At that moment, the Empress Dowager gave a charming smile as she simply watched the young girl, speaking softly.
"Don't be in such a hurry, my dear, I haven't sent you home yet. Besides, if you're lost, your family must be lost too. Don't worry, I'll find each and every one of them and send them all back, otherwise, wouldn't you be utterly disappointed?"
Her every word seemed increasingly warm and enchanting. The Empress Dowager slightly tightened her grip, and with that simple squeeze—
"No!!"
An agonized scream echoed through the air.
The lantern in the young girl's hand flickered before vanishing entirely, and she herself turned into a wisp of green smoke.
Slowly inhaled by the Empress Dowager's lightly parted scarlet lips, never to exist again.
The night was as dense as ever, shrouding the entire palace like a mist.
The Empress Dowager draped herself in a thin gauze and let out a deep sigh, her face still bearing an expression of helpless resignation.
