"How could I possibly be blushing!"
"Xue'er, you must have seen wrong!"
The Ice Empress put on a look of certainty, turned her face away so the other woman could not see the crimson on her cheeks, and said with a smile.
"Is that so?"
The Snow Empress smiled without saying anything more and merely nodded.
"But I can tell you and Chu Ge really are close."
"You're quite fond of him, aren't you?"
The Ice Empress had only just brought her expression under control when a single remark from the Snow Empress nearly shattered her defenses again.
"H-huh?"
"Xue'er, what are you talking about?"
Hearing that, the Ice Empress's expression grew unsettled again, and she could not help blurting out a reply. For a moment, she was no different from a cat with its fur standing on end.
"Hmm?"
"Did I say anything unusual?"
The Snow Empress looked at her calmly and asked softly, her voice tinged with confusion. She had only said that the Ice Empress and Chu Ge got along well. Why had Bing'er reacted so strongly?
Could it have been because of that last sentence...
Saying she was quite fond of Chu Ge?
"It's nothing, really. Chu Ge and I..."
"Do get along pretty well!"
"But when you say fond..."
Bing'er blushed and pressed her lips together, hesitating to speak.
Her relationship with Chu Ge was perfectly aboveboard, all right!
"So it really was that remark."
Hearing the Ice Empress's explanation, the Snow Empress instantly wore an expression that said she had guessed correctly. She smiled, though her gaze held a hint of amusement as she looked at the Ice Empress.
"Well, if you don't like him."
"Why would you... react like this?"
"Your face seems awfully hot."
The Snow Empress spoke slowly, unable to resist