Chapter 42 - You Know Me, Right?
But Lily quickly struggled up a smile as she said, "Don't worry about our empire's future. I will—I mean, the imperial family has some plans concerning that."
Damien noticed that something was wrong and asked with a concerned tone, "Hey, you can tell me if there's something troubling you. I can not only be your master, but I can also be your friend if you don't mind being friends with a cripple. I may not be able to help you now, but I can at least lend you a shoulder to pour out your heart."
Damien genuinely wanted to let Lily let out some stress and her worries, at least whenever she was around him. These past few days, he had gotten close to Lily, and the suspicions he had about her were almost nonexistent now.
In truth, he realized that he was too cautious with her since there was nothing dubious she would want to do with him.
He knew that she must have known him in the past in some way, seeing how she was treating him like an old friend as he felt that the care and sincerity Lily showed in helping him were genuine.
But he was still eager to find out how exactly Lily knew him. And for some reason, he felt that he shouldn't just turn a blind eye to whatever was going on with Lily just because it wasn't his business.
Lily looked into Damien's eyes as her eyes glistened.
'He still hasn't changed inside. He is still the same Damien I knew.' Beads of tears were slowly welling up as various memories flashed through her mind.
"Uwuuuuu…"
Lily was overcome with emotions as she finally broke down in tears.
Damien's words were like the finishing blow as all the pent-up worries and frustrations that were building up in her heart broke like a dam.
For the past few years, she has been living like a doll. Not having the freedom to follow her dreams or wishes, not having anyone to care or give her love...but faced with a fate where she has to sell herself in order to secure a future for her empire.
Damien quickly stepped forward, and with his left arm, he embraced her towards his chest and said, "It's alright. Let it all out. You don't have to put up a facade against me. You can talk to me...I will listen to everything you have to say. I may not be strong enough to help you with your problems now, but at least I can promise that you don't have to face them alone."
Lily was stunned and flustered when Damien suddenly embraced her. The first time she got embraced by him was during their first training session. But at that time, she shrugged off the incident as just his playful teasing.
She instinctively wanted to get out of his hold, but when she heard his soothing voice filled with concern and care, her heart told her to stay in his embrace.
'Why does his chest make me feel so comfortable and safe?'
Even though Lily believed that Damien was a cripple, she felt that being in his embrace made her feel as if she would be protected from any harm or danger.
If it was any other man who tried to hug her, she would have sliced off his hand. Lily might be inherently kind in nature, but she knew when to change her bearing depending on the person she was dealing with.
Over the years after she lost her father, she had grown accustomed to the double-faced people around her. She started realizing that people would be kind and nice to her only when they needed something from her.
When her father was alive, Olivia Rong was very kind and took good care of Lily just like her own mother. After Lily's mother died, it was Olivia Rong who took on the role of Lily's mother. And this was why Lily developed a sense of trust and affection towards Olivia Rong.
But she found out her step-mother, Olivia Rong's true colors, right after her father died. She was so heartbroken from the inside that she didn't know what to do or whom to turn to.
Fortunately, her father had entrusted the two protectors to look after her, because of which she wasn't left alone.
Lily was lost in her emotions for a few seconds till she realized how she seemed before Damien.
She got free from Damien's hold and stepped back, "Please forget what happened just now. I am not feeling well. I-I will leave now."
Lily avoided Damien's confused gaze as she abruptly turned around to leave.
But Damien instantly caught her wrist and said, "You know me, right? I know you have met me before you saw me at the slave market."
Lily's eyes widened as she suddenly froze on the spot. She quickly recovered and said as her voice quavered, "I-I don't know what you are talking about. I have to go now. There are things I must attend to."
But just as Lily was going to shrug off Damien's hand, he said, "Don't try to push me away. If you push me away now, you will be pushing me away forever. There is no point in trying to hide things from me. I already know that you have met me sometime before. So, please, stay. Don't run away from me."
Just as Lily heard him talk about pushing him away forever, turbulent emotions rose in her heart. Damien was the only one she could be herself with. If she pushed him away as well, then she wouldn't have anyone to pour her heart out and would be truly left alone.
The protectors were only there to guard her safety, but they couldn't provide the emotional support or care Lily needed.
Seeing that Lily was hesitating, Damien smiled and stepped forward as he hugged her from behind. Lily's heart quivered when Damien suddenly hugged her from behind. But she didn't shrug him off and was still frozen on the spot, not knowing what to do.
"Please, don't leave. I know you tried to do your best to hide your concern and care for me. But you have no idea how obvious you were in my eyes. When I first saw you at the slave market, I thought that you had some dubious plan in store for me. Only later I realized that things were not as I thought it was. You even gave me a Star Soothing Pill, which I obviously know is one of the most expensive and rare pills in this empire. There was no need for an imperial princess to give such a first-class pill to their servant or a slave they recently brought. The way you treated me was as if I was your friend and the way you put up with my conditions….it wasn't normal. Also, just recently, you even gave me a Rank 3 Pill just because I seemed a little tired."
Holding both of her shoulders, Damien turned Lily around, who had her head downturned in embarrassment and nervousness.
He chuckled, seeing her cute expression, and continued, "So, don't you think you should have tried a little harder if you wanted to hide things from me?"
Lily still had her gaze downwards, trying not to make eye contact with Damien. She was feeling very shy and embarrassed at being caught.
These past few moments were things she never expected to happen. She did not know how things escalated this quickly.
It all started with her talking about the Vanishing Sword Prince, and the topic somehow became all about her in the end.
She knew that she might have been too obvious around Damien at times. But no matter how hard she tried to conceal her worry and concern for Damien, it only became more obvious.
Whenever she was around Damien, she was unable to assume her usual imperial demeanor.
"Now, tell me...when did you meet me first? Why can't I remember meeting you?" Damien asked as he focused his gaze on Lily.
Lily tilted her head upwards and looked at Damien with moist eyes thinking about memories of days past, "Don't you remember a girl named Flora whom you met eight years ago?"
Damien scoured through his memories, and his eyes suddenly widened in surprise, "You...you are that snot-faced girl?"
Lily asked in a huff, "You remember me like that??"
Damien gave an awkward chuckle as he scratched his right cheek, "Come on, you were just a kid. But at that time, did you lie to me about your name?"
Lily instantly shook her head, "No...it wasn't a lie exactly. Because Flora was the name, my mother used to call me. And at that time, my mother had just died, so I wanted to remember her to not forget her. That is why I wanted you to call me Flora at that time. It's not because I wanted to give you a fake name."
Damien nodded, "I understand. I never expected that I had already met the imperial princess at such a young age. Now everything makes sense. Do you have any idea how long I racked my brains trying to find out how you knew me?"
Lily gave a cute pout as she said, "Hmph, it's your fault for not recognizing me. Even if I grew up, I am sure I don't look much different than when I was just a kid."
Damien chuckled, "Really? But the face I remember in my memories....."