"Stare—"
Seeing his fiancée's wistful eyes fixed on him, Xiao Mo smiled and explained, "Miss Lian Li travels the world. She may have simply happened to arrive in Qin."
"Oh," Qin Siyao replied.
"Still, Miss Lian's prospects in the Martial Way are truly boundless, and she's also skilled at leading troops in battle. If she joined Qin, she'd surely make many contributions to our state."
"So she'd only be making contributions to Qin?" Qin Siyao asked with a huff.
"Of course." Xiao Mo smiled, finding the way Si Yao got jealous rather adorable. "Don't overthink it. Miss Lian and I are only friends."
"Hmph!" Qin Siyao turned her head away, rubbing her little hands together in front of her as she muttered softly, "I'm not overthinking anything."
"Then I'll have someone tell Miss Lian I'm not home and that she can go straight to the Ministry of War," Xiao Mo said with a smile.
"No need." Qin Siyao turned around, head lowered. "Y-you can see her. I'm not that jealous. Why wouldn't you be allowed to meet her?"
"Are you sure?" Xiao Mo asked.
"I-I'm sure." Qin Siyao nodded. "I-I'll head back first."
With that, Qin Siyao ran off to her courtyard, then secretly crouched by the wall and eavesdropped with her Spiritual Sense.
"That girl."
Xiao Mo knew Si Yao was surely listening in with her Spiritual Sense, but he didn't mind. He didn't even set up a Formation to block Spiritual Sense detection.
"Please invite Miss Lian in," Xiao Mo said to the maid.
"Yes, Prince."
The maid bowed and withdrew.
Before long, Lian Li entered Xiao Mo's courtyard.
Looking at the woman he'd come to know through fighting, Xiao Mo truly felt as though he were seeing an old friend again.
She was dressed like a wandering