PROLOGUE
She sat crying by her mother’s side as she watched her breath fade away. She had been by her side all her life and now the invincible sacred lady was dying. How could she just die like that?
“Mother, please don’t leave me!” she cried holding her hand.
“I will always be there with you princess. Always remember that I love you and everything I did was to keep you safe,” she said.
“Please don’t talk like that. Save your breath.”
“I can see that your father is already waiting for me. Don’t let anyone take advantage of you, become much stronger no matter what you face in the future. Turn this mountain into something great and make everyone shake by the mention of your name. Don’t let them step on you ever. Remember that you are special child and you will always be in my heart,” her mother told her.
“I will fulfill your wishes mother but please just don’t leave me yet,” she begged.
“Once I’m gone, I need you to open my safe box and take out the letter that’s in there. Read it and burn it. I hoped a day like this will never come but since it’s already here, I’m afraid you should know the truth. I love you child and will always do,” her mother said and without giving her a chance to reply back she just fade away.
She couldn’t believe it; she shook her and yet she didn’t respond. Her mother was gone and she was left alone. How could she bear to leave her alone in this cruel world?
She cried out loud drawing the attention of the people who lived with her. They all came and bowed down and began to cry with her. She wiped her tears away and looked at the Left Guardian.
“Prepare for my mother’s burial. Make it so grand and the mourning period will be three months. Increase the security around the mountain and anyone who doesn’t mourn with honesty will be buried with my mother. Make sure she gets buried alongside her husband.
The tailor department should prepare a golden gown for her to be buried in. the gown should be done in a week and they should make it beautiful or else I will have their heads rolling down,” she gave an instruction and the Left Guardian crossed his arms as a show of respect.
“I will carry out your instructions,” he said.
She looked up and made a vow to her deceased mother.
“I will destroy anyone that goes against the Lotus Palace. Anyone that will challenge me and anyone who caused my mother to fall to her demise I will get rid of them all. I am going to make my palace so great and much famous just like my mother wanted.”
But first she has a letter to read and find out what was so crucial that her mother wouldn’t tell her but leave a letter for it. She found the safe box and cracked it. Inside there was a sealed letter with her mother’s seal. She broke the seal and took the letter out.
She began to read the letter and it didn’t make sense at all. What was her mother telling her? How could this happen? She fell to the ground and hold the letter in her hand.
“I will heed your advice mother,” she told herself and knew that everything had just changed.
Her life was never going to be like she had imagined when she was young. Her life just made a huge turn around and there was no turning back.
TWENTY YEARS LATER
“Saintess, are you sure you are fine?” Nora asked her as she sat on her bed.
“How can I be? Where is he now?”
“He has been staying at the flower house ever since you had that fight,” Nora replied.
“That’s good then. I wouldn’t want him to see me this way anyway. Make sure there are enough people to protect him,” she said.
“Don’t worry about that. The young Lord is protected well,” Nora said.
“That’s a relief then. So, what has been happening for the past two months?” she asked.
Nora began to tell her the affairs of the palace while she had been asleep. A lot had surely occurred.
“There is a new merchant in the city? Where did he come from?”
“He doesn’t mean any harm, Saintess. He gave his tribute the moment he opened his establishment in the city,” Nora said.
“That’s good because I wouldn’t want anyone to put on airs. I’m not in any mood to shed any blood. I have shed enough already,” she said as she stood on her feet.
“Be careful Saintess, your body isn’t well enough.”
“I know my body very well. I just didn’t imagine that this time I would sleep for two months. I guess my mother was right back then.”
“We have sent for the divine doctor, the Left Guardian already sent news and said that they will be arriving later today.”
“If that’s so then I’m relieved. Prepare me a hot bath and tell the kitchen to prepare some shrimp porridge for me.”
“I will do that immediately,” Nora said and left her alone in her room.
Valery looked around in the room she was now using ever since her mother passed away. It was beautiful, its beauty amazes her every day she stepped into it.
Her mother was a very passionate woman who put so much effort into starting this palace. The Lotus palace was started with her blood, sweat and tears and she was going to protect it until the end.
As the Saintess and the mistress of the palace her duties were many. She had to make sure that the palace was well taken care of; the matters of the pugilistic world too and of the normal citizens.
The civil population did no harm and rarely caused it but those in her circle were always troublesome. After the death of her mother she found those who were responsible for poisoning her.
They took away the only family she had left with, so she made them suffer something worse than death until they were all gone. After revenging her mother, she expanded her palace and ventured into many businesses.
Her palace may be feared by everyone but she had people to feed too. She walked on the narrow aisle that led to the door and stopped into the middle. Her bedroom had two ponds built in it which were separated by the aisle that she was standing on.
The ponds contained one huge white lotus flower each. The lotuses had been there before she was born; her power came from them and that was what people thought. They had been many cases where people would break in just to destroy the flowers.
Her mother was surely a crafty person and she admired her for that. She continued with her walk until she left her bedroom. She began to walk in the hallway, passing many disciples who knelt down in respect immediately.
As she was walking, she met Nora who told her that her bath was ready. Valery followed her and the maids undressed her; Valery climbed down into the huge bath tub filled with scented rose petals and sat down.
She closed her eyes and let the herbal water heal her. The maids were busy washing her long hair while the others were busy wiping her body.
As the mistress of the palace, she had at least ten maids to serve her during her bath; ten more to serve her for every meal and when she was leaving the palace, she would have ten maids, ten female bodyguards and ten male bodyguards.
She never loved to carry a weapon wherever she goes, the weapons were meant for those that served her and not her. She was just fine without a sword, a dagger or anything of that sort.
After being in the water for thirty minutes she emerged and the maids helped her to put on the inner robe to wipe the water from her. The other maids began to wipe her hair so that it would dry up while she remains seated.
The other was busy applying cream on her body. That brought memories of when her mother was still alive, her mother was served by at least twenty maids and yet they couldn’t prevent her from being poisoned.
She found that at least ten of them were spies and she had them executed in front of every disciple as a warning. Having fewer maids was for the better, not that anyone would harm her. She stood up and let them dress her in her favorite colors; red and black.
“I love this gown,” she said as she looked at the gown, she had been dressed in.
“The young Lord had these made while you were sleeping,” Nora said.
“He did?”
“Yes, there are many of them. I will show you after you have your porridge,” she said.
“Let’s do that then,” she said.
The maids were finally doesn’t and she made her way to another hall where her food had already been prepared for her. It’s been too long she ate, she said taking a seat on her usual seat. The maids tasted her food first before she dug into the porridge and finished the whole bowl that had been prepared for her.
“Mistress, the Left Guardian heard that you are awake and he is here seeking your audience,” Nora said.
“Send him in,” Valery said washing her hands.
The Left Guardian walked in and she smiled. This man was a loyal man. She had known him for decades and yet he never betrayed her or the palace.
“Oh, hail my Saintess and Mistress!” he praised as he knelt down and crossed his arms.
“You may rise,” she said and he did so.
“You look more beautiful and refined mistress,” he said and she smiled.
“You know how to make me smile all the time Guardian. Why are you here?”
“There is an invitation that the royal family sent one month ago and since you are now awake, how should we deal with it? I never gave them a reply.”
Valery pondered over the issue for a while. She had always turned all invitations down from the palace and yet these people just couldn’t give up.
“I haven’t been to the capital city in years after that incident. Write to them and tell them that I will come but what event is there this time?” she asked when she realized she didn’t even know.
