Release Schedule: Once per week.
With no recollection of her past or even her own name, our heroine has merely been existing since waking in a place known as the Obsidian Terraces. Uncertain how to fend for herself or earn coin, she turned to protec...
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How foolish I was. I sighed, staring at the ceiling of my rooms. Whatever that lock was, clearly I couldn't destroy it yet. Whether it hid my power, my memories, or something else entirely I couldn't say. Whatever piece of me it was, I wanted it back.
I had been bedridden for two days after the lock knocked me unconscious. Shui had diligently cared for me in that time, reteaching me the basics of cultivation and teaching me more about the Gāoyáng Continent. Aside from him, I hadn't seen or heard any other members of the palace.
I sighed, shutting my eyes. Is this place to become an extravagant cage for me?
"Excellent, you're awake, Lady Mingzhu!" Shui exclaimed as he entered my rooms. "His Imperial Majesty has called for you to join him once you've had breakfast."
"Must I...?" I sighed heavily before sitting up slowly in bed. "Fine, fine, I will go take my bath."
"Ah, I will help you into the proper attire once you are done, my lady." Shui pressed one hand into the other and bowed.
"Help...? I don't need help. I am not that weak," I scoffed.
"Ah...you misunderstand, my lady, the clothes you must wear to meet with His Imperial Majesty are much too complex to be put on by oneself. It is my duty as your servant to help you." Shui bowed deeper as I strode past him.
"I see..." I let out a small sigh, then held out a hand. "Then at least give me my undergarments so I can put those on myself. Even if it's nothing you haven't seen before...I'm still a lady. I should maintain some of my dignity."
"Of course, my lady." Shui hurried over to the wardrobe and fetched a few items for me. "These should suffice. I will lay out our breakfast while you bathe. Call on me when you are done."
"Very well." I took the black undergarments from him before retreating to the bathroom. This place is full of such troublesome men. The women in the city should be thankful they don't have to deal with...
I sighed to myself and shook my head. How very foolish of me. Frustrating or not, Yahui and Shui both deserved my gratitude. Even if I didn't fully trust their intentions in 'harboring me' yet. Yahui almost certainly wanted to use whatever power I had for something. He gave me the impression he didn't like my elemental alignment very much, as well. I sunk into the bath and hugged myself. The idea that Yahui disliked me for such a reason didn't sit well with me. It wasn't good enough.
"What strange markings," Shui remarked with an audible frown, his fingers tracing down my lower back. "I've never seen such patterns before, let alone tattoos which glowed."
"Mmm?" I glanced over my shoulder at him. He promptly handed me a hand mirror so that I could check my reflection in the much larger mirror nearby. Sure enough, there were intricate markings on my lower back which glowed crimson. "The women at the bathhouses never mentioned those..."
