Chapter 5: Hypocrisy

Perfect Pizza!

This was one of the reasons why Lyca loved being around her mother all the time. "Thank you!" she groaned as she finished off the final bite of her favorite cheese pizza. "I would starve without you," she said, her eyes sparkling at her parents stern faces.

Maybe it was the wrong timing, Lyca thought. "Is this because of the bet?" she asked her father, Huang Sheng Hong. In response, her father nodded.

"I am confident in your skills. Knowing you, I know you will win," her father uttered. "However, I am worried that Huang Li Duo and Huang Ying will scheme against you. I don't want to put you in any danger."

"Your father is right," Tang Nini echoed the concern in her husband's tone. "The Tang Family will always have your back. However, it is too risky. I would not want you to live in a separate house from us." A part of this challenge was that Lyca would live in a separate house than her parents. This was suggested by Huang Li Duo himself and was seconded by Huang Ying.

The corner of Lyca's lips turned up. Since coming to this world ten years ago, her parents were already like this. They were both loving and doting. Unlike her previous life, these two did not train her to be an assassin or pressure her to learn fighting. However, since Tang Nini came from a military family, it was only normal for Lyca to learn martial arts as well.

"I think you should stop worrying about this matter. If something happens to me then I'm sure grandfather would never forgive them." Nonchalance laced her tone. She finished her juice before lazily leaning against the couch. It was already eleven in the evening and all she wanted to do was sleep after having her snack. However, she couldn't exactly say that to her parents, right?

She watched as her father's lips thinned. His brows furrowed as he stood from his chair. "Have a good rest. I will see you tomorrow."

"Alright," Lyca beamed.

"You just finished eating. Don't sleep yet," her mother reminded her. "At least, not within thirty minutes."

"Alright," Lyca said for the second time. She then started walking towards her bedroom, the smile on her face never vanishing. Maybe it was because this was already her second life or because she used to practice magic in her previous life, but in this lifetime, her metabolism was as fast as it was in her previous life. She didn't really need to wait for thirty minutes before she could sleep since she knew the food that she just consumed wouldn't have any effect on her body.

Lyca started humming a tune as she opened her door and went to her walk in closet to change her clothes. She eyed her reflection in the floor length mirror on her closet door. She frowned before letting out a long sigh. The familiarity of the face that she could see in the mirror was somehow enough to make all the memories resurface in her mind- memories that she had tried to bury since coming to this world.

She hated this face!

This was supposed to be another world! Another dimension! How could she still have the same face as the previous Lyca, the one who was betrayed in Xu Empire!? Lyca squinted her eyes at her reflection before turning towards her bed.

Hate would get her nowhere. Hate would only destroy her pretty face. She chanted inwardly.

She could not let the past become a part of her future. She was lucky. The gods had given her the chance to have a second life in a world without any magic. She was lucky to have generous and doting parents. She, Lyca was lucky to even have the chance to live after all her crimes in her previous life.

….

When Lyca woke up, the sun was already trying to force its way through the curtain. She squinted at the small rays that managed to penetrate her velvet curtains before rolling out from her bed. Eyeing the clock on her bed side table Lyca instantly wondered why she didn't wake up from her alarm clock.

"Oh wait, it's broken," she muttered while rolling her eyes. Judging from the small debris scattered around the clock, she must have broken it while sleeping. This should be the thirteenth clock that she had broken just this month. She instantly reminded herself to put the clock at the foot of the bed or somewhere outside her reach next time.

"Young Lady," a soft voice made her turn towards the door. She watched as one of their servants came inside. "Forgive me for disturbing you," the servant's gentle voice echoed inside Lyca's room as she gave a respectful bow.

"Hm?" She lifted an eyebrow.

"Miss Xiaoxuan is here to see you."

"So early?" she grumbled as she stood from her bed. "What time is it?" she asked.

"A few minutes after ten."

"Oh!" Lyca nodded. "Still too early. Tell her I just woke up. Have her join me for breakfast." She yawned before walking towards her bathroom. This Huang Xiaoxuan is really something. How could she come here after the challenge? Wasn't she afraid that Lyca would kill her?

Lyca laughed at her own thoughts. This world was very different from her previous one. This world had laws, and people here needed to follow them, or they would spend time in prison. Contrary to her previous world, this was a place where people had rights protecting the weak. They had rights for the poor and the oppressed.

The hypocrisy. She thought inwardly as she lazily undressed herself. Despite having these laws, Lyca knew that the rich and powerful were still more valued, revered. The law didn't really matter to them.

Now that she thought about it, the only difference in her world was that people in the Xu Empire killed in front of everyone. They worshiped the strong and mocked the weak. In this new world, the strong still killed. However, they tended to hide it from the masses. They oppressed the impoverished while they only showed their gentle smiles and humongous donations to everyone.

If this was not hypocrisy, then what was?