The Princess And The Lord
Chapter 1566: A Subtle Critique
"Anyway, you should probably do something about this scorched forest, Master," the fire spirit said smoothly, eager to redirect the conversation. "I doubt Mistress would be pleased to see... this."
Zhao Li Xin’s attention shifted at once, then he looked around for a moment. The ground was charred black. The riverbed lay cracked and dry. Bamboo had been reduced to brittle shadows of ash. It was indeed very unsightly.
He could not let Lory see this!
Without another word, Zhao Li Xin extended his hand forward and closed his eyes. Soon after, the air trembled slightly, this time not with destruction, but restoration.
A soft pulse spread outward. From the blackened soil, tender green shoots emerged. Grass unfurled in a rolling wave, covering scorched earth in fresh life. Burned bamboo groves rose again, slender stalks stretching skyward as if time itself had reversed. Leaves blossomed in shimmering layers of emerald.
Then a distant rumble followed, and water surged back into existence. It cascaded over stone once more, filling the empty riverbed with crystal clarity. The waterfall sang again, as though it had never fallen silent.
Within moments, everything was restored to its former state. The forest stood serene and untouched, bathed in gentle sunlight, without a single trace of destruction remaining. It was as if the devastation had been nothing more than a fleeting illusion.
Zhao Li Xin rubbed his chin contemplate "Should I cover the grass with bluebell flower, Lory should like it, right? Perhaps another kind of flower? Rose, lotus, carnation..." he muttered to herself, completely forgetting his bad mood.
"Don’t worry, Master. With Jade here, all kinds of flowers will flourish. Just look at the manor where you live, it’s practically a blooming garden now. There are even rare flowers I’ve never seen before," the fire spirit said proudly.
That immediately caught Zhao Li Xin’s attention.
"How is Jade doing now?" he asked.
The fire spirit’s tone turned serious. "His body has grown. He now resembles a human boy of about fourteen. At the same time, his strength has increased significantly. The air around him has become purer, and the density of spiritual energy in this realm has risen as well," it explained.
"No wonder," Zhao Li Xin murmured thoughtfully. "I’ve felt the change in the Mystical Realm’s atmosphere. The spiritual energy becomes even denser than it used to be, so much so that it may not be suitable for weak cultivators."
The fire spirit nodded. "That’s right. Talentless cultivators or cultivators below the Master level cannot meditate here for more than ten minutes. The sudden surge of energy in this place will cause their qi to overflow, making them lose control and potentially damaging their meridians, or worse, their dantian." The fire spirit shuddered lightly.
"Only someone like Master, with peerless talent and unwavering perseverance, could survive in this place. But for others..."
"But my wife will not be affected, right?" Zhao Li Xin didn’t care about that; there’s only one concern for him.
The fire spirit waved a hand through the air, flames rippling lazily. "There is no need to worry, Master. Mistress is not a cultivator. Her power flows differently."
He drifted closer, voice lowering as he explained, "Her abilities are nurturing in nature, much like Jade’s. Aside from her healing gift, she governs water and wind. Jade, meanwhile, commands soil and plant life."
A faint breeze stirred the bamboo leaves, as if responding to the words.
"Water feeds the earth. Wind carries pollen across great distances, giving birth to new growth. Their powers do not clash, they complete one another."
Only then did the tension in Zhao Li Xin’s gaze ease, the abyss in his eyes settling into quiet relief. But a second later, his brows drew together in visible dissatisfaction.
"What do you mean, complete each other?" His voice turned dangerously soft. "Do you think anyone could match my wife better than I do?"
The temperature in the forest seemed to drop.
"Eh?" The fire spirit’s light dimmed.
"...That’s preposterous!" he blurted immediately. "It was merely a metaphor, Master— just a metaphor!" His flames flickered nervously. "No one in the world, here or any world is more suitable for Mistress than you!"
He straightened and shamelessly added, "You are the only one worthy of standing beside her."
Silence lingered for a breath.Then Zhao Li Xin’s expression smoothed, faint satisfaction returning to his eyes.
"En, don’t forget that," he said simply.
"Yes - yes" The fire spirit exhaled in visible relief.
Truly, it was never easy navigating his master’s moods. One careless word could turn the air colder than winter, or hotter than the flames he commanded.
Inwardly, the fire spirit muttered to itself, " Hopefully my next master will be kinder... and far less terrifying.
The fire spirit glanced at Zhao Li Xin’s indifferent profile and quickly straightened.
’Hiks, So scary!’
___________________________
Zhao Li Xin descended the stairs after returning from the mystical realm, searching for Lory as usual. It was then that he heard the sound of news coming from the kitchen, though it was rare.
Lory rarely listened to the news while in the kitchen. She usually watched those inane soap operas or weird reality shows at this hour. It was rare for Lory to listen to the news at this hour unless she received urgent news from her subordinates.
Curious, Zhao Li Xin strode toward the kitchen and saw Lory and Lucas intently watching the news. Zhao Li Xin saw the text on the news saying: The number of victims of the Bael attack is estimated at around fifty, and material losses are estimated at one hundred million riyals.
Zhao Li Xin approached Lory and kissed her cheek before whispering, "Another Bael attack?"
Lory startled at first, but her eyes gleamed the moment she saw him. "Husband, you’re back." She cupped his face gently before continuing, "There’s been another sudden Bael attack. This time the scale is much larger, and it happened in multiple countries almost simultaneously," she explained in a heavy tone.
"They’ve finally decided to challenge us head-on," Zhao Li Xin said with a faint smirk.
"That’s what we thought," Lory replied somberly, "but seeing innocent people become victims... It’s hard to accept."
When it came to the lives of innocent people, Lory always carried a hidden burden, as if she was personally responsible for protecting them, and the strange thing was that this didn’t just extend to the residents of Harland only, but also to everyone else as well, and looking at Lucas now, even though he looked calm, Zhao Li Xin could sense the heaviness in his eyes.
’They are twins, after all,’ Zhao Li Xin sighed inwardly.
"Is the attack still ongoing?" Zhao Li Xin asked, turning his gaze to Lucas.
Lucas flicked him a glance before returning his attention to the screen. "It has stopped for now, but we don’t know for how long. Theodore and Alexander have little regard for other people’s lives."
The screen flickered, and the scene changed.
Now it showed a makeshift medical tent erected in the middle of the devastated plaza. Smoke still curled in the distance, and the cries of the wounded carried faintly beneath the reporter’s voice.
At the center of it all stood Alinna and several healers, though of course the camera focused on her. Her small frame seemed almost fragile against the backdrop of ruin.
Her golden hair was a bit messy after rushing to save the victims. Her white robes fluttered beautifully with her every move, even in this ruined she looked very angelic.
Her hands hovered over a wounded child as a soft glow radiated from her palms, warm and steady despite the chaos around her. The camera lingered on her face long enough to capture the exhaustion on her face.
The reporter hurried toward her, nearly tripping over broken debris in his haste.
"Saintess—Saintess!" he called breathlessly. "How are the victims doing now? How many people have you managed to save today?" The question hung in the air, heavy with expectation.
Alinna was startled by the sudden question; her cheeks blushed, as if she was embarrassed by the sudden attention. She lowered her gaze modestly, the healing light around her hands dimming slightly as another healer took over for a moment.
"I... I don’t know," she replied softly. "I didn’t count."
Her fingers tightened gently around the injured child’s hand before she looked back up, eyes clear and sincere. "I just tried to save as many as I could."
Around her, the survivors began to murmur her name with awe and gratitude, some even teared up by her answer, and the camera made sure to capture every second of it. The reporter’s eyes glistened as he watched her return her attention to another wounded civilian.
"You are amazing," he said earnestly. Then his expression shifted to one of concern. "You must be very exhausted, aren’t you?"
Alinna offered a faint, almost fragile smile. A strand of hair clung to her damp cheek, but she made no move to fix it.
"I’m fine," she replied softly. "As long as I can save people... that is all that matters."
Her hand glowed once more, sealing a deep gash along a man’s arm. The surrounding crowd watched in reverent silence.
"After all," she continued, her voice gentle but clear enough for the microphones to catch every word, "isn’t this why I was blessed with this power?"
The reporter blinked, intrigued. He felt there was more in her answer, "Oh? What do you mean by that?"
Alinna lowered her hands slowly, the golden light fading to embers.
"Power," she said thoughtfully, "is not something meant to be preserved behind walls... nor measured only in strategy."
She lifted her gaze as if he tried to gather her courage, "Especially when you’re given power greater than most people in the world, then don’t you have more obligation to do more for other people?"
Alinna drew in a slow, steady breath before she continued. The golden light around her fingers dimmed, but did not vanish.
"Especially in times like this..." she said softly, her voice trembling as if she tried to control her feelings.
"Don’t they deserve to feel safe? If someone is blessed with great power," she went on, lifting her gaze then stare right at the camera, "shouldn’t they be obligated to give everything they can? Not just fragments of their strength... not mere crumbs of effort... but all of it, to save as many lives as possible?"
Her eyes tremble with undisguised frustration and anger, "I sometimes wonder," she added, almost wistfully, "how some can remain behind walls and watch such suffering... when they are capable of so much more!"
The reporters face stiffened, because for him and everyone who was listening should know who Alinna was referring to. When someone talks about great power, people would immediately think about the Lucient family, and currently, King Lucas.
Allina openly criticized Lucas for not doing more to save these people, saying that he hadn’t done much beyond providing B-13.
"Oh... that’s quite a statement from you, Saintess," the reporter said with a strained chuckle, a flicker of unease crossing his face.
"Um—anyway, that concludes today’s coverage—" The broadcast cut abruptly and moved to another news.
Still, the implication was clear, and anyone with keen observation should realize this is not a spontaneous remark, but a design. A design to target King Lucas.
Lory glanced at Lucas with playfull grin. "I think she talks about you?"
Lucas didn’t say anything but chuckled lightly and then sipped his coffee calmly.
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