The Princess And The Lord

[I think it is done] Girsha looked at the Nan family Manor's direction.

[You can feel it] Lory calmly sipped her tea.

[Yes, now that I'm paying attention to it…] Girsha stared in the same direction for a while before turning back to the grape he was pecking.

[Any movement from Mo Ning Yuan?] Lory gently placed her teacup on the table.

Girsha narrowed his eyes and gave Lory a meaningful gaze [You know she is always moving…]

[Not like that… You know what I mean…] Lory rolled her eyes and took a three-layer bamboo basket from her ring. White steam oozed from the basket as she opened it.

[She is the perfect honey pot, you know?] Girsha praised Mo Ning Yuan for how she easily played the men like marionettes. Girsha could confirm Mo Ning Yuan only used the demon parasite on the Xie elder and not the rest of her men. It was possible she did that because the elder was strongest of them all.

[She knows exactly what to say, how to act, and how to react. She knows what kinda woman they want her to be and act accordingly. Heck! She would be the best female agent in our world or perhaps actress] Girsha pondered with seriousness.

Lory munched her dumplings with care [Hard to disagree with that... But I wonder… What is hiding inside the old library for the tiger beasts to even think of risking their kin's life?] 

[Something powerful… I've stayed in this world with you for years and have seen many powerful beasts and human…but we haven't seen anything like this!] 

[How much stronger is it compared to Zhao Li Xin?] Lory was curious.

[The thing is stronger for now…] Girsha answered.

[Oh…] Lory was somewhat worried by the answer [Is it dangerous?]

[Who knows? It is not evil but it is dangerous if you ask me. I can't give you a definite answer] Girsha rolled a grape with his small claws.

Lory winced as she ate a dumpling with too much chili. She quickly gulped a mouthful of tea to relieve the burn from her tongue. She waved her hands in front of her mouth and moaned [Damn, I need milk…]

[What do you think is inside the library?] Girsha ignored her antics and asked. He watched Lory puffed a few times, gulp more tea to reduce the burn, and roughly wiped her mouth.

[Something strong. It could be a weapon, a mysterious art, a demon, or a beast] Lory shrugged with indifference. She put another dumpling on her plate [I think the little guy knows what it is but he didn't want to tell us or he can't tell us]

[I Can't blame him. Humans are untrustworthy after all] Girsha quipped.

[Agreed!] She stuffed another dumpling in her mouth but suddenly stood up and repeatedly hit the table [Dammit! Too much chili!]

[What is wrong with you?] Girsha rolled his eyes.

[I like to challenge…myself] Lory drunk water from her waterskin as tears filled her eyes. Her lips were red and swollen.

[Good for you!] Girsha rolled his eyes once more.

Lory puffed and stuck out her tongue [I think I burnt my tongue…]

[...] Girsha shook his head and returned to his comfortable pillow as he decided to ignore the stupid Princess.

_______________________

Nan Yu Qi was in a great mood as she had finally made the shadow tiger hers. The tigers could no longer ignore. It even remained quiet when Nan Yu Qi flicked its forehead to vent out the little grudge she held against it. The little tiger only growled faintly as she pressed its face onto the table. Nan Yu Qi laughed at this as she found the little cub's behavior silly.

"You have done a great job! What do you want as a reward?" Nan Yu Qi's beautiful face beamed with joy as she smiled widely.

Zhao Li Xin pondered quietly before saying firmly, "Nothing… I just want to be given the opportunity to show my worth. I want to serve the future leader of this society."

"An ambitious man, huh? But it is okay as only an ambitious man could reach great heights in the world," Nan Yu Qi giggled softly. She was quite satisfied with Lu Xin for not hiding his ambition from her.

"It is easy to make you Xie Hua Ling's right-hand man after what you did. I will talk to brother Xie about this. You can only wait," She waved a hand to dismiss him. Zhao Li Xin cupped his head and bowed slightly.

"Are you going to return to your wife?" He was about to leave when Nan Yu Qi called him. She was a little surprised with herself for being a busybody.

"We stay in the same house…" Zhao Li Xin stated the obvious with a stoic face.

Nan Yu Qi realized she had asked a stupid question but immediately composed herself. She smiled amicably, "It's not wise to keep a woman who is a waste by your side. I could give you a more suitable woman if you want."

"Thank you for your concern, young miss," Zhao Li Xin said in a monotonous voice after some silence. He gave her a slight nod, turned around, and left. Nan Yu Qi missed the malicious intent that flashed in his eyes. 

Nan Yu Qi let out a heavy sigh once Zhao Li Xin's figure disappeared. She didn't understand why she was being attentive to her new subordinate. Although he had great potential, the man came from a low background. He could not match Xie Hua Ling but she couldn't help but be attentive. She was even irritated by the fact he was going to meet his wife yet she was comfort knowing he only treated his wife as a maid.

Nan Yu Qi shook her head to calm herself. There much she needed to accomplish. Her reputation had slowly risen and she would soon become the holy lady and the next madam of Sacred Mountain Peak Society. Her ambition was too great to let go. It was not the time to be sentimental.

Zhao Li Xin didn't realize Nan Yu Qi's personal struggle and not like he would have cared had he known. A dim light lit up their room when he returned to their courtyard. The light meant his Princess was sleeping. He carefully opened the door to check on Lory and quickly fixed the blanket around her. He left the room to check on the arrays once he was sure she was sound asleep.

He circled around the courtyard to ensure his arrays were neatly planted. Satisfied that all was well, Zhao Li Xin turned towards the room when he saw Girsha perched on the stone lamp. The bird was gazing at the full moon like Lory used to. Zhao Li Xin slowly approached the bird.

"Can I ask you a question?" Zhao Li Xin's voice was soft as he asked.

"Speak…" Girsha shifted his gaze from the moon and calmly said. Zhao Li Xin thought it was funny how the cute bird had a husky and charismatic voice.

"How long have you been with her?" 

"Since she was eight years old."

Zhao Li Xin became enthusiastic. He never heard about Lory's past and he was curious. He clasped his hands behind his back to hide his eagerness, "What kinda girl was she?"

Girsha tilted her head as he recalled the past, "The same as she is now…bubbly, a happy-go-lucky person who was a little stupid."

The bird chuckled lightly but suddenly went quiet. He looked down with grief and his next words sounded bitter, "At least that's how she was before the war broke and Marcus died."

"Mar-cus? Her father?" Zhao Li Xin had once heard Lory speak her father's name. He asked a question he could not ask Lory, "How did her father die?"

"Her father died as a King. He did what every King should do. He protected his people while Lory watched her father and the Kingdom burn to ashes... She lost everything in one night… Well...almost everything," Even as a beast, Girsha couldn't bear the loss and Lory was only eighteen at that time. The suffering and loss she experienced on that day was something no human could bear.

"She was never the same after this…"