Legacy of Hatred

Chapter 364: Challenge

Technically, Dominic had hit Grace with his Qi. His right arm had been involved, but merely as a gesture. There had been no direct contact.

Nevertheless, technicalities couldn’t cross Grace’s mind when the literal arm of a branching expert was in her hands. It was in terrible condition, preventing any recognition. It had also lost its superior Qi, but not when it came to its fabric.

Upon a second inspection, Grace could confirm the unbelievable truth. That mangled limb was a rank 3 material, meaning Liam had really been a part of that impossible fight.

The reasoning led to additional conclusions. Liam had not only fought a branching expert. He also had the time to repay that insult to Grace. His role in the battle had been active enough for him to prioritize such things.

And, despite not having given the issue with Dominic any weight, finding that gory token silly, and seeing what Liam had done as unnecessary and unbelievably stupid, Grace was moved.

Grace had basically been discarded at birth. She was found so worthless that her entire faction had perished because of that. Her entire life was about proving that wrong.

But Liam didn’t need Grace to prove anything. She was already priceless in his eyes, one worth jumping into the literal jaws of death for.

The love Grace should have learned and received from her family had instead come from that unlikely companion.

"You did this ...," Grace muttered, not daring to look at Liam now, "For me?"

"I told you," Liam stated, his throat continuing to release that background hiss. "I’m not letting anyone hit you."

Grace had noticed the hiss the first time already. It was a new feature, but one that couldn’t surprise her after what Liam had shared. She had her greed and instincts, Lancelot had his lust, while Liam had his inherited traits.

Yet, Liam’s presence and the ominous power in his tone added an unmistakable weight. Grace had once mocked Liam’s naive protective vibe, but its true face was now evident.

Liam wasn’t Grace’s hero. He was a crazy monster from legends who would stand his ground against beings capable of squashing him with a single finger.

But Grace knew that there was no difference between heroes and monsters. They were one and the same. The definition was arbitrary. Instead, what Grace felt while being between those arms wasn’t.

There was no fear to be felt, only safety and reassurance. Instead of a loyal knight, Liam was Grace’s monster, her own personal fiend, the one she could trust and rely on without question or second thoughts.

"Master Liam," Grace called, leaning sideways so that she could bump on Liam’s arm, "Women usually receive flowers as tokens. Me? I prefer money."

"It’s not exactly money," Liam announced, "But I have that, too."

Grace turned, only for Liam to interrupt the brushing and stand up. He waved his hand, and the room was empty no more. Almost all his share of rewards came out in the open, cluttering the secluded environment.

The scene prompted Grace to her feet, spotting the green jade Liam was handing her, leading to an additional realization, the continuation of the previous reasoning.

Lancelot’s lie was about both the battle and the inheritance. Since Liam had such an active role against Dominic, it stood to reason that the same applied to the latter, implying a share of the rewards.

Grace seized the jade and closed her eyes, going through the detailed list. She occasionally reopened them to connect a name to the respective item on display, too immersed in the practice to show any reaction.

That amount of wealth was simply shocking for rooting experts. As a Chief, Grace had seen similar piles of goods in some branches’ vaults, but she had never dared to think she could own so much, not yet.

No matter how good a merchant Grace was, rank 3 resources and many of the rank 2 items in the room were simply outside what she could interact with.

Actually, Grace didn’t own anything. She believed she knew Liam’s stance, but he had been the one to earn those goods, even having to fight a branching expert at the end. They were rightfully his until he explicitly said otherwise.

Naturally, Liam didn’t even consider all those additional hoops.

"Did you find anything you like?" Liam asked. "I figured we could sell most of the rank 1 items and about half of the rank 2 ones, but you know best."

Grace lowered the jade, joining her hands on her waist, and peeking at Liam while requesting clarity. "Are you saying this belongs to us? Even if you have been the only one to enter the inheritance?"

"Of course?" Liam replied, not really knowing what that was about, but having to deal with a far bigger problem right afterward.

Liam’s senses were a permanent perception-oriented martial art. He couldn’t really be taken by surprise, not by rooting experts, and his reaction speed was too fast to be powerless in the face of sudden attacks.

However, Grace was the one unleashing the sudden attack, so Liam only lifted his hands in surrender.

For a moment, just a tiny fraction of a second, the mask slipped. That was Grace’s greatest loot ever, instantly advancing her career as a merchant by entire years, and something else.

Grace was realistic. She knew her goal was close to impossible to achieve, especially for a single person. Yet, there was hope now. It was still tiny, but it was the only path that could truly bring her there.

Moreover, that path came from none other than the man who had sworn never to leave Grace, the one who made her alone no more, the only other in her life, her family, her servant, her prince, her all.

Dangerous smiles wouldn’t cut it. Composed, teasing words didn’t even come close to matching that excitement. Liam represented hope Grace could truly rely upon without tricks, money, or manipulation, and she wanted to cling to it.

The desire unfolded quite literally since Grace found herself clinging to Liam’s neck, squeezing it, chirping as if she were a kid who had just received a birthday gift.

"Ah, Liam, my Liam," Grace giggled. "My loyal, inseparable alchemist. You are the most handsome man in the world. I will never, ever let you leave my side."

And just as quickly as Grace had darted at Liam, she returned to the floor, calmly inspecting the goods, clearing her throat to address them. "I agree. A lot can be sold, but we can look into loans, too. We can also copy the martial arts instead of giving away the originals."

Grace causally resumed checking the jade and the goods, completely unaffected by what had just happened, which didn’t apply to Liam.

"Grace," Liam called, his hands still lifted in surrender while his brain replayed things that he shouldn’t have known. "What was that?"

"That what?" Grace feigned ignorance, remaining focused on the goods.

"You hugged me," Liam stated. "And you said-."

"Hugging you?" Grace wondered, finally throwing a clueless look at Liam. "Master Liam, you must be hallucinating. I’ve never been intimate with a man."

Liam tilted his head. He was still holding the comb. Everything since Grace’s return had been intimate.

"Although," Grace continued, brushing her hair away while resuming to look at the goods. "I said I’d reconsider if our partnership remained profitable. Since you have come to the point of hallucinating about laying your hands on me, I might let you do it."

’Is she saying what I think she is saying?’ Liam thought, his gaze searching for the softness he had felt earlier in that beautiful figure. ’Wait, stop it. Don’t even think about it.’

Liam hid his face behind his hand, only for the urge to peek between his fingers to win, catching Grace smiling teasingly at him.

’I’m definitely getting bullied,’ Liam cursed internally, wishing he could fight another branching expert rather than having to face that new challenge.