Eddie and his group returned to Capital Academy.
Rue's mentor, a wise old woman with hair like frost and snow, lived in a quiet dwelling within the academy. She was simple in dress, with a serene and peaceful demeanor.
Upon seeing Rue enter, she nodded slightly, a familial warmth glowing in her eyes. "Princess Jean, please take a seat."
She beckoned gently. "Rue, didn't you go to the Heaven-Reaching Tower with the princess? Why are you back so soon?"
"Teacher," Rue began as she sat down beside the old woman, taking her hand, "this is my younger brother. He wants to know about our ancestor's challenge at the Gemini Palace..."
"Rue's younger brother? A fine child," the old woman observed Eddie closely, nodding in approval.
"He's nothing like the legends, young yet wise like a dragon in the deep. How come you're discussing old stories?"
Rue hurriedly explained, "My brother wants to challenge the Zodiac Palaces. He's passed Aries and Taurus but is stuck at Gemini. I mentioned our ancestor's feat to inspire him. Princess Jean thought it best to ask you directly... If it's a secret, we won't pry."
"Passed Aries and Taurus?" The old woman was visibly impressed.
"It's been a while since Daxia saw such a talented youth. Regarding Gemini, it's not a secret. I'll tell you about it."
"Thank you, Teacher!" Rue joyfully lifted the old woman's hand to her face, showing deep affection.
Their bond was intimate, resembling that of a mother and daughter. Without knowing their mentor-student relationship and the age difference, one might easily be mistaken.
Eddie later learned that Rue had a low status in the Yew family castle.
In a different world, her father Shawn focused on nurturing his son Yehky, paying little attention to Rue, who would marry off.
Three reasons contributed to this: Rue's natural gifts and guardian beast were of the healing kind, deemed less significant; her failed arranged marriage wasn't due to a lack of suitors or the premature death of her fiancé, but because the fiancé's family, the Shaw Clan, was rising in power, seeking to replace the Yew family among the four great clans.
The Shaws were respectful to the Yews when they were weak. Bloodtao, a member of the Shaw Clan, used to flatter Shawn.
However, with two members, Bloodfury and Tome Shaw, advancing to Level 7 Overlords, the Shaw Clan's strength surged, backed by the Yan Clan, another of the four great clans.
They were close to declaring themselves one of the top five families.
The Shaw Clan had numerous talents in the younger generation, like Kieran Shaw, Rue's former love rival, who was well-known and ranked just below the three great stars: Qeathon, Porking, and Tunlun.
Since becoming the lord of Blade Edge City, Bloodtao's attitude towards Shawn had grown arrogant.
In one business deal with the Yew family, the Shaw Clan first sold goods for money, then disguised as bandits to steal back the goods and resell them to others.
This scheme caused significant financial loss to the Yew family.
At the same time, this marked the beginning of the feud between the Yew and Shaw families.
The Shaws vehemently denied any involvement in the incident, even Alexander was furious.
Despite their strong stance, the Yews were unable to prove anything and had to swallow the loss silently.
This led to a complete breakdown in relations between the two families.
Rue's engagement to Kieran Shaw, the eldest of the Shaw youngsters, remained, but even a blind person could see the union was doomed to fail.
The Yew family lacked a valid reason to call off the engagement, while the Shaws, with malicious intent, insisted on it, refusing to break off the engagement.
Moreover, the Shaws frequently pressured Rue to drop out of school and marry sooner.
In reality, Kieran Shaw was already married into the Raging Clan, with both a wife and mistresses. He was also known as the most notorious playboy at Capital Academy.
Unlike Porking, a handsome charmer with countless admirers but a decent reputation, Kieran Shaw boasted about his conquests, proudly proclaiming his 'Thousand Women Feast.'
Rue's mother was not the chief wife and had passed away early. The main wife's attitude towards Rue was average, neither loving nor cold, and she showed concern for her in public.
As for Rue's marriage, she passively accepted it, as the Yew family couldn't find a dignified excuse to cancel it.
Eddie was initially unaware of Rue's situation.
Only later, during his studies at Ivy League College and his adventures in the Abyss of Despair, did Sophia inform him.
He learned that his kind and gentle cousin faced a rather unfortunate fate, at least in the foreseeable future...
"Sit down, Rue," the old woman said affectionately, caressing Rue's cheek with a sigh.
"The matter of that challenge has brought shame to our family, so our descendants are reluctant to speak of it. "
"In the Gemini Palace, those who obtain the Golden Mask encounter a second shadow in the rear hall. This shadow is the exact opposite of the first; not only is its gender reversed, but its strength is fixed at the Golden Level 6, unlike the first shadow which changes with the challenger."
"So, a man encountering the second shadow will face a woman, and vice versa?" Eddie asked, surprised.
"Exactly. Our ancestor was seriously injured and shamed, leading her fiancé and his family to suspect dishonor and call off the marriage. "
"To prove her innocence, she appealed to the Empress at the time. Despite the truth, she couldn't win back her lover's heart and ultimately jumped into the sea to demonstrate her purity."
" The shadow in the Gemini Palace is just an illusion and cannot dishonor anyone. My master, seeking the truth, entered dozens of times using various methods."
" The results proved that the second shadow never acts dishonorably. The real reason for our ancestor's disgrace was that her fiancé wanted to marry the daughter of the then-Prime Minister. "
"The second shadow is the true guardian of the Gemini Palace. It bars any challenger from the rear hall but does not engage in combat otherwise. "
"Moreover, this shadow does not appear until the Golden Mask has been obtained by the challenger..."
As the old woman recounted the past, Sophia, Princess Jean, and the others listened intently, shaking their heads in disbelief.
The idea of slandering an ancestor for infidelity due to a challenge was both outrageous and malicious.
That ancestor truly misjudged her fiancé.
Princess Jean was deeply shaken by the story.
She felt she mustn't make the same mistake in choosing a partner and end up with a tragic fate like the ancestor.
She glanced at Eddie, pondering. Despite his flirtatious nature and frivolous thoughts, he had his redeeming qualities.
First, he was family-oriented, always rushing to help Mother Grace and Sophia in times of need. He would likely be a caring and protective husband.
Second, he had a sense of basic morality, being straightforward and honest, avoiding deceitful acts.
As for other aspects, like combat, he was one in a million.
Reluctantly, she admitted that compared to other men, Eddie seemed like a decent choice.
His only flaw was his womanizing nature, a typical Casanova, falling for every woman he saw, coupled with a strong sense of possessiveness.
Luckily, she didn't have many male friends, or Eddie might have ended up harming them.
Reflecting on the historical lesson of Rue's ancestor choosing the wrong partner, Princess Jean realized the importance of thoughtful consideration in such a life-altering decision.
A wrong choice in marriage could lead to disaster.
Would the prince from Purple Gold Kingdom who proposed to her be a better choice than Eddie?
Or the young master from the Mysterious Sect she had never met, would he be superior to Eddie?
Her father not insisting on a political marriage was her luck. Therefore, she needed to choose wisely and not ruin her life in a moment of impulse.
Unaware, Eddie was being weighed on Princess Jean's mental scale, compared with others.
Meanwhile, Eddie pondered an important question.
Why did the first shadow copy wear a golden mask? Why did the second shadow copy appear only after the golden mask was lost? What would happen if the golden mask was taken out of the Gemini Palace?
"The old woman gave Eddie a notebook, her master's battle journal, filled with detailed information about the Gemini Palace and even hand-drawn illustrations. Eddie was overjoyed and couldn't wait to pore over it.
Princess Jean, seeing Eddie's obsession, couldn't help but punch him. "Go on, let me see it after you're done. Touch me again, and I'll accuse you of harassment," Eddie joked, only to receive another punch from Princess Jean, much to her embarrassment, especially with Sophia and Rue nearby.
"Why's she hitting me? Addicted to it or what?" Eddie thought, raising his fist in jest. Rue quickly grabbed his hand, "Don't be angry; her hitting you is a good thing!"
"It means she wouldn't do that to anyone else," Rue said with a giggle. "Let's stop reading and find something to eat. We're all hungry." Rue noticed a different, mysterious sparkle in Princess Jean's eyes when she looked at her brother. Perhaps the tragic story of their ancestor had influenced her decision.
With a sister's intuition, Rue felt happy for her brother. Girls are usually reserved; wouldn't she act coyly if she didn't have some feelings for him? And those punches were so soft, more like a caress than an attack.
Eddie, blissfully unaware of his good fortune, was stopped by Rue from retaliating. Even Sophia, naive about love, could tell Princess Jean had a crush on her brother. She giggled behind her hand, amused by her brother's cluelessness. He had mistaken Inan for a man and now misunderstood Princess Jean's punches, seemingly out of touch with a girl's heart.
Eddie was savvy but no fool. He was just playing it cool.
He wouldn't let Princess Jean, this fiery tigress, slip through his fingers. For now, he'd play along, biding his time for the right moment to make his move.
Just then, a man's mocking voice rang out from the side of the tree-lined path.
"Well, well, if it isn't my betrothed! I heard she's pure and untouchable, even for her rightful fiancé. Now she's getting cozy with another man? "
"If you're going to do it, at least not in front of me. I'm still your fiancé, after all. "
"Had I known you were just pretending to be virtuous, I would've taken you by force. "
"And here I thought you were so chaste, but you're nothing but a hypocrite..."
A man swaggered out from the shadows, his voice dripping with sarcasm.