You Have No Right to Order Me What to Do

"Haha! What's so interesting about staring at a bottle?" Grace snatched the bottle over. "Hey, isn't this jade bottle supposed to hold Heaven's Dew? I gave it to my master—so why is it with you now?"

"Y-yes... yes..." Shannon suddenly felt a bit flustered for no reason.

"Spill it!" Grace grinned mischievously. "Why is it in your hands?"

"Your master used it and asked me to do a fortune reading," Shannon replied.

"When did that happen? How come I didn't know anything about it?"

"It was the day the alchemy failed," Shannon said. "You left early that day."

"I see..." Grace asked, "So, what was the result of the fortune reading?"

Shannon paused for a moment before answering, "There's still hope of finding usable Heaven's Dew."

"Really?" Grace's eyes lit up. "Now that you, the great Spirit Talisman Master, say so, I suddenly feel so much better!"

"As long as you keep hoping, that's what matters," Shannon said.

Grace nodded and asked her, "By the way, how's that thing going?"

"Which thing?"

"Me playing matchmaker for you and my master!" Grace said. "What do you think of him? Give me a straight answer!"

"Can you not bring that up?" Shannon glared at her in annoyance.

Grace leaned in close, her expression full of mischief: "I've noticed that every time I mention this, your eyes get this... indescribable look. Hehe!"

"...Chloe Zhu, listen, your master is definitely not as simple as he seems. For all you know, he could have a whole family stashed away somewhere!"

"You're overthinking it! He lives alone on Lionhead Mountain," Grace replied. "His father was a former elder of the Spirit Alliance—he's already passed away. That's all there is to it!"

Shannon fell silent.

"Let's not talk about anything else—just about him! What do you think of him?"

Shannon bit her lip, blushing as she said, "He's definitely a wonderful person."

"Exactly!" Grace said. "I'll ask my master about it next time."

"Hey, don't you dare ask!"

"I can say whatever I want—it's my mouth, not yours!"

Shannon stomped her foot. "Alright, alright! Let's drop it! Why are you here anyway?"

"It's all because of your dear brother!" Grace's mood instantly soured as she explained. "He actually came here himself! He's so invested in Bianca Whiteshire!"

"She's his only sister, of course he'd care," Shannon replied, her gaze turning cold.

"Ugh! The general said to leave it to him, but who knows what he'll actually do..."

Shannon didn't respond.

"By the way, where's Leon Zane?" Grace asked. "I haven't seen him in ages."

"He... had some things to deal with, but he should be back in a couple of days."

...

At Spirit Alliance Mountain, Byron White was fiddling with Grace's Alliance Master Appointment Ledger, turning it over and over in his hands.

He had absolutely no intention of handing it over to Grace.

Once Emperor Henry Vermilion's edict spread throughout the city, he'd make sure she learned what regret really meant—what it was like to be played in the palm of someone's hand!

Heh!

Suddenly, a flash of green light appeared before his eyes, and someone abruptly materialized in front of him.

Byron White shot to his feet. "Your Highness? What are you doing here?"

Evan Xiao looked at him. "That's my question for you. You're the mighty Eastern Alliance Master—what are you doing here?"

"I-I just had some business..."

"I won't marry Bianca Whiteshire, so don't waste your time," Evan Xiao said. "Hand over the appointment letter and go home!"