The Princess And The Lord-Chapter 20 - Changed
That was the first time Lory ever lied to Lucas. Being twins, she never had to hide anything from each other before as he would always understand what she did and vice versa. The twins were inseparable since childhood and they even had their own language. This was replicated in adulthood. They had different things going on in their lives, but their bond was still strong.
The expression Lucas made when she last saw him kept haunting her. The choice she made that day would never change the fact she hurt him deeply, and the guilt tortured her daily. ??
Zhao Li Xin tightened his hands around her waist. He didn't know what else he could do. Lory gradually calmed down after a while and let go of his collar. She pushed him gently away as she wiped her tears. It finally dawned on her what she had done and felt embarrassed. She never cried in front of anyone, except for her father and Lucas, and that was infrequent.
"Sorry, I have dirtied your robes. I will compensate.... oh no. I don't have money." Lory tried to wipe off the tear stains on her face and chuckled. She was being ridiculous. She could not even afford his handkerchief.
"No, this is nothing... It is fine." Zhao Li Xin smiled awkwardly. He couldn't understand her sudden change. A lot of women tended to look gloomy and depressed after crying. However, the woman in front of him was giggling and smiling like nothing happened. Her swollen eyes were the only indicators she had cried before.
"You are not sad anymore?" He asked anxiously.
"No. I'm fine" Lory nodded and smiled shyly, "Sorry… you must be surprised."
"Why were you sad?" He asked curiously.
"Well… I remembered something but I'm okay now. You don't need to worry about it…" She brushed it off. He didn't press since she was avoiding the subject. He was also scared his questions would only make her cry again. Never in million years did he ever think he would panic seeing a woman cry.
"You sure you are okay?" He lifted her chin to make sure she was not lying. He was genuinely worried about her. He didn't mean to flirt but Lory's heart almost jumped out of her chest as she blushed heavily.
"I… Yes, I'm sure!"
"Good…" He gave her dazzlingly smiled as he tucked her hair gently behind her ears.
'Thump' Lory felt like someone had kicked her heart. Her face became redder and she could feel the heat. She looked away from the deep dark eyes staring at her as her heart thumped like crazy.
"Come find me if you need anything. Better yet, you can quickly look for Mu Han, the housekeeper. He is one of my people. Don't hesitate to tell him if something is bothering you. I have already told him to take care of you."
Lory's eyes bulged; Zhao Li Xin was the reason her workload was decreased. Her heart rate increased as a strange feeling enveloped her. She suddenly felt shy and happy at the same time. Fargo and the others also liked to dot on her, but she never felt anything close to what she was feeling at that moment. It was weird.
"It's already late. You need to rest," Zhao Li Xin touched her nose with a dotting smile. Lory froze as her mind went blank. She could only nod her head obediently. Zhao Li Xin saw her red face and worried she could get a fever. He pulled out a dark blue crystal necklace out of nowhere, Lory would later find out it was from his spatial ring. He placed the necklace around her neck, "This will keep you warm when it's cold and cool when it's hot."
"It's shaped like bluebell flower," Lory said as she looked at the crystal's familiar shape. She was shocked. She and Zhao Li Xin were the only ones who knew of the flower's existence. It suddenly hit her, "Did you made this?"
Zhao Li Xin was an Armament Master although very few people, even those in Hei Shen Sect, knew about it. He was already reached the Emperor Level, yet he was below twenty-five years. If people knew about this, he would be called a peerless genius and would even call him 'Monster' if they learned he was also an Array Master at Spiritual Level. ƒ𝓇e𝙚𝔀𝐞𝚋𝓃𝐨𝘷e𝙡.𝒄𝗼m
He had the urge to make Lory something. Something that was not only beautiful but was also beneficial to her. He was not sure what to make at first as he didn't know what she liked or disliked. He was then reminded of meeting her in the forest among the blue flowers.
The flowers suited her as they were frail, beautiful yet mysterious. He then decided to create a necklace for comfort and protection. It would protect her from a Heavenly King Level assault, increase body healing and absorbed poisons from her body. He ended up creating a high-grade talisman that could be sold for a million gold taels. However, Lory only learned of this later. All she saw now was a 'cute' necklace.
"You like it…?" He asked nervously.
"I love it. Thank you," She said with a bright smile and he was elated. It was said it was hard to please a woman, but he found one who was easy to please. A 'simple' necklace made her happy. It made Zhao Li Xin want to see her smile more. It was from this gift, that his addiction was born. He kept creating more talismans shocking all his King's Palace.
Armament Master was someone who created weapons and talismans by manipulating the powers inside the raw material. A master can upgrade and enhance the power of certain armaments by using unique techniques and fusing certain materials.
The higher the level, the harder and complicated the technique would be but this also made the armaments much stronger and powerful. The Armament Zhao Li Xin created reflected his character. They were precise, powerful and brutal. A few people could control the weapons he created. However, for Lory, he managed to create a talisman that was unlike him.
"If you like it, I could make you more…" Zhao Li Xin said casually like it was not a big deal. He easily forgot how many people would cheat and killed to acquire an armament he made, no matter how dangerous his weapon would be. But Zhao Li Xin was an eccentric like any other genius. He only made weapons or talismans for people he liked and only if was in the mood to create one. It was considered a blessing for Zhao Li Xin to make one armament a year.
"Well, thank you..." Lory chuckled. She easily agreed as she thought he made simple jewelry that didn't cost much.
"You need to rest. I will tell Mu Han to let you sleep longer so you don't need to get up early tomorrow."
"Oh, thank you again…"
Zhao Li Xin nodded and stood up, "I'm leaving…"
"Goodnight, Li Xin" Lory casually said as she waved.
"Uhm... Goodnight, Ri Yi" He halted his pace and responded awkwardly. He then leaped up the wall and disappeared into the dark night.
Lory giggled as she watched him leave. He was so awkward but cute at the same time. She touched the blue crystal pendant on her neck with a melancholy look. 'Another necklace,' she thought. She lost the necklace Lucas gave her when she was sent to this world. It was sad because that necklace was the only thing that reminded her of her family and home. However, someone gifted her another necklace. Lory touched one last time before she hid it inside her collar. Maids were not allowed to wear jewelry. She couldn't afford to let anyone see it.
She got back to her room, lay down on the hard bed and reached out for the old thin blanket that belonged to a previous maid. The two other beds in the room were occupied. She shared her room with other young maids, but this was considered good as other maids had to share their room with five or six more people. Lory pulled the blanket to her chin. The necklace made her body warmer just like Zhao Li Xin promised and the jasmine incense made her more relaxed. She quickly fell asleep. It was the best sleep she had in years.
Unknown to her, Girsha was perched on the roof above her room. The bird watched her interaction with Zhao Li Xin from the beginning. He did not bother them because he didn't feel any malice from Zhao Li Xin. It was a good thing for Lory to make new friends plus this new friend didn't seem ordinary.
Since he wasn't human, Girsha didn't care about things like talent, appearance or background when he thought of friendship. All he cared about was for Lory to be treated well. The man didn't seem to want to harm Lory, so he didn't get involved. However, he also found human feelings to be too complicated for him.
Girsha knew Lory was suffering as she was haunted by her past. The saying 'People who had a lot were the ones who lost the most' suited her very much. He didn't know why she was sent to this world and he didn't think it was something good, but he still hoped she would find happiness no matter how hopeless the situation was. She deserved happiness more than anyone.
