she's saying it again. I really hope she means it this time!"
"Last time? She's been here before?"
"Yeah. Last time she came, she didn't dare let our cousin or the General know, so she secretly stayed at Moonwater Abbey. They found out later and sent her back."
Grace's heart suddenly skipped a beat. "Moon... water... Abbey? You mean she stayed at Moonwater Abbey?"
"Yeah! What's wrong?"
"Was it... around late April or early May last year?"
"Huh? How did you know?"
Grace chuckled. "Ha! So it was her..."
"Her who?"
"I was living at Moonwater Abbey back then too! There was a mysterious young lady in the courtyard next door. It must've been her."
"Well, isn't that a coincidence..." Shannon said.
"What's going on between her and Evan Xiao?" Grace still felt uneasy, even though Evan had already explained.
"There's nothing going on between them. When they were kids, the General's grandmother joked and asked her if she'd marry the General in the future. My parents took it seriously and have been trying to marry her off to him ever since."
"So... Evan Xiao was never officially engaged, right?" Grace asked again.
"He was!"
"He was?" Grace exclaimed.
"Isn't it you?" Shannon laughed.
Grace shot her a look. "When did you get so cheeky?"
"Haha! Look at you, all nervous!" Shannon burst out laughing. "Relax! He's never been engaged to anyone else back home!"
Grace smiled.
"But..." Shannon looked at her. "Grace, if his family forces him to marry someone else, and you end up being just one of his many women, could you accept that?"
"Of course not!" Grace said firmly. "There's no way I'd let him cheat on me! I'd rather stay single forever!"
"What if... his heart only belongs to you, and marrying someone else is just something he can't avoid?"
"In this world, there are only people who compromise—not things you have to compromise on!" Grace replied.
Shannon glanced at her in surprise, then smiled. "Honestly, that was kind of enlightening."
"Huh? Really?"
Suddenly, Shannon turned serious. "Grace, I've never really had any friends growing up. Meeting you feels like fate. Can we always be best sisters from now on?"
"Of course!" Grace said. "Honestly, I didn't have friends before either. You're my first and most precious friend. Let's be best friends for life! No betrayal, no lies!"
The two of them held hands and smiled at each other.
......
If, in the past, Shannon was kind to her for the sake of her mother's family, or out of self-interest, hoping to win favor with the Crown Prince—this smile now was pure and genuine.
......