Lory was soaking in the wooden bathtub and didn't know about the ruckus outside. She was alone in the bathroom like she preferred. She got out of the tub after a while and dried herself with a clean towel. Girsha had dozed off on a stool close to her. Lory took a hand mirror and walked to the human size mirror on the wall after some contemplation. She moved her hair to the side and used the hand mirror to look at her nape.
[It's still there…] Girsha abruptly said.
?
Lory sighed. There was a small black snake tattoo on her nape. The tattoo appearance like a small worm but it could be as large as a python once it was disturbed. It would then slither around her body like a living snake. It was a manifestation of Lazarus' curse, a snake that would devour her soul.
Something inside her body suppressed the curse from fully activating, but the exception was she couldn't use most of her power. The curse almost devoured her the time she saved Zhao Li Xin's life and she didn't dare use her Gift since then. She feared she be out of luck and Lazarus would devour her soul if she tried once again. Lazarus' power would return once that was done and the whole world would be in danger. Lory thought the danger would be to all worlds.
[I can break the curse once we get all of Trinity's fragments…but then what?] Lory placed the hand mirror on the table and pulled a clean robe over her shoulders. [There should be a catch, shouldn't it…?]
[Who knows?] Girsha leaped on Lory's shoulder [We do what we do know best…whatever happens…]
Lory smile widened [We'll fight!]
[Yes, we will!] Girsha's eyes glinted with resolution.
Lory scoffed. Girsha was right. She should not be bothered by the unknown. It is better to prepare for whatever future. It was who she was. Lory wore more layers of robes to cover herself before she returned to her room to change into an appropriate dress. It was a hassle to have a separate bathroom and bedroom. However, this was how this world worked. Some noble ladies made their servants carry a bathtub into their room whenever they wanted to bathe but Lory found it ineffective and annoying.
[I'm glad the maids who changed me the last time didn't see my mark…] Lory remembered the hot spring incident and when the maids undressed and changed her clothes.
[They didn't have time to give you too much attention since your boyfriend was anxiously waiting outside the room. The speed they used can only be seen on TV] Girsha laughed.
[Yeah… Thank God for that!] Lory heaved.
"HEY! WHO ARE YOU!!?"
Lory jolted with surprise as someone shouted at her. This never happened, especially not in Zhao Li Xin's turf. No one dared to be impolite or stupid enough to bully her in his turf. Lory may be kind enough to forgive their mistake, but the same could not be said for Zhao Li Xin. It was one of the reasons Lory was never escorted by anyone, the other was she did want any. She was also the only one, other than Zhao Li Xin, who could roam around the residence aimlessly like a wild cat.
"Me?" Lory pointed to herself in shock.
"Yes, you! Are you stupid?" The one shouting was a fourteen-year-old girl with a pink hanfu and a beautiful intricate hairstyle adorned with a golden hairpin. She reminded Lory of Min Ru Yi. The girl was followed by two beautiful maids.
"Uhm, I live here… Who are you by the way?" Lory frowned. The woman's haughty expression annoyed her a little but she didn't want to make an unnecessary commotion since it was Zhao Li Xin's house.
"Hump! You must be a new maid here," The girl scoffed. She rested her arms on her small waist and said, "Why are you dressed like that? Are you here to seduce Milord? Get over yourself! Milord already has a fiancée!"
'I know! It's me…' Lory tilted her head.
The girl thought Lory didn't believe her when she didn't see a reaction. She fumed with anger, "You don't believe me? Milord's fiancée is Tang Mei Yi. She is a disciple of Master Lu Yao from Xianqing Mountain. You must stop your useless dream about the Lord if you still care about your life!!"
[So stupid… I'm off…] Girsha flew away. He knew he might gauge out the girl's eyes if he stayed. He knew Lory could take care of herself since the girl was harmless and the shadow guards were also watching.
"Is that your bird?" The girl's eyes glimmered with envy when she saw the beautiful bird with a golden long tail fly away. She didn't give Lory the chance to answer, "Give it to me! It's a waste for a servant like you to have that kinda bird. Give it to me and I will put out a good word for you to the Lord!"
"Can you at least tell me who the hell you are?" Lory massaged her aching temple. She couldn't help but curse at the rude girl. A weird girl came out of nowhere, shouted at her, warned her about her own fiancée, and wanted to rob her of her friend. Her hand was itching to give the unknown girl a beating.
"How dare you talk like that to me? Do you know my brother is a King Palace? I will make him punish you!" She was much louder than before. Her eyes brimmed with anger as she felt humiliated by 'the servant'. She never once suspected Lory's identity since Lory walked around without any maid and her appearance was so-so. Lory was not a striking beauty like Tang Mei Yi. This made her assume Lory was a simple maid.
Lory didn't react since she wanted to provoke the girl further but she still wondered which King Palace had a wild child for a sister. She worried this kinda girl would accidentally irk Zhao Li Xin and implicated her own brother. The girl thought Lory wanted to challenge her authority yet everyone treated her with the utmost respect and tried to gain her favor since she a King Palace's sister. This was the first time someone dared to oppose her.
"Both of you… Hold her hands for me!" The girl ordered her maid as she smirked at Lory. "I need to teach this impudent servant a lesson."
"Yes, Mistress!" The maids answered simultaneously.
Lory was ready for the maids who tried to reach for her arms. There's no way she would let anyone touch her but she did not have time to react. She instead heard the sound of bones cracking and deafening screams. The maids fell on the floor with both their hands twisted unnaturally.
Mong Ki and Mong Yi stood in front of Lory and shielded her. Mong Yi stepped toward the girl who was still shocked by what happened, raised his hand and slapped her until she fell on the ground.
It was possible the girl fainted or she was too shocked since she did not move for a minute. Mong Yi's face remained indifferent. The girl covered her swollen left cheek when she finally moved.
"Bro…Brother Mong Ki… Why did you hit me?" She sobbed.
"Miss Jiang, this is not a place you can come and go easily. You can't enter this place without permission," Mong Yi's expression was nothing like Lory had ever seen. His face was stern and cold. "You even had the audacity to scream and bully Miss Lao! Slapping your face is even a light punishment compared to what Milord would do to you!"
The girl, Jiang An Yi, was Jiang Jin Wei's step-sister who had a close relationship with Tang Mei Yi. She heard from Tang Mei Yi that another woman had changed Zhao Li Xin's heart. She was furious and came to Zhao Li Xin's villa to warn whoever the other woman was after she saw her benefactor crying pitifully. However, she didn't know who the woman was or her name. She was roaming around the villa when she accidentally met Lory and vented her accumulated anger without knowing Lory's identity. She didn't know she met the person she was looking for.
"Who is she? Isn't she just a maid? Jiang An Yi glared at Lory.
"Keep talking like that once again and I will give you another slapped!" Mong Yi warned her with a serious face.
"She is the Lord's fiancée! Kowtow for forgiveness before Miss Luo if you still want to live," Mong Ki was irked by the young woman's stupidity. He could only imagine what would happen to Jiang Jin Wei once the news reached their Lord.
"She is the one who snatched Milord from Miss Tang?" Jiang An Yi pointed at Lory with disbelief. She then stomped her feet on the ground and accused the Mong brothers of neglecting their duties. "She seduced our lord so that he could leave Miss Tang. She is a vixen! How can you let a woman like her to get close to our Lord?"
Lory sighed. It seemed the stupid girl had not learned to be discreet. The Mong brothers were furious. The little girl had mocked their Lord's intelligence. They could not take it. There was another bone-broken followed by another scream. Lory rubbed her forehead helplessly when she saw Jiang An Yi's finger twisted in a weird and scary way.
Jiang An Yi sprawled on the ground and held her finger as she screamed with agony. Everything had happened so fast that Lory didn't have time to interfere, not like she wanted to. This was the Hei Shen Sect's internal problem and Lory knew there were certain rules that kept the sect in order. The brazen girl had dared to mock both her and the Mong brothers. Any interference from Lory would be a sign of disrespect to Mong Ki and Mong Yi.
"I'm The Gold Lion King Palace's sister. You are just shadow guards. You can't treat me like this!" Jiang An Yi still didn't understand what she had done wrong.
"Is that what your brother told you?" Mong Yi sneered. The anger was now personal. "All the Lord's subordinates stand equal. We all submitted under our Lord's order. No one is higher or lower than another. We, the shadow guards, chose to only follow our Lord and we only respect the Kings because they are useful to our Lord. Do you think I will lower my head in front of any Palace King?"
Jiang An Yi's heart started to race with fear. The one who taught her this was not her brother but Tang Mei Yi and her close subordinates. The shadow guards didn't have a Palace like the other Kings so she thought their position was lower than a King's Palace. However, she's wrong. The shadow guards were closest subordinates to Zhao Li Xin.
Mong Ki chuckled, "I wonder if your brother can even lead the Lord's army if he can't even teach his own sister."
"My feelings are the same," Mong Yi agreed.
Lory could only look at the conversation between Mong Yi and Mong Ki. 'Is someone going to get FIRED?!'
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