CHAPTER 51: FIRST CRACKS IN THE UNCHANGEABLE

"... but my princess!"

Tia didn’t even turn her head to look at Obel.

Now that Ian was gone to report on the matter of the last two days to her father, Obel took over his duties as the head of her security. And judging by the pleading in both his voice and his eyes, he was determined to take his duties seriously.

"We’ve already discussed it. I won’t bother with this topic again," Tia cut the man’s attempt short with a "hmph" as she raised her chin and then rushed off to her carriage. Then, before her men could even get into proper position, she already shut the doors and stomped on the floor, signaling the driver to stop slacking and pick up the pace.

’Shit!’

Cursing under his breath, Obel rushed forth, waving the driver off to stop him from striking his reins and putting the carriage into motion.

With just a little bit more time bought, Obel then caught the carriage’s doors while landing his feet on the step leading up to the entrance.

He didn’t open the doors, though.

High-rank cultivator and important figure in the duke’s court or not, he knew better than to intrude upon the lady’s quarters when she explicitly requested not to be disturbed.

But on the flip side, if he failed to slow her down even a little, Ian... or even worse, the duke himself, would show him the degree of their displeasure!

And so, stuck between the hammer and a hard place, Obel gulped his saliva down before clutching at the carriage’s door and then bringing his face closer to it, almost as if he wanted to kiss the wood.

"My lady, would it be appropriate for someone of your status to go and visit that man... without a proper steadgift?"

This short, whispered sentence was enough to put an end to Tia’s stomping of the floor of her carriage.

In a rush or not, she was still a noble. A high-ranking one to boot!

When it came to the Visteria’s lord, she could get away with merely paying her respects through a proxy. But that was the case because she wasn’t visiting the man but merely passing through his fiefdom.

If she wanted to intrude unannounced upon the noble house of the Slevians, even if that entire house was ranked far lower than she was ranked herself, then proper etiquette applied!

"I know this might sound silly, but it’s as much of a mercenary group as they are lesser nobles, my lady," Obel gulped his saliva down as he continued to speak, "and from my experience, those of the lower noble ranks are often most touchy when it comes to proper procedures and receiving even the smallest gestures of respect..."

To a degree, Obel was right.

As a fighter and cultivator himself, he had his fair share of offering his services to various noble houses before he finally landed at the Serene household, where his career finally took off.

In his experience, what he just said held true... for most of the cases. It mostly boiled down to the personality of the household’s patriarch.

But still.

For a daughter of a duke, it was simply prudent to follow all the proper procedures, lest she wanted to bring shame upon her surname!

"Okay then," Tia finally replied, her voice tensed with withheld anger. "Get your men to organize a proper steadgift but don’t waste too much time on it. Worst-case scenario, a bunch of spirit stones and some gold should suffice. Oh," Tia hesitated for a moment, "until the steadgift is done, don’t let anyone disturb me. I need to focus."

"Yes, my lady," Obel lowered his head in a bow, even though his lady couldn’t really see it.

Still, he stepped down from the carriage’s step and started shouting orders.

"Men! Scour the markets for the spirit stones! Take the lady’s seal and go withdraw two hundred... No, three hundred gold pieces from the local merchant association!"

Even though his voice was stern, designed to cut through the noises of battle and easily reach the ears of those under his leadership, on the inside?

On the inside, Obel couldn’t help but feel a tinge of warmth.

In the last two short days, his lady had changed.

Sure, she changed in ways that would bring no pleasure or satisfaction to her father and would likely be taken advantage of by other noble houses...

But for someone who grew up in a situation as rigid as Tia did yet never offered a hint of wish to deviate from the path her father drew up for her?

For someone like that, even the smallest and possibly most unfortunate change was a good thing.

’She’s growing up,’ Obel thought to himself, only to then fight his own face not to let his lips reveal a small smile. ’And while it’s infuriating to think that random bastard was behind it, nor do I like the direction she’s changing to...’

Obel shook his head and breathed out a tense sigh.

’Still, a change is a change. And in her case, it doesn’t matter which direction she takes her first step in. As long as she finally starts to move away from her role of a court’s doll!’

While Tia’s servants and bodyguards all pondered pretty much the same thoughts, their young lady herself got comfortable inside her carriage.

With no suspension to speak of, she stuffed nearly half of the carriage’s interior with huge pillows, allowing her to ease some of the major pains of travel by carriage.

Right now, however, her carriage stood still. And after nesting herself amidst all the pillows, she pushed all the thoughts about her subordinates aside before focusing on the one memory that was precious to her above all.

The memory of the feeling she experienced just about an hour ago, when her spiritual energy worked in ways she never knew to be possible.

’By the way he framed it, I would expect it to be hard to recall that sensation...’ Tia thought, steadily breathing as she relaxed her body and focused all of her attention on that very precise, special feeling.

Then, as she opened up the palm of her hand and brought it up to the level of her eyes, she stared in silence at the faint outline of the several orbs nested upon each other.

’Then, how could it be so easy?’ she thought, only for her face to contort as the orbs floating above her hand appeared to instantly align themselves in a very specific order whenever an idea for a magical spell appeared in her head.

It lured her in, promising the return of that feeling from before the moment she would unleash her new power.

Her entire body screamed for it, craved it, desired it.

After all, what wrong could happen if she tried to use this new power of hers... just for a little bit?

’Surely, there would be no harm...’ Tia thought...

Only to then shake her head right as her eyes twitched before turning wide.

"Gosh..." she muttered under her breath, the way she looked at the orbs floating above her hand now filled with a deep, profound sense of respect.

’Just how insane is that thing to nearly overcome my control so easily?’ she thought.

Her entire body tensed up, her focus broke. And with it, the orb in her hand dissipated into thin air.

For a moment, Tia just sat there, within her carriage, surrounded by nothing but the soft pillows.

Then, armed with the first-hand experience of what sort of temptation awaited her, she steeled herself before stabilizing her breath, relaxing her body, and trying again.

’He said not to unleash it. But there is nothing wrong with a little bit of practice, is there?’