The Tale of the Lotus Heart

Learning how to fit in as a fairy in the Heavenly Realm wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. Although Yong wouldn't let me do the maids' jobs, I did get to practice my cooking often. Some of the more talented maids even taught me calligraphy, chess, zither, and dance. Dancing was my favorite, I picked it up quickly. According to the fairies, those were the four arts that determined the talent of a woman here. It was required of noble ladies to have such skills. It took me a few weeks to get used to their way of living, but once I got the hang of it, I couldn't even remember how I lived before. Yong tried to keep me around as much as possible, but he always seemed busy with work I didn't understand. I didn't know Yong's job in the Heavenly Realm but it seemed important. He was always either out of his palace or mulling over scrolls. Finally, Yong had a break and kept true to his promise to teach my how to cultivate. We sat facing each other on his bed.

"First thing's first, don't talk about your true life force. You should already know by now but a lot of beings are still willing to kill you for it. I've resealed it, and as long as the source is in tact, you can be reborn a thousand times over. And any wounds you sustain will heal, especially in water given the nature of your flower. You can be brought back to life this way. That thing will save you as long as it's not forced outside of your body, but you also need to be careful not to expose yourself. Remember in the Mortal Realm when I helped with the side effects of... that thing?" He asked. I nodded.

"You said it was internal energy, right?" I asked. He smiled softly at me.

"Right. I'm going to teach you how to channel and cultivate that energy. With what's protecting you, it'll be your greatest weapon," he explained. Yong walked me through cultivating meditation. My powers were already at strong levels because of the Lotus Heart. After channeling our inner energy for an hour, Yong had me stand.

"You have so much energy already. I think it's more than enough channel it outwardly," he said. Yong came up behind me and put a hand on my waist. I hesitated as I looked at him. According to Ixia, the rules here were different. Men and women weren't so easy to get close to each other. Even marriages were mostly arranged according to class and familial ties.

"Yong," I said hesitantly as his other hand held me arm out. He paused before smirking at me.

"What's wrong? I've done more than this with you in the Mortal Realm. Technically, what we did there could be considered eloping," he said slyly as he brought his face closer to mine. I blushed as I tried to move away from him. He held onto my waist tighter and kept me in place as his cheek pressed gently against my own.

"Don't move. Nothing has changed between us. No matter who I am, you're still the one I will love forever," he promised.

here. Our statuses are different," I

your internal energy to your hand," he changed the subject. I took a breath before

stream of pink light flew out of

heard a noise," two fairy maids said as they rushed in. I quickly moved out of Yong's hold and blushed

if I don't ask for you. Dismiss," Yong said shortly. They curtsied

that you saved me, but couldn't I get in trouble for being so close to you? Couldn’t you get in trouble as well?” I

easily ever again," he said seriously. I could see the regret and seriousness behind his eyes. He felt guilty towards me, but he

Ixia was explaining the Heavenly rules to me earlier, she touched on improper relationships. She mentioned that Yong had a very important noble status, while we were the equivalent to slaves. We could be taken as fairy

not, I will still love you. I'd like to think that your feelings for me haven't changed either," he raised an eyebrow at me. He wasn't wrong; I still loved Yong. But if I were to continue flying under the radar in the Heavenly Realm, I would have to accept the truth at some point.

visit you," a maid called from outside the door. Yong sighed before releasing me. I stood beside him and held my hands gently

responded. A moment later,

Tase and Yong were brothers, and Tase was the Second