Mu Nanyan naturally had no desire to deal with this insolent maid. A personal maid, huh? It wasn’t as if she didn’t know what the Demon Emperor was like.

Gan Mei had definitely been assigned to her side to keep an eye on her.

But it didn’t matter. Mu Nanyan wasn’t afraid of being watched. For now, she had no plans she needed to carry out in secret.

Thinking about it, the fact that she couldn’t leave the Cold Palace meant she was still completely under the Demon Emperor’s control.

What could she even do? At most, she could drag a chair into the courtyard and watch the little birds that occasionally landed, or count the clouds in the sky.

And…

Mu Nanyan slowly pulled out the unfinished sheet of paper she’d hidden in her sleeve.

It bore a strange pattern, only half-finished. Anyone who knew what they were looking at would recognize its significance at a glance.

It was a Dragon Seal, drawn from Mu Nanyan’s memories. This was an extremely advanced thing, said to be capable of summoning the lost Dragon Clan.

Dragons were incredibly powerful creatures, but for some reason, they had long since vanished from this continent.

Yet the tales of the Dragon Clan’s power hadn’t disappeared with them. If anything, the stories had grown more and more outlandish. Claims that a single dragon could destroy an entire country were common across the continent.

That was why people were so wary of the Dragon Clan. Every country and race was searching for a way to summon them—and win them over.

If Mu Nanyan managed to complete this Dragon Seal, it could pose a serious threat and send shockwaves across the continent.

It was something she could use to save her life in a pinch.

“In that case, I might as well finish drawing this. And shouldn’t I learn some magic to defend myself, too?”

Mu Nanyan lightly pinched the quill between her slender fingers. The moment she brought up learning magic, a gloom she couldn’t quite hide settled over her face.

Learning magic… That would be incredibly difficult for Mu Nanyan, who came from a commoner’s family.

You had to start learning magic early, from childhood. For Mu Nanyan now, it was a little too late.

After all, she was now… Though she hated to admit it, a stepmother to several children.

At her age, saying she wanted to learn magic was like an old man saying he wanted to learn English. Either it’d make her a laughingstock, or it was some kind of industry jargon.

Just as Mu Nanyan turned her attention to drawing the Dragon Seal, someone knocked on the gate of the little courtyard.

A young girl with adorable buns stood there, carrying a huge box that looked completely out of place against her petite frame. She bowed deeply to Gan Mei.

“Miss Gan Mei, it’s been a while. Is Her Majesty the Empress here?”

“Isn’t this Lan Yu? Her Majesty is resting in her room. May I ask what brings you here?”

“Well, my teacher asked me to confirm the prescription with Her Majesty. We’ve tried to reproduce it many times, but we still haven’t been able to recreate the medicine’s effects.”

The young girl named Lan Yu politely explained to Gan Mei why she’d come.

After the Demon Clan’s imperial physician took Mu Nanyan’s prescription away, the physician—who had spent the day treating the Demon Emperor—started trying to reproduce it almost without taking a break.

They followed the prescription’s instructions and tried again and again, filling nearly half the palace with a bitter smell, but never once succeeded.

So the physician sent their apprentice, Lan Yu—the girl who had assisted them before.

They figured that since Lan Yu was a girl, it would be more convenient for her to visit the Empress.

“I see. Come on in, then. I’ll go let Her Majesty know you’re here.”

“I heard you already.”

At some point, Mu Nanyan had appeared in the courtyard. The moment she saw the cute, well-mannered girl before her, she took an instant liking to her.

This girl had much better manners than that girl Liya.

“Your Majesty, I hope I haven’t disturbed you by dropping by so suddenly.”

Lan Yu hurriedly bent down and bowed deeply to Mu Nanyan. She looked a little nervous.

She stole a glance at Mu Nanyan and couldn’t help murmuring, “She really is beautiful.”

“Hmm?”

“N-Nothing… Your Majesty! Your medicine is truly amazing. After the Demon Emperor took it, he recovered quite a bit, and he even…”

Lan Yu pressed her small lips together, hesitating. But after thinking it over, she decided to say it after all.