Lily wiped her tears and slowly opened the door with a depressed face, "Grandpa…"
Her angelic face no longer looked as radiant as when she used to spend time with Damien, and her black gem-like eyes looked dull than ever before. It was as if she was struggling to keep herself from losing all hope.
Marvin softly smiled as he patted her head with a warm expression and wiped her eyes as he said, "Don't be sad, dear. Damien will be alright. We both know that he is no ordinary man and how special he is. If he even had the guts and the ability to make the most powerful man in the continent feel so angry and desperate to hunt him down, then it only speaks volumes of how much powerful Damien must have become after he left this empire."
Lily blinked her eyes as she found a ray of hope in his words and felt that it did make sense. Still, she had been praying every day for Damien's safety, and not even once did she even care about her own situation.
"Look. As long as nobody finds him, then it only means that he is still alive and somewhere out there. It is better that he stays hidden till things cool down or till he comes up with a plan to get you out of here."
"Get me out of here?" Lily asked as she furrowed her brows.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Marvin sighed as he said, "To be frank, things aren't looking good, especially with the Xeton Empire. Ruthren knows that you are involved with Damien and might use you to force Damien to reveal himself. The only probable reason he still hasn't done that yet is that he needs you. Still, the longer you are here, the more danger you would be in. That is why I might have to help you escape from here in case things don't get better. I would rather die than see you suffer and be in pain."
"No, grandpa! I don't want to abandon you or the empire. How could I do that after everything my father did to look after this empire. If I go away, then that cruel woman would disgrace my parents' legacy, including our subjects. As their daughter, wouldn't I be disgracing them if I ran away?" Lily said, her tone filled with guilt and sadness.
Marvin held her shoulders as he said in a concerned tone, "Lily, I know how much you care about this empire and its people, but you wouldn't even have the chance to save or protect them if something happens to you. And as for me, all the efforts I took to take care of you will be for nothing. Is that what you want? To give up an only chance in saving this empire from that evil woman?"
Lily bit her lips as she lowered her head, feeling helpless and frustrated about her situation.
"But don't worry. As long as Damien is alive, you and he will have the chance to save this empire. However, you have to go to the convention now. Otherwise, we won't get to learn anything about Damien's whereabouts or how the other empires are moving against him. Why do you think all the important people go to this convention in the first place? It is for none other than to learn about all kinds of rumors and news passing around in other empires. You understand, right?"
Lily slowly nodded and took a deep breath as she said with a firm gaze, "Okay…I will go to the convention, grandpa."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Lily was now fully determined to learn any news she could about Damien and see if she could help him in any way.
—-
In the Krisen Kingdom, the tensions had reached a new height with the imperial family moving against them subtly, especially since they learned that the Krisen King was never going to give away his only daughter, Yuria, to Tristen, the second prince of the Gale Empire.
The Gale Emperor felt as if he was made a fool of, yet again, especially after Farah, the wife of his first son, betrayed him as well for no reason. By now, he learned that she did indeed steal his Pandemonium Needles, but for the alchemist, he hated the most…Azrael.
He just couldn't make sense of things, and he was feeling even more incensed after learning that Azrael was none other than Damien, someone who was too young and weak to be even spoken of in the same line as him.
He felt as if he lost all face by tiptoeing around Azrael the entire time, just because he was the one who sold Supreme Tier Pills in the market. This was why he readily offered his complete support to hunt down Damien and also his friends.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})In the Krisen Kingdom, the Krisen King had a very serious expression as he looked at the map of the Gale Empire, and standing beside him was his only daughter, the most beautiful woman in the empire, Yuria.
"Yuria, it won't be long before the imperial family executes a hostile takeover. They have been poaching our ministers one by one through bribery or coercion. And I can only do so much to stop them," King Krisen said in a worried tone.
Yuria narrowed her eyes as she looked at the map and said, "Papa, how about we strengthen our ties with the Lancaster Empire even more and make sure they have their backs? That will help us buy a lot of time as the imperial family won't like to sour their relationship with the Lancaster Empire."
"But how will we do that? You already rejected their crown prince's proposal. If anything, won't they be feeling hostile towards us as well?" King Krisen asked as a matter of fact.
Yuria shook her head with a soft smile and said, "Maxim is not as narrow-minded as you think to hold grudges just because a woman didn't reciprocate his feelings. He respects my decision, and as for the Lancaster Emperor, how about we pull him in with the allure of more Spirit Weapons? Since their empire is obsessed with making weapons, I am sure they would find it almost impossible to reject our proposal."
King King showed a relieved smile as he said with a proud light in his eyes, "What would I do without you. But...I know even if you don't show it, you are worried sick about him. Every time you are alone, your face seems as if your mind isn't here. Do you want me to try and find out about his whereabouts?"
Yuria's expression suddenly became complicated as Damien's face flashed inside her mind for the umpteenth time. However, she softly smiled and said confidently, "It is of no use, papa. I know he is still alive and well, and if nobody was able to still find him, it only means that he is good at hiding as usual. I spent an entire life with him and even had to hide away from the world with him. So I know he will be back soon...more powerful than ever. And this time, at least I will be able to help him."
In the meantime, Irene had fully recovered and was preparing to go back to the Rising Sun Continent and see who all exactly survived.
