by William Bill
Damien's heart slightly stirred hearing her words. She basically was telling him that he can take any herbs he wants including even the most rare Sky Grade herbs!
In this continent, Sky Grade herbs were the peak. Only using them can one concoct a Rank 5 or the exceptional Rank 6 pills. Which was why, even if it was the imperial family, they would have to pay a fortune to buy an exceptional Sky Grade herb.
Despite being the imperial princess, she only had less than a handful of these Sky Grade herbs. He knew it couldn't be easily replaced or bought as Lily said.
Damien stared intently at Lily. She knew that what she just said might be unbelievable to other people because no one in their right minds would give away a Sky Grade herb! They were a treasure in their own right.
"I am not joking. You can really take them." Lily asserted thinking that Damien found it hard to believe her.
But Damien didn't respond and still looked at her with a deep gaze. Lily got a little flustered seeing his starry eyes looking at her. She avoided his eyes shyly and said, "D-Don't look at me like that. Just say something."
"I don't want any Sky Grade herbs or anything. Forget about those things and tell me what's troubling you. I know you are a strong willed girl who won't cry easily." Damien said in a concerned tone.
Chapter 46: I Promise You
The reason Lily didn't reveal herself to Damien before was exactly because she was worried that Damien would meddle himself in her troubles.
She still thought that Damien was a very kind person who would help anyone in need. So, if she revealed that she was his childhood friend, then more the reason he would have to help her.
She didn't want anything bad to happen to Damien or to put him in danger's way. Especially when Damien didn't even have the power to protect himself.
"Please, Damien. You don't have to listen to my problems. They wouldn't do you any good. I can take care of them myself." Lily said giving a tight-lipped smile.
But Damien said in a defiant tone, "No, if you can really take care of them yourself, why did you cry? You either tell me now or I will go around asking people in the palace. Which one do you want me to do?"
Lily got shocked hearing his words and looked at him, "NO! You definitely cannot go around asking people about me." She heaved a sigh of resignation and said, "Fine. You really leave me no choice. But you must promise me that you wouldn't do anything to poke into my matters or do anything that would put you in trouble."
Damien didn't mean what he said but he knew there was no other way to make Lily talk about her troubles.
He smiled and said, "Don't worry. I wouldn't put myself in danger like you imagine. I am just a cripple. I can't even get in trouble even if I wanted to."
Lily was silent, looking at his eyes to see if he meant every word he said and finally she spoke, "As you said, the future of our empire is at stake. We don't know long the Ancestor can hold on. Which is why it's up to me to make sure that the future of our empire is secured."
Damien narrowed his eyes, "What do you mean by that?"
Lily pressed her lips and said, "In two years, I have to marry a genius from any of the three empires from a tournament. Only that way, would the future of our empire be guaranteed." When she said the last sentence, her voice quivered.
"What? What kind of bullshit is that? How can they put you up like a trophy to be married away? Why do you have to marry a stranger to protect your own empire?" Damien asked in a disgruntled tone.
'Are those so-called geniuses all horny dogs to let go of an whole empire for a girl?' Damien wondered whether this is how the cultivation world worked or if it was because Lily was too beautiful for them to even have self control.
Lily was worried seeing Damien's expression. She was not worried for herself but for Damien thinking whether he would put himself in trouble trying to help her. This was exactly what she did not want to happen.
"It's because they are interested in wanting me to be their wife. Our empire has nothing of value anyway. So, it's not surprising if they are willing to give up annexing the whole empire to marry me." Lily said in a low voice.
"But that still doesn't make sense at all. They could have just pressured you to marry one of them after waiting for your Ancestor to die. Why would they want to rush it? It's not like they are too impatient, are they? Especially when cultivators can even live longer than a mere mortal."
Damien felt it suspicious why three humongous empires would try to speed things up when they could literally just play it safe and wait for the Ancestor of the Rong Empire to die.
"You are hiding something from me, aren't you?" Damien asked as he focused his gaze on her.
Lily forced her lips into a firm line and sighed, "I have the Tri-Elemental Mystic Constitution."
"What...what kind of constitution is that?" Damien felt that whatever it was, the three empires were highly interested in her because of her constitution and not only because of her beauty.
"Because of my special constitution, I have three elemental seeds. Fire, Wind and Metal. This is why I am kind of a genius in my empire. So, whoever marries me might increase their comprehension of their laws and also their cultivation because…" Lily bit her lip as she was too embarrassed to say the last part.
She for some reason didn't want Damien to know that one needs to take her virginity to gain the benefits.
But Damien already understood without even Lily telling about it herself. After all, Damien wasn't a total newbie at cultivation now unlike before. He now understood how Lily was so talented that she was able to achieve her current cultivation with the available resources.
'What the heck?? Three elemental seeds? Not even two but three...damn...she's so awesome. No wonder, they want to marry her. Those greedy and horny dogs will just use her and throw her away after they are done with her.'
He gritted his teeth in anger thinking that Lily was treated like a tool to be used in the future to secure the safety of her own empire.
"But I am sure there must be some other way you can get out of this mess. Have you ever talked with your Ancestor about this? Maybe he can still do something to help you." Damien said in an optimistic tone.
But Lily shook her head lifelessly, "It's no use. I have seen the Ancestor and he was pretty much in a bad shape. He has already done too much and devoted his whole life for the betterment of our empire. He even apologized to me for not being useless. Besides, it is because of him that the tournament wasn't held earlier and only after 2 years. The Ancestor did his best to buy me more time. So, I don't have any right to ask him for more."
Damien clenched his fists. He was angry...angry at himself for being too weak and helpless to help her. He hated this feeling the most. Every time he lost somebody he loved, it was because he was too weak or helpless to prevent it from happening.
And now yet again, he was completely helpless and weak to even share the burden of someone he cares about.
The last thing he wanted was anything bad happening to Lily or seeing her in misery. She had helped him so much when he was all helpless and weak in a life and death situation. But now when she was in despair, he wasn't able to do much except comfort her with words.
But then he thought of something…
"There are still two years right? Don't worry, I am sure things will change within these two years. In fact, I will change them for you. I will help you change your fate. You will never have to marry someone you don't like. I won't allow even gods to take you away, let alone any genius. I promise you. If I break this promise, may the heavens smite me." Damien said in a solemn tone.
Chapter 47: Feelings Of The Heart
Lily panicked and waved her hands, "No, no, why did you say that?? Don't make those kinds of promises. If you break them, it can form an internal demon in your heart!"
Damien chuckled and hugged Lily whose face flushed pink, "Hehe, it's too late for that princess."
Rather than standard demons or devils, internal demons or 'Heart
Devils' are a practitioner's negative emotions and other mental barriers which hinder their training/cultivation. It is an inner belief, set of ideas or understanding about life that when talked about seems easy for others to deal with, but when trying to work around it yourself, manifest past it or just try to be alone with it, you feel you are at war with your own mind.
But even if Damien was really a cripple, an internal demon could still affect him since he would never have a peaceful mind unless he controls his inner demons.
Lily was worried and at the same time she was moved seeing how sincere Damien was in wanting to help her.
But thinking that he is a cripple, she didn't want anything to happen to him because of her. Otherwise, she would never be able to forgive herself.
She wondered how Damien could even help her within these two years or what he is going to do. But she didn't want to say that he was powerless to help her in order to not hurt his feelings. Even if she did, she knew Damien wouldn't budge. After all, she best knew how stubborn Damien could be.
Once he sets his mind on something, nobody can make him stop.
But Damien meant every word he said. Realizing that there are still two years left, he was confident enough to raise his cultivation to such an extent that he could save Lily from her fate easily. He didn't want to have any regrets like he did in his past life...where he watched the people who cared and loved him suffering a cruel fate.
This time he wanted to take the initiative before anything can happen to Lily.
He already had all the means to better himself, the rest was all up to him on how to use them and develop himself as fast as possible.
Lily sighed seeing how nonchalant Damien was, even when she told that if he broke his promise, he may end up with an internal demon in his heart.
Shyly being in his embrace she looked at Damien's face, feeling the seriousness and concern from his charming eyes, her heartbeat became rapid. His starry eyes seemed like she was getting pulled into it slowly.
After the death of her father, no one ever cared about what she wanted or about her feelings. She had no one to rely on and talk about her worries.
Damien was the only person in these few years to show her care and concern...someone who cared about her wishes and feelings. Someone who most of all wished to help her no matter what.
She always enjoyed and felt comfortable in his company and realized that she was starting to develop some inexplicable feelings towards Damien.
'What is this feeling? Do I...like him?' But she shook her head inwardly, 'No! What am I even thinking? He is just concerned about me as a friend. I shouldn't think too much about it.'
Lily couldn't believe the thoughts and feelings she was having right now. She didn't know how liking someone felt like. She was curious about love but never found the right person.
Damien was unaware of the thoughts going through Lily's mind and was busy thinking about the next steps he should take within these two years.
If anyone knew that Lily was having feelings towards Damien, before thinking how unbelievable it was for an imperial princess to fall in love with a crippled servant, they would skin Damien alive.
Lily also knew that her thoughts were too dangerous, not only for her but for Damien as well.
Even if somebody saw Damien and Lily casually talking, one couldn't even tell how many death warrants Damien would have to face.
This is exactly why Lily wanted to have her training sessions in her inner courtyard. Even though that itself seemed suspicious, she had no other choice.
And she didn't have the heart to treat her old friend as a servant after everything he had been through.
After seeing the miserable state of Damien in the slave market, she knew he must have been through a lot and might have even changed from the Damien she knew.
But now she realized that even if he really changed, there were some parts of him, especially his heart, that didn't seem to change at all.
That's how she felt but she didn't know that Damien would only be like this towards her.
When Damien saw Lily's entrancing face up close, he felt his heart skip a beat. Previously, he was looking at Lily with a different mindset, someone he was a little wary of. But now Lily looked different in his eyes.
But after learning the truth, all the barriers between him and Lily were broken down and he unknowingly opened his heart towards her.
Remembering how she saved him and the care and concern she showered on him, stirred his soul.
'Why does she look more beautiful than ever? Am I having feelings for her? No...if she knew what kind of a person I have become, she wouldn't love someone like me. Besides if she knew about Sophie...' Damien wondered whether his heart was moved by Lily but he didn't dwell on it since he thought a kind girl like Lily may not be able to accept the person he has become now.
"Uhem…" Lily cleared her throat as she awkwardly came out of Damien's embrace. She felt that being in his embrace felt too comfortable that she might think of some unnecessary thoughts if she stayed in his hold any longer.
Feeling her soft body distancing from him, Damien didn't stop her as he realized how brazen he was when he hugged her a few times. He had embraced her without thinking much and only because he wanted to comfort her. So, he wondered if Lily got flustered or uncomfortable being hugged by him.
But seeing her expression, he sighed with relief inwardly knowing that she wasn't spooked out.
'Maybe my position as a friend has a big place in her heart.' Damien thought.
"Ahem, since the empress of our empire is your step-mother, why don't you try asking her for help?" Damien posed this question as he wondered why the imperial family would let go of someone as talented as Lily without any resistance.
Lily said in a sad smile, "The empress? She is the one who is most eager to sell me off to other other empires. She and my half-brother are in cahoots with them. There is absolutely no hope but only trouble from their side."
'So even her own family is working against her. How did she live amongst these greedy dogs all these years?' Damien felt sorry that Lily had to face all these alone without anyone to support her.
"Don't worry. You don't have to rely on anyone but me. You can trust me and believe in your Master. I won't let anything happen to you." Damien said with a reassuring smile.
Chapter 48: Celestial Heart
Seeing his warm smile and his confidence, Lily's heart throbbed. She still couldn't understand from where he was getting his confidence from. She thought that maybe he was planning to join the Alchemist Society and gain some influence. Even then, that didn't seem like a solution to her. But for some reason she felt that his words made him sound dependable.
Before Lily could say something, Damien patted her shoulders and said, "Don't think about any needless things now. I will see you tomorrow, my disciple."
Damien scuttled off since he knew if he stayed any longer, Lily would try to nag him out of whatever he was planning to do.
"Damien…." Lily held out her hand but didn't stop him. As she saw his silhouette getting farther away, her heart felt restless and hoped that Damien's doesn't get any crazy ideas to help her.
'How did this all go wrong….' Lily sighed inwardly.
—
Damien's room,
"Luna, you must have known about her special constitution right?" Damien questioned.
"Of course, I knew." Her melodious voice sounded in his mind.
"Then why didn't you tell me?" Damien questioned.
Luna appeared and scoffed, "Why should I tell you about unnecessary stuff that doesn't concern you? Besides she does not have a Tri-Elemental or whatever these idiots named it." Luna scoffed.
"What??Then what exactly is it?" Damien was surprised when Luna said that her constitution isn't what it seemed. But he would believe Luna's words rather than any mortals.
"She does not have three elemental seeds...but four!"
"What the…." Damien was flabbergast
ed. Even three was too much for him to digest. But now he heard she has four?? Isn't that too overpowered?
He asked in a curious tone, "Then what is her fourth element?"
Luna smiled and said, "The Light element!"
Damien had a stunned expression, "Light element? She is talented in Greater Laws? Wow...I never expected that. I thought you said it's hard to find one with Greater Laws in this mortal plane?"
Luna sighed, "I know. Even I was surprised to find out that she is an anomaly. Which is exactly why these idiots weren't able to identify her fourth element and instead thought that she only had three. I don't think they even have any knowledge about Greater Laws. You can consider the people in this continent virtually illiterate about these things. Her true constitution is known as the 'Celestial Heart' divine constitution.
Damien's eyes widened, "She has a divine constitution? I guess she truly lives up to her title. Well, isn't the Light element mostly used for healing purposes?"
"Ha, that is its main capability. Just because it's mainly used for purifying or healing purposes, doesn't mean it lacks combat power. If one's comprehension of Light laws are at a certain level, then they can potentially generate light so intensely it can completely obliterate anything in its path. But of course nothing can beat Light Laws when it comes to healing and purification." Luna stated.
Damien was amazed and he was already imagining Lily to be some kind of powerhouse when she matures.
'No wonder these three empires are so hasty in trying to hold that tournament. Even without knowing about her Light element they are so terrified of letting her mature. I wonder if they would die due to shock if they heard about her Light element. No...there would be a bloodbath between the empires!' Damien mused.
"I have decided. I am sneaking out tonight." Damien declared.
"All this zeal for a girl? Are you not forgetting about your own problems? Why do you have to bother about other mortals? Hmph, don't tell me you got seduced by her beauty." Luna mocked.