"You are right. However, I don't feel right leaving you alone like this. After all, I was the one who disturbed your breakthrough."
Indeed, Davis felt rather bad.
Wherever he went, he ended up changing people's fate. It seems that this effect was even true for his Solitary Soul Avatar.
Considering this body was an extension of his soul and could use abilities such as Death God Eyes, he wasn't much surprised but did feel sorry for changing innocent people's fate in a bad way, although he remained more than happy to change the vile people's fate in a bad way.
"By any chance…" Iesha bit her lips, "Are you plotting to steal from my Empire's Treasury?"
"…"
Davis didn't know what to say to her frightful suspicion.
"You could suspect me all you want, but I'm rather uttering these words from the kindness of my heart. However, I won't deny I'm interested in seeing what kind of resources are present to increase my wife's cultivation. Perhaps, I will visit again later."
"You… You never had any intentions to release the slave seal on me, on us, don't you!?"
"I don't need a slave to commit theft. You all just noticed me while I made a mistake in collecting the Frigid Yin Spirit Pool when you all tried to absorb it, so I had no choice but to resort to such vile means."
Iesha's expression became red as she bit her lips.
Does this mean that this human saw them naked for a whole week?
But considering that he didn't know how long they were inside as he asked for the time limit, she doubted it.
However, she gave him credit since he gave answers that made sense. She couldn't tell the truth from falsehood and still felt lost.
"I'm warning you. You can't come and go as you please. I will sacrifice my life to warn your existence to the others…"
"Then that's on you. I don't need to feel my conscience hurt because you were stupid enough to die for an act of bravery no one expects from you and not needed."
Iesha's expression couldn't help but freeze as though he had struck a chord in her heart.
"You're just sixteen. What are your brothers and sisters yapping about when you have so much potential left?"
Iesha couldn't help but smile at this question.
"You don't know? Spirits are different from you humans. Our growth process is vastly different than humans in that our bodies mature by the age of nine, regardless of our cultivation. But by age nine, most of us Frigid World Spirits are expected to be at Spirit Manifestation Stage, the Sixth Stage, but for us imperial spirits, we are expected to be at Spirit Supreme, and by the age of sixteen, reach the Spirit Ancestor Stage."
"The heavens naturally bequeathed us spirits with the power to cultivate quickly, and in this kind of frigid yin environment and lavish resources, our cultivation speed is more pronounced. But I… even with resources that were equally distributed to me just as they were distributed to my sisters, I failed to become a Spirit Ancestor. I felt shameful myself, so I could understand my imperial father's disappointment. I deserve this…"
Davis raised his brows as he heard her point of view.
"So this was your last chance, and I ruined it?"
"I don't intend to blame you…" Iesha shook her head, "I should've been able to enter the Spirit Ancestor Stage without the use of Frigid Yin Spirit Pool with my talent, but I made a mistake with my cultivation in the past and inevitably got stuck in rectifying that mistake. Luckily, this was my last resort but… sigh. It isn't to say that I got abandoned, but my duties as an imperial princess have become more important than my ideals now that I failed to prove myself."
Davis didn't know what to say after hearing her words, but after a short pause, he spoke.
"Iesha, you're too understanding and forgiving for your own good."
"I get that a lot…" Iesha lightly smiled, recalling Pia chastising her.
Suddenly, realizing that she had let her guard down, her expression became complicated.
"Still, you're not making me call you master?"
"What, no." Davis couldn't help but feel amused, "You can call me by my name, Iesha. Although I enslaved you, it is only for my safety. I will eradicate the slave seal once I leave as promised."
"I don't really believe you, but I have no choice to believe."
"That's fine. As long as it works between us, we both tend to gain."
"How do I tend to gain in this situation?"
"You have my protection."
"Wha-"
Iesha became confused again.
What was this human trying to say? What was he playing at? To get her trust and proceed to plunder the Treasury or obtain her body?
But wasn't she supposed to be enslaved? Why wasn't it going as she predicted?
In truth, she was more worried about what he would do to her rather than what she would face tonight. But hearing him say that he would protect her felt so surreal that she couldn't come to believe it.
"Sigh, I'll exit the Imperial Palace momentarily, so use that gap to escape."
"Are you sure?"
"I am. Just leave from my spirit sea. I'm already feeling nauseous as it is."
"…"
Davis didn't know how to respond to Iesha's disgusted remark.
Iesha turned around and exited her vast chamber. She looked at the Frigid World Spirit Guards beside the door before walking away.
"Even if you don't release me from the confines of a slave seal, at least, release the others from your bind."
"…"
'This girl… she never intended to make it alive out of this, huh…'
Davis activated his Heart Intent and saw this woman's emotions were as calm as a still lake. At such close range, he couldn't even feel a ripple, making him believe that she had accepted her fate. However, there was also a big wave that seemed to have stopped by a blockade of pure will, as though she could burst at any time.
After walking past many corridors and icy-mirrored edges, they finally arrived outside when two guards stopped her advance as they crossed their icy-black spears.
"Princess Iesha, forgive us for being rude, but we've been ordered not to let you leave this Imperial Palace. However, you're free to roam this Imperial Palace however you want."
Iesha gazed at them with calm eyes before she lowered her head.
"I see, so imperial father thought I might escape."
"Princess Iesha, this is a standard precaution taken-"
"You don't have to pity me."
Iesha turned around and left while the imperial guard who spoke appeared gloomy.
Davis felt curious that he couldn't help but ask.
"You rather seem close with that particular guard."
"Why do you want to know? So you can target him?"
"Don't be so suspicious of me. I'm just asking since he seemed worried about you but also gloomy."
"He's from my mother's side of the family."
"Your mother is here? I would like to meet that fairy who gave birth to a kind spirit like you. Also, I've been wanting to ask but do you spirits marry close relatives like its normal?"
Iesha suddenly stopped her stride. Her body began to vaguely tremble as she lowered her head.
"This isn't what we talked about. You said that you would leave. Why are you still inside my spirit sea?"
'Oh-oh, she's going to break…'
Davis could sense it coming that his expression became awkward.
Did he somehow hurt her sentiments with his words?
"Sure, get out of this Imperial Palace, and I'll leave. For now, calm down."
"No! You don't understand!"
Iesha increasingly shivered as she screamed in her spirit sea. She abruptly flew, drastically increasing her speed as she made it back to her quarters when she closed the door and knelt.
"I can't leave no matter what. I'm already being watched, so you have to make your way out by yourself. If you can't, you should just stay in my room!"
"Oh, you're worried about what would happen tonight?"
"You…! I'm already disgraced and can't be a good wife. Now you want to be inside me while I am being embraced by another man? Just what do you want from me?"
Tears began to fall from her eyes as Davis's confused voice echoed out.
"Disgraced? You mean I disgraced you?"
"Don't pretend to not know of it. The act of entering a spirit's soul is sacred since we dual cultivate with our flesh and souls. You have already disgraced me for this long, so please don't continue with this anymore, at least, not while I'm going to be taken tonight…"
*Bzzz!~*
Davis abruptly shot out from her soul sea as he stood before her. His expression couldn't help but twitch as he saw her shed innocent tears that broke out from all that enduring, which he only had realized now with her that.
"Matters like that… couldn't you have explained that sooner…!?"
Davis's voice raised a bit as he clenched his fists in agitation.
He had no idea that his presence in her spirit sea was akin to groping her all this while. Adding on to the fact that he was in his soul body, he didn't consider that his action of entering her spirit sea would be harmful to her in a matter of honor.
Humans might feel invaded and uncomfortable, but that's all. But to spirits, who dual cultivated with their souls naturally, it was similar to being disgraced but not at the level of defiled. Their spirit sea was sacred to them that they wouldn't allow anyone but their companions to enter inside.
Moreover, most Soul Forging Cultivation Manuals on Dual Cultivation for the souls were created from receiving inspiration from the dual cultivation of spirits.
Davis didn't know about these matters as he had yet to digest the miscellaneous information he had learned from the Soul Palace's Library.
Iesha finally felt calm and comfortable before she raised her head to look at Davis, her glazed eyes appearing blameless as if she had the break she needed badly.
"I'm okay now… You can re-enter my spirit sea while I look for a way out again."
"!!!?"
Davis flinched.
"No, thank you! I'm going to kill my way out If I'm caught!"
"…!?"
Iesha became stunned before she saw Davis walk towards the door.
"Wait… I-"
*Bam!~*
"Princess Iesha, are you fine- …!?"
An icy-blue-robed Frigid World Spirit who had just forcefully entered saw a purple-robed silhouette before he blinked, looking at Princess Iesha sitting on the floor with a hand reaching out towards him.
He blinked again and again as his eyes glanced here and there as if wanting to perceive something, but no matter how he tried, he couldn't sense anything.
"Princess Iesha, was someone in this room?"
"Uh? No…!" Iesha's pupils trembled as she took back her hand and looked away.
How come Fourth Uncle Yom was already here!???
