The Sworn Sisterhood and the Shocking Secret

Hearing this, Ivy Shen flashed a toothy grin. What a bold woman—she definitely liked her!

"Can I ask you a question?" She felt she needed to know the answer before she could truly accept Yvonne as a sister. If the answer wasn’t what she hoped for, then she wouldn’t agree.

"Go ahead!"

"Is it true you once really tried to save the Chu prince?"

"Huh?" Yvonne Li blinked, not understanding why Ivy would ask such a thing.

"They say you saved the Chu prince, who’s now the emperor. What if I told you he killed my parents?" Ivy asked coldly. She hoped Yvonne wouldn’t disappoint her; if she was genuine, she wouldn’t deny it. But if she just wanted to become sisters and lied, then she wasn’t worth getting close to.

"You mean?"

"If we’re truly kindred spirits, then we should treat enemies the same way, right? Or did you really mean to spare him?" Ivy frowned, narrowing her eyes, her expression so focused that even Ethan Chu was stunned.

Seeing this, Yvonne suddenly smiled and took a deep breath. "Looks like we can’t be sisters after all. I won’t lie to you—I really did want to let him live!" She knew she should lie if she wanted Ivy as a sister, but she refused; fake feelings aren’t real anyway.

Hearing this, Ivy’s heart suddenly felt lighter. She grabbed Yvonne and dropped to her knees, catching Yvonne completely off guard.

The next second, Ivy whipped off her veil, revealing a face so stunning it could topple kingdoms.

The sight shocked not just Lanny and Dongdong—even Yvonne was floored. She’d guessed Ivy was beautiful, but never imagined she’d be this gorgeous. Petite and delicate, skin like creamy jade, lips cherry‑red, brows like ink, eyes clear as autumn water—there was a softness and allure that words couldn’t capture.

Yvonne considered herself pretty knowledgeable, but she’d never seen anyone this beautiful before.

Ivy ignored Yvonne’s shock and recited solemnly, "I, Ivy Shen, age twenty‑two, though we have different surnames, wish to become sworn sisters—entrusting life and death to each other, rescuing one another in fortune and disaster, sharing blessing and calamity, standing together through hardship. Heaven and Earth bear witness; if I betray this oath, let all under Heaven punish me…"

Yvonne snapped back to reality and grinned. "I, Yvonne Li, age thirty‑two, wish to become sworn sisters with Ivy Shen—entrusting life and death to each other, rescuing one another in fortune and disaster, sharing blessing and calamity, standing together through hardship. Heaven and Earth bear witness; if I betray this oath, let all under Heaven punish me…"

With the oath sworn, the two stood up. Yvonne grabbed Ivy’s hand and joked, "I’m a full ten years older than you—ha, but I look way older too!"

"Don’t talk nonsense," Ivy scolded.

"Don’t worry, Ivy. From now on, anything I have, you’ll have. I’ll never let anyone hurt you," Yvonne promised quickly. She’d always wanted a real family, but growing up she’d never had one—just greedy relatives after her money.

"Same goes for me!" Ivy replied.

Just then, Yvonne suddenly remembered something and blurted out, puzzled, "Ivy, weren’t you just refusing…?"

"Just call me Xin’er, little sister," Ivy said, brushing off her earlier words. "Sorry, I was testing you before." Then she glanced at the people behind Yvonne. "Take off your masks," she ordered, calm but leaving no room for argument.

No one said a word, but nobody objected either. They obediently removed their masks, and instantly, a lineup of faces so handsome it could make gods and men jealous came into view.

Yvonne blinked, then burst out laughing. "Xin’er, you really are something—your male concubines are all ridiculously good-looking!" She glanced at the man still holding his mask and frowned. "He… looks really familiar!"

Just then, Ethan Chu lifted his head and looked at Yvonne. Yvonne, Lanny, and Dongdong all froze. Wait—he’s the emperor of Chu?!

"How… how is he here?" Lanny was completely shocked, and so was Yvonne.

"Little sister, is he one of your concubines too?" Yvonne asked in disbelief. He was a whole emperor—how could he be someone else’s concubine?

"No, he’s not my concubine. He’s my husband!" Ivy said firmly.

Yvonne was so stunned she didn’t even know what to say. She couldn’t wrap her head around the idea that her sworn sister’s husband was the emperor!

"Who… who are you people, really?" Dongdong stammered. How could the emperor of Chu agree to share a woman with other men? He was an emperor! He could have any woman he wanted—why would he do this?!

"Yinyin, now that we’re sisters, I won’t hide it from you. Those seven are my husbands, that man is my friend, and that woman is my good sister," Ivy said honestly.

"I don’t know your exact background, little sister, but just looking at those men—each one a dragon among men—I can tell they’re anything but ordinary." Then she looked at Ivy. "Only a woman like you deserves such outstanding husbands."

"No matter how exalted their titles, to me, they have only one identity: my husbands!" Ivy’s words stunned all seven of them again. Husbands—she said it. They were her husbands!

Yvonne suddenly looked a little embarrassed. "I didn’t know he was your husband before—I, uh… the way I treated him…"

"Say no more, I know everything. You didn’t hurt him—on the contrary, you saved him. If it’d been someone else, he’d probably be dead by now. I, Ivy Shen, always keep gratitude and resentment clear. No need to blame yourself, sis."

Off to the side, Ethan Chu gave Yvonne a complicated look—he was still struggling to process it all.

Suddenly, Yvonne burst out laughing. "Why does it feel like I just scored a huge bargain?"

"Really? I was just thinking the same thing!" Ivy laughed too.

At that moment, Yvonne took a deep breath and looked at Lanny. "Everyone’s asleep, right?"

"Yep, they’re all in bed. It’s just me and Dongdong here now. The Black-and-White Fiend Duo are guarding the entrance—no one’s getting in." Only then did the others realize Lanny’s voice had shifted from girlish falsetto to a normal male tone, dropping the act entirely.

Yvonne nodded, signaling she understood.

"Does Master need Dongdong…?" Dongdong glanced over but didn’t say anything else.

"It’s fine, Dongdong isn’t an outsider."

Listening to their exchange, Dongdong was confused, but Yvonne’s last words warmed his heart. She’d said he wasn’t an outsider!

Then Yvonne turned to Ivy, took her hand, and said seriously, "Since you trust me so much, I won’t hide anything from you either." She glanced at Lanny.

Lanny quickly shook his head. "Master, you mustn’t!"

"It’s fine!"

"Master, please, I beg you! Don’t reveal all your secrets—they already know so much, but that one secret must never be told! If you do, it could bring disaster!" Lanny pleaded, eyes reddening with worry. Whatever it was, it had to be huge.

"Lanny, you talk too much," Yvonne scolded, frowning. "Since I’ve accepted Ivy as my sister, I don’t want to hide anything. Don’t worry, I’ll bear all the consequences myself!" She turned to Ivy, apologizing, "Sorry, I haven’t kept Lanny in line lately—he’s gotten bold."

"Don’t say that, sis. If it’s inconvenient, you don’t have to tell me. Lanny must know how serious this is if he’s stopping you." Ivy said quickly, watching a grown man about to cry—this had to be something major. Besides, she hadn’t revealed her own identity yet, and Yvonne was laying out all her secrets, which made Ivy feel a bit guilty.

"It’s fine!" Yvonne said, grabbing Ivy’s hand. "No matter what you see next, you won’t abandon your sworn sister, right?"

"What are you talking about!"

At that, Yvonne smiled faintly, then trembled her legs. In the next second, a dazzling golden tail appeared, gleaming under the moonlight.

Everyone gasped. A golden tail—that’s the symbol of royalty, isn’t it? Wait, does this mean… Yvonne is a princess?!

****** Preview Break ******

PS: Hey guys, this novel is set to finish in October! The countdown will be packed with excitement, ah, I’m so reluctant to say goodbye. Let’s look forward to the ending together~! Mwah~! (Thanks to Lion for the big red envelope, Yiyi’s shy bird mode~~ By the way, there’ll be extra chapters for National Day! Love you all~!!)