No Place Left Unscarred

"I suspect that Marquis Lawrence's abduction was actually a trap set for His Highness," Leon Zane said.

Grace looked at him.

"On our way to the Myriad Tribes, we ran into someone in midair, escorting your father along the road."

"That person was incredibly fast. Shannon and I couldn't keep up—only His Highness could. When he was about to catch up, the kidnapper abandoned the hostage and fled."

Shannon continued, "He threw the man down from midair, so His Highness had to stop chasing and catch the person who looked just like your father. But... it wasn't him."

"At first, His Highness seemed fine," Leon Zane said. "But after we went to the Myriad Tribes and confirmed your father wasn't there, he started thinking about how worried and disappointed you'd be... and the more he thought, the more the curse acted up."

Grace turned to Shannon. "Shannon, why didn't you tell me? You knew I'd remove the Immortal Love Hex! You knew—so why didn't you say anything?"

Shannon looked miserable. "If I didn't know, if I hadn't told His Highness, maybe... maybe he wouldn't have suffered so many days! He knew about the aftereffects of removing the hex, so he wouldn't let us tell you. He said... there must be another way..."

Grace tightly gripped Evan Xiao's hand.

What had she been doing these past few days?

She came to see him every day.

Whenever she had nothing to do, she'd tease him.

Every time, he must've suffered the agony of a thousand insects gnawing at his body...

"I heard about a folk remedy—Dovefeather Herb can kill the Immortal Love Hex without harming the victim, so we went to the Southern Realm to find—"

"No!" Grace interrupted. "If it was just the Love Hex, maybe. But what he's suffering from is the Immortal Love Hex! Dovefeather Herb would only make the hex backfire and worsen the poison!"

Leon Zane looked at her apologetically. "I'm sorry."

Grace took a deep breath and said, "You all go out! I'll remove the hex myself!"

With that, she started undressing him.

Shannon glanced at her, said nothing, and left.

But suddenly, Leon Zane grabbed her hand. "Are you sure about this?"

"What are you thinking?" Grace asked.

"I've grown up with him since we were kids. I know his personality best," Leon Zane said. "He's not soft-hearted. If he stops loving you, or even forgets you... then he probably won't ever come back to you in this lifetime."

Grace was silent for a moment. "I know."

"Maybe you should wait a bit before you remove the hex," Leon Zane said. "At least, if you marry him as Crown Princess, even if he forgets you, you'll still have your status!"

Grace glanced at Leon Zane, smiled gently, and said, "Leon Zane, thank you. But that's not necessary! Being a Crown Princess, forgotten by the prince, with low cultivation and no power—just thinking about it is miserable enough."

Leon Zane's expression dimmed. True enough.

"There's something I want to ask you both," Grace said.

"What is it?"

"If one day you hear news about my father, or if my mother is rescued and wakes up, please let me know immediately."

"Of course."

Grace nodded.

Shannon and Leon Zane left and closed the door.

Grace undid Evan Xiao's clothes.

His entire body was covered in meridian rupture wounds from fighting against the Immortal Love Hex.

There was hardly a patch of uninjured skin left.

Grace cleaned his body, applied medicine, and quietly watched over him.

Her Evan Xiao...

Her little cutie...

She leaned over and gently kissed his lips.