Sean Shaw looked at her, saying nothing.
"It's getting late. I'm going to bed. I wish Fifth Highness all the best." Lucia Lu gave him a polite bow and reached out to close the door.
But her hand was suddenly grabbed.
His grip was tight. Hot.
It hurt—he was squeezing hard.
Lucia stared at him in shock.
"Lucia Lu."
Lucia: "..."
"The Flower Egg—don't give it to anyone else," Sean said. "Wait for me to come back."
Lucia: "..."
He let go of her and turned to leave.
Lucia stood frozen for a long moment, then slammed the door shut with a bang.
......
Fief.
His Majesty the Celestial Emperor raised an eyebrow at Sean Shaw. "After a month of trials, how do you feel?"
Sean: "It's fine."
"Just fine... Not very hard, then?"
Sean: "It's fine."
"Alright then..." His Majesty said. "So, have you made up your mind?"
Sean bowed. "I have! Please, Father Emperor, teach me the Emperor's Way."
His Majesty cocked his head at him. "Before, I tried to threaten and bribe you into learning, and you ignored me. So why are you willing now?"
Sean said nothing.
"I know you're not talkative, but... you have to answer me." The Emperor said seriously.
Sean was quiet for a moment, then replied, "Before, I didn't want to become someone like you."
"Huh?" The Emperor laughed, clearly wounded.
"I thought your life was exhausting, carrying too much, with no freedom."
"I thought you meant my character was bad..." The Emperor perked up.
"That day, Skye was framed. The Celestial Empress gave the order to have him seized and tortured. My own palace was trashed, even the floor tiles smashed. Suddenly I realized..."
Sean clenched his fist. "I didn't even have the power to protect myself. How could I protect anyone else?"
"Oh?" The Emperor seized on the key point. "Who's 'anyone else'? Me?"
Sean: "You're the Celestial Emperor. Why would you need my protection?"
"Then who do you mean?"
Sean shot him a look, then after a long pause said, "Isn't it possible I'll marry and have kids someday?"
"Oh... I get it." His Majesty pursed his lips. "You want to get married!"
"No—that's not what I mean!" Sean said, blushing.
"You want to marry Lucia Lu, but then you realize she's the favored daughter-in-law candidate of both the Celestial Empress and the Qilin Empress Dowager. If you bring her home, you'll be even more vulnerable at court, and she could get hurt because of you."
Sean looked at him, saying nothing.
"Maybe you've even thought about taking her away from Drake Abyss, hiding out somewhere in seclusion," the Emperor continued. "But she's so dazzling—how could you bear to wrong her like that?"
"So after thinking it over, this path is the best one for her!"
Sean took a deep breath. "Father Emperor, am I being too selfish? I want to walk the Emperor's Way, but not for the sake of the whole Lotus Realm—just... for my own reasons."
"No!" His Majesty said firmly. "In this world, no one—not even the Holy Lord—is that selfless, thinking every day about governing the Lotus Realm."
She just has her own little schemes, loves Emperor Evan Xiao most, cares for her own kids, and lets fate handle the rest. You don't have to overthink it."
"Really?"
"Wanting to walk the Emperor's Way to protect the ones you love—that's the best reason of all, if you ask me," His Majesty said. "So I'll teach you!"
"Thank you, Father Emperor!" Sean said solemnly. "I promise I'll do my best!"