A Snake Slipped Out of the Room

Evan Xiao's face remained expressionless. Without sparing Grace a glance, he turned and walked out.

After they left, Henry Tuoba's gaze grew a little bitter. "Father-in-law? Have you two already married?"

"No..." Grace shook her head. "But we've pretty much agreed to it in secret. We just haven't let Colin Gu know."

"What's his family situation? Has he talked to you about it?"

"He has," Grace replied.

"Oh? What did he say?"

"He's from the Vermilion Kingdom, and his family is a big clan too," Grace said. "But because of certain things, he's been staying in the Blue Moon Kingdom."

Henry Tuoba fell silent for a long moment, saying nothing.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Grace asked.

"Grace, have you ever wondered why, in your previous life, you bore his child, but he never cared about you? For over twenty years, he never acknowledged you or your child?"

"Maybe he just didn't know who it was that night..." Grace said. "If he knew it was me, knew Ray was his son, he wouldn't have just stood by and done nothing."

"Then why could you recognize him, but he couldn't recognize you?"

"Because..." Grace's cheeks flushed. "I saw his face, but he didn't see mine."

That night, the moon was dark and the wind was high.

The room at Moonwater Abbey was very dim; neither of us could see who the other was.

It wasn't until everything was over that he lay beside me, as if deeply asleep.

Despite the pain, I got up and lit a candle.

I saw his face clearly.

I was furious, so angry that for the first time in my life, I wanted to kill someone.

But back then, I wasn't a Spirit Master, just a sheltered young lady, and I didn't have any weapons on me.

There wasn't even a knife in the abbey room.

So I went out to the little kitchen and grabbed a cleaver.

But when I went back in, he was gone.

I only vaguely saw a tail flash past the window.

It looked like a snake darted out of the room...

That night was the first of May.

......

"Even if he didn't see your face, he knew which room it was, right?" Henry Tuoba said. "If he really wanted to find you, he could've asked around."

Grace was stunned for a moment and said, "I don't know about that..."

"I'm not telling you this to break you two up," Henry Tuoba said. "I'm just worried about you, Grace."

"I know," Grace said. "I get it. But I've been given a second chance at life... All the people and things I couldn't see clearly before, I'll figure out now. Don't worry."

"Alright." Henry Tuoba looked at her. "But I hope you'll remember, I'm always here... I was here in the last life, and I'll be here in this one too."

Grace's eyes suddenly reddened. She nodded and said, "...Your Majesty, I'm sorry..."

"There you go again!" Henry Tuoba shook his head. "I'm not telling you this to make you feel guilty."

Grace bit her lip and said nothing.

"The Spirit Alliance only recruits new members once every three years, and this year is the recruitment year. You'll come, won't you?"

Grace thought for a moment and said, "My mother is in trouble, and there are still a lot of unresolved issues at home. I can't leave Danyang City for now."

"But if you don't join this year, you'll have to wait another three years."

"I'm planning to join the Blue Moon Spirit Alliance first," Grace said. "Once I'm in, transferring internally will be much easier."