The Princess And The Lord

Lory was seated in front of the white tree with purple leaves once again. The wind blew gently and the leaves made a soft rustling sound. The sound made her feel peaceful. There was something familiar about the tree. It made her feel like she was reuniting with an old friend, someone she hasn't seen in a long time. Her heart ached and was also filled with longing. Tears formed in her eyes and gently fell on her cheeks.

[Lory…]

She woke up with a start and found she was in her new bed. It seemed she was dreaming once more. She touched her cheeks and she felt the wetness on her fingers. It seemed she was crying.

[Bad dream?] Girsha thought she was dreaming about Harland again.

Lory shook her head [No… I dreamt of a tree…]

Girsha was stupefied [You cried because of a tree?]

[I guess so…] She wasn't sure either.

Lory got out of bed and pushed the weird dream at the back of her head. She remembered she was to stroll around the city with Zhao Li Xin. She couldn't wait to see the Jing An city's canals. She once visited Velliora Kingdom in the past and like Jing An, the Velliora Kingdom was known for having thousands of canals. She was curious to see if Jing An city could match Velliora's beauty. She was too excited to wait. She took a quick bath, dressed quickly, and left to find him. Zhao Li Xin's room was next to her room once again. This was already normal for her and she didn't think it was weird anymore.

She knocked on Zhao Li Xin door out of courtesy and entered his room. There weren't many restrictions for Lory since she started living with Zhao Li Xin and no one dared to reprimand her for anything. Being with Zhao Li Xin was different from living in Lao Manor. Everything was relaxed and she always wondered why everyone seemed scared of meeting Zhao Li Xin. He was quite a docile and easy-going person in Lory's opinion.

If only the Hei Shen Sect members could hear her thoughts. They would never think of putting the words 'docile' and 'easy-going' in the same sentences with their lord's name.

Zhao Li Xin was meditating on the bed in the lotus' position when she entered the room. She didn't want to bother him so she sat on the couch quietly. She heard meditating was the same as learning to control mana. It was wrong for someone to disturb a person when they were meditating. 

Zhao Li Xin opened his eyes slowly after a few minutes had passed. He saw her leisurely laying on the couch while reading a book. She lifted her head when she noticed his gaze.

"Are you done?" Lory placed the book back on the shelf next to her.

"Hm," Zhao Li Xin nodded. "Have you had your breakfast yet?"

"Nope, I want to eat outside," She said eagerly.

Zhao Li Xin thought it was a good idea to, "Sure."

The unofficial couple's normal conversation shocked the servants inside Xinjiang Manor in Jing An city. They never knew their lord was capable of normal conversation. Only those who traveled with them from Ninjing manor were unbothered as they were used to their lord's behavior around Miss Luo.

Mong Ki and Mong Yi had warned everyone at Xinjing Manor to not disrespect Miss Luo as they couldn't bear the consequences. They didn't first understand what was special about the weak girl but quickly changed their mind when they saw how well Zhao Li Xin treated her. It was then that they realized she was the Hei Shen Sect's future madam.

Jing An city was more vibrant than the Jiang Wei Kingdom. The people even dressed in more colorful and brighter robes than the people in Jiang Wei. The women were also less conservative than Jian Wei's women. Their dresses didn't have too many layers and they could show more skin like their collarbones. Their fabrics were also thinner giving one's body a better silhouette.

Zhao Li Xin took her to a small but luxurious tea house near the lake called Xiao Gezi. The waiter saw Zhao Li Xin enter with Lory and quickly guessed the person wasn't simple, even though he wore a white half mask.

"Honorable guests, welcome!" The waiter bowed courteously.

Lory smiled at the waiter out of habit. The waiter couldn't help but blush slightly while Zhao Li Xin frowned. Lory didn't notice this as she asked politely, "Do you have a table on the second floor?"

Lory with Luo Ri Yi's appearance wasn't the most beautiful woman he had ever seen but her soft-spoken and gentle but mysterious aura attracted those around her. It was her nature.

The waiter was a bit flustered, "Yes, Young Miss. Would you like the VIP room instead?"

Lory glanced at Zhao Li Xin but he didn't comment. She wanted to feel the ambiance of the tea house and Jing An city. She thought she would miss this if she was secluded inside the VIP room. Lory shook her head, "No. A normal table is fine."

The waiter led them to the second floor. People would stare at Zhao Li Xin and chattered to guess his identity as they walked past. No one could tell who he was but they could all conclude the same thing. The man wasn't someone they could trifle with.

Zhao Li Xin carefully helped Lory climb the stairs. His attentive behavior contradicted his cold and domineering aura. People guessed she was his betrothed or something. The ladies watched Lory with envy and jealousy. It was rare to find a man in this world who would treat their woman like that.

Lory chose the table with a view of the lake. The view was beautiful. There were small boats and women playing near the lake. There was also a small floating pavilion on the side of the lake.

"Honorable guests, what would you like to order?"

"You have anything special?" Lory asked.

"Our peach blossom flower tea is the best in the area, and I would say the same for our sweet and spicy dumplings," The waiter said proudly.

"Okay, I'll order the…peach blossom tea and the dumplings," Lory said. 

"Yes, Young Miss" The waiter bowed and left. He quickly returned with an exquisite teapot. It was like he knew Zhao Li Xin's noble identity. It wasn't hard for the waiter to guess his importance as the people who worked in such places were trained to recognize high profile people. They couldn't afford to have a worker who would accidentally offend influential guests.

Zhao Li Xin robes weren't as gaudy as those of other nobles but his robes' fabric was expensive. Many couldn't afford it even if they tried to work for life a lifetime. The man could hide his face but he couldn't hide his domineering aura. His aura alone could overwhelm the room and suffocate the normal waiter. This was also the reason they waiter and storekeeper chose to talk to Lory instead.

The waiter left immediately after serving the tea. Lory didn't realize the fear Zhao Li Xin caused, while Zhao Li Xin... He didn't care at all. Lory was sipping her tea when she heard the ladies yelp excitedly, "Look! That's the Jiang Wei Kingdom's Crown Prince!"

Lory looked down and saw a man with luxurious royal blue robes with a dragon embroidery on his chest, to emphasize his noble status. He was surrounded by his servants and martial arts expert. He attracted a lot of loving gazes from the ladies.

"Why is he here?" Lory frowned. She hated pompous men.

"For Liangzu's princess, I presume," Zhao Li Xin gently placed the teacup on the table and said with a bored tone. 

He had received a report on Jiang Wei Kingdom's situation. Although he stopped pressuring Jiang Wei kingdom's economy, the damage was severe and they couldn't recover it immediately. The biggest problem with Jiang Wei was the deep-rooted corruption that was present in every sector. Zhao Li Xin's actions only accelerated an inevitable situation.

The Emperor didn't dare terminate the corrupted officials because of the power they had gained through the years. Having an unstable economy also meant the Emperor needed all the support he could get to strengthen his hold before anyone had the idea of overthrowing his position or worst, end his dynasty.

After Zhao Li Xin's incident, many people started to question the Emperor's judgment as many expressed their dissatisfaction with his decision. The Emperor would have killed anyone who dared to question him on a normal day, but the Kingdom's dire situation made him more cautious.

The Emperor thought he needed the support of other Kingdoms as this could alleviate the economic situation and strengthen his kingdom. When the Emperor heard about the situation in Liangzu Kingdom, he thought it would be a good idea for the Crown Prince to marry Liangzu's Kingdom's princess. All they needed to do was to find a cure for the princess's illness. Crown Prince Zhao Mu Fan didn't need to ask for a title or fiefdom as he already had these. What he could do instead was to ask for the Liangzu's princess hand in marriage.

The situation came back to the present when something made Zhao Mu Fan look to look up the second floor as he walked past. He was stunned by the pair of cold black eyes staring back at him. Although the man wore a mask, the Crown Prince knew who he was. It was his sixth brother, Zhao Li Xin.