by William Bill
Damien thought that Lily was gifted for achieving such high cultivation at the young age of sixteen. He wondered then how high would be the cultivation of this so-called one in a thousand years genius.
He knew that resources can play a huge part in one's cultivation and might even have been one of the reasons for Lily's current attainments in her cultivation. In general, the imperial family would obviously have access to the most precious resources in the empire.
But considering that even Rank 5 cultivation pills were not huge in number in the Rong Empire, Damien wondered if it's because the other empires could concoct the rare Rank 6 pills in plenty and probably even a legendary Rank 7 pill!
Damien had no knowledge about any Rank 6 pills since even the books from the imperial library didn't have many mentions of them.
Also, he basically had no idea of the things happening in other empires or any idea of the empires' power distribution.
"But you are titled as the 'Celestial Princess', right? Other than your angelic beauty, I am sure there must be other extraordinary qualities you possess that make you deserving of that title." Damien said in a sincere tone.
Lily actually hated the title bestowed upon her. Still, she felt happy that Damien meant well when he complimented her beauty as 'angelic'. She had received an innumerable number of compliments, mostly about her beauty, but she felt nothing when she heard those empty compliments from their sugary and malicious mouths.
And when she heard Damien say that she might have other unique qualities and not just the beauty she was blessed with, she truly felt that Damien was the only one who could see her for who she is instead of looking at her as if she was a valuable tool.
For the past few days, she thought that the day she rescued Damien from that slave market was the best thing she had ever done in her life. She was grateful to the heavens for letting her meet Damien again and being able to rescue him from such a terrible situation.
Right now, she truly needed a friend she could be herself with; without keeping up a fake smile plastered on her face.
Lily wryly smiled as she shook her head, "You praise me too much, Damien. My cultivation is just at the ninth level of the Spirit Ethereal Realm. While I may be considered a genius in my own empire, I am just ordinary when compared with the other empires' geniuses. You may not know, but compared to other empires, our Rong Empire is too weak. Our resources, manpower wouldn't even come close to other empires. Do you know that Maxim Lancaster or the Vanishing Sword Prince was at the eighth level of the Earth Ethereal Realm the last time I saw his swordplay."
Damien couldn't believe what he just heard as he just stared at Lily with disbelief written over his face.
'That dude is almost a whole realm higher than her? Is it that the Rong Empire is not as progressive as I thought?'
"Is our Rong Empire that weak compared to even the other two empires, like the Gale Empire and Xeton Empire?" Damien was thinking about how the Rong Empire managed to not get annexed by the other three empires
.
It's not like the other three empires would just sit back with a very weak nation bordering them. They would obviously annex and plunder the land for whatever benefits they can get out from its land and people. It is the cultivation world, after all, where peace is even a luxury.
He wondered if he was a frog in a well as he didn't expect there to be such a huge difference in power between the Rong Empire and the other empires.
Lily sighed and looked down as she was ashamed that her empire does not even deserve to be on equal standing with the other three empires, "Yes, as I said, our Rong Empire cannot be compared with the other three empires."
She then looked at Damien and seemed to guess what he was thinking, "I know, you must be wondering why we were not annexed or something even worse right? Actually, it is all because of our revered Ancestor. He is the only one holding down the fort. Without his presence, this empire would have long ceased to exist and would have been forgotten in the history books soon enough as only the victors have the right to change history to their whims."
"Ancestor? You mean someone from your ancestry?" Damien questioned curiously.
"Yes, he was the Emperor of our empire 400 years ago," Lily said as a hint of reverence flashed in her eyes.
"400 years??" Damien's eyes almost bulged out.
But then he thought that it was only natural since he knew that as one's cultivation realm increases, one's lifespan also increases, just like how Lily can live up to 150 years with her Spirit Ethereal Realm cultivation.
But since Damien had never come upon or heard of someone so old, he was shocked for a moment as he was basically someone coming from Earth where people could barely live for more than a century.
Damien, with his Initial Ethereal Realm cultivation, can live up to 110 years comfortably. And if he breakthroughs to the Nascent Ethereal Realm, then he can live up to 120 years.
But then he wondered if her Ancestor was alive at least 400 years ago, then wouldn't his cultivation be at least at the...
Lily smiled, "I know what you are thinking. Our Ancestor's cultivation is at least at the fabled Heaven Ethereal Realm!" She said as her eyes sparkled.
But a question popped up in Damien's mind, "Then what would be the cultivation of the Ancestors of the other empire?"
Since he now knew that the Rong Empire's standing and power is poor compared to other empires…then wouldn't the Ancestors or the powerhouses from the other empires be at least stronger than the Rong Empire's Ancestor?
Lily understood why he asked that question as she said, "I am not sure about that since we aren't qualified enough to know that. Although our empire, in general, might be weaker, why do you think I said our Ancestor is the main reason we are still safe? It's because our Ancestor was considered a prodigy during his young days. He brought up our empire to prosperity within these 400 years. No one in our empire at that time could have compared to his cultivation at that time. After all, it was rumored that he naturally had 18 Ethereal core points active! The chances of even being born with that talent are really minuscule. Talent mainly depends on genes and only by some other odd factors could one be born with higher talent than they should possess."
"Then how did the Rong Empire survive the time before your Ancestor came into the picture?"
Damien was astonished that the Ancestor had 18 Ethereal core points active naturally. In this continent, the chances of being born with such talent were even less than one in a million.
Lily heaved a wistful sigh as she said," Actually, our empire was prosperous and had equal standing with the other empires at least till a few centuries ago. Then a disaster struck our empire, destroying most of our precious lands and even killing our guardians. That's what history says anyway. But now our Ancestor is dying because of some injury which seems to shorten his lifespan."
Damien did not have much idea about the history of the empire he was in.
He only cared about knowing more about alchemy which is why he requested Lily to give him books related to alchemy and some other books explaining the social system in the Rong Empire.
'Wew, so such a thing happened in this very empire. But how did it not strike the other countries when the Rong Empire borders all the three empires?'
Damien wondered what kind of disaster it was to specifically strike only the Rong Empire.
"If the Ancestor is nearing the end of his lifespan, how will our empire survive in the future?"
Damien couldn't help but feel that the imperial family wouldn't just sit back and do nothing when they are in danger of getting annexed anytime soon, just as the Ancestor passes away.
Lily's expression became rigid just as Damien asked the question. Her eyes darted sideways as if she didn't want to answer his question.
Damien was surprised to see her expression and wondered if he asked something wrong.
'Why does it seem like she did not want to answer my question? Is it because she reveres the Ancesto
r too much that she got angry at me?'
Damien wondered if she didn't want to answer his question since he basically hinted that the Ancestor would pass away soon.
But he thought it was only natural to think like that, and even Lily should have understood that.
Chapter 42: You Know Me, Right?
But Lily quickly struggled up a smile as she said, "Don't worry about our empire's future. I will—I mean, the imperial family has some plans concerning that."
Damien noticed that something was wrong and asked with a concerned tone, "Hey, you can tell me if there's something troubling you. I can not only be your master, but I can also be your friend if you don't mind being friends with a cripple. I may not be able to help you now, but I can at least lend you a shoulder to pour out your heart."
Damien genuinely wanted to let Lily let out some stress and her worries, at least whenever she was around him. These past few days, he had gotten close to Lily, and the suspicions he had about her were almost nonexistent now.
In truth, he realized that he was too cautious with her since there was nothing dubious she would want to do with him.
He knew that she must have known him in the past in some way, seeing how she was treating him like an old friend as he felt that the care and sincerity Lily showed in helping him were genuine.
But he was still eager to find out how exactly Lily knew him. And for some reason, he felt that he shouldn't just turn a blind eye to whatever was going on with Lily just because it wasn't his business.
Lily looked into Damien's eyes as her eyes glistened.
'He still hasn't changed inside. He is still the same Damien I knew.' Beads of tears were slowly welling up as various memories flashed through her mind.
"Uwuuuuu…"
Lily was overcome with emotions as she finally broke down in tears.
Damien's words were like the finishing blow as all the pent-up worries and frustrations that were building up in her heart broke like a dam.
For the past few years, she has been living like a doll. Not having the freedom to follow her dreams or wishes, not having anyone to care or give her love...but faced with a fate where she has to sell herself in order to secure a future for her empire.
Damien quickly stepped forward, and with his left arm, he embraced her towards his chest and said, "It's alright. Let it all out. You don't have to put up a facade against me. You can talk to me...I will listen to everything you have to say. I may not be strong enough to help you with your problems now, but at least I can promise that you don't have to face them alone."
Lily was stunned and flustered when Damien suddenly embraced her. The first time she got embraced by him was during their first training session. But at that time, she shrugged off the incident as just his playful teasing.
She instinctively wanted to get out of his hold, but when she heard his soothing voice filled with concern and care, her heart told her to stay in his embrace.
'Why does his chest make me feel so comfortable and safe?'
Even though Lily believed that Damien was a cripple, she felt that being in his embrace made her feel as if she would be protected from any harm or danger.
If it was any other man who tried to hug her, she would have sliced off his hand. Lily might be inherently kind in nature, but she knew when to change her bearing depending on the person she was dealing with.
Over the years after she lost her father, she had grown accustomed to the double-faced people around her. She started realizing that people would be kind and nice to her only when they needed something from her.
When her father was alive, Olivia Rong was very kind and took good care of Lily just like her own mother. After Lily's mother died, it was Olivia Rong who took on the role of Lily's mother. And this was why Lily developed a sense of trust and affection towards Olivia Rong.
But she found out her step-mother, Olivia Rong's true colors, right after her father died. She was so heartbroken from the inside that she didn't know what to do or whom to turn to.
Fortunately, her father had entrusted the two protectors to look after her, because of which she wasn't left alone.
Lily was lost in her emotions for a few seconds till she realized how she seemed before Damien.
She got free from Damien's hold and stepped back, "Please forget what happened just now. I am not feeling well. I-I will leave now."
Lily avoided Damien's confused gaze as she abruptly turned around to leave.
But Damien instantly caught her wrist and said, "You know me, right? I know you have met me before you saw me at the slave market."
Lily's eyes widened as she suddenly froze on the spot. She quickly recovered and said as her voice quavered, "I-I don't know what you are talking about. I have to go now. There are things I must attend to."
But just as Lily was going to shrug off Damien's hand, he said, "Don't try to push me away. If you push me away now, you will be pushing me away forever. There is no point in trying to hide things from me. I already know that you have met me sometime before. So, please, stay. Don't run away from me."
Just as Lily heard him talk about pushing him away forever, turbulent emotions rose in her heart. Damien was the only one she could be herself with. If she pushed him away as well, then she wouldn't have anyone to pour her heart out and would be truly left alone.
The protectors were only there to guard her safety, but they couldn't provide the emotional support or care Lily needed.
Seeing that Lily was hesitating, Damien smiled and stepped forward as he hugged her from behind. Lily's heart quivered when Damien suddenly hugged her from behind. But she didn't shrug him off and was still frozen on the spot, not knowing what to do.
"Please, don't leave. I know you tried to do your best to hide your concern and care for me. But you have no idea how obvious you were in my eyes. When I first saw you at the slave market, I thought that you had some dubious plan in store for me. Only later I realized that things were not as I thought it was. You even gave me a Star Soothing Pill, which I obviously know is one of the most expensive and rare pills in this empire. There was no need for an imperial princess to give such a first-class pill to their servant or a slave they recently brought. The way you treated me was as if I was your friend and the way you put up with my conditions….it wasn't normal. Also, just recently, you even gave me a Rank 3 Pill just because I seemed a little tired."
Holding both of her shoulders, Damien turned Lily around, who had her head downturned in embarrassment and nervousness.
He chuckled, seeing her cute expression, and continued, "So, don't you think you should have tried a little harder if you wanted to hide things from me?"
Lily still had her gaze downwards, trying not to make eye contact with Damien. She was feeling very shy and embarrassed at being caught.
These past few moments were things she never expected to happen. She did not know how things escalated this quickly.
It all started with her talking about the Vanishing Sword Prince, and the topic somehow became all about her in the end.
She knew that she might have been too obvious around Damien at times. But no matter how hard she tried to conceal her worry and concern for Damien, it only became more obvious.
Whenever she was around Damien, she was unable to assume her usual imperial demeanor.
"Now, tell me...when did you meet me first? Why can't I remember meeting you?" Damien asked as he focused his gaze on Lily.
Lily tilted her head upwards and looked at Damien with moist eyes thinking about memories of days past, "Don't you remember a girl named Flora whom you met eight years ago?"
Damien scoured through his memories, and his eyes suddenly widened in surprise, "You...you are that snot-faced girl?"
Lily asked in a huff, "You remember me like that??"
Damien gave an awkward chuckle as he scratched his right cheek, "Come on, you were just a kid. But at that time, did you lie to me about your name?"
Lily instantly shook her head, "N
o...it wasn't a lie exactly. Because Flora was the name, my mother used to call me. And at that time, my mother had just died, so I wanted to remember her to not forget her. That is why I wanted you to call me Flora at that time. It's not because I wanted to give you a fake name."
Damien nodded, "I understand. I never expected that I had already met the imperial princess at such a young age. Now everything makes sense. Do you have any idea how long I racked my brains trying to find out how you knew me?"
Lily gave a cute pout as she said, "Hmph, it's your fault for not recognizing me. Even if I grew up, I am sure I don't look much different than when I was just a kid."
Damien chuckled, "Really? But the face I remember in my memories...."
Chapter 43: The Boy and The Girl (1/2)
A boy went near a girl and tapped on her shoulders.
"Hey, hey, do you want to eat this fruit? It's very tasty. My father told me that eating this fruit would make all our worries go away."
"Go away, don't disturb me. I don't want any stupid fruit nor do I want you to talk to me."
A seven year old boy with black sparkling eyes and a cute chubby face was trying to talk to a eight year old girl who was sitting on the riverbanks with a gloomy air around her.
The boy seemed so cute and innocent that if one saw him, they would feel like protecting him from getting corrupted by this world.
The boy had come for touring around the famous riverbanks of the Moonstone City with his father.
But as he was playing around enjoying the scenery, he saw a girl of his age sitting on the riverbanks crying to herself. Her eyes were red and strands of snot were hanging from her nose.
Because of his kind and helpful nature, once he saw someone in distress, he would have the feeling of wanting to help that person. He couldn't bear to see anybody in pain and was someone who wanted the whole world to be happy.
So he took out a fruit his father had given him, it was quite an expensive fruit for his family to afford. But he didn't think twice about giving away the fruit to the girl to cheer her up.