The next morning.
So much happened during that one dark night, but in the end, the sun still came up.
Adrian Night had spent half the night wandering the palace, but still couldn’t find Ivy Shen anywhere. Frustrated, he decided to hide out for a bit. After scoping things out, he slipped into a nearly empty residence, ducked into a side room, and closed his eyes to rest. He planned to nap for a while, then keep searching for Ivy’s whereabouts.
What he didn’t realize was that the place he’d picked to sleep was actually Goslyn Goss’s room.
"Miss, Miss, something terrible’s happened!" Suddenly, a frantic voice echoed down the hall, and a maid came barreling in, totally panicked.
“What’s got you so flustered?” Nina Xu frowned at the maid’s clumsy panic, clearly annoyed.
“Miss, Sherry—Sherry was almost beaten to death by the Empress!” the maid blurted out loudly.
Before the maid’s words were even finished, a noise came from the inner room. The maid’s eyes went wide with shock, instantly on guard as she stared at the door.
Seeing this, Nina Xu frowned. She’d already sensed someone inside after that noise, but who could it be? Not wanting to make a scene, she coughed lightly and said, “That was just me putting something away in there. Probably didn’t do it right. I get it, you can go now.”
The maid looked at her suspiciously, but didn’t say anything else and just bowed out.
Nina Xu took a deep breath, her hand instinctively raised as if ready to strike. She crept toward the side door, carefully reached out, and pushed it open, planning to use her martial arts if needed. But before she could react, a strong arm yanked her inside. Suddenly, she was pressed against a stranger’s chest, his hand gripping her throat.
"Behave yourself, or I’ll kill you!" Adrian Night said coldly.
Nina couldn’t see who the man behind her was, but she knew he wasn’t friendly. On guard, she demanded, “Who are you? What do you want?” Was he sent by Jude Song to test her?!
"Your maid just said Sherry was beaten by the Empress? What happened?" Adrian’s tone grew obviously anxious. He’d just been napping up on the rafters when he overheard the maid’s news, and in a daze, he fell straight down. Ivy, Ivy—what happened to her?!
Goslyn Goss listened, puzzled, and frowned. “You know Sherry?”
"That’s right!"
“Who are you to her?” Goslyn Goss asked warily. She had to be careful—anyone who could threaten Sherry was a potential enemy.
At this, Adrian let go of her.
Suddenly freed, Goslyn Goss spun around to face Adrian Night. The moment she saw him, she was stunned—how could a man be this ridiculously handsome?
He knows Sherry?
How could a guy this good-looking possibly know Sherry?
Wait, could he be... Sherry’s—
Out of nowhere, a wave of jealousy shot through her—even if he was ridiculously easy on the eyes, she still felt super uncomfortable!
"You know Sherry? What’s your relationship with her?" Adrian pressed, noticing her expression and tone—she clearly cared about Ivy too. So who was she, really?
"Of course I know Sherry. I’m her best girlfriend. And you?" She shot him a frosty look, feeling seriously annoyed. Sherry was hers—hers alone!
Adrian blinked. Best girlfriend?
He didn’t quite buy it, but right now he had no other options. At least he could get news about Ivy from her, right?
"I’m... I’m her older brother," Adrian said.
"Brother?" Goslyn echoed, confused. "Sherry never mentioned having a brother."
"Of course she wouldn’t. Because... because I’m a thief. Sherry’s super upright—she’d never take my money, and neither would our parents. If it weren’t for that, with my skills, why would Sherry have to work as a palace maid? Butterfly Rogue, hope you don’t mind me borrowing your identity for a bit!"
Hearing this, Goslyn Goss was briefly stunned, but then she started to believe him. After all, Sherry really was super upright—she only came to the palace because she wanted to earn her own money and refused to rely on men. Plus, if this guy were her lover, there’s no way he’d let her risk working here. So yeah, siblings made sense!
"So what are you doing here this time?" she asked, still on guard.
"I’m here to take her out of the palace. It’s too dangerous here," Adrian lied again. Well, maybe not a total lie—he really did want to get her out, even if she still had unfinished business. Now that he was here, he’d help her finish it all.
"Brother?" Goslyn echoed again, this time with genuine acceptance. She finally believed him.
"So how is Sherry now, huh?" Adrian didn’t care about being called ‘brother’—he was just anxious for news.
Goslyn quickly replied, "Don’t worry, I just heard about it myself. I don’t know the details yet. I’ll go check and come back to tell you." With that, she headed for the door.
Suddenly, Adrian grabbed her arm and pleaded, "Please, make sure she takes care of herself. Tell her I’m here—her big brother is here."
Goslyn was stunned for a moment. Brother... Yeah, if Sherry really had a brother, he’d probably risk everything to come for her too!
"If you see her, tell her her big brother took care of everyone she was worried about—they’re all safe. Tell her, no matter how dangerous it gets, her big brother will always be there for her. Tonight, I’ll come see her myself!" Right now, Adrian knew that even though he was worried sick, rushing over recklessly wouldn’t save Ivy and could even get her killed. He had to grit his teeth and wait!
"Don’t worry, I’ll tell Sherry everything. You stay put—this palace is dangerous!" Goslyn said, then dashed out. Right now, she was worried sick about Sherry. What on earth happened last night?!
"Ivy... Ivy..." Adrian Night frowned deeply, consumed by worry.
"Please, let me see Sherry—she’s my sister!" Goslyn Goss knelt outside the Crown Prince’s palace, shouting her plea.
Gavin Wang scowled and snapped, "She’s not awake yet. Go home. She’s fine—the Crown Prince is with her!" The message was clear: don’t be a third wheel.
"Please, Gavin, please just tell the Crown Prince—let me see Sherry, just for a moment!" Still kneeling, Goslyn clung to Gavin’s robe, her voice full of sincerity.
"I said she’s busy. Didn’t you hear me?" Gavin Wang snapped, shaking her off angrily. After last night, he’d gotten chewed out by the Crown Prince, and now he was itching for someone to take it out on.
-----
The commotion outside was so loud that Jude Song could hear every word from inside. Silver Consort had been at his side the whole time, and seeing Jude frown, she said, "I’ll go shut her up." With that, she started for the door.
"Sister... Sister..." Suddenly, Ivy Shen furrowed her brows tightly and began to mumble in her sleep.
"Wait, Master!" Jude Song quickly stopped Silver Consort, leaning in to look at the dazed Ivy. "Sherry, Sherry, wake up..."
"Sister..." Hearing Silver Consort about to silence Goslyn, Ivy had to speak up. She knew if Silver Consort made a move, Goslyn might never speak again.
Jude Song jumped up and shouted, "Let her in, quick! Hurry!"
Silver Consort had no choice but to go out and bring in the kneeling Noble Lady Lana.
As soon as she entered, Nina Xu bowed to Jude Song. "This humble concubine greets the Crown Prince," she said, then hurried inside. In an instant, she saw Ivy Shen lying there, her whole body wrapped up in bandages.
Seeing this, Nina couldn't help but rush over, bawling, "Sherry, little sister, what happened to you? How did you end up like this?"
"Sherry, little sister, wake up..." Nina's tears kept pouring down, like a leaky faucet that wouldn't shut off.
Watching this, Jude Song finally understood why Sherry cared so much about her—because Nina obviously cherished this bond too. In a palace like this, seeing such real emotion was a rare thing.
"Sherry, little sister..." Seeing her beloved person like this, Nina sobbed so hard she couldn't catch her breath.
"Uh..." Suddenly, the person on the bed moved, and everyone in the room froze in shock.
"Sherry—!" Jude Song and Nina Xu exclaimed in perfect unison.
****
PS: That's all for today's update—21,000 words! Whew, I'm exhausted~~ (Author's note, can be omitted or adapted for English readers.)