Su Zhao:
The sky has fallen!
Su Zhao felt as though she had been struck by lightning!
What kind of feudal patriarch is this! Is she actually going to forcefully sever her younger sister’s romantic prospects? No way!
Cynthia bent over and leaned in close to her ear, her warm breath grazing Su Zhao’s earlobe as she whispered ambiguously,
“Little sister seems reluctant. Could it be that little sister has her own ideas?”
The pressure Cynthia exerted as she pressed down on her was somewhat heavy.
At some unknown point, she had moved behind her, resting her hand on her shoulder with a palm that completely controlled her.
Looking down from above, it was a posture full of oppressive force. The pressure was as gentle as a lover’s whisper, yet it hurt enough to send a chill down Su Zhao’s spine.
Su Zhao was caught between tears and laughter, unable to move a muscle.
“How could that be, sister?”
The question that almost slipped out had to be forcibly swallowed back amidst her sister’s honeyed daggers of gentleness.
The yes that had reached the tip of her tongue, the moment it was about to escape, couldn’t help but take a sharp turn and transform into a very insincere,
“I am a good child, I will listen to everything sister says.”
Moonlight poured into the room.
The sapphire pendant swaying slightly at Evelyn’s collar was embraced by the moonlight, shimmering with a soft, gauze-like luster.
Su Zhao couldn’t help casting a glance at it, and then another, always feeling as though Evelyn was gently gazing at her.
Su Zhao looked at her with reluctance, wanting to stay, yet submitting to her sister’s majesty.
Perhaps she was frightened by her sister’s stern attitude, or perhaps she truly realized that they had reached the moment of parting, and there was no telling when they would meet again next time.
Those reckless words from earlier, about never wanting to see the Saintess sister again, had long since been swallowed back into her own stomach.
Cynthia stroked her head and smiled with satisfaction.
“Your Holiness the Saintess, we all respect the will of the person involved. You see, this is not me making things difficult for you.”
“It’s just that little sister has grown up and wants to take on the responsibilities of a royal family member. As an elder sister, it is naturally not my place to obstruct her.”
The crown prince’s diadem swayed slightly, casting a cold light in the twilight that resembled the dim, cold fire in the eyes of a beast staring at its prey.
“Speaking of which, Your Holiness the Saintess should perhaps set off to return to the Holy See.”
“The evening prayer bell is about to ring.”
Evelyn fell silent for a moment. “Right, it is getting late.”
Staying any longer would indeed lack proper manners.
Su Zhao instinctively turned her head, and Evelyn’s ice-blue eyes looked over.
It was just such a simple gaze exchange, taking perhaps no more than three seconds, when Su Zhao’s vision was suddenly blocked by a pair of hands.
Cynthia’s ending tone was laced with honey-like sweetness.
“We won’t keep you tonight.” She bent down, looking down at her, her fingers gently brushing across Su Zhao’s nape with an imperceptible threat.
“Little sister, what do you say?”
What could Su Zhao say? Su Zhao was merely a pitiful little creature oppressed by her sister, standing firmly on the high moral ground.
Flawless and as pure as a white lotus blossom.
Su Zhao had no choice but to nod.
Cynthia’s smile was exceptionally sincere, and her straightforward intention to chase people away sounded remarkably tactful to anyone’s ears.
It was enough to make Su Zhao deeply admire her.
Just look at that, what did you call the art of language?
She really ought to learn a thing or two from her sister!
Upon hearing the words Holy See, Evelyn pressed her lips together slightly and sighed soundlessly.
“Thank you for the reminder.”
She didn’t voice any grievances at all; just that trace of subtle desolation was enough to make Su Zhao instantly switch sides and feel that her sister was being a bit overbearing.
As if guided by some mysterious impulse, the words slipped right out of her mouth.
“The Saintess mentioned earlier that she wanted to teach me astrology. Sister, has my selection for an astrology teacher not been finalized yet?”
Strictly speaking, the matter concerning Duke Norland counted as a domestic affair of the Lanrian Empire. With the Empress busy with affairs of state and unable to spare a hand, seeking help from an ally was still somewhat justifiable.
However, since Cynthia had already rushed back, as the crown prince of the empire, public and private interests dictated that handing this matter over to her was the most appropriate choice.
Opportunities were always created by oneself.
A brave player fears no difficulties!
Su Zhao thought it through nicely: once Cynthia was also tied down and unable to break away, she would be able to openly and aboveboard cuddle up with the Saintess sister!
And have her personally teach her how to dance!
“Clack.”
Cynthia put down her teacup.
The crisp sound of the cup gently tapping against the tabletop shattered the silence, cracks spreading out like a spiderweb and cutting off Su Zhao’s unfinished words.
Smiling, Cynthia called out with meaningful intent,
“Little sister, why aren’t you coming over quickly to join your sister in properly thanking your great benefactor?”
Su Zhao:
She hates her sister!
The gesture of Cynthia stroking the crown of her head was laden with a warning undertone.
“It seems little sister needs to relearn court etiquette all over again, especially the principle that when adults are talking, children must not interrupt.”
Su Zhao glanced at her.
And listlessly shut her mouth.
Where on earth was there such an outrageous rule?
She believed that even if Cynthia became the monarch in the future, she would undoubtedly be a tyrant!
“I still have matters to attend to, so I will take my leave first. After the evening prayer concludes, I will immediately return to Lanster City.”
Evelyn nodded in a bow of salute, but before leaving, she suddenly blinked at Su Zhao.
“However, the items Your Highness Dorothy left with me, I should personally return them to her.”
Su Zhao was startled. Before she could react, a pain flared in her shoulder as Cynthia’s weight pressing down on her grew slightly heavier, leisurely stroking her hair.
“There is no need.”
“Whatever little sister needs, I will prepare for her. Those unclean things outside can simply be thrown away.”
This time, however, Evelyn paid no heed to the crown prince’s refusal.
A cluster of gentle holy light drifted out, lifting the object she had mentioned and floating it softly right into Su Zhao’s hands.
It was the sapphire that Evelyn wore on her chest, which Su Zhao had observed for a very long time.
Su Zhao curiously examined it. Light ripples danced across the sapphire, feeling ice-cold to the touch before quickly being warmed by Su Zhao’s body heat.
The moment Su Zhao raised her head, Evelyn was also gazing back at her. Her ice-blue eyes complemented the sapphire perfectly, swirling with undercurrents like a sea before a blizzard.
“It is completely clean. You need it, do you not?”
I saw that you liked it.
Therefore, I am giving it to you.
The secluded blue light spots reflected by the gemstone danced playfully at Su Zhao’s fingertips. The heat rising up her earlobes threatened to scorch right through the night sky.
She caught Evelyn’s implicit subtext:
You care about it, you need it, do you not?
You need me, do you not?
“I need it, thank you for keeping it safe for me.”
Su Zhao solemnly tightened her grip around the necklace. Ignoring her sister’s disapproving gaze, she flashed a cheerful smile toward Evelyn.
The crown pearls on the crown prince’s head clinked together slightly as the crown swayed.
Saying nothing, she watched the scene with a meaningful expression, slowly taking a sip of her black tea.
[Congratulations on acquiring a new item]
[Item]
[Evelyn’s Covenant Necklace]
[Did you think this was just an ordinary token of affection? Please listen carefully: the Saintess’s pious prayer is looping inside the gemstone.]
[When the wearer encounters a fatal crisis, the necklace will release an ice and snow forbidden spell to attack the enemy, while forcefully teleporting the wearer, with the landing coordinates set directly on Evelyn’s lap.]
[A gemstone blessed by the Saintess possesses short-range communication capabilities, limited to three minutes per day. (You can secretly whisper some sweet nothings to the Saintess; as for whether they turn out to be sweet words or ghost stories, that depends entirely on how you use it~)]
A precious new item!
A three-minute limited daily call!
An essential artifact for cultivating emotional bonds!
After reading the description, Su Zhao fell into an eerie silence.
It looked as though Evelyn was truly uneasy about her fragile little life.
Yet Evelyn’s favorability rating had gone up by another three points.
Eighty was not far off now.
Victory was right ahead!
Until Evelyn departed, Su Zhao remained immersed in her joy, turning the precious item over and over to inspect it.
A pair of hands suddenly reached out from behind. Su Zhao hurriedly leaned backward to evade, swiftly storing the sapphire pendant away into her game inventory while casting a vigilant defense against her snatching it.
The action brought a smile to Cynthia’s face. “Do you like it that much?”
Clearly, the esteemed crown prince could never make such an unseemly move.
Su Zhao was pressed back against the back of the chair by her. The crown prince’s cool fingertips were leisurely smoothing out the wrinkles on her collar, resembling a raptor grooming the ruffled feathers of its prey.
“My little nightingale, you really are far too restless.”
“I am so well-behaved, how am I restless?”
Su Zhao looked up at her with innocent eyes. “Sister, are you angry?”
How could the perpetually competitive crown prince ever admit to it? “No, what would I be angry about?”
Cynthia’s silver hair fell across Su Zhao’s shoulder, her moonstone earrings swaying lightly with the motion and casting a scattering of tiny light spots into the crescent curve of Su Zhao’s collarbone.
She suddenly leaned in close, her warm breath brushing past Su Zhao’s ear.
“Little sister’s earring seems crooked.”
The warmth was soft, yet laden with an indescribable burning heat as it paused half an inch from Su Zhao’s earlobe.
Su Zhao had the illusion of being targeted by a beast.
This beast must be a large cat, elegantly and regally licking its fur, so composed even during the hunt and feeding that she pressed down upon the prey beneath her palms, playfully and effortlessly toying with her.
Cynthia helped her straighten her earring.
Her earlobe was tugged slightly, bringing a faint ache mixed with an itchy, swollen heat.
Her knees were pinned down by Cynthia, leaving her unable to budge. Half-forcibly imprisoned within her embrace, she could only tilt her head upward, looking at her innocently as she asked:
“Sister, do we need to be this close?”