The Princess And The Lord

Zhao Li Xin left in the middle of the night without waking Lory. She thought she was dreaming when he gently kissed her lips before leaving. Lory was disoriented when morning came. She felt lost as the room was not in their home and she was lonely with him away. 

Lory did not have the motivation to leave the bed as it had been a while since she felt alone. She wasted the morning away tossing and turning in bed. She stuck her nose in the blanket as Zhao Li Xin's scent still lingered within the blanket and sheets. Something pricked her heart. She already missed him.

[How long are you gonna stay in bed?] Girsha watched her from the small table next to the bed.

[For as long as I want…] Lory replied carelessly.

[Don't forget the boy's subordinate needs to contact you! He may be unable to do that if you stay in bed] Girsha reminded her.

[Uggh, I know…] Lory grunted as she pulled the blanket to cover half her head. If only she could waste the day away. She paused and abruptly pushed the blanket away as she thought of something [Oh yeah, is there any news about the Chen-guy who met with Mo Ning Yuan?] 

[No, not yet. The woman returned to her home and locked herself in her courtyard like a good young lady. Other than having an intimate relationship with her subordinate, she hasn't met with any other man] Girsha said.

[What a bummer?] Lory sighed with disappointment. She knew it wouldn't be easy to discover who the Chen-guy was.

[But… I heard a lot of rumors about this Mo girl] Girsha flew and smoothly landed next to Lory. Although he looked like he was about to complain, his eyes' glittered with excitement. [Do you know why the maids in each household love to gossip…?]

[They are young and have nothing to do? What is your excuse…?] Lory teased. Girsha was always her biggest source for juicy gossip both in her old and new world.

[Do you want to hear it or not?] Girsha narrowed his eyes with impatience.

Lory moved up and placed her back on the headboard and responded lazily [Shoot…]

Girsha ignored Lory's lukewarm reception [Alright, the maids say the young miss changed a lot after the young master Mo died. The young Miss Mo used to be sweet and bubbly but she became quiet and distant after her brother died. Her attitude worsened when the patriarch of the Mo family, her father, became bedridden from the shock of losing his son. The Mo family started to crumble after these two events, and the Mo branch family is slowly getting a hold of the family power since she was left alone]

[Li Xin is also suspicious about young Master Mo's death] Lory said with a hoarse voice. She rubbed her chin, got out of bed, and poured some mineral water in a bowl. She drunk the water to moisten her throat and felt better. [I think the key lies with the young master Mo's death. We will get to know a lot once we know how he died…]

[Oh about that… I heard something interesting] Girsha wiggled his inexistent eyebrows. [There was a time the Mo girl blamed someone named… Xie…Ling-something…]

[Xie Hua Ling?] Lory guessed.

[Yeah, that one!] Girsha exclaimed. He became more excited. Humans were interesting creatures. There was so much drama, so much fun. [They say the man is the one who caused her brother's death!]

[Aaah… That's interesting] She crossed her arms and thought of the new information. She asked [What happened?]

[The Mo family patriarch tried to investigate further but he got nowhere. This matter was a shock to the entire society because Young Master Mo and the Xie-something were close friends. Many people doubted the Mo girl's accusation. Thankfully the Xie family didn't take the matter to heart. They believed the Mo girl accused her brother's friend because the Mo girl was overwhelmed with grief and she needed someone or something to take the blame. The citizens applauded the Xie family's benevolent attitude and their reputation took another leap. However, the Mo family's reputation was ruined and the Mo family patriarch became heavily ill after the incident. This was what started the ruin of the Mo family… Do you think this is all coincidence?] Girsha sneered. 

[Not by a long shot…] Lory sighed. The slutty girl must have had a hard time. She not only lost her brother, but she also watched the murderer get away. The accused family's popularity increased while she was condemned as a crazy lady and her family's reputation ruined, but the worst was she also lost her father.

[Pitying her?] Girsha could tell from Lory's expression.

[Yeah, but it doesn't mean I forgive her for seducing my man…] Lory humphed as she got behind the screen to change her clothes. She took out a new clean dress and continued [So, let me get this straight… Xie Hua Ling is responsible for the death of young Master Mo and he is also the reason her father got sick. She got angry and took the Chen family's side and chose to have my Li Xin work for her as a mole. But… what I don't get is… why is someone from the Chen family helping her?]

[Well, she might be giving herself to the Chen-guy for fun] Girsha shrugged as Lory moved away from the screen.

Lory mouth slightly twitched [No, the people in this world are always about profits and losses. The Chen-guy can easily pick any woman as a concubine if he only wanted to get laid. There should be a reason why he is lending a hand to Mo Ning Yuan]

The human mind was too deep and complex for a beast, even a first kind beast like him, to understand. Although the humans' thoughts eluded him, he still found them interesting enough to watch. Girsha flapped his wings [Who knows? I'll keep watch over her and see what happens]

[Hm…] Lory hummed. She didn't have a better option. She washed her face, brushed her teeth and had breakfast on her own. Her mind was contemplating her next move. Lory and Zhao Li Xin had snuck into the Sacred Mountain Peak society to only look for the records on the origins of the Crimson Lightning sword, as it would help them figure out what was missing on the map. Who knew they would stumble over a conspiracy the moment they arrived in Cloud City.

A pebble suddenly hit her arm as she was in deep thought. It didn't hurt but it still startled her. Girsha who was perched on the pavilion roof saw a shadow behind the tree outside the courtyard [Lory, someone is out there] 

[I don't think it is an enemy, is it?] Lory asked calmly. The array around the courtyard would have reacted if the person was an enemy. An enemy would also have thrown a weapon instead of a pebble.

[No, maybe the boy's subordinate] Girsha said.

[Oh, you are right!] Lory clapped her hands. She remembered Zhao Li Xin told her something along those lines before he left. Girsha seeped into Lory's chest at a high speed to prevent anyone from noticing as Lory headed to the tree.

A man with thick facial hair who looked about thirty years courteously welcomed her. He bowed his head politely and said, "Greetings young madam. My name is Mong Gui. I'll be at your service."

"Nice to meet you, Mong Gui," Lory returned his gesture.

Mong Gui heard rumors about his Lord's wife. Some said the young madam was a gentle lady while others said she was smart and wise. They were also those who said their young madam had mysterious powers. There was a lot of mystery surrounding his young madam but he had no opinion about his Lord's wife as he was only a servant. He followed what his Lord told him to do.

"Do you have a safe place we can talk? I have something to tell you?" Lory asked in a low voice.

"Yes, young madam." 

Mong Gui led Lory to the basement he showed Zhao Li Xin before. Lory was amazed there was a place underneath the abandoned courtyard. Her curiosity peaked. "How did you find this place?"

"It belonged to one of the young masters who had a peculiar taste in women. He liked to bring women here and torture them. Everyone was suspicious but no one dared to ask questions or perhaps no one cared because the victims were either maids or wasted women. I… put an end to the man with my own hands." 

"It is a good thing you did something…" Lory showed her support. In a world where authority was misused, rich and powerful people got away with anything. It was always good when someone put an end to such injustice. 

Mong Gui smiled faintly but Lory could see his face as she was walking behind him. "The place was abandoned since his death and I took advantage of it. I hope the place wouldn't make you uncomfortable."

The cold basement witnessed the brutal acts the man committed to the innocent young girls. No one dared to get close to the place for the same reason as most people in this world believed in superstition. The abandoned place was considered to be a place of bad omen.

"Don't worry, I've been to worse places," Lory casually said.