And in those velvet eyes, alongside appraisal, lay a flitting shard of caution, the sort sharpened only in palaces where every smile hides a scale.
She is more than an adviser. Jared quickly figured things out. The king is old… An intelligent girl with high cultivation at his side could well be more than company, perhaps pillow, perhaps puppet master. Handle the errands, whisper over policy, and never stray from the royal bedchamber. A convenient mask…
Poor girl, pressed beneath a withered king…
Jared’s expression didn’t reveal his thoughts. With a measured smile, palms pressed together in courtesy, said, “I’m Jared Chance, and I seek no reward. I merely found Her Highness alone beyond the walls and worried for safety. With Celestia soon to wed Celestial Palace, the princess’ well-being touches every realm of level six. I could hardly stand by.”
He purposely mentioned the marriage alliance, testing how it stirred Yuliana’s still surface.
A cultivator guarding the stability of level six, after all, was far less threatening than a cultivator with hidden knives.
“You are considerate indeed.” Once Yuliana heard about the marriage alliance, a faint ripple crossed eyes, gone before it settled. “Her Highness will rest in the palace. Allow me to show you Celestia City while recovers, Mr. Chance.”
“Sure…” Jared nodded.
At a word from Yuliana, the Celestial Guards escorted Lorraine toward the inner gates, and turned, beckoning Jared into the city proper.
Within Celestia City, streets stretched wide and gleaming, columns built of celestial stones and celestial wood, every beam carved and painted, grandeur hammered into architecture.
Passing celestial cultivators slipped aside at the mere sight of Yuliana, as though shadow carried writs of execution.
Dawn mist glazed the iolite, casting a pale gold sheen. Branches of celestial trees spilled overhead, sewing tiny shards of light across Jared’s shoulders.
Yuliana kept half a step ahead, phoenix-[ark hem swaying. She looked unhurried, yet peripheral gaze never left his face, questions dropping every few paces like pins testing marble.
“You look new here, Mr. Chance. Arrived on level six only recently, perhaps?” Her fingertips brushed a street-stall hairpin studded with spirit jade.
The words came soft, almost playful. “Power webs run deep here, far more tangled than level five. A wandering cultivator must carry either great luck or great nerve.”
Jared fixed his gaze on the stall keeper, a celestial whose chin jutted forward with condescension, then scratched the back of his head as if the motion might scatter the tension hanging between them.
“I have only been up on level six a handful of days. I was curious, that’s all, figured I would wander around and soak up the excitement after growing sick of level five. People kept boasting about the grandeur of Celestia, so I had to look. Never expected to bump into the princess herself, though!”
He lingered on the word excitement, letting his eyes drift toward a knot of celestial children bickering over a basket of celestial fruit, playing the part of a wandering cultivator who had never tasted true spectacle.
Yuliana slowed, violet feathers braided into hair flashing in the sun as studied even harder. “Is that so? Then what kind of work kept you alive down on level five? Life as a wandering cultivator is brutal. Reaching Earthly Immortal Realm Level One must have cost you some very particular skills, yes?”
Beneath the polite lilt, was probing, certain that if Jared served a hidden power, his story about earning a living would crack, perhaps slip a sect emblem or merchant logo could chase.
Jared only chuckled, as though unspoken bait had never reached his ears. “What else could I do? I ran errands for anyone who paid, dug up low-grade mystical herbs, and swapped them for celestial gems…”
“Sometimes luck smiled, and I scavenged scraps of talisman paper the rich folk tossed aside. I copied the markings myself. Never dreamed the scrap that tied up Her Highness would actually work!”
