"I'm sorry…" Lory said softly.
"For what?" He gave her a blank look.
Lory smiled at him, "For what happened to you… Do you know who your real parents are?"
"I have a clue," He showed Lory the red jade placard. "My real mother was called Sanguan Mu Yi but she died after she gave birth to me. This is according to Royal Consort Ying. I have asked someone to investigate this matter further…"
Zhao Li Xin was expressionless when he spoke. There was no sadness, worry or excitement in his eyes. He handled this with his usual calmness.
Lory examined the red jade. It was exquisite like other normal jades. Only a person from an influential family could afford such a jade. This conclusion didn't come as a surprise as one could easily guess this from Zhao Li Xin's looks and temperament. There was no way his biological parents could be considered ordinary.
Zhao Li Xin became quiet as he stared blankly at the water surface. It looked like he was in deep thought but the truth was he wasn't thinking of anything. He only felt weird because he didn't feel any different after learning about his real mother. Lory, on the other hand, didn't know how to comfort him. She had never experienced such a situation. Her heart ached for him but she didn't know how to make him feel better.
"Did I ever tell you the story of the night and the fireflies?" Lory broke the silence.
Zhao Li Xin retracted his gaze from the water and looked at the woman beside him. His response was quiet, "No…"
"Do you wanna hear it?" Lory tilted her head. Her clear big eyes stared at him deeply.
"Yes, please…" Zhao Li Xin smiled faintly.
Lory took a deep breath before she narrated, "A long long time ago, when the world was still young, God had two beloved sons. One son was Daylight and the other was Night."
Zhao Li Xin listened to her soft gentle voice. It was a gentle as a breeze dissipating his gloomy mood. Like a small child listening to a bedtime story, he placed his head onto his knees.
"Time went by but Night soon felt dejected by his role. He envied his brother, Daylight, because when Daylight came people would wake up with joy. They would go to work and play cheerfully together. However, when Night came, people would hurry to their homes and hide. No one wanted to be outside when Night came."
"Night was always lonely and sad because he remained alone. This situation happened for years... Night came and people returned to their homes and animal returned to their nests. One day, however, a little firefly approached Night and asked, 'why do you look so sad?' This surprised Night as it was the first time anyone spoke to him."
"Night responded by asking the firefly why he was outside at such a time. The fireflies told him he and his friends loved to go out at night because they could only glow beautifully when it was dark. The firefly and Night soon became friends from that day. When Night complained to his friend about people hiding when he appeared and did the opposite when Daylight appeared, the firefly told him people were scared of darkness. If Night lightened up the sky then the people would no longer be afraid.
Night liked the idea but he didn't know how to lighten the sky. The firefly was quick with ideas. Daylight had the sun so Night could create something similar. Night was elated by this idea so he created the moon to brighten up the night sky. Things turned out as the firefly predicted. People were no longer scared of Night. They started opening their window to enjoy the moonlight. Some animals left their nests to play under the moonlight. Night was no longer as lonely as before."
"This must have made Night happy…" Zhao Li Xin commented as a child would comment on his mother's story.
Lory smiled at how cute Zhao Li Xin look. She continued, "But nothing lasts forever… The firefly aged and died as he was a mortal insect. Night was devastated by the loss as the firefly was his first friend but there was nothing he could do as death was the fate of all living things. However, Night didn't want to separate from his first friend. He took the firefly's soul and blessed it with an eternal glow. He then kept the soul close to him and the firefly became the first star in the sky. Night also knew the firefly needed his friends with him so he chose to place the soul of the other dead fireflies in the sky with him, turning them to more stars. They would no longer be lonely if they were together."
Silence followed before Zhao Li Xin quietly said, "It's a beautiful story but it is also sad at the same time…"
Lory chuckled, "It is. I cried the first time I heard it but my mother said the story had an important lesson for us. It teaches one not to underestimated something or someone no matter how small or insignificant their existence may seem. It also tells us not to look down at ourselves as we may seem worthless to others but still mean the world to someone special… So, you should never doubt yourself."
Their eyes met and held. Time seemed to stop as there were no words between them. Zhao Li Xin could see his reflection inside her big beautiful eyes. His heart raced. He didn't know why he always felt like that whenever he was close to her. However, he didn't hate the feeling… He loved it. He craved it to be exact.
"Stop looking at me like that," Lory covered his face with her little hand. Zhao Li Xin chuckled as he grabbed her hands. He loosens his grip when he realized just how frail and small her hand was.
"Ri Yi…" He called gently.
"Hm?" Lory lifted her head and Zhao Li Xin looked at her deeply with a serious face.
"Ri Yi, I can be good for you but I'm not a good man. There are certain things I do that might make you scared of me or even hate me so I..." Zhao Li Xin looked nervous. He never regretted what he had done in the past but he couldn't help by worry before her. He feared what she would think. Scared she would leave him or come to despise him. Zhao Li Xin never cared about other people thought of him no matter how bad it was but with her...
"We do what we must to survive," Lory cut off his words. She held his hands tightly, "We kill and hurt others to protect ourselves and everything we hold dear. I won't judge you. I know how hard the world is out there."
"Just because I'm like this doesn't mean I'm innocent…" Lory smiled bitterly. She knew she had committed a grave mistake in the past, hurting everyone around her in the process. She took risks to protect the one person she loved the most… It was possible her father would be disappointed with her if he was alive to know what she had done.
"I have sinned. My sins might be greater than yours…" Lory releasing Lazarus to use his power was her greatest mistake. She might have created a greater disaster in her old world if it wasn't for Girsha.
"It's hard to believe that…" Zhao Li Xin looked at her in disbelief. He had killed and tortured many people in the last decade. He couldn't even count the number of the people he killed. He couldn't imagine her doing the same thing.
"You'll be surprised…" Lory slyly squinted her eyes.
Zhao Li Xin chuckled lightly. He patted her head dotingly and said, "I am but I don't mind if it's you, not at all."
Lory blushed again and averted her gazed from him. It was so hard to maintain a straight face in front of him.
Her shyness made her look more adorable in his eyes. He pulled her close to his chest and wrapped his hands around her. She was small enough to almost disappear in his embrace. Lory was stunned by his sudden behavior. Her face became redder and her heart almost leaped from her chest. She was warmed by his embrace. He smelled like agarwood. Lory unconsciously inhaled his manly scent and relaxed. She snuggled closer to his chest and quickly fell asleep at the overwhelming drowsiness.
Zhao Li Xin noticed her calm breathing and was surprised to see her sleep on his chest. A sense of sweetness engulfed him. He couldn't stop smiling. He lifted her carefully and carried her back to her room.
Mong Ki and Mong Yi weren't shocked to see their lord treat Luo Ri Yi tenderly. However, this could not be said for Bei Li Yan who accidentally stumbled across them when he came to deliver his report. Bei Li Yan's eyes grew wide and his mouth made an ungraceful `o' sign.
Mong Ki could only sigh at his reaction. It was a normal reaction to have once you saw their lord acting like that for the first time. Bei Li Yan shifted his eyes to Mong Ki. His eye screamed at him, 'Is this for real!'
It was as if they were using telepathy to talk. Mong Ki nodded his head seriously in response, 'Yes, it is'.
Bei Li Yan scurried out of Zhao Li Xin's palace. He needed to share the news with the other King Palace. Bei Li Yan could imagine his friend's shocked faces when he told them.
Meanwhile, Zhao Li Xin put Lory on her bed but Lory gripped his collar tightly before he could leave. Her face scrunched up every time he tried to remove her hand. He didn't want to wake her as he knew Lory had severe insomnia.
Helpless with the situation, Zhao Li Xin decided to lay beside her until she could let go of his collar. Unfortunately for him, the girl decided to get more comfortable as she was a warmth seeker. Lory innocently pulled him closer, squeezed a leg between his legs and slip a hand behind his collar. This was a habit of hers from childhood. She would unconsciously seek warmth whenever she felt cold. She would sleep under a thick blanket and lots of pillows to handle the annoying habit.
Zhao Li Xin's high cultivation meant his body temperature was higher than normal. His body was like a natural heater to Lory. She couldn't help but get closer to him and envelope him as an octopus would.
Such a position was a tough one for a young and healthy man like Zhao Li Xin. He could feel her soft body including her bosom pressed against his chest. Her natural sweetness tickled his nose, not to mention her small hand molesting his bare chest. He stiffened like a statue. His heart raced and his breath became heavier. Something rushed from inside his head and headed down below. He was hit by another foreign feeling. His mind could only form one word.
'Uh Oh'