"If you don't believe me, I won't come."
The entire great hall held nothing but our soft murmurs. The only difference from when we had first arrived was the addition of the low chirping of insects.
Di Juan silently nodded. Seemingly unsure what to say to break the silence, she asked me, "Have you received the Qun Cang Hall?"
"The Qun Cang Hall took its place smoothly. It should be on its way here now, right? How are things on your end?" I asked.
"The Cosmic Heaven Hall was selected by the clan in advance, so taking it over went smoothly. We're only waiting to move into the Heavenly One Hall. I only returned two days ago." Di Juan's eyes were dark and bright, drawing one's gaze.
"You certainly do everything by the book." I smiled.
Di Juan's expression froze for a moment before she said, "After meeting you, I've already broken the rules many times."
She was probably afraid I would call her stiff and boring. Perhaps the influence of the other women had rubbed off on her as well.
Yun Heng, Di Gou, and Ying Li had all been either carefree, forthright, or innocent. As a scion of the imperial family, Di Juan had followed the rules to the letter since childhood, so she was somewhat unsure how to gauge the distance between us.
"With me, you can do whatever you want. I'm not some man-eating star beast." I took her hand and led her away from the cold, desolate great hall at an unhurried pace.
"Mm..." From being led along by me, Di Juan gradually fell into step beside me. Her expression seemed to relax, and the restraint she had shown earlier eased considerably.
Perhaps she was afraid of rejection—a cool and aloof person who never took