Qian Renxue ignored her teasing and continued, "I need a way to shut their mouths without bringing trouble upon myself."
Eva reclined on the couch, lightly winding a strand of black hair that had fallen over her shoulder around her finger as her emerald eyes quietly watched Qian Renxue.
"So, what have you come up with?"
Qian Renxue looked at Eva, her lips moving slightly before closing again.
She had thought of a solution, but she was somewhat embarrassed to say it aloud.
That was precisely why she had come alone to Eva's chambers in the middle of the night.
Yet when she truly faced Eva's emerald eyes, half-smiling and teasing, she found it difficult to speak.
Qian Renxue had rarely felt awkward in her life.
In Spirit Hall, she had been the lofty chosen prodigy. In the Heaven Dou Empire, she had been the patient, concealed Crown Prince. She was used to controlling every situation, used to keeping everything firmly in hand.
But now, sitting opposite Eva, she felt as though something had lodged in her throat.
Seeing how she hesitated, Eva's emerald eyes flashed with amusement.
She had known Qian Renxue for so many years, yet she had never seen this expression on her face.
Hesitation, uncertainty, even... a trace of guilt.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Eva slowly straightened up, and her dark green silk nightgown slipped slightly from her shoulder, exposing a stretch of pale, jade-like collarbone.
Tilting her head, she curved her lips into a half-smile. Her voice was as languid as though she were teasing an angry cat.
"What?" she asked softly, her final note rising slightly. "Could it be... you've fallen for me?"
She spoke lightly, with unmistakable teasing in her tone.
She had assumed Qian Renxue would roll her eyes, coldly tell her to