"Our plan is to wait for my aunt's birthday, then kidnap Goldie, and force them to trade the Frostbound Casket for his release!"
Goldie, only six years old, is the youngest son of the Eastern Luo Empress—and her favorite.
The Eastern Luo Empress is of the Dragon Clan.
All her children are half-divine.
That includes Byron White, Bianca Whiteshire, and Goldie.
But Goldie is different from Byron White and Bianca Whiteshire.
When he was born, the skies above Sigil City were aglow with radiant clouds for three days straight.
Heavenly omens appeared, so the Eastern Luo Empress treasured him even more. Though he hasn't been officially named Crown Prince, everyone in the Eastern Luo Empire treats him as the heir.
His grandfather (who is also Leon Zane's grandfather) cherishes him too, and personally gave him a Longevity Locket to wear.
The Longevity Locket is shaped like a goldfish, brightly colored and impossible to miss.
Over time, all the relatives and elders started calling him: Goldie.
...
Evan Xiao paused for a moment. "Actually, that's not a bad idea."
"Right?" Leon Zane grinned smugly.
Evan Xiao stood up, ready to leave.
"Hey? Your Highness, where are you going?"
"Home." Evan Xiao turned into a streak of dark light and left.
Grace slept soundly until morning. As soon as she woke up, she was summoned to the dormitory.
Ms. Liu was there, and the other Spiritual Alchemists hadn't gone to class yet—they'd all gathered to watch the drama unfold.
There was also an elderly man with slicked-back hair and a stern face. He was probably here to handle the situation.
When Grace arrived, Ms. Liu introduced her to the elder. "Vice President James, this is Chloe Zhu."
Vice President James sized Grace up and asked, "Why is your room in such a state?"
"It was sabotaged by Wendy Wang," Grace replied.
"Do you have any proof?"
"Her footprints are inside," Grace said. "Ms. Liu saw them yesterday."
"Is that so?" Vice President James looked at Ms. Liu.
Ms. Liu nodded. "The footprints inside really are Wendy Wang's."
"Show me."
Ms. Liu led him inside.
Soon after, Ms. Liu's startled voice rang out from inside: "Oh no, the footprints have been destroyed!"
Grace rushed in and saw that, sure enough, the spot where the footprints had been was now just a filthy mess—nothing was recognizable.
Vice President James walked out, expressionless. "Chloe Zhu, do you have any other proof it was Wendy Wang?"
"Last night, everyone heard Wendy Wang admit it herself," Grace said.
"I only admitted it because I was afraid you'd hit me again!" Wendy Wang protested, denying everything.
"I wasn't present last night," Vice President James said. "I need evidence now."
Grace took a deep breath. This Vice President Ji—wasn't he related to Ruby Ji?
"If there's no evidence, then we'll handle this by the rules. If your assigned quarters are deliberately damaged, you owe tenfold compensation." Vice President James announced, all business. "Ms. Liu, calculate how much she owes."
Ms. Liu looked troubled. "Last night, those footprints really were there, and Wendy Wang really—"
"I said calculate! Just do it!" Vice President James snapped at Ms. Liu.
Ms. Liu, clearly afraid, did the math. "Everything inside adds up to about three thousand taels of gold. At ten times the rate, that's... thirty thousand taels of gold."
"Mm." Vice President James nodded in satisfaction. "That sounds about right."