CHAPTER 48: LILY PALACE

"The one from the fifth floor? I didn’t think you’d tail me till here." Ling Yu raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest after seeing his persistence. The room was dimly lit, and the guy was sitting with his back facing the light, so Ling Yu couldn’t see his face clearly.

"That core is important to me, because I have someone who needs this core more than anyone. I’ll compensate you for the money, or I’ll give you more than the money you spent. So give it back while I’m still being nice." The man’s voice carried a trace of threat and pressure, but not enough to make Ling Yu yield to him.

’Someone who needs it? Was that person’s core also dug out?’ Ling Yu wondered as she felt a feeling of pain in her core.

Since she was someone who lost her core, Ling Yu understood the feeling more than anyone in this world.

Even so, she had already absorbed the core. And she can’t possibly take it out to give it to them, can she?

"I’m sorry, but I can’t give it to you. I already used up the core." Ling Yu sighed as she pinched her forehead. It was really a problem now. If he insists on taking it away, then she is too weak compared to him to fight back. At least she can use her spatial isolation to protect herself, but in that case, she will need to expose her powers.

"Used up? How? You didn’t..." The guy stopped as he was about to say something.

"That’s right, I already used it, so I can’t give it to you. I apologise to whoever needs it, but I can’t do anything about it." Ling Yu felt something was strange about his silence after she said that.

But it didn’t matter as long as he didn’t pursue this matter any further. Seeing that he was just standing there, Ling Yu truly prayed in her heart so that he would leave without bringing up something more sensitive.

The guy stood there in silence for a long time before suddenly turning around and leaving the room, jumping down from the window where he had climbed up to her room.

"Uh, why does he use the window when there is a perfectly fine door over there?" Puzzled, Ling Yu questioned herself in the dark as she sat down on the bed, breathing a sigh of relief.

She was tense this entire time, staying on guard against any move he might make. Because Ling Yu clearly saw how frustrated and angry this guy seemed to be, even without seeing his face clearly.

She can tell it from the way his fist was tightened by his sides, even if she can’t stop his attack head-on, she was ready to go down after a fight.

After collapsing on the bed, Ling Yu sank her body into the soft mattress, letting it engulf her body completely.

’Whatever it was, I can think about it tomorrow. For now, let’s get some sleep...’

Before Ling Yu could think more, her eyes closed off from the tiredness of the entire day, eventually drifting into a deep sleep.

★★★

The next morning, Ling Yu returned to her dorm room early at dawn, only to get herself into another mess.

"Yu’er, where were you staying last night? I searched for you everywhere, but couldn’t even find your shadow! Speak up, which son of a bitch took you away to hook up?!"

Ru Feifei almost went mad as she flared up in rage as soon as she saw Ling Yu, who had just returned from her late-night adventure.

"No one did, I just had something going on. But what’s the matter? Is there something going on for me to stay?" Ling Yu creased her eyebrows as she asked her the reason.

"Don’t even have me started! That annoying brat, Jiang Meng, came over, flaunting herself like a shameless hoe!" Ru Feifei cursed at Jiang Meng with an irritated expression as she continued, "And all this show for what? Just to leave an invitation for you. That brat said that it’s an invitation directly from His Majesty, asking you to enter the palace. I don’t know what they are thinking. Isn’t this outrageous?"

’Invitation to enter the Palace? An invitation? Not an edict?’ Ling Yu took the card from Ru Feifei’s hand as she stared down at it, her mind lost in deep thought.

"I think this invitation is highly suspicious! This is definitely a scam! I don’t advise you to go there. No, rather, I strongly oppose it! Don’t enter a trap willingly!" Ru Feifei’s intuitions were right on place; this invitation truly was suspicious.

But if one thinks of it another way, they invited the former princess to the palace for a chat. Which meant they recognized her status willingly. Shouldn’t she go and take a look at the thing or reason that made the Royal family recognize her?

"I’ll go."

"That’s right! You shouldn’t go... huh?!" Ru Feifei was stunned as she heard Ling Yu’s words, leaving her speechless.

"Wait... what? Why would you? Yu’er! You know just how dangerous it would be without anyone by your side at that place! Why would you..."

"I know what you are worrying about, Feifei." Ling Yu sighed as she patted the girl’s shoulder, "I know exactly what I’m doing. Don’t worry, I’ll come back safe and sound."

Even though Ling Yu assured her, Ru Feifei was still staring at her as if trying to gauge her intentions. After a while, she sighed as she pinched her nose, giving up on stopping Ling Yu.

"Just... don’t return injured, no, I don’t want to see even a scratch on your body!" Ru Feifei puffed up her cheeks as she spoke in a threatening tone, though it sounded cute to Ling Yu’s ears rather than dangerous.

"Alright, alright, I’ll be back soon. Don’t worry too much, you aren’t even my Mom." Ling Yu teased the girl while laughing lightly. This kind of peaceful atmosphere, chatting and laughing with a friend, Ling Yu wouldn’t have been able to imagine in her past life.

At that time, she said to herself that she didn’t need these things. Just taking care of the monsters and dungeons became her motto for life to continue living. But now that she experienced it, honestly... it didn’t feel bad at all.

Soon after, Ling Yu started her preparation to enter the palace.

★★★

Royal Lily Palace was the most favored palace within the entire Empire, because it was the most favored princess’s abode in the entire nation.

Since the princess was born with a curse mark in each generation, even though they were beloved by the people and the Emperor, they were short-lived and given the most priority within the entire palace.

The first Emperor built this Lily Palace for his beloved princess, who lived for a little more than 21 years. After that, the later generations followed the custom to put every princess born into the Royal family to stay here and take care of them.

The Lily Palace was established as the most beautiful palace of all the existing ones, even surpassing the beauty of the Empress’s palace. It was also located right next to the Emperor’s palace, so that he could take care of the princess at his convenience, to check on the princess from time to time.

The palace was adorned with the most beautiful and priceless jewels, expensive and luxurious, even had a garden and a side annex attached to it, a place more lavish than even the Emperor’s palace itself, without lacking anything.

Behind all this lavishness and luxury, a dirty truth was hidden away from the outside world that only Ling Yu knew very well.

Before leaving the palace, the place she stayed at wasn’t the palace itself, but the dirty warehouse in the farthest corner of the side annex, a rundown warehouse kept hidden away from the public’s eyes.

The servants often whispered about this place within the annex, a place built to satisfy the Princess’s twisted purpose of entertainment or desire. But their mouths were sealed and shut tightly when outside, so no one discovered the existence of this place for generations.

And right now, in that place, a servant was walking towards the warehouse with a tray covered in a white veil.

The guy felt cold shivers run down his spine when he heard the harsh and cruel sound of laughter that was getting closer with each step.

Normally, outside this place, that same smile feels so gentle and ethereal, like a touch of sunshine pouring through the window of the soul, purifying the air around people with just a single, kind gaze.

Yet, that same person here was laughing so cruelly as she put someone through torture that made her look like a crazy manic.

What’s more, today he had to be extra careful. Because, for some reason, the Princess seemed very unhappy. Usually, she isn’t annoyed by trivial matters, but it seemed to be completely different today.