Qiao Mei frowned. "But you all saw it too. I successfully awakened in the video. It was Qiao Yingying who tampered with it. Your opinions don't count. I want to see your boss!"

After exchanging a glance, the two staff members, considering that the matter involved the royal family, ultimately contacted their superior as Qiao Mei had instructed.

During this time, Qiao Mei did not give up asking the female lead, Qiao Yingying, what tricks she had played, but she kept her mouth shut and refused to speak, insisting that the matter had nothing to do with her and that the recording was fake.

This brought everything back to a standstill. Qiao Mei could only frown and open her personal terminal to tell the original owner's mother, Xu Hui, about the matter.

As a concubine of the royal family, Xu Hui still has some connections, and she might be able to help.

Soon, a message came from the higher-ups of the Sacred Beast Hall, asking Qiao Mei and the others to go to the office on the fifth floor of the Sacred Beast Hall, saying that they had found a more professional appraiser.

Qiao Mei and her group then moved to another location and took out the Family Stone again.

The appraiser took it and used a detector made of special star stone to probe it. The result was obvious: there was no movement inside at all.

"The test is over. There is indeed no familiar power inside. However, the evidence you presented shows that the Seventh Princess had successfully awakened. You are a princess of the royal family. It would be difficult to explain to the royal family if we simply ignored this. Otherwise, how about we make an exception and give you another chance to retest?"

As the steward of the Sacred Beast Hall spoke, he opened his personal computer, checked Qiao Mei's information, and changed her status from having participated in the Awakening to not having participated.

"There will be one last chance to awaken tomorrow. If you fail to awaken again by then, Seventh Princess, you will have to accept reality."

Qiao Mei looked at the familiar stone in her hand and felt that the problem was with the familiar stone, so she asked the steward if she could get a different familiar stone.

The steward paused for a moment, then shook his head regretfully: "No, the Awakening Ceremony distributes a limited number of Familiar Stones every year, and each person only gets one. You can only use it to retest."

After hearing what the steward said, Qiao Yingying quickly relaxed. She looked at the girl standing in the sunlight, her waist-length curly hair and beautiful face edged with gold, like a delicate red rose. The look of jealousy in her eyes rose and fell.

Qiao Mei didn't notice Qiao Yingying's gaze. After repeatedly confirming with the steward that the family stone could not be changed, she continued to ask Qiao Yingying.

But the result was the same as before; she stubbornly refused to admit it.

She had ample evidence of the maid framing her, but only partial evidence of Qiao Yingying's involvement. There was no way to directly call the police and have the army arrest her, so she could only let Qiao Yingying leave for the time being.

"Are you just going to let her go like that? What if there's still a problem with your Familiar Stone?" Shu Qingqing looked at Qiao Yingying's departing figure with a worried expression.

Qiao Mei shook her head: "I don't know either, but she just won't say anything, and I can't keep wasting time on this."

After saying that, seeing that it was almost noon, Qiao Mei told Shu Qingqing to meet up with her family first.

"If there's anything else I can help you with during this time, I'll contact you again."

After saying goodbye to Shu Qingqing, Qiao Mei returned to her rented hotel room with her maid Yu Tong, waiting for Xu Hui to arrive.

Yu Tong didn't expect Qiao Mei to remain silent. When Qiao Mei asked her to pour a cup of tea, she finally couldn't help but ask her, "Don't you want to ask her why you betrayed me?"

Qiao Mei inherited the original owner's memories and knew what the recording in Yu Tong's computer bracelet about withholding living expenses was all about. Under Yu Tong's puzzled gaze, she took out several bags of interstellar coins from the computer bracelet and threw them in front of her.

"These are all the money I've withheld from your pay over the years. They're all here; you can count them."

Yu Tong was stunned: "But didn't you use this money to buy Xu Heyu merchandise?"

Qiao Mei glanced at her: "If I don't say that, I have no other excuse to deduct your money."

"An excuse? You mean, you did it on purpose?"

"Yes, I know about your family situation. Your father is a gambler and your brother likes to visit prostitutes. Every time you get your salary, you don't even have a third of it left. So I thought I'd save it for you first, so that you won't be penniless when you leave the palace."

Yu Tong looked at the bags of money in front of her, and after tearing them open, she found that they were indeed full of interstellar coins. Her eyes reddened, and she was filled with regret.

"I'm sorry, Seventh Princess, I thought you were deliberately withholding money..."

Qiao Mei didn't look at her again: "No need to apologize. I will keep my promise and help you avoid the punishment you deserve, but I will never use you again."

Leaving someone who almost killed her by her side was tantamount to planting a time bomb, and Yu Tong certainly understood this.

She wiped away her tears, didn't take the money, but instead revealed a very important piece of information to Qiao Mei.

"Actually, before the Eighth Princess received your Familia Stone this morning, I saw her holding a gray stone that looked like it had been burned. I suspect that the missing Familia power in your Familia Stone might be related to this."

Seeing that her gentle approach was effective, Qiao Mei blinked her red eyes and then activated her personal brain bracelet, instructing Yu Tong to draw the things from her memory.

After Yu Tong finished drawing, Xu Hui sent a message via her personal terminal, saying that she had arrived and asking which room Qiao Mei was in.

“Take this money and leave. If my mother finds out what you’ve done, she won’t let you get away with it.”

Yu Tong had experienced firsthand Xu Hui's protectiveness towards her daughter. Grateful, she glanced at Qiao Mei but didn't take the money bags, leaving empty-handed instead.

Qiao Mei was happy to agree, since the money wasn't what she claimed—it wasn't money the original owner of the body had saved for Yu Tong.

Not long after, Xu Hui rushed over. Before she even arrived, a soft but anxious female voice came through the door.

"Take out the family stone, and Mom will help you see what's going on!"

As soon as the voice faded, a middle-aged woman who was almost an enlarged version of Qiao Mei, but even more charming, arrived at the location, her jewel-red eyes, just like Qiao Mei's, filled with anxiety.

This person was the original owner's mother, Xu Hui, a concubine of the crown prince.

Qiao Mei handed the family stone to Xu Hui, and then retrieved the stone pattern that Yu Tong had just drawn from the computer and projected it into the air.

"Look, do you recognize this?"

Xu Hui glanced up, her face instantly darkening, and asked:

Where did you see this thing?