"My Lady!" Qiuxi gasped, covering her mouth in terror.
Liang Wan merely glanced at her.
"You—"
Cao Danqing's heart seemed to stop for a moment. She stared blankly at Liang Wan in utter disbelief.
'Is she a madwoman?'
"Lady Liang, there's no need for this!"
Chancellor Cao cried out to stop her, but he was a step too late. Liang Wan fell backward, stiff as a board, into the lotus pond. SPLASH! The surface, which had just returned to calm, erupted in a spray of water once more. She sank without a sound.
Liang Wan held her breath. Water rushed in from all directions. Everything seemed to grow quiet, and she could only hear her own heartbeat.
Before she could sink to the bottom, someone leaped into the water. A long arm wrapped around her waist, hauling her toward the surface.
On the shore, Liang Wan's eyes were tightly shut, her face deathly pale. A pool of water spread out beneath her, and she lay limp and motionless.
