Chapter 456 - The Sacred Weapon
Valentina was waiting in a secret hut she had set up as a hidden rendezvous spot to take the little king and his sister after escaping from the palace and waiting for Damien.
The little king was worriedly sitting on the bed as he looked at Ai while Shin tried to make her feel comfortable. He seemed like he might die from anxiety and worry.
Valentina was impatiently waiting for Damien, wondering when he would come or if he was having some kind of trouble though she felt that he was alright since she could feel his well-being.
However, her eyes lit up when she saw Damien and Yuria riding on horses in her direction.
Damien and Yuria smiled, seeing Valentina while the little king who heard the sound of horses approaching became worried, thinking that it could be hostile people.
So he came towards the door to see what Alena was going to do, only to let out a sigh of relief, seeing that it was Godnim and a girl beside him whom he felt was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
However, based on her looks and the things Godnim had told about her to him, he quickly recognized her as the Krisen Princess and rushed out to greet her in a respectful way, "Your Highness, we have been waiting for you to grace us with your presence. Please come inside."
The little king was being so respectful since Yuria came here to help save his sister and wanted to express his sincerity and gratitude.
Yuria smiled seeing this little boy who was also a king and said in a respectful tone, "Your Majesty doesn't have to be so formal. Simply treat me as your big sister, and I promise to do my best to save your sister."
The little king smiled in happiness, feeling that this princess was way more kind and down to earth than he expected for someone of her status.
He knew the Krisen Kingdom was the most powerful kingdom in the Gale Empire and was only below the imperial family in terms of status and power. So being the only princess of the very kingdom was no less than an exalted status.
She could be treated like a queen no matter which place she visits in the Gale Empire since those who get to be in her good books would have a chance to receive favors from the Krisen Kingdom.
Yuria followed the little king into the hut and was surprised to see a pretty yet fragile-looking girl lying on the bed with a boy sitting beside her whom she knew was Ai's lover. He immediately got up and bowed towards Yuria without daring to look at her face.
Ai saw Yuria entering the hut and tried her best to raise her body and greet her, but Yuria gently touched her wrist and said, "Please...no need for all that, especially when you are not feeling well."
Ai smiled and said, "Thank you, Your Highness. I don't know how to repay you for coming here to help me."
Yuria softly chuckled, "All that can wait until I fix you up."
Damien and Valentina stood on the side as they decided to observe what Yuria was going to do.
Even though Yuria seemed calm on the outside, inwardly, she was feeling nervous and worried since she didn't want to accidentally hurt this poor girl.
But she saw Damien giving her a reassuring look, making her feel confident in herself again.
However, she held Ai's hand and said, "To be honest, I am no expert. But I will do everything in my ability to help you."
Ai gently smiled, "It's fine. Even if something happens to me, I will consider it as my fate, and no matter the outcome, I will still be grateful to you for trying."
Yuria now felt more at ease hearing her words though inwardly, she was determined to save her.
Damien decided now was the right time to ask something he wanted to know for a while, "Just to make sure Yuria knows what she is dealing with, do any one of you know why Her Highness developed this kind of unique constitution? Did anything out of the ordinary happen before she was born?"
The little king and Ai were surprised to hear Godnim ask this question, but then they thought that it was natural considering that Yuria was going to treat Ai, and knowing everything about her was necessary.
However, the two had hesitant expressions on their faces as they glanced at each other, making Damien even more sure that these two knew something but was something they kept as a secret considering how hesitant the two seemed.
Ai nodded at the little king as he sighed and said, "I guess it's fine to tell you considering the things you have done for us, and if this could help treat Ai, then no reason to keep it a secret to you guys."
Damien's brows pulled together, wondering what kind of secret these guys had.
The little king explained, "My father told me something before he died. It was about why Ai was born with such strange ethereal cores."
'So these guys indeed knew why she was like that,' Damien inwardly thought.
"Before my sister was born, while she was still in my mother's womb, my father came upon a certain treasure that seemingly fell from the skies as he said. It was actually a sword that not only seemed otherworldly but quite powerful as well. Father was even unable to pick it up, and even being near it made him feel small and insignificant. That was how he described it. But since it fell on top of a hilltop hidden by clouds, he built a small fortress-like building around it using his most trusted men since he considered the weapon to be a sacred one used by the gods that accidentally fell here."
The little king continued, "My mother was curious about it, and so my father let her see it for herself though she never left the fortress and spent every day near the sacred weapon since she found it beneficial for her cultivation. Even my father realized it as well and thought it was alright. But only when my sister was born did my parents realize that something was strange with her ethereal 'cores' and that it could be possible because of my mother spending a long time near the sacred sword. My father said that the divine energy from the sword could have affected my sister while she was in the womb since he had heard of how ethereal energy could affect a baby in different ways while they are still in the womb though my parents didn't expect there to be a bad effect on her."
The little king's expression became a bit down as he explained these things, feeling that his sister wouldn't have suffered if it weren't because of the weapon and his parent's fascination with it.
'Whoa....all this happened because of a weapon?' Damien became increasingly curious about this sacred weapon that made Ai develop such a powerful constitution though it was a disadvantage for someone like her.