The Tale of the Lotus Heart

Chapter 9

Learning how to fit in as a fairy in the Heavenly Realm wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. Although Yong wouldn't let me do the maids' jobs, I did get to practice my cooking often. Some of the more talented maids even taught me calligraphy, chess, zither, and dance. Dancing was my favorite, I picked it up quickly. According to the fairies, those were the four arts that determined the talent of a woman here. It was required of noble ladies to have such skills. It took me a few weeks to get used to their way of living, but once I got the hang of it, I couldn't even remember how I lived before. Yong tried to keep me around as much as possible, but he always seemed busy with work I didn't understand. I didn't know Yong's job in the Heavenly Realm but it seemed important. He was always either out of his palace or mulling over scrolls. Finally, Yong had a break and kept true to his promise to teach my how to cultivate. We sat facing each other on his bed.

"First thing's first, don't talk about your true life force. You should already know by now but a lot of beings are still willing to kill you for it. I've resealed it, and as long as the source is in tact, you can be reborn a thousand times over. And any wounds you sustain will heal, especially in water given the nature of your flower. You can be brought back to life this way. That thing will save you as long as it's not forced outside of your body, but you also need to be careful not to expose yourself. Remember in the Mortal Realm when I helped with the side effects of... that thing?" He asked. I nodded.

"You said it was internal energy, right?" I asked. He smiled softly at me.

"Right. I'm going to teach you how to channel and cultivate that energy. With what's protecting you, it'll be your greatest weapon," he explained. Yong walked me through cultivating meditation. My powers were already at strong levels because of the Lotus Heart. After channeling our inner energy for an hour, Yong had me stand.

"You have so much energy already. I think it's more than enough channel it outwardly," he said. Yong came up behind me and put a hand on my waist. I hesitated as I looked at him. According to Ixia, the rules here were different. Men and women weren't so easy to get close to each other. Even marriages were mostly arranged according to class and familial ties.

"Yong," I said hesitantly as his other hand held me arm out. He paused before smirking at me.

"What's wrong? I've done more than this with you in the Mortal Realm. Technically, what we did there could be considered eloping," he said slyly as he brought his face closer to mine. I blushed as I tried to move away from him. He held onto my waist tighter and kept me in place as his cheek pressed gently against my own.

"Don't move. Nothing has changed between us. No matter who I am, you're still the one I will love forever," he promised.

"Yong, I could be considered a slave here. Our statuses are different," I tried. He shushed me before holding my arm up again.

"Focus your internal energy to your hand," he changed the subject. I took a breath before doing as he told me. As I focused, my hand started to glow.

"Good. Now focus on pushing that energy out of your hand," he instructed. A stream of pink light flew out of my hand and smashed a nearby vase. I immediately felt bad for breaking it but Yong was smiling.

"My lord! We heard a noise," two fairy maids said as they rushed in. I quickly moved out of Yong's hold and blushed at being caught.

"We're training. Don't come in if I don't ask for you. Dismiss," Yong said shortly. They curtsied before leaving the room.

"Yong, I'm grateful that you saved me, but couldn't I get in trouble for being so close to you? Couldn't you get in trouble as well?" I asked. Yong held my arm and pulled me closer, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"I've already told you; you are the woman I love. In every realm and every life. I'm not letting you go that easily ever again," he said seriously. I could see the regret and seriousness behind his eyes. He felt guilty towards me, but he also loved me.

"Won't loving me, get you or me in trouble? I'm already satisfied just being alive still and seeing your face again. I wouldn't dare ask for more," I tried to reason with him. When Ixia was explaining the Heavenly rules to me earlier, she touched on improper relationships. She mentioned that Yong had a very important noble status, while we were the equivalent to slaves. We could be taken as fairy maids to serve the nobles however they wanted, but having a serious affair with a noble would result in punishment.

"Whether you ask for it or not, I will still love you. I'd like to think that your feelings for me haven't changed either," he raised an eyebrow at me. He wasn't wrong; I still loved Yong. But if I were to continue flying under the radar in the Heavenly Realm, I would have to accept the truth at some point. Being with Yong forever was a pipe dream. Even if I managed to keep the Lotus Heart hidden, our difference in status would lead to an uproar.

"My lord, Second Prince is here to visit you," a maid called from outside the door. Yong sighed before releasing me. I stood beside him and held my hands gently in front of my stomach with bent elbows like Ixia taught me.

"Let him in," Yong responded. A moment later, Tase was walking into the room.

"Brother... I see Aivi is adjusting well," he smiled at me. Something in my head clicked. If Tase and Yong were brothers, and Tase was the Second Prince, wouldn't that make Yong a prince too? I looked up quickly as my wide eyes went to Yong.

"You're not a noble... you're royalty here. Tase being the second prince makes you a prince as well," I said out loud before I could stop myself.

"He's not just royalty either; he's the Crown Prince of Heaven. Cool, right?" Tase added, blissfully unaware that I didn't view that as a good thing.

"Tase, stop!" Yong said too late. My knees went weak as I fell to the ground with shock. Yong knelt beside me and hesitantly touched my cheek. My eyes went to his. I wouldn't deny that I was scared. Not only were our statuses different, we couldn't be further apart. All eyes would be on him at all times. He was the next ruler after all. But me?

"Aivi," Yong checked on me softly.

"Send me away," I barely whispered.

"But the safest place is by my side," he argued.

"It's the most dangerous place," I countered quickly. "The way you treat me... even if no one notices me, eventually, they'll start looking. I'm already getting eyed by your own maids. If you want me to be safe, you should send me away," I tried to reason with him.

"I don't want you leaving my side again. Just let me protect you," he begged. I knew with how weak I was now, I would only implicate Yong. I didn't want to see him get hurt, especially for my sake. It was the whole reason I ran away in the Mortal Realm in the first place. I didn't want to be the one who caused Yong trouble. The only way I could love him right now, was to get away and get stronger. Only then could I protect Yong for the trouble I would inevitably cause.