Lory was asleep for one hour and a half. It took her a moment to remember she was lying on Zhao Li Xin's bed. It seemed like he was busy as there was no sign of him when she looked around the room.
Lory sleepily sat up on the bed, stretched her arms and yawned. Girsha who had entered the room just when Zhao Li Xin was leaving in a hurry, shook his head in sympathy when he got understood the man's situation 'That poor boy'.
?
He watched the princess as she ungracefully scratched her neck. An action that didn't fit her princess image. Lory ignored the bird's distasteful expression and focused on the person she couldn't find [Where is Zhao Li Xin?]
[He went to take a bath…] Girsha responded carelessly.
[People in this world really like to take baths, don't they…] Lory frowned yet her tactless remarks annoyed Girsha.
[Whose fault is it…?] Girsha scowled.
[Huh…?]
On the other side of the palace, two subordinates stood outside the frozen chamber with confused and anxious looks. They saw their lord who had left the frozen chamber dash back into it in a hurry.
"What happened to Milord?" Mong Yi asked in confusion.
Mong Ki shook his head, "I... I don't know anymore..."
Lory also took another bath after waking up. Girsha remained her to wear more layers as it wasn't appropriate for a woman in this world to wear thin robes. It didn't matter even if Zhao Li Xin was the only one who could see her.
Lory tried to defend herself by saying it wasn't her usual habit. She never dressed carelessly before but she just thought of wearing something comfortable this time around. Her excuse was she was only meeting Zhao Li Xin and she knew he won't be angry seeing her for dressing like that.
'That's all I can do, boy. The rest depends on you…' Girsha thought. As the same 'male' species, he felt bad for Zhao Li Xin but he also admired Zhao Li Xin's self-control. The foolish princess was dense on such matters as she was raised by a bunch of men who treated her like a relative. She didn't know about the boundaries between men and women especially if she felt safe with a man. Although this showed her trust in Zhao Li Xin, it was a bad thing for an uptight person like Zhao Li Xin who was at the receiving end of 'trust'.
Lory was on the couch eating sweet pastries when Zhao Li Xin returned to the room. He was happy to see Lory dressed normally. The woman who seemed comfortable didn't worry about protocol as she lazily smiled at Zhao Li Xin when she saw him. If someone else dared to behave like Lory in his presence, Zhao Li Xin would have kicked them out of the room for being disrespectful. However, he didn't mind that the woman who had forced him to spend hours in the frozen chamber was relaxed in his presence.
" You are here! How are things going?" Lory rose from the couch, took a wine jar from the side of the table, pours the wine in an expensive wine cup and served Zhao Li Xin. Done with the task, she naturally dropped onto the couch.
Zhao Li Xin sipped the wine and said, "I'm thinking of going to the Liangzu Kingdom. Do you wanna come?"
Lory's eyes glinted with excitement, "Like a road trip?"
He didn't know what a road trip was but judging by her excited eyes he didn't dare to say otherwise, "...Yes..."
"Yeah!" Lory clapped her hands, "When do we leave?"
"Tomorrow…" he replied.
"Nice!" Lock licked the crumbs off her fingers with an excited expression but a certain lord's face turned dark.
He stared at her with a serious face and couldn't help but say, "Don't do that!"
"Do what?" Lory was puzzled.
"That! What you are doing!" Zhao Li Xin warned her sternly. "Especially in front of other people. I forbid you from doing it!"
She didn't know why he was making a big fuss over it, but then again, the people in this world were sticklers for manners. Lory sucked her index finger for a second then smiled shyly at him, "Sorry, bad habit…"
Fred used to tell her to never lick her fingers during formal gatherings as it wasn't polite. Lory thought Zhao Li Xin had the same thought as he was raised in a noble environment and might find it distasteful.
Contrary to her thinking, Zhao Li Xin actually liked it very much and it made him need another cold bath. It was frustrating. Zhao Li Xin quickly left the room in a couple of long strides leaving Lory to blink in confusion. She wondered if there was something wrong with him as he became weirder than normal.
Girsha threw her a condemning look [Stop teasing the poor boy!]
[What did I do?] She rebuked.
The preparations for Liangzu were quick. Lory was also excited to leave the Underground Palace as she had lived there for months without being outside. It was summer but unlike Harland, the summers in this world weren't as harsh as those in her previous world. This could be because there was no pollution and the nature that well preserved.
Lory opened the carriage's window to look at the view. She was mesmerized by the rows of green mountains, the lush green forest, the colorful flowers, and fruits. It was all breath-taking.
Zhao Li Xin decided to rest in a small village as dawn approached. The inn they stopped at was small but clean and neat. Zhao Li Xin asked her to be patient with the accommodation before they reached Liangzu's capital city, Jing An. Lory laughed at his words as she thought he was being funny. It seemed like he had forgotten she was a maid before and didn't mind living in small places.
Her thinking was true. Zhao Li Xin forgot about who she was and the same could be said for Mong Ki and Mong Yi. One couldn't blame them for their thinking as Zhao Li Xin never treated her like a servant in all the months the two had lived together. The other subordinates also treated her with respect ash they followed their lord's example. Lory herself had forgotten to act like a maid and had reverted to acting like she did when she lived in the Cestine Palace.
Although she seemed a little weird, Lory had a calm demeanor and was well-spoken. Her back was straight and her moves were graceful when she walked. Whenever she met the Hei Shen Sect members, she would slightly nod her head and smile politely. She didn't have the timid or nervous behavior normal maids had. Lory's temperament was comparable to other nobles' daughters. The only difference was Lory was more easy-going and ignorant when compared to the nobles' daughters.
While Mong Yi was busy reserving their rooms, Lory and Zhao Li Xin sat by a corner table trying not to look too conspicuous. However, this was impossible to achieve with someone like Zhao Li Xin. It was like a light shined on him the moment he entered the room. Everyone couldn't help but take a second look at him. The women drooled in awe while the men looked at him with admiration and envy.
Lory on her part felt like she was walking with a superstar. She had never had so much recognition even when she traveled incognito in Harland in the past.
"Honorable guest, do you need anything?" A waiter smiled widely at Lory in welcome. The waiter was an old man of about fifty years. Although he smiled politely at Lory, he avoided looking at Zhao Li Xin who was too intimidating even when he didn't mean to.
"Do you have anything special?" Lory's friendly attitude made the waiter relax.
"Of course, Young Miss. Our cold noodles are the best in this area. Would you want to try some?"
"Sure… I'll order one bowl with some hot water."
"Yes. Please wait a moment," The old waiter left in a hurry. The woman was kind and friendly but he couldn't stand the pressure coming from the man who sat opposite her.
The man was as beautiful as a deity but the aura around him could be compared to a dozen mighty generals.
"You scared him…" Lory propped her chin as she watched him.
"I didn't do anything," Zhao Li Xin frowned.
"You didn't have to…" Lory giggled as she teased him.
The waiter quickly come back with cold noodles and hot water. Lory nodded at the waiter with politeness. The waiter wasn't used to such treatment as he blushed slightly and smiled awkwardly. People could easily tell Lory and Zhao Li Xin were not from a simple background from the way they dressed. It was unheard of for someone like them to be polite to a servant like him.
Lory didn't realize this and Zhao Li Xin didn't say anything as he really didn't care what she did. He never said anything when Lory had serious conversations with her 'pet' so he didn't bother that she was polite to other human beings.
Lory noticed there were many other customers dressed in nice clothes as she ate. It would have been normal if they were in the capital as they were in a small village. She wondered why they were many distinguish people gathered in such a place.
"Is it just me or there are many nobles here?" Lory whispered at Zhao Li Xin.
"No, you are right. They are all heading to the Liangzu Kingdom," Zhao Li Xin said.
"All of them? What is the occasion?" Lory got curious.
"News has it that a princess from Liangzu fell ill with a mysterious disease. No one can heal her, not even the court physicians," Zhao Li Xin calmly sipped his wine and continued. "The Liangzu Emperor has created a contest. Anyone who can heal the princess will be bestowed with a noble title and a fief as a reward"
"So… They are all going for that?" Lory murmured to herself. It was no wonder many people were eager to join the contest. Getting a noble title and a fiefdom was are a rare achievement in this world. Emperors were paranoid people who worried their subordinates or subject could easily rebel against them. To control everyone, the emperors never gave fiefs as this could ignite the greed for power. For an Emperor to give reward for his daughter's health meant the man really loved his daughter.
"The Emperor must love his daughter very much. That's new…" Lory slurped the remaining noodles soup and wiped her mouth gently with a clean handkerchief.
"It's not that simple," Zhao Li Xin poured her warm tea. "Rumor has it that the princess is the most beautiful woman in the country. She is greatly talented in the four arts and her cultivation is also quite decent for her age. She's a precious pawn for the kingdom. However, she got sick before he could use her. How can the Emperor accept this misfortune?"
Lory exhaled deeply. Her understanding of the human character in this world was still lacking.
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