“W-WHO ARE YOU?” Prince Zak clenched his fist. He then gritted his teeth and hardened his expression. “I am the emperor’s son, How dare you enter my courtyard without permission?” This lady was not a fairy. That was clear from her words. She is a witch!

The corner of Lily’s mouth lifted. “After all that happened, you’re still using his name to save your life?” she asked, raising her brow. “Don’t you know you’re nothing in his eyes? Don’t you know your life meant nothing to his enemies? You’re just someone he can easily dispose of without guilt, and everyone in this world knows that. So, why are you still using his name and parading your non-existent status in front of your assumed persecutor?” Then, she shrugged, “And who knows; maybe, the emperor himself ordered me to kill you.”

That’s one twist she was starting to consider. Should she stage an assassination to make the prince despise the emperor even more?

Nah!

That’s far too much trouble! She didn’t have the energy for it.

Prince Zak’s mouth opened to retort, but no words came out. As tears formed in the corners of his eyes, his eyes began to feel warm.

The witch was correct. Everyone knew his Emperor Father didn’t care about him. The eunuchs and palace servants bully him because they know that fact. So how could he hope that his earlier words would save him? And would it matter to his Emperor Father if he died? Would he even seek retribution for him?

He wept.

His emperor father would never do so!

“What are you crying about?” Lily clicked her tongue in contempt, “You are fine without having a father like him. Look at your brothers and sisters who grew up with him,” she shook her head in disappointment, “They are now all useless and stupid, but you,” Lily enunciated as she pointed her finger at the boy, “are still young. There is still hope for you to avoid following the step of your siblings.”

Prince Zak remained silent. He kept sobbing.

Lily sighed and rolled her eyes. “And are you stupid? Didn’t you hear what I said earlier?” she asked as she sat at the edge of the bed, straightening her back. “I came here to offer you a deal.” Prince Zak stiffened, putting an end to his sobs. “Be my sword, and in exchange, I will provide you with clothing, and food, and even treat your legs and teach you magic!” Something moved in the distance.

Lily already noticed it the moment she entered the palace, but she decided to deal with it later.

“Really?” Prince Zak’s eyes widened and his tone of voice changed to one of fascination. “Can I learn magic? Can I really learn something magnificent?”

Lily smiled. “You can, and you can be confident that you will.”

Prince Zak lowered his gaze.

Magic. It was something mortals had been dying to learn, and now this wit—- sister was telling him he could.

“H-how can I trust you?” he questioned, sceptical.

“You can doubt anything, but never my integrity,” Lily responded. She drew a dagger from her sleeve, causing the prince to tremble in fear. But before Prince Zak could yell, the dagger was shot out the window and into the tree, and a shadow suddenly emerged.

Shadow Guard Loid could almost hear his heart pounding against his ribcage. Young Miss Pei was a savage!

He had been distracted earlier, and if it hadn’t been for his quick reflexes, he would have been severely injured. Young Miss Pei’s dagger was tipped with a highly potent poison. He sensed the magical energy emanating from a member of the Poison Sect.

Lily’s grin broadened. “I would appreciate it if you could return my dagger,” she said, crossing her feet and extending her right hand.

Shadow Guard Loid’s eye twitched. His gaze lingered on the dagger for a moment before darting into the courtyard like lightning. He bowed before handing over the dagger. “Please don’t put it inside your sleeve,” he said coldly, “it’s dangerous and could get you hurt.”

“It’s fine,” Lily said, smiling. She took the dagger and hid it inside her sleeve, adding, “I’ve been hiding it inside my sleeve for a decade. So far, I’m still alive.” She then returned her attention to the curious prince, saying, “This is your fifth imperial uncle’s shadow guard. He will teach you everything you need to know about magic.”

“What??”

“Really?”

Both males, young and adult, exclaimed, one surprised and the other excited.

“What’s the matter?” Lily asked the shadow guard. “Since Fifth Imperial Uncle Hugo has left you here, you might as well help this young child he forgets.”

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“Our prince is chaste and has no child,” Shadow Guard Loid said flatly.

Lily blinked, her brow furrowed. “I didn’t say he had,” she clarified, then waved her hand and said, “Never mind that. You will become this child’s master.”

“I am only a servant of the imperial family,” the other retorted coldly, “how dare I ask a prince to call me master?”

Lily rolled her eyes. “In the Earth Realm, the more profound you are in magic, the higher your status,” she stated. “Status like the imperial family from a secular world is nothing in the eyes of an expert.”

“Young Miss Pei appears to know a lot about the earth realm,” Shadow Guard Loid said sternly.

“My grandfather used to tell me bedtime stories, and he loved to tell stories about that realm,” Lily shrugged.

‘So the young miss only heard about the realm,’ sighed Shadow Guard Loid. He assumed Lily was skilled in magic because she dared to promise to teach the child. But then there’s this...

He frowned inwardly. His master claimed that despite not having the body to use magic, the young miss was able to create a life crystal.

Furthermore, the fact that she possessed a dagger laced with poison from the Poison Sect piqued his interest and made him suspicious of the Pei Family’s background.

Meanwhile, Lily was ecstatic. She didn’t even have to teach this prince magic! Someone would take care of it for her. Ah! The life she desired most! The shadow guard’s appearance was such a blessing!

---

When Ji Mei returned, there was an additional person in the courtyard. Her eyes narrowed, observed the man for a moment, and finally recognized the emotionless man as the fifth imperial uncle’s shadow guard. But before she could question her mistress, she was told to give the food to the prince and then they all left the premise.

“We’re just going to leave the prince there? Unattended?” said Ji Mei, blinking.

“Otherwise?” Lily asked, she looked at Ji Mei before returning her gaze to the road, “Do you want him to occupy your room back in the estate?”

“At the very least, let’s fix those crumbling walls and ceilings, and—- let’s just fix the whole courtyard.”

“Don’t be stupid,” Lily reprimanded again, “if we did, the emperor would know we sneaked into the palace. And that prince seemed like a fool, he would surely give us away once interrogated.”

“I couldn’t believe that young miss is afraid of the emperor,” Ji Mei replied, a dry expression on her face.

“Rather than being scared,” Lily trailed, “I have a plan.”

“What exactly is it?”

“You will see,” Lily replied vaguely, looking over her shoulder with a smile.

Ji Mei, knowing she couldn’t press the young lady, asked what was bothering her instead. “Will young miss then explain to This Servant what the fifth imperial uncle’s shadow guard is doing here?” she questioned, pointing to the man who was silently following them from behind.

“Oh, yeah,” Lily remarked as she turned around, and then faced the shadow guard. “What are you doing here? Your master, just so you know, has long left the empire.”

Shadow Guard Loid opened his mouth to respond but quickly closed it. Should he tell the young lady that he was left here by his master to protect the Pei Family, particularly her? Would she be grateful and regard his master as a caring person, or would she feel crept out? The latter result made him hesitant to tell the young miss the truth.

Noticing that the two had been staring at him for too long, Shadow Guard Loid cleared his throat and said, “Master Hugo asked This Servant to remain here and observe the empire.”

Lily and Ji Mei ‘oohed’. “If he’s worried about the empire, he might as well take the throne himself,” Lily remarked. If Hugo did, she no longer needed to devise a plan to raise the prince she desired to inherit the throne. To be honest, it was killing her brain.

Scheming here, scheming there --- planning here, planning there --- she felt like she became a woman of the palace. How disgusting!

“Our master has no desire for such a ridiculous thing,” Shadow Guard Loid replied with a bow.

Lily agreed with a nod. That’s right. He is, indeed, a monk.

Soon after, with Shadow Guard Loid following their trail from the shadow, Lily and Ji Mei arrived home.

“So you still know how to get home!”

Lily had only just climbed the window of her room when she was greeted by her grandfather’s dark face. She looked down and saw that Ji Mei was no longer below; even the presence of the shadow guard had vanished.

She could only get in awkwardly, and as soon as her feet touched the floor, she grinned. “What time is it now? Aren’t you tired? Or did you wake up too early? If so, please go back to sleep; old men require adequate rest.”

Duke Pei snorted. “Who do you think you’re calling old?” he asked, crossing his arms. “And where have you gone? Don’t you know how to ask permission? Or, at the very least, give me a heads-up!”

Lily let out a sigh. “Aren’t I too old for that? And I recall someone telling me to make my own decisions when he gave me the Pei family to manage.”

Duke Pei fell silent as a result. He remembered saying those words to Lily when he retired, but...

“I’m still alive, so you must report everything to me!”

“Why?” Lily inquired, cocking her brow, “Are you dying?”

Duke Pei’s face darkened. “Do you want me to die?”

Lily was at a loss for words. Is her grandfather going through ‘menopause,’ as they call it? Aren’t those old women from the secular world the only ones who go through this?

“Alright, alright,” Lily said, raising her hands in defeat. “It’s my fault; I’ll keep you updated the next time I go for a walk.”

“No need!” Duke Pei harrumphed again, “lest you think I’m restricting you; as the Pei Family’s leader, you should know how to make your own decisions! Stop relying on me about everything!”

Lily then heard the door slam seconds later.

“...” said Lily. What was that all about? What exactly was her grandfather’s problem?