"Why are you drawing that?" Sean asked.
"Her Majesty the Celestial Empress is the number one woman under heaven. I’m sketching her for a bit of good luck!"
Sean eyed her suspiciously but said nothing.
Lily Bai finished the Celestial Empress’s portrait, then started drawing runes all around it.
She drew slowly, but her brush moved as if guided by magic.
When she was done, she let out a breath and turned her head, calling, "Sean—"
Sean’s face was right behind her.
She turned—and suddenly they were face to face, mouth to mouth.
"Why are you so close to me?" Lily asked.
Sean said, "To look at you."
Lily’s eyes sparkled as she leaned in closer. "Do you like what you see?"
Sean smiled and pulled her into his arms...
Suddenly, Skye came in and said, "There’s a fight going on."
They calmly separated. Lily asked, "Who’s fighting who?"
"It’s Peacock, fighting with the Chief Divine Attendant of the Celestial Palace."
Sean stood up and said, "I’ll go take a look."
Lily grabbed him back. "I’ll go! Her cultivation’s pretty low, she might get hurt. I’ve got medicine on me anyway."
Sean nodded.
So Lily straightened her clothes and headed out.
Sure enough, when she arrived, she found Peacock wounded, bleeding all over the floor.
Two little demon servants who’d come up from the Demon Emperor’s Palace were shielding her, both lightly wounded too.
Lily treated Peacock’s injuries first, fed her a pill, and then asked, "What happened?"
"Your Highness the Crown Princess!" Peacock sobbed. "Twelve of us maids and servants came up from the Demon Emperor’s Palace. I went to the Chief Attendant to get our robes and supplies, but she said we weren’t qualified. I asked why, and she said we didn’t have Her Majesty the Celestial Empress’s approval to enter the palace. So I told her, since His Highness the Crown Prince has moved into the Celestial Palace, we’re his people! But they said they only take orders from Her Majesty the Celestial Empress. Then—wah!"
The more Peacock spoke, the more aggrieved she grew, and soon she was bawling. "I asked her, so what do we have to do to get our things? She said we’re just a bunch of hill-billy little demons who ought to look in the mirror—how could we possibly deserve to work in such a noble place as the Celestial Palace? I got angry and argued back, and she beat me up, wuwuwu..."
"All right, all right," Lily patted her. "You’re such a big demon and you’re still crying..."
She stood up and looked at the Chief Divine Attendant.
The woman was tall and elegant, with sharp brows and a half-god’s cultivation, her face full of arrogance.
"What should I call you, Chief?" Lily asked politely.
"Who are you?" the Chief Divine Attendant demanded bluntly.
"She’s the Crown Princess!" one of the little demon servants from the Wildlands snapped. "How dare you be so rude to Her Highness!"
The Chief Divine Attendant raised her brows and laughed. "So you’re the soon-to-be Crown Princess! Forgive me for not recognizing you. In the millions of years of Celestial Palace history, you’re the first Crown Princess with only Warden rank! I didn’t recognize you at first."
Lily stared at her for a long moment, then turned and said, "Let’s go."
"Huh?" Peacock’s eyes widened with tears. "We’re just leaving?"
"What else do you want to do?"
"So she gets away with beating me? And I wasted all those tears!" Peacock said. "Aren’t you going to hit back for me?"
Lily said, "No."
"Why not? You came all the way here!"
Lily paused for a moment. "She’s a half-god. I can’t beat her. I’m mainly here to get you all out safely."
Peacock was stunned for a moment. "Then what are you going to do tomorrow? Second Heir-Consort Jenna is a goddess!"