The Princess And The Lord

Not long after dozens of giant centipedes crawled on the ground exposing their tiny razor-sharp teeth with a slimy liquid between their teeth, the centipedes moved in sync as they circled around them.

"Good news, it's an ordinary Beast" Ming Yue Yin suddenly said.

"And the bad news is...?" Lory tilted her head.

Ming Yue Yin summoned another sword now she held two swords in her hands then she smirked at Lory "These creatures can give have hundreds of eggs in one year so I'm sure there will be more of these creatures to come..." explained Ming Yue Yin.

Lory clicks her tongue in annoyance "Tsk, I hate bugs!"

"Who doesn't?" Ming Yue Yin's mouth twitched in disgust while staring at the saliva dripping from the centipede's mouth, she rather fights with giant fish.

Lory unleashed her wind arrows while making ice spikes burst from the ground killing five centipedes in a second while Ming Yue Yin shot off at high speed then swung her two swords gracefully as if she was dancing in the air and in one quick movement she instantly cut off two centipedes' heads in one go.

Meanwhile, Tao Bing Wen seemed to hesitate for a few seconds but then gritted his teeth and joined the fight even though he couldn't kill as fast as Lory and Ming Yue Yin but he was able to dodge the attacks of the centipedes and even injured several of them.

Yang Xi Ying stayed behind within the Lory barrier together with Girsha, she felt a little sorry she couldn't join the fight with her friends but she knew as a woman her first priority was to keep her unborn child safe first.

"You don't have to worry, they are more than capable of handling these small fries," Girsha said confidently.

Yang Xi Ying's face immediately beamed with joy she was happy that Girsha personally comforted her because usually Girsha rarely wanted to communicate with other humans other than Lory or perhaps  Zhao Li Xin as an exception since he was Lory's husband but with other people, Girsha would only communicate when it really-really necessary therefore Yang Xi Ying felt very flattered.

"Lory is very strong…" Yang Xi Ying muttered.

Girsha has watched Lory's movement his gaze soften "She had been trained….very hard"

"I heard it, it must not be easy... what was Lory like when she was a child?" Yang Xi Ying rarely heard about Lory's childhood, however, Lory sometimes talked about how beautiful her kingdom was, how kind the people were, or sometimes about her friends and family, but spoke little about her childhood but knew enough that she had quite a busy life.

Girsha didn't mind sharing because Lory had very few people to call friends as not many people dared to be friends with Lucient's descendants, In fact, Ming Yue Yin and Yang Xi Ying were the only real female friends of the same age that Lory had ever had in both worlds.

"There's not much to tell, as long as I've known her the girl always has a busy life, she's always immersed in thick books and private lessons, and when she's a bit older she starts to be trained to fight like an elite soldier besides that she also has to fulfill her official duties as a royal family that eventually took her to many other parts of the world to meet world leaders which mean she had to be careful with her words and manner, and the older she got the more duties she had...but she never complains cause she saw her brother even busier than her"

Girsha took a deep breath while reminiscing about the past, at first, he thought all humans grew up like Lory because both Lucas and Lory did it naturally without complaining too much so imagine how surprised he was to find out most human children don't spend a tenth of what Lory and Lucas did.

"Ironically, the first time I saw Lory most relaxed was when she was a maid in Prime Minister Lao's house and also in the first few months when she lived with Zhao Li Xin, unfortunately, it didn't last long...well, that's to be expected" Girsha muttered under his breath, the bitterness in Girsha's voice was evident.

Yang Xi Ying felt pain in her heart, she didn't know what to say, then she turned her gaze back to Lory. It was difficult for Yang Xi Ying to know what Lory had gone through or else she would pretend to understand it.

Yang Xi Ying suddenly remembers one of their idle conversations.

"Lory when this is all over what are you going to do?"

"I don't know...I haven't thought about it"

"Come on, there must be something you really want to do, come on tell me at least one!"

"Uhm, I guess there's one thing I want to do..."

"Oh, yeah what's that?"

"Let's see…I want to find a wide field somewhere, then I will lie down while listening to the sound of grass and the cool breeze brushing my face by then I will fall asleep but I hope when that happened I will not be bothered with any kind of dream...I hope there will be only peaceful silence"

___________________________________

Pain… has always been my faithful companion, it's been a part of me since I can remember.

There are times I wonder why this is happening to me, what bad actions have I done in my life that caused me to deserve this? I don't understand why the people who are supposed to be my mother held so much resentment towards me, why my brother looks down on me even though we have the same parents and why the people who are supposed to serve me laugh, mocked and hurt me why everyone else just watches without doing anything like I'm just some kinda entertainment to relieve their boredom?

'Why'

That question lingers in my head for a while but not for too long.

Years after I started to stop asking why when I grew up seeing the women in this place even though they looked as beautiful as jade and flowers they conspired with each other, they fought for the attention of the emperor, and for that, they would not hesitate to betray and kill each other even if they have to abort their own child just to enjoy momentary attention from the emperor.

That's why I thought what my mother was doing was the least normal thing for this place.

"Have a drink, you look thirsty" she looks at the boy across from her with a face full of disdain mixed with disgust.

The maid-servant comes with a tray and then slowly places a cup of sweet that was too sweet for his taste, he looks down at the muddy color tea, he then lifts his gaze toward his mother.

"What's wrong?" she was frowning with dissatisfaction "Are you going to waste my kindness now?" her cold words didn't give me leeway.

"I don't dare..." I answered simply.

My hands feel cold I feel the temperature around me drop to freezing cold but my heart beats like a horse galloping hundreds of miles per hour, I look into my mother's eyes again to see a sign of guilt or at least hesitating but no, all I can see is impatient…why?

Slowly I reached for the teacup on the table. I held my breath as I put the tip of the teacup to my lips and then in one gulp I drank the whole hot tea…it was sickeningly sweet.

My mother's eyes were cold and distant before long she retracted her gaze from him then waved her hand with a bored expression saying: "Leave now, I want to rest"

I stood up then clenched my fists while bowing politely "Have a good rest, Royal consort mother"

My mother leaves without glancing at me, she gracefully sashays into the room followed by three maids no less arrogant than their master, I kept my head low untill I can't hear their footsteps.

I could hear mocking laughter and sighs of pity, but I didn't have time to pay attention to them as I started to feel a chill start to creep from my fingertips.

With great difficulty, I made my way to my living quarters, I could barely help myself leaning against the front gate of my courtyard, luckily my place was so small that my maid immediately noticed my presence.

My new maids are two skinny and malnourished children not much older than me, these two brothers are very unlucky to have me as their master maybe they won't live much longer than me in this cruel place, well they can only blame their bad luck.

"Your Highness!" the boy named Mong Ki dropped his water can and then ran frantically towards me, the stupid boy is still trying to take care of this abandoned garden even though I told you not to waste time since nothing will live long in this place just like me but the kid is very stubborn despite his quiet demeanor.

"Mong Yi, Mong Yi come here quickly, His higness is hurt!" he shouted frantically, I don't know why he's still panicking this isn't the first time I've been in this condition.

'So noisy'

Not long after another boy came rushing "Your Majesty" he looked at me in horror and then rushed towards me "Your Majesty why is your illness relapsing faster than before!" his voice is rising due to stress.

I sneer inwardly 'We should thank my dear mother for that'

"Don't waste more time, quickly help me bring your highness inside!" he put my arm around his neck and my other servant did the same and they dragged me into the room.

Well, they dragged me indeed, what else can they do, it's impossible for these two skinny boys to lift me even though I only left with skin and bones but so they are.

then my rude young maid kicked my bedroom door to enter but what crossed my mind was 'I hope the rickety door doesn't break or we won't have a door next winter'

They were finally able to put me on the bed though this old hard mattress could possibly call a bed however, beggars cannot choose, right? soon after my body touch the mattress my consciousness dissipated everything turns dark only the excruciating pain that remain...Dammi*!

"We should…we should call someone!" Mong Yi's voice trembles.

"<strong>WHO?!"</strong> Mong Ki gritted his teeth as he held back his anger "No one will come…the only way we can invite the royal physician is if we bribe him but..we don't have any money but even if we have the money...." his voice choked with anger and despair.

"But, we should do something! ANYTHING!" Mong Yi screams desperately while holding his master's cold hand.

Moong Ki stared at his master's thin and pale body without realizing he clenched his fists so tightly that his nails pierced his skin until they bled and the painful memories returned.

Did he have to watch his other closest people die in front of him again without being able to do anything about it? Why is this happening again? he hated being a child, he hated being weak, he hated living at the mercy of others, and in the end, no one he hated more than his useless self!

Seeing that his master's body didn't move, a frightened MongYi got a bad feeling then he quickly presses his ear against his master's chest soon after his eyes tremble "Big Brother…I can't hear His Majesty's heartbeat, what…what should we do? What should we do?"

Mong Ki's face turned white as a sheet then he fell to his knees "No..." he shook his head while muttering helplessly.

Mong Yi shook his master's body frantically, "Your highness please wake up! please don't die! PLEASE...not again...sister..." he mumbled the last words softly.

the room turn quiet then all of a sudden a palm hold Mong Yi's face then pushed his face away followed by a weak voice "No..noisy"

Mong Ki and Mong Yi were dumbfounded they reflexively turned their gaze to their master even though their master's face was still white as flour and he still looked feeble like glass but he clearly woke up, instantly Mong Ki and Mong Yi's faces lit up.

"Your Higness!"

Their ecstatic face makes me sigh, these two boys barely eat like me but why are they so energetic it seems they are stronger than I thought.

"I won't die...."I said.

"Of course not!" Mong Yi wipes the tears from his face and then nods stupidly like a woodpecker, meanwhile, his brother looks at me with a faint smile.

"And stop calling me your higness" I could feel a searing rage within me "The people that poisoned me called me the same....it's a mockery for my weakness....don't call me that ever again!" my raging emotions make my breath ragged but I was determined, I don't care how foolish it might sounds.

Mong Yi and Mong Yi exchanged confused looks, with tacit understanding they cupped their fists and bowed their heads deeply "As you wish… My lord"

Zhao Li Xin jolted awake and looked around then realized that she was surrounded by glowing green moss, she finally remembered when she was looking for Lory she stumbled on a place covered in strange moss, and not long after her head became light.

Zhao Li Xin stared at the strange moss, it seemed that the moss contained something that made people delusional, whatever was contained in that moss must be powerful poisoned so that it could affect it. His high cultivation level worked automatically activating his immortal flame to neutralize the poison in him.