The large man stopped looking towards Ki and turned to look towards Lumi who was stood behind her. "What is this girl to you? A slave? A servant?"
Lumi was silent and hesitated to speak so he continued. "What? You cannot speak without your master? Is this what I think it is?!"
He let out a mighty roar as he questioned and put pressure on them but Ki was not intimidated.
She maintained her grace and calmness then nodded towards Lumi. "Do you see chains on her body? I think you are misunderstanding something here."
In the eyes of some people, there was something weird about Lumi being with Ki and there could be some kind of master and servant relationship between them.
In order for Ki to learn about their culture and to understand so much could have easily been obtained from Lumi who clearly had a strong bloodline from the Northern Lands.
They saw themselves as proud warriors that were unwilling to submit unless it was to a better warrior than themselves or to their ruler so it was insulting to see someone of their own kind submit to an outsider.
There were no slavery systems in the north due to the need to cherish life more when death occurred more often and the need for bloodlines to be preserved was more important.
When they hunted, each kill was made use of and every part was used in some way whether it was eaten or made into trinkets and clothing.
Their women were very important to produce children so even if they were not treated that well emotionally or physically by their partners, they would still have to properly ensure that their woman was well fed and kept healthy.
If there were bigger cases of abuse and mistreatment that led to the death of a woman or the child in her womb then the person behind it would be publicly shamed and punished not for the abuse they inflicted but for being behind the loss of important lives that would increase the population of people within the north.
It would not be strange for such cases to have some warriors that had stronger beliefs towards life being cherished that they would use a challenge of combat to save and take a woman for themselves but that was only when there were clear signs of such things happening.
It was less about property or slavery like in the Central Lands but was more about their sacred beliefs and proving their worth as an alpha male or as a strong male warrior that did a lot of the hunting, gathering and protecting of his woman and children.
Female warriors were few and could usually only be found in past legends due to their lives needing to be preserved for childbirth so they were rarely allowed on the battlefield even if they were capable warriors.
It was very easy for a young girl like Lumi to be overlooked as someone that had less experience like the other women of her people even if she did have a slightly stronger looking build.
She could have easily been captured when she was younger and was forced to submit to Ki or her family.
Even if she was not captured when younger, it was still possible for her to underestimate others and fall into some kind of trap or be defeated by someone more experienced.
To the northerners, the Lumi was one of their own people that could help with their population problem and was essential small part of their continued survival.
To have her become a slave or servant to someone from the Central Lands was a great insult and was worthy of them killing Ki then and there.
There were rumours that reached the north that the central landers treat human life like trash and do not treat their fellow humans that well if they had a lower status like a slave or servant.
The slavery and servant systems were very against their way of thinking in the way they were used to treat human lives and Lumi could possibly be among them which made it worse.
The previous good impression that had been built could easily be destroyed if Lumi gave off the wrong impression.
Lumi stepped forward and her eyes were calm and with little emotion. "I have no family name but my given name is Lumi. The Bombyx family is my benefactor that has helped me during a difficult time and the young lady has graciously accepted me as a friend and close companion. I hope that answers your question."
Ki quietly nodded as if approving of what Lumi had said.
She bowed a little showing her elegant movements that were far above most others in the room and showed how her teachings were far beyond an ordinary servant.
It was like she had been raised and taught like a noble of the Central Lands while claiming to be a close friend to the young lady of the family then most of the suspicions would be dismissed as untrue.
No slaves were allowed to learn the ways of the nobles and were raised to be subservient.
Most of them were very weak minded and would cower in the face of intimidation to the point they would drop down to their knees and beg for mercy especially if they had a really bad master that mistreated them.
The nobles of the Central Lands were very proud of their reputation and would not admit to being seen with their lessers, it was even less likely for them to admit to being friends with them but Ki had nodded in approval.
Ki showed no shame to such things being said and how close they were during the performance or afterwards had helped to create the impression that they were closer than a servant and master relationship.
The large man examined her closely and said. "I will believe you for now but which parts do you come from child?"
Even if Lumi was covered with a light veil, her eyes and hair colour were very easy to notice and stood out.
She had very strong characteristics of those that possess the bloodline of the northerners and they were so strong and clear that he was curious about her family and origins.
The silvery white hair and icy blue eyes were strong characteristics of the ancestry of the north and the higher bloodlines.
It was believed that an ice phoenix had blessed their bloodline in the past to help their ancestors to survive the harsh cold which gave them their appearance and allowed them to survive slightly better in the cold environment.
Those that practiced cold qi techniques seemed to possess greater talents which was why the main sect that had connections to the royal family only accepted silvery white haired people with icy blue eyes.
There were many noble families within the capital that possessed such traits due to them passing on such a sacred bloodline but not everyone inherited it.
There were some bloodlines passed down outside of the greater clans but the main sect usually claimed them once they were found so it was rare that Lumi had appeared by the side of Ki.
Such a precious bloodline was important to the northerners and if Lumi had been harmed like they had previously thought then the Bombyx family would soon face their wrath so the situation was far worse and more complicated than Ki had thought it would be.
Ki was not too aware of those details that were more a guarded secret of the north but she understood the situation. 'Is Lumi perhaps of a special bloodline? Could she have some connections to some family here?'
Lumi shook her head. "I lost my memories when I was younger so I do not remember anything about my family."