Clank!
The sound of the metallic gate opening filled Lilian's cell, and two figures stepped into it. They stood before Lilian, who was sprawled out on the cellar floor, lying in the dirt with a vacant expression.
"She still refuses to accept the matter and hand and resume her cultivation?" her father's voice sounded out.
Her father had visited her a few times since her capture, and had attempted to converse with her. At first she had replied with nothing but hate and vitriol, but now she couldn't even be asked to give him attention. She just wanted to waste away into nothing.
Her father wanted her to cultivate to a level that she could heal the Asura, all for his own gain. Well, as a last act of defiance, she refused, and would sooner see their empire destroyed than help the man who was supposed to defend her, but had sold her instead.
"Yes, she had not cultivated a single time since we put her here a few weeks ago," Zeras confirmed.
The Astral Emperor frowned, and then crouched down, putting his face close towards his daughters.
"Lilian, you will resume your cultivation. You will dearly regret what happens if you do not," he said. His tone was calm, but his words threatening.
Lilian remained silent, staring into the void as if her father didn't exist. The Astral Emperor stared at her for a while, and then sighed. He stood back up, and then nodded to Zeras. Zeras left the cell, disappearing around the corner.
"Just remember, not only did you cause this, but this will only be the first of many if you do not comply," the Astral Emperor said in warning.
Lilian continued to ignore him. Nothing he could do could hurt her further. She would rather die than help her father.
"Prince Zeras, that hurts," a young, feminine voice drifted through the cellar from around the corner. Lilian's eyes twitched for the first time in a long time. She knew that voice.
"Prince Zeras, you're hurting my wrist. Please ease up," the voice sounded out again, clearly in pain.
Lilian's eyes shifted towards the cell entrance. She was still lying down on the dirty floor, but the voice had caught her attention. Her dull eyes widened as she saw her brother round the corner, dragging a young female by her wrist. The female appeared to be around Lilian's age, and was dressed in a maid's outfit. She had a cheerful and adorable face, which was currently scrunched up in pain.
"Alise," Lilian mumbled, recognizing the newcomer.
Zeras stepped into the cell and threw his arm forward, causing the girl to stumble forward and fall to her knees in front of Lilian. The girl noticed Lilian, and her eyes went wide with fear and panic.
"Princess Lilian! You're here! I thought….why are you here?" the girl cried out, panicked and afraid. However, most of that panic was for Lilian, and not for herself.
Lilian felt warmth return to her heart for the first time in weeks.
"Alise," Lilian mumbled again, raising her hand towards her friend's face. Despite the fact that Lilian was a princess and Alise a maid, they were the best of friends. They often played together, gossiped together, and did everything in between over the years.
A sad smile appeared on Lilian's face as she saw the concern her friend had for her, and she opened her mouth to reply.
"Ow!" Alise cried out as the Astral Emperor yanked her to her feet by her hair. Her face was scrunched up with pain.
"Stop it! Leave her alone!" Lilian cried out, getting to her feet for the first time in a while.
The Astral Emperor remained silent, and lifted Alise off the ground by her hair, making her cries of pain even louder.
"Let her go!" Lilian cried out and tried to lunge towards her father, but was stopped by the chains binding her. She tried to break free of her bondage, but was unable to do so.
Her fathers calm yet cold eyes stared at Lilian, making sure she was watching fully.
"This is what happens if you do not cultivate," the Astral Emperor said as his hand slowly raised up towards Alise's head, "and this will only be the beginning. There will be more and more until you comply."
"Stop it!" Lilian cried out. Her cries cut off sharply as she watched a beam of Qi from the Astral Emperors finger slice against Alise's neck, cutting it open. Alise's eyes went wide with shock.
"Noooo!" Lilian cried out as blood began to pour from Alise's neck, and she tried to break free again but was still helpless to do so.
The Astral Emperor dropped Alise onto the ground. She was still alive due to being a cultivator. As a maid of the Astral Empire, she needed to have a certain level of strength, and was in the early Core Formation Realm. Such a wound wouldn't be immediately fatal, but she would quickly die of blood loss before long.
Alise tried to open her mouth to speak to Lilian, but blood gargled out instead, making her words inaudible. Fear filled Alise's face, as she didn't want to die.
"Let me go!" Lilian cried out pleadingly. "I'll agree to cultivate again! Just unbind me!" she pleaded.
She knew this plan of her fathers was to get her to comply, but she didn't care. If she didn't accept it now, her father would kill more and more of her close friends. She had lost hope for her life, but would not do nothing as her actions caused the deaths of those she still held dear.
The Astral Emperor stared at his daughter with a calm gaze as she pleaded to be released, and after confirming her sincerity, waved his hand outwards.
Clink!
The metal bindings shattered, freeing Lilian from her bondage. Lilian quickly moved forward towards Alise, and her Dao of Life flared out as she began to heal the gruesome wound on Alise's neck. The wound quickly began to close, and the blood loss stopped. Alise would live. Lilian breathed out a sigh of relief and slumped to the ground.
"Just remember today," the Astral Emperor said calmly, as if he had not just sliced the neck of a child. "Stop cultivating, and next time, I won't release you in time to heal her."
Lilian's face trembled with anger as she watched her father and brother leave her cell. She was unbound and the cell door was open, as if they were saying to her; you may be free to move, but you are forever a slave to us.
Lilian felt her shoulders grow heavy with hopelessness. This was to be her fate.
