The Princess And The Lord

Zhao Li Xin didn't wait for Huang Zi Feng's answer. He flicked his robes and ignored him. Huang Zi Feng was once again humiliated but Huang Ni Yang's admiration for Zhao Li Xin increased. She didn't know anyone who could make her brother speechless. Zhao Li Xin's power, temperament, and appearance had no match. Huang Ni Yang's obsession with him only grew.

Lory moved away from the entrance the moment the crazy Huang Zi Feng opened his mouth. She thought there was a loose screw in Huang Zi Feng's head for him to keep pestering Zhao Li Xin. If she had an opponent like Zhao Li Xin, she would have kept her distance and avoided talking to him. She would even treat him like air if they happened to be in the same room. She didn't understand why Huang Zi Feng acted like a rabid dog whenever he saw Zhao Li Xin. It also made her wonder if Huang Zi Feng was an 'M1'.

Lory examined the ruins to make sure they didn't overlook anything. Her eyes stopped on the cracked wall as she noticed there was something behind the wall. Lory leaned towards the wall to examine it further as curiosity took over. It looked like a picture but the front thick wall hindered her from seeing further. She looked around for something to break the wall but remembered she didn't need an ax or hammer as she had her personal 'human demolition'.

"Li Xin~" Lory called sweetly. Her friends used to run whenever she spoke with that tone as it meant she had a hard job for them.

Zhao Li Xin quickly joined her when he heard her familiar sweet voice, "What's wrong?"

"Can you break the first wall? I think there's something behind it," Lory pointed at the wall she wanted to destroy.

"Hm… Okay. Step back a little," Zhao Li Xin broke it with one hit. There was a carved painting behind the wall.

"It's a mural…" Lory gasped as she carefully touched it. Her curiosity peaked and she turned to Zhao Li Xin and asked, "Could you please break the whole wall? But be careful so as not to ruin the mural behind it!"

Zhao Li Xin was also curious about the painting. The sounds of breaking bricks surprised the rest. Jin Hao and Bei Li Yan stood behind Lory and finally saw the six-meter mural. The mural was beautiful and it looked life-like. They had never seen anything like it before.

Everyone else joined them to see what the commotion was about. They were shocked and overwhelmed by its size and beauty. They wondered who made the mural and why they thought to cover it with the thick wall.

"What is this?" Bei Li Yan was in awe. There were six different murals on the wall. Each painted carefully detailed.

"It's a story…" Lory murmured.

"This picture is about something that fell from the sky. I think like a star or meteor," Zhao Li Xin's eyes were on the first mural.

"A woman came to this man. Is the woman a deity? She looks weird," Bei Li Yan rubbed his chin.

Lory's hands trembled when she saw the image of the deity. She could never forget that hair and face. But she didn't understand why she was there or what was happening.

[Arthea] Girsha said sombrely. He had a bad feeling about the mission. Nothing good happened when that woman was involved.

"It is just an old picture. It's not important!" Huang Ni Yang scoffed. She didn't think Lory's discovery was great. Huang Ni Yang hated Lory because Zhao Li Xin pampered Lory so much. His cold face only mellowed when he looked at Lory. Huang Ni Yang wanted to rip Lory's face but she was scared of irking Zhao Li Xin. She tried to get their attention back to her as she hated being ignored, "We should not waste our time here!"

"Then go!" Bei Li Yan rolled his eyes.

The others hesitated at first but they slowly left one by one. Most were scared of entering the tomb on their own but the rumors about mountains of treasure pushed back their fears, not mentioning the fact that they could also discover the cure for the princess and be rewarded further.

Huang Ni Yang was reluctant to leave without Zhao Li Xin, but the man didn't care for her. He didn't even spare her a glance as his eyes followed Lory. She knew this because her eyes were trained on Zhao Li Xin.

"Yang'er!" Huang Zi Feng called his lovesick sister harshly.

"Leave! Don't wait for him...ever," Bei Li Yan's warned firmly. He had seen too many women like Huang Ni Yang. They would all lose their dignity, limbs, lives, or all three because of their obsession. The end was always the same. His lord was a cruel and merciless man and whatever heart he had was already given to Luo Ri Yi.

Huang Ni Yang pursed her lips and clenched her sleeve. She didn't appreciate Bei Li Yan's kind warning. She thought he wanted to stop her from getting close to Zhao Li Xin, yet she would never stop. Huang Ni Yang left in a harrumph and walked away while stomping her feet. Huang Zi Feng also left with a scowl followed by the tattered white-robed team.

"Someone is gonna end up dead," Bei Li Yan muttered to himself as he snickered.

Lory's heart raced as her eyes remained glued to Arthea's painting. Flashes of memories swarmed her. She remembered Djevelskrin…the snakes as they slithered over her body...Lazarus's vicious words...the mark on her body...and Lazarus as he hissed, 'SHE'S MINE!'

She remembered Girsha screaming frantically 'LORY!'

The black wings behind her back as they first emerged.

She remembered…Lucas's face as he screamed at her desperately while his hand tried to reach her 'NO, LORY!'

It was like she had been struck by lightning as her body became limp. Lory kneeled on the floor and covered her ears with her hands. She tightly shut her eyes and mumbled, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

She kept repeating the words like a broken record. Zhao Li Xin was at loss. He didn't know what was happening and he had never seen her that scared before.

He didn't know what to do to make her feel better. His subordinates were also confused as she seemed fine a minute before. Zhao Li Xin could hold her tightly, "Don't be afraid. I'm here."

Zhao Li Xin repeated the words in her ear until she calmed down. Lory fell asleep in his arms while she clenched his collar as if her life depended on it. Zhao Li Xin tried to remove her hand from his collar as he was afraid she would hurt herself but eventually gave up after a few tries.

He pulled her on his lap like a baby and embraced her. Jin Hao checked her wrist and assured Zhao Li Xin she was fine. However, Zhao Li Xin is still worried. Zhao Li Xin's face remained tensed while Girsha perched on Zhao Li Xin's shoulder for the first time.

"What happened to her?" Zhao Li Xin glanced at the bird on his shoulder and asked even when knew he wouldn't get an answer.

"Why does she keep worrying me?" Zhao Li Xin sighed.

[Welcome to my world...]

Mong Ki examined the mural for hours. A Mong Yi joined him and asked, "What are you looking at?"

Mong Ki's eyes remained on the mural like he was afraid he would miss something, "Miss Luo panicked the moment she saw this picture."

Bei Li Yan heard Mong Ki's words and also became curious. Zhao Li Xin and Jin Hao also heard him but stayed silent. 

"Something in this picture frightened her," Mong Ki eyed the wall painting. "You know… I have seen Miss Luo surprised, confused, worried, nervous, and sad. However, I have never seen her scared yet she has been through many scary situations like fighting the beasts…"

Mong Yi agreed with him, "Miss Luo is quite an enigma, isn't she? She at times acts like a lowly servant and can also be as graceful as a noble daughter. There are moments she as wise as a teacher, while others she is resilient as a hunter… Sometimes I wonder…where she comes from."

"It doesn't matter… She is our future madam," Mong Ki said with certainty.

Lory slept in Zhao Li Xin's arms. She would mutter she was sorry once in a while. Zhao Li Xin's heart ached every time she uttered those words and he was sadder as he didn't know who she was begging. He pulled her body closer to him to comfort her.

Lory's mind was swirling with thoughts. She kept apologizing to her father for not saving him. She was sorry for releasing Lazarus from his cage. She was sorry for making a deal with the demon. She was sorry for getting Girsha involved.

She apologized for being weak, for being unable to live without her brother. She was sorry for leaving Lucas and everyone behind. She was sorry for the lie and pain she had caused everyone. She was sorry for being selfish... She was truly sorry.

"I'm…sorry…" Lory muttered again.