"They're rewarding you because you saved their son. It has nothing to do with me, the prince. This is my personal gift to you, so just take it!"
Empress Wendy couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time.
Technically, the Longevity Locket was forged by Goldie's own grandfather and shouldn't be given away.
But what mattered more to him was establishing his authority with his son from a young age.
Once he spoke up, everyone had to fall in line—no one dared cross him.
"Since it's a reward from the little prince, you should accept it!" Empress Wendy said.
Grace took the Longevity Locket with a helpless smile, and still had to thank him for it.
"You have to wear it all the time," Goldie said. "Don't lose it."
"Yes, little prince! Your humble servant obeys!" Grace replied with a laugh.
Honestly, this little guy was just too adorable.
If only she could, she really wanted to ruffle his hair.
...
Grace brought the spirit jade to Beanie, who was so ecstatic that he hugged her and wouldn't let go for ages.
Even Bianca Whiteshire didn't make things difficult for her. She greeted Grace openly and even invited her to dine in her palace.
Grace politely declined, telling Byron White that she felt uneasy after angering the Sacred Spirit Tree and wanted to leave immediately.
So Byron White escorted her out of the palace.
"Grace, I've already broken off my engagement," Byron White said. "Will you do the same and leave that general from the Vermilion Bird Nation to come to me instead?"
But Grace was in a hurry to see Leon Zane and ask about the Phoenix Essence Pill.
She was also anxious to see Shannon and ask what on earth had happened today.
She had zero interest in Byron White's proposal, so she said she had an appointment with Felix Xi, and since the time had already passed, she had to hurry over.
Whatever it was, they'd talk about it back at the Spirit Alliance. For now, she wasn't leaving.
Byron White had other matters to attend to, so he let her go.
Grace got in touch with Shannon and met her at a secret estate outside the city.
"Shannon, are you alright? Were you hurt at all?" Grace asked.
Shannon shook her head.
"So what exactly happened?" Grace still had no idea what was going on...
"Sigh! There's no point hiding it now," Shannon sighed. "We kidnapped Goldie... planned to use him to trade for the Frostbound Casket."
"So that's it... But how did you get trapped by the array? Even you were caught—did you run into some master?"
"Kind of!" Shannon said. "Goldie was wearing a Longevity Locket on his chest, personally forged by his grandfather. Turns out it had a Protective Talisman inside—not only could it shield him, but it could also channel the Sacred Tree's power from Sigil City to create an array that would kill anyone who tried to harm him!"
"Longevity Locket?" Grace pulled out the one Goldie had given her. "You don't mean this, do you?"
"How did this end up with you?" Shannon's eyes narrowed.
"Everyone thinks I broke the array and rescued your little prince," Grace said with a smile. "Goldie said this was a thank-you gift for saving his life."
Shannon shook her head with a smile. "They have no idea how powerful this Longevity Locket is. Otherwise, they'd never just give it away."
Grace finally understood. "So you were trapped by Goldie's Longevity Locket. But the officials thought you set up the array, so they tried their best to break it?"
Shannon nodded.
"Then how did you get out in the end?" Grace asked.
"Wasn't it you who destroyed the array's core for me?" Shannon asked.
"Me? I didn't do anything!" Grace replied.