Meanwhile, in the imperial palace's throne hall, a middle-aged woman was seated on a majestic throne atop an elevated platform adjoined by four empty plain looking seats for the royal highness' direct family.
Those waiting to be heard by their imperial highness can do so on the several extravagant and comfortable marble benches, all of which were perfectly aligned in rows.
The middle-aged woman's figure was gracefully slender, and she wore a long palace robe, which was sparkling with a blue glow. But her face didn't give people the feeling of an ordinary woman. Instead, her face exuded an air of arrogance.
She was none other than the Empress Regnant of the Rong Empire, Olivia Rong!
And standing before her in the vacant hall was Lily with an expressionless face without any trace of the graceful smile she always had before Ban.
"Your Majesty, can I know the reason for which I was summoned here?" Lily asked in an indifferent tone.
"Is that the tone in which you address your empress?" Olivia Rong narrowed her eyes in displeasure.
"If there's nothing else, then I will take my leave," Lily said in a mildly frustrated tone as she turned around to leave.
"Halt there. I know you slipped out of the palace to go somewhere. And when you came back, you brought a bloodied kid with you. You know that we don't allow stray dogs into our imperial palace." Olivia Rong said, her eyes filled with contempt.
"You have no right to decide whom I take in as my servant," Lily said defiantly.
"Oh, what kind of servant is he to make you go all the way outside to employ him?"
"With all due respect, who or what kind of person I employ as my servants is none of your business, Your Majesty," Lily said as she coldly glared at Olivia Rong.
"Hmph. We will see how long you can be this arrogant. But the matter for which I summoned you here is another thing. The second prince from the Gale Empire is visiting here in the name of greeting the 'Celestial Princess' within a month. You will do well to be worthy of that title and not play any games."
Olivia Rong paused for a moment before saying, "If you displease or insult the prince in any way, you will have to face the consequences, which I don't even have to tell you."
"Your Majesty doesn't have to worry about anything as long as the second prince doesn't overstep his boundaries," Lily said with a hint of disgust in her tone.
"Just because you are a walking treasure doesn't mean you can step on these kinds of people if it wasn't for me, who knows where you would have ended up now. You would have even ended up as a mere concubine of the second prince of the Gale Empire." Olivia Rong scoffed.
Lily stared icily at Olivia Rong, "Don't pretend as if you did me a favor. We all know for whom exactly you are carrying out all your plans and schemes. And I am nothing but a political tool for you to use to strengthen and solidify your own political power."
"You can believe whatever you want. I don't have the time or energy to argue with you." Olivia Rong said in a bored tone.
"Since I have already instructed you on what to do when the second prince of the Gale Empire arrives, you may leave now." Olivia Rong said as she waved her hands.
Lily didn't tarry anymore and left the hall with soft, uneven footsteps.
After Lily had left, a silhouette emerged behind Olivia Rong, which took the form of a man with a rough face.
"Have you confirmed that there is nothing strange about that crippled servant boy she brought home?" Olivia Rong said without turning to face the man.
"Yes, Your Majesty. I had already probed the boy using my spiritual perception when he entered the palace. He is utterly and completely crippled because of his destroyed ethereal points."
Olivia Rong squinted her eyes, "Strange, why would she pick up a cripple lying around the streets? If she wanted a gardener or a herb expert, I am sure she could have got way better ones with good expertise from around here itself. And also, why suddenly hire an outsider to take care of her garden? Usually, some maid takes care of it."
The man said in a respectful tone, "Your Majesty has nothing to worry about that boy. I have thoroughly confirmed the facts with my senses. Maybe the princess must have found him on the way and took pity on him, considering the state he came here with all the injuries and blood."
Olivia Rong sighed, "Yes, it might be that. I must be overthinking things. Nevertheless, no matter what tricks that girl comes up with, she can't escape her fate. I only have to watch out for the two Court Masters by her side and the Ancestor, not that they would be of any help to her in the long run." She said as a devious glint flashed through her eyes.
—
In one of the imperial palace's courtyard, there were three people sitting around in a circular fashion surrounding a small table.
They were none other than Lily and her two protectors.
"Your Highness, did the empress catch on to something?" Nestor Rong asked with a worried expression.
Lily shook her head, "No, she doesn't know about our visit to that place. She only asked me why I took Ban as my servant. And also to tell me about the arrival of the Gale Empire's second prince within a month." As she said the last part, Lily clenched her teeth.
Oswin Rong stroked his chin as he said, "Well, even if the empress knew about our visit, she wouldn't care about it much since we practically came back empty handed. But she would task more people to keep a watch on us. The only reason she didn't find out could be that this was the first time you have ever tried something like this."
Lily nodded with a half-hearted smile, "She knows that there is nothing I could possibly do. But that doesn't mean she will let me out of her sights. She is too careful not to make any mistakes since she has already come a long way. Only if my father was still alive, maybe things could have been different."
Nestor Rong sighed, "That's true, your father was really talented, and even his cultivation was half-step into the Heaven Ethereal Realm. Only due to the unfair turn of fate could such a tragedy have happened to him."
Oswin Rong spoke in a reassuring tone, "But Your Highness need not worry yourself too much. We would do everything in our power to protect you and safeguard your interests. Your father and even the Ancestor had entrusted and trusted us with the task of protecting you. We won't fail to follow their orders."
Lily's lips pressed together, "I just had enough of this farce already. The empress is just trying to sell me off as quickly as she can. If it wasn't for the Ancestor, I would have already been used as a political chip by her. But now, only two more years are left before she can proceed with her schemes of letting her son, the crown prince of our empire, succeed to the throne without any hindrance."
Nestor Rong's brows pulled together, "Your Highness, we will try to come up with some plan within these two years. No matter how much the odds are against us, we will never give up."
Lily sighed, "Okay. Leaving those things aside, I have decided to have my inner courtyard as the training place for Ban and me."
Oswin Rong narrowed his eyes, "Your Highness, are you sure you want to let that boy inside your courtyard? Except for the maid who took care of the garden before, you haven't let anybody inside there."
Lily nodded, "Yes, it's the perfect place. Since it's my own residence, no one will dare to spy or intrude on me, nor will the empress have any suspicions since everyone knows that he is my servant tasked with managing my garden."
Oswin Rong nodded in understanding, "Hmm, since Your Highness doesn't want any trouble to befall on Ban, the inner courtyard of your residence would be the best place to have the training take place."
Nestor Rong asked skeptically, "Your Highness, that boy seems too sly, and we are still not sure of his background. Is it okay to really let him train alone with you? Maybe we could—"
Lily interrupted as she shook her head, "What could he even do to me? He's harmless as a fly, and you two don't have to worry about his background. I can at least assure you two that Ban is not a threat in any way." She said assertively.