Lory woke from her dream with tears streaming down her face. The was no loud sobbing just an outpour of tears. She turned her face to stare at the ceiling. She hated winter as it reminded her of her father's death. Her heart aches every time the cold season came. She was also besieged by nightmares. She remembered how the heat felt close to her skin, her people crying and screaming.
This was one of the reasons she suffered from insomnia. Lory took a deep breath and wiped her tears. She got up from the couch and wrapped herself tightly with her shawl. The weather was getting colder. She opens the window to find falling snow. Lory rested her head on the window frame and watched the snowfall without a sound. Winter was early this year.
?
Her father's face came to her mind. She wondered what would have happened had she refused to let him go… if she had insisted on staying with him. Could she have saved him from his fate? Would she have died with him? Then again, her choosing to go against her father may have meant the death of her people and subordinates.
Lory took a long breath. Why was it so hard to die? She still didn't understand why she was alive. Was there a reason? And if there was a reason, why was she in this strange world? Was this her punishment for going against God's will by changing Lucas' fate? She had so many unanswered questions. Lory put out her hand to catch some of the snow. Her eyes were hollow as she watched the snow on her palm melt.
A fur cloak was placed on her shoulders as a hand reached out to close the window, "What are you doing? You will get cold if you stand here."
"Li Xin?" Lory was surprised. She hadn't heard his coming.
Zhao Li Xin held her cold hand and asked about the amulet, "Where is your necklace?"
"I left it in my room."
"You should never take it off. It is for your own protection," Zhao Li Xin frowned as he gently reprimanded her. He didn't want to scare her, but she already looked unwell.
Zhao Li Xin led her back to the couch before lighting up the big furnace in the room. He then sat next to her, held her hands and channels his Qi into her to warm her.
To Lory, it felt like she was holding a heating pack. The warmth started from her hands and spread through the rest of her body. It was almost like she was soaked into a hot tub.
"Warm enough?" He asked.
Lory nodded, "Thank you."
Zhao Li Xin poured her a cup of wine, "I know you don't like wine, but this will quickly warm you up. The alcohol content isn't too strong so you should be fine."
Lory smiled at him as she sipped the wine slowly. Although he said the wine wasn't strong, she was a lightweight and could easily get drunk. However, he was right about it warming her body by drinks it.
"Are you done with work?" She asked abruptly.
"Hm…" He nodded.
The conversation stalled as they both remained quiet. They could hear the wind outside. Lory took a glimpse of the man next to her. She doesn't feel too lonely when he is around her. She placed her head on the couch and relaxed.
"Will they postpone the competition because of the weather?" Lory asked with a quiet voice.
"No. The participants are all cultivators. A little cold means nothing to them."
"How convenient…" Lory chuckled.
"You really hate the cold, huh?"
"I hate winter."
"Why?"
"It makes me sad…"
Zhao Li Xin could see Lory's sadness. He wondered what happened while he was working downstairs. Her eyes were a little swollen like she had cried. It baffled him why she would cry. Zhao Li Xin's heart had an uncomfortable feeling at the thought of her crying alone. He wished she could tell him her problems.
"How about we move away to a place with no winter?"
Lory thought he was joking so she teased, "Can we move to the beach? I love the beach the most."
"Sure. We can move away once my job here is done." Zhao Li Xin said with a serious look. He was happy that she no longer looked sad.
"Wait… I'm was kidding," Lory's eyes bulged in shock when she realized he wasn't joking. How could someone easily decide to move away without thinking too much about it? He was still a prince at the end of the day and couldn't just leave because he felt like it.
She was correct about one thing. Zhao Li Xin didn't place much thought into it. He didn't care where he lived as it was all the same to him. He didn't have any attachment to places or people, this included his own master. He only felt he owed his master, but he didn't miss the man or want to be near him.
Lory was the first human he wanted to get close to. He was uncomfortable when she's not around and missed her when he didn't see her for a while. He didn't understand the feeling, but her existence was already irreplaceable.
"I'm not…" He replied nonchalantly.
"I noticed…" Lory rolled her eyes. "How about your family? Will they let you go?"
"They would love to see me leave and never return," He casually answered without expression.
Lory felt bad for him, "Oh… oh okay. You don't have to listen to me. You can move anywhere you want… I mean I'm working for you so it shouldn't be my decision to choose where to live."
"Why not?" Zhao Li Xin asked with a serious face.
"Uhm... well…" Lory was perplexed. How could a maid choose where her master should live? It wasn't normal…was it?
"Let's talk about this later," Lory waved her hand in defeat. Her 'boss' could be weird at times. "We will be watching the competition tomorrow, won't we?"
"Certainly, if you can manage to cover your face…"
"Don't worry about that. What about you? Will you be wearing a mask?" She was curious.
"Yes. Do you want to wear a mask too? We can wear matching masks" He said easily like it was commonly done, but Lory shook her head. The thought of two people wearing matching masks made her think of the superhero movies she watched as a child.
'Milord, you are so beautiful, but you can be weird at times...'
"Let's…not" Lory smiled widely to hide her strong reluctance yet Zhao Li Xin couldn't help but feel disappointed. He really thought it would be a good idea to wear matching masks.
The thought of wearing the same things with her elated his heart. It was sad she didn't feel the same. If Lory was to learn his thoughts she would have responded with, 'Why not have matching clothes or jewelry?'
The two dense people talked and joked the night away. Zhao Li Xin, who was more of the silent type, was also very chatty at that moment. They shared their plans for the next day, like where they would eat and what stores to visit. Zhao Li Xin told her what happened during the competition. Lory was able to quickly forget her nightmare because of him. She couldn't wait for the next day.