Celia...The Childhood Friend

"Hey, Lucas, why are you spacing out? The class is going to start soon!" A girl the same age as Lucas nudged him with a spirited smile, making him come out of his reverie.

"Oh, Celia, I am sorry I was just thinking about what to do after the class," Lucas said with an awkward smile as he looked at this beautiful girl with red bob hair.

She was Celia, his childhood friend whom he coincidentally reunited with after 10 years here, and she seemed to be very happy to see him again, just like Lucas, who was also happy, especially when he needed someone to talk to after everything that was going on with his mother.

For some reason, he just couldn't get rid of the intense uneasiness in his heart even though his mother reassured him that everything was alright.

Still, because of Celia's presence, he couldn't help but get distracted at times, especially when the prettiest girl in the sect was sticking so close to him, and despite being the same age as him, her hourglass body was quite ripe and seductive, especially her big round melons that were held within the fabric of her sleeveless gown.

Her skin was rosy and smooth, and her eyes were a light green that seemed so refreshing to simply gaze at, and her beautiful smile could make even a rainy day look sunny.

There was no end to the amount of junior and senior disciples who wanted to court her but unfortunately for them, she was only paying attention to this new nobody who joined the sect as a new disciple without even any influential background.

Celia was the daughter of one of the biggest noble families in the kingdom, while many heard rumors that Lucas was the son of a maid. They just couldn't understand why someone like Celia would be so blind to this fact.

In their eyes, they not only had wealth but power as well. But just because Celia favored Lucas didn't mean that they wouldn't do anything about it. They were just waiting to teach him a lesson and show him his place.

Celia knew Lucas' situation after somehow coercing him to tell her since she couldn't bear to see him sad like this. She still remembered how bright and lively he was during their childhood and how much fun they had together.

She had always dreamed of seeing him again and couldn't be happier when she finally reunited with him, though he seemed a bit sad.

"Lucas, if you are thinking about your mother, don't worry. I am sure she must be doing everything in her power to help you and escape from this situation. I will also try to see if there—"

"No, don't!" Lucas immediately stopped her from saying anything further and said in a grateful tone, "Celia, I am really happy that you want to help, but please…don't get involved in this mess. It is not safe, and that man is not one to trifle with. But all I can do now is focus on cultivating and one day become strong enough to bring away my mother. Till then, I can at least use the Royal Sect to my advantage."

Celia firmly pressed her lips together and sighed, "Okay…Then let me help you cultivate as well. We can train and learn things together. I am sure we will become faster like this."

"Thank you, Celia. I really don't know what I would have done without you," Lucas said while gazing at her beautiful eyes.

Celia slightly blushed as she looked away, "Don't mention it. I am your friend. It's only natural that I help you. Now come on. Let's go to class."

—

Meanwhile, Nadia was trying her best to get a job in the palace, but either they didn't want her, or the ones who wanted to employ her were perverts.

She wanted to try for a job outside the palace but didn't dare to since she didn't want people to recognize her and then ridicule her or insult her, which might cause her to lose whatever face she got left.

But the main reason was that her son was studying in the royal sect, and the last thing she wanted was for him to get ridiculed because of her. It was best that she didn't do anything that would attract any attention towards Lucas.

So she had no choice but to wait for Yiman to return, and soon when it was evening, Yiman returned to his room only to see an impatient and irritated Nadia waiting for him.

"Oh? Somebody is thirsty for more of what we had today morning?" Yiman asked with a lascivious smile as he gestured to her to help change his robes.

"Nonsense! I was waiting to tell you how impudent your servants are, especially that kitchen chef. He dared to touch me! You should punish him!" Nadia said with a resentful shout while helping him change his robes.

However, Yiman causally shook his head and said, "I told you…You can't expect me to help you with anything. You are just a maid. Don't let the title of a queen fool you. It is just a word in your case, but your worth is no different than those maids standing outside, and they, including you, have a lesser standing than the kitchen chef. So it is up to you to take care of your own skin within these palace walls."

Nadia clenched her fists as she glared at him, "A-Are you joking? I not only have to endure getting humiliated by you, but now I have to deal with those rats as well? At least give me my cultivation back, and I will never come to you for anything!"

Yiman slightly laughed as he shook his finger and said, "No, no. You will become quite a dangerous woman if I remove the seal on your cultivation. I don't want to have a headache dealing with you. But…since you seem to be in so much distress, there might be something that I can do though it comes with a price."

For a moment, Nadia felt as if she had found a ray of hope and unconsciously felt relieved, though the next second, her heart tensed up as she asked skeptically, "Price? What exactly?"