The Princess And The Lord

At the Xi Lin teahouse, Mong Yi and Mong Ki exchange confused looks, usually when their lord and young madam are together they are always surrounded with warm and pink bubbles all over them but today was different. something was a little strange, they both are quite as they seemed lost in their own thoughts.

Mong Ki and Mong Yi more or less knew what was troubling their Lord, but why did the young madam also acted do the same? Lory and Zhao Li Xin suddenly let out a long sigh at the same time and then both looked at each other with confused looks.

"Uhm Lory are you bored?" Zhao Li Xin asked anxiously.

"Oh, no... I'm fine!" Lory waved her hand with a fluster look, "Um, how about you, it seems you have a problem with something?" only now did she notice Zhao Li Xin's strange expression.

"I'm fine, I just have something on my mind" he felt a little guilty he took his eyes off Lory then took a sip of his wine.

Luckily Lory was still deep in thought that she didn't notice Zhao Li Xin's strange behavior, Lory set her sights on the street below, the vibrant colors of dresses and robes shone in the morning light and people were moving like shoals of fish, from where she was sitting Lory could hear the chatter between sellers and buyers, and groups of children running around playing and laughing at each other.

Today was supposed to be their date time but her last conversation with Girsha damped her mood, Lory then propped her chin and sighed without her knowledge Zhao Li Xin also sighed like her. Zhao Li Xin was still engulfed in dilemma, he was still not sure if he should tell Lory what happened or not, never in his life had he ever been so indecisive before.

The only people who are aware of the subdue atmosphere around them are Mong Ki and Mong Yi.

Mong Ki felt this should not continue, he whispered to Zhao Lixin, "Milord, Young madam is…." 

Zhao Li Xin's brows furrowed, he looked at Lory and noticed her gloomy face. Feeling bad for not noticing his wife's bad mood, he took her hand and asked, "Lory, what's wrong?"

Lory was startled from her daze then he saw Zhao Li Xin's worried face Lory then shook her head weakly"Nothing..."

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"It doesn't look like nothing for me, something is bothering you?" Zhao Li Xin clasped her hands as he lean closer.

Mong Yi and Mong ki leave the room knowingly their Lord and young madam need privacy. Lory hear the door slowly closed she took a long breath, "What would you do when sacrificing others is the only way to help yourself…"

Zhao Li Xin was stunned, he wonder did Lory knew something?

"You know me, I'm a cruel tyrant so I should be the last person you ask about this matter" He wryly smiles.

Lory didn't agree with him, Zhao Li Xin in her own way protected the people around him maybe he didn't realize it but after she spent a lot of time with Zhao Li Xin she finally understood what kind of kindness Zhao Li Xin had. 

Unlike others, Zhao Li Xin's kindness was different from others, it could easily be seen as cruel and easily misunderstood but it was undeniable that those who had tasted her kindness felt his genuity which is why the Mong brothers and the four palace kings remained loyal to Zhao Li Xin after all these years

Jin Hao once told Lory 'Do you know what the Hei Shen sect means to all of us?'

"Hei Shen is a place for people who have no place to return to, is a place for abandoned people, the losers, the unwanted, the trash that even their own families don't want to accept them, Hei Shen is a place for anyone who wants to start a new leaf, a place to be strong, to be independent, eventually it becomes a place where hope resides, and the person who gave us all of this is our Lord, therefore, we will never betray Zhao Li Xin'

"Would you hurt the person you care about just to save yourself?" asked Lory.

Zhao Li Xin's expression deepened, "If the person I care about means you then… I won't"

Lory lowered her head and he smiled bitterly, "However, inevitably it will hurt others party... in the end it will be a lie, right?"

sacrifices and lies will hurt others no matter what the reason is, you can't cover it up with 'I don't want to hurt you' or 'for the greater good' and think it would be justified. Lory learned this lesson the hard way, once she understood it was too late.

The sadness on Lory's face was so visible that he couldn't help but ask, "Lory, is there something you want to tell me?"

Lory raised an eyebrow, "Are you?"

"I…" Zhao Li Xin just open his mouth when the door suddenly knocked, immediately their attention shifting. There is faint displeasure looming on his face as he straighten his pose "Come in" he said in low voice.

Mong Ki opened the door he stepped towards Zhao Li Xin and said: "Master Jin and Master Bei want to convey something important, my Lord, they are waiting in another room"

Zhao Li Xin knew there must be something important they needed to report so they dared to intrude on his private time with Lory, Zhao Li Xin gave Lory a sorry look, but Lory didn't mind she was used to this, in her old world her father needed a lot of effort to just to have dinner with her and Lucas and still something kept popping up and his father had to leave in the middle of dinner so this situation with Zhao Li Xin was nothing new to her.

"It's okay, I'm going to a bookstore nearby, just call me when you're done" Lory reassured him.

"Okay, but take Mong Yi with you," Zhao Li Xin said before he got up from his seat but then he looked at Lory again "But don't go too far, we still don't know what Wei Zu Tian will do" he warned Lory.

"En, I know." Lorry nodded obediently.

Once Zhao Li Xin and Mong Ki left, Lory lean her head to her fist then ask Mong Yi who stand straight across her table, "You know any good books?"

Mong Yi is not a cultured person, although he can read and write but he is not interested in such subtle knowledge, "Perhaps you should ask Miss Yang Xi Ying or Empress Ming" he suggests politely.

"I know, but Ming Yue Yin gave me a military strategy book that kept me up all night while Yang Xi Ying gave me a poetry book that made knocked me off on the spot, in a way their books are quite useful but I want something…. lighter for today, you know like a love novel, Xi Ying lent me the book once until she decided that I needed to re-educated myself with the common noble knowledge so that no one would think I was uneducated...we both know that didn't work well" Lory pursed her lips realizing she really had no talent for this.

Mong Yi doesn't think Lory needs to learn anything based on his opinion and the other sect members who have interacted with Lory they all have the same good opinion that Lory is intelligent, level-headed, and very wise, so why is she wasting her time on something like poetry?

"Um, there's a famous novel being talked about lately but it's quite 

  a scandalous book that people don't sell this book openly" Mong Yi scrunched his face as he started to wonder if it was a good idea to tell the madam about this.

Lory's eyes lit up with curiousity "What make it scandalous…is it racy?" Lory squint her eyes meaningfully.

Mong Yi blushed he covered his face with his fists and pretended to cough "Ehm, I heard that book is quite..vulgar" he shyly said, Mong Yi, pray that his Lord won't come suddenly or he won't be able to keep his life, "Madam, I don't think that book is suitable for you…" Mong Yi try to look calm but his face was completely red and even her ears were red too.

Seeing Mong Yi being flustered, she couldn't help but laugh, Lory burst out laughing and said: "Oh my, if only you knew what I had seen in the past..." Lory mumbled. 

Lory's memories take her to the past where she had no choice but to visits an unscrupulous nightclub in the red district in search of informants, her search sometimes takes her to even worst places like small- dirty slums where prostitutes are cheaper than cup noodles.

Lory had never seen such a place before, even though in Harland there was also a private boys club and night club who gave the same type of service but it was all regulated by the government to provide safety not only to the women but also the customers so Lory was shocked when she found a dirty slum full of women with dead eyes and skimpy clothes waiting for this lewd and dirty customer. she even shocked, even more, when she knows this type of place has grown rapidly in several countries.

But that was all in the past before 'the War End's' era, who knows if it's get's better or worst.

Lory suddenly hit the table and shouted, "Come on, let's find that racy book!" Lory excitedly walked to the door while Mong Yi chased after her helplessly.