The Consequences of Deceiving the Crown Prince

Grace repeated, "Bring it in and start the fire."

Evan Xiao carried all the wood inside, put it in the furnace, and with a flick of his hand, the fire was lit.

Grace had already put all the medicinal herbs in earlier that day.

So now there was nothing to do but watch from the side.

Evan Xiao glanced at her, "I'm tending the fire. What are you doing?"

"I have to focus completely on sensing the furnace! Have you ever seen an alchemist tend the fire themselves? That's always the fire attendant's job," Grace replied.

"So now I'm your fire attendant, Grace?"

...The Crown Prince is just being dutiful to the Celestial Empress!

Evan gave her another look but didn’t say anything more.

Grace set up a little stool next to him, pretended to focus seriously on the alchemy furnace, but kept sneaking glances at him, feeling absolutely delighted.

"Don't tell my mother yet that you're the Phoenix Maiden's daughter," Evan Xiao suddenly said.

Grace nodded, "I know! You told me before—the Celestial Emperor and my grandmother had a thing, and the Empress has always minded it."

He even told her that much?

Evan frowned.

He really did tell her everything back then...

"Are you worried the Empress might dislike me because of it?" Grace asked.

"You're overthinking it," Evan Xiao replied, expressionless. "I'm worried my mother will feel uncomfortable, maybe even refuse your treatment."

"...That's why I told the Empress to keep it secret, too. I'm afraid if others know I'm treating her, they'll bring up my mother's past."

Evan nodded slightly.

After a while, Grace called out again, "Evan Xiao."

Evan Xiao turned and saw Grace holding the Divine Crimson Pill.

"Here... Can you try this on her?" Grace asked.

Evan didn't take it.

"Aren't you curious why this strange divination appeared all of a sudden?"

"So your second reason for coming to Drake Abyss was this?" Evan Xiao asked.

"Your Highness is sharp as always."

Seeing his face darken again, Grace hurriedly added, "Of course, whether it's becoming immortal or exposing Sophie Shang, those are just side quests. My real reason for coming to Drake Abyss is to clear up our misunderstanding and patch things up with you..."

Evan kept tending the fire, silent.

The temperature in the alchemy room rose a few degrees.

Grace's lips curled into a smile. Suddenly, she reached out and stuffed the wax-sealed pill right into his arms.

Evan looked at her.

Grace pretended not to notice, her face all serious as she focused on the alchemy.

This medicine would take the whole night to refine.

The fire just needed to stay steady—not too strong, not too weak. There wasn't much else to watch for.

At first, Grace managed to stay alert.

But after a while, Grace started nodding off.

She would doze off and wake up again, shaking her head and yawning.

She would doze off and wake up again, shaking her head and yawning.

She saw Evan Xiao reading her 'Ten Wilds Alchemy Manual'!

And the page he turned to was the one about the Empress's illness!

Evan Xiao's gaze froze on the words "Any fire source is fine." He slowly looked up at Grace and asked, "Did you really need dragon fire for this?"

Grace blinked her big eyes, scrambling for an excuse. "Well... it doesn't say you need dragon fire, but I figured regular flames wouldn't be hot enough, so—"

"Still trying to talk your way out of it?" Evan Xiao interrupted her.

"I just wanted you to keep me company..." Grace's voice grew smaller and smaller.

"Do you know what happens to those who deceive the Crown Prince?"

Grace pursed her lips. "I don't think anything will happen, because you can't kill me, and you can't stop me..."