Something Must Have Happened to Change His Plans

She dug out a small packet of Mystic Bee Venom from there.

Since it was Ruby who did it, she had no intention of letting Ruby stay any longer.

Ruby should just get out of the General's Manor—she's nothing but trouble.

Getting rid of Ruby is way easier than dealing with her brother.

Ruby woke up from her sleep feeling all kinds of wrong.

She was itchy, in pain, and downright miserable.

She opened the door and stepped out, running right into a stable boy.

The stable boy shrieked, "Ah!" and bolted.

Ruby was baffled, so she found a mirror—and was horrified to see her face covered in swollen, pus-filled lumps, red and scary.

She fainted on the spot from sheer terror.

Steward Qin found out and called Grace, the resident doctor, to take a look.

Grace said it was probably a skin disease—and maybe even contagious.

So Ruby was sent out of the manor and back to her hometown to recover.

With her brother causing trouble in the manor, Steward Qin definitely wouldn't let Ruby come back.

......

The day after Ruby was kicked out of the General's Manor, Grace brought medicine to Cecilia Chen and offered to check her pulse.

After checking, she said Cecilia Chen's rash was almost gone, but she'd need to keep taking medicine for another half a month to make sure it didn't come back.

Cecilia Chen held her hand, talking about wanting to become sworn sisters and all that...

Of course, Grace said she needed more medicine just to buy herself some time.

From the look on Evan Xiao's face, he was already itching to kick her out.

She had no choice but to resort to this desperate move.

Even if this could buy her ten days or half a month, Grace was already in full-blown panic mode.

She just knew that once Cecilia Chen's face healed, Evan Xiao would find some excuse to kick her out.

She had to sleep with Evan Xiao—ASAP!

But drugging him? That option was totally off the table now.

Was there any other way to get Evan Xiao into bed?

The most direct solution? Tie him up and force him!

But... that's only in theory.

With her fighting skills, her chance of success was zero, and her chance of dying was one hundred percent.

Maybe she should wait until he was drunk and take advantage of the situation?

But in the three months since she arrived, she hadn't seen him drunk even once.

If he didn't get drunk in the first three months, odds are he won't in the next three either...

Plus, her dad and General Evan Xiao were sworn political enemies—marrying him was absolutely out of the question!

The more she thought about it, the more impossible sleeping with him seemed...

Wait, why did he go to Moonwater Abbey in her previous life, anyway?

And why didn't he go this time around?

Oh, right—judging by that assassination attempt, the things that happened in her last life are still happening now!

So why didn't he go to Moonwater Abbey this lifetime?

Something must've happened to change his plans.

......

Grace personally made a batch of melt-in-your-mouth pastries and gave them to Evan Xiao's close attendant, Louis Lin.

Louis Lin was thrilled, stuffed one in his mouth, and kept saying how delicious it was.

"Louis, how old are you this year?" Grace asked with a smile.

"Nineteen," Louis replied, then added, "I haven't gotten engaged yet."

Why are you telling me about your engagement status?

Grace smiled politely and asked again, "How's your memory?"

"My memory? It's great!" Louis said confidently.

"Really?"

"Of course! Why do you suddenly ask?"

"I see your tongue is red, your complexion is pale, and your hair is a bit curly. I suspect you might—just might—have an illness," Grace said seriously.