Chapter 1
Prologue
Lilith’s gaze was sharp as she examined the World Tree.
She checked the condition of the soil and roots, observed the color and any damage to the leaves, and diagnosed whether there were any pests or diseases that could harm the tree.
“Hmm.”
“……”
The eyes of those watching her gradually filled with trust.
She was, after all, a botany expert specially invited by the imperial family.
Not just anyone, but a talent worthy of the empire’s strongest knight, Duke Akshard, personally traveling to the edge of the continent to bring her back.
No, it wasn’t just bringing her back.
The way Duke Akshard treated her was so cautious and deferential that anyone watching might think she wasn’t a hard-to-invite expert, but rather a lady he harbored a secret crush for.
The hero famous for having neither blood nor tears, in love—
It was something that wouldn’t happen even if the sky split in two, but it meant he was that fidgety and anxious around her.
“……”
“Lady Lilith, is there a problem?”
The people turned their gazes back to Lilith, who was once again inspecting the World Tree.
She was so focused on her work that she didn’t even notice the presence of those around her, staring at the tree with a stern expression.
‘Truly an expert!’
They admired her anew.
Unaware that Lilith’s current expression was simply one of utter rot.
* * *
[Give me water.]
“I already gave you some earlier.”
This damned World Tree’s audacity was piercing the heavens.
Lilith suppressed the urge to burn this cursed tree with its mouthy attitude into firewood, whispering softly so that no one else could hear.
The response that came back was a masterpiece.
[Who are you sticking that on? Give me more.]
“……”
Apparently, what she’d hauled all night without sleep wasn’t water, but pesticide.
That’s why our cute little firewood had completely lost its mind.
Lilith draped her arm over the World Tree’s branch like a buddy and whispered a sly suggestion.
“If you’re that thirsty, how about I bring the water supply all the way up here? It’d be a massive project, but if I ask the imperial family, it’ll be done in no time.”
[Are you seriously suggesting feeding me tap water right now? How dare you?]
“Well, there’s a limit to how much a person can carry…”
[Fine, I’ll wilt. I’ll drop all my leaves. Let’s see your family line end.]
The World Tree, trembling with humiliation, immediately sprang into action.
The tips of the leaves, which had boasted an evergreen splendor through all seasons, scorched in an instant and began snapping off with sharp cracks.
“Wait, the—the World Tree?!”
“An ominous sign! It’s a portent that the continent—no, the world—is doomed!”
Aaaargh!!
Lilith alternated her gaze between the cascading leaves and the people descending into panic, letting out a scream of despair.
At this rate, her family really would be wiped out!
“I’ll bring rainwater!”
[What about the tap water?]
“Oh, come on, how could I dare offer tap water to the noble and great World Tree? That’s absurd, of course.”
[Right? Exactly.]
“How could it be otherwise?”
[I’m thirsty. Hurry up.]
The World Tree regained its evergreen form as if nothing had happened.
‘……Shit.’
As Lilith bit her lip in surging frustration, a small but distinct walnut-shaped knot appeared on her chin.
Somehow interpreting her expression, a low murmur of admiration erupted from the crowd.
“Truly an expert. To revive dying leaves so quickly.”
“She really is a talent that should be preserved in the palace forever…”
It was a chilling statement just to imagine.
The officials left, saying they needed to report today’s phenomenon to their superiors.
Lilith, rubbing her goosebump-covered arms vigorously, hurried toward the warehouse where the rainwater was stored.
The ground where the World Tree had taken root was a sacred site where the primordial god had first opened its eyes, so entry by outsiders was strictly forbidden.
Even direct imperial family members needed the emperor’s permission to enter.
If even those of noble imperial blood required that, servants were out of the question.
‘In other words, all the grueling menial work falls to me personally.’
Lilith pulled two golden buckets from the shelf.
They were so heavy that just their weight alone made curses rise in her throat, but carrying them one at a time wasn’t an option.
Because—
[You know what?]
‘What?’
[The reason humans have two hands is to offer me two cups of rainwater at once.]
It meant she hated waiting, so hurry up and bring two at a time.
‘Sob sob sob sob.’
My precious back.
Disc surgery costs 1,800 gold, I hear—how much will I have to burn through by the end of this commission…?
It was right then, as Lilith, having filled the golden buckets to the brim with rainwater, mustered every ounce of strength from her nursing days to lift the handles and stand.
A large, tall shadow loomed over her head.
“Lilith.”
“……Ah.”
“I asked you to leave such laborious tasks to me.”
A large, calloused, firm palm touched the back of her hand.
Startled, Lilith looked up at the man.
An overwhelming height nearing two meters, broad shoulders like slabs, sleek yet solid muscles like a predator’s, and a precision felt in every minor movement.
It was the body of a warrior trained to the absolute limit.
“You’re already frail, and if you collapse again, I…”
“That won’t happen anymore! I’m really fine.”
“Are you perhaps burdened by the thought of troubling me?”
“No, it’s not that…”
Our cute little firewood is threatening to wilt if I don’t bring the rainwater right now.
There was no time to leisurely ask someone else.
As Lilith pondered how to explain this, the man—Duke Akshard—gave a wistful smile, like a child throwing a tantrum.
“I’m a little scared.”
“Pardon?”
“I want to be a man you can trust and rely on, but I feel like I’m failing, and it makes me anxious. Like you might leave me at any moment.”
“……”
“Is it just my imagination?”
The man’s golden eyes, gazing at Lilith, were moist.
They reminded her of a gentle giant dog yearning for its master’s affection.
If the other party had been any woman but her, she might have grabbed the duke’s hand and run straight to the wedding chapel with eyes like that.
But unfortunately, the other party was Lilith.
Now, with a deep grudge toward Duke Akshard added in…
‘Tch, his intuition is like a ghost’s.’
Yes.
To Lilith, Edrion la Akshard was that kind of existence.
The culprit who had insisted on graciously escorting her back when she’d tried to flee as far as possible from the imperial capital, turning her into the World Tree’s foot-washer.
The arch-villain who had made the emperor and empress trust and rely on her so deeply.
Above all else—
‘The original story’s husband of mine.’
…That’s who he was.
Chapter 1. This Isn’t Why I Got a PhD in Another Field
Lilith la Noella.
The youngest daughter of one of the empire’s four ducal families, the Noella house.
In the novel *The Promise of the World Tree*, a pitiful extra who married the original heroine’s younger brother, only to be framed for wilting the World Tree and executed.
But now, deviated from the original plot, an extra living respected as a horticulture expert in the southern continent.
‘And that’s me.’
The sun was high in the sky.
Lilith, having woken up late, descended to the lab wearing only a thin negligee topped with a robe.
Yet no one pointed out her attire.
It was different from when she stayed in the townhouse in the imperial capital or the castle in the Noella territory.
Because she was the owner of this one-of-a-kind horticulture research institute in the southern empire.
“Good morning, Doctor.”
As Lilith entered the lab, her maid, Jenia, astutely followed.
While checking the plants’ conditions in the lab, Lilith asked offhandedly,
“What’s on the schedule today?”
“Viscount Chelsea reports success in germinating the improved variety you sent and says they’ll come to express thanks soon.”
“No need for that. Handle it on your end.”
Meeting people was truly bothersome and draining.
She had no choice when accepting commissions, but otherwise, she wasn’t particularly welcoming to visitors.
Living as she pleased without being bound by etiquette as a duke’s daughter was only possible because she’d left her family and settled alone in the south.
‘Everything’s great. I’m perfectly satisfied.’
Lilith thought back on the events that had led to her current peaceful life.
The character ‘Lilith’ she’d possessed was the youngest daughter of Duke Noella, but not a particularly welcome presence in the family.
It was because the beloved Duchess Noella had passed away giving birth to her.
The original Lilith had accepted the unfair treatment she received, but the possessed her had no reason to.
So, at twelve, she left the family and enrolled in the academy to achieve perfect legal independence.
Because those who obtained a doctoral degree were granted the same legal rights as adults, even if underage.
‘Are you sure you won’t reconsider? The department you’re applying to is one that commoners enter…’
‘It’s fine, so please register as per the application.’
The major Lilith chose was horticulture.
In this world, horticulture was considered one of the least popular fields, so it was the decision that would least likely get her name circulating in central politics.
Thus, Lilith studied with fire in her eyes, completing her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in horticulture in just six years.
It was a miracle achieved by grinding away entire chunks of sleep time, for someone who hated leaving her bed so much.
‘I’m free now! I’ll just do some casual gardening and live quietly.’
At eighteen, upon graduating from the academy, Lilith settled in the Levasa region of the south, land deed in her left hand and PhD in her right.
At the time, the protagonists were stirring up trouble, fighting, and vying for the throne in the imperial capital, but that had nothing to do with her.
Lilith bought many rare plants and began what she called a horticulture research institute—as a hobby.
Then one day, a visitor arrived.
‘I hear the young lady is deeply knowledgeable about plants. I have an urgent request…’
‘You have the wrong person.’
‘It’s a precious tree bestowed upon my father by the late emperor, but lately, its condition has been off.’
‘The exit is to the right…’
‘How about this for a success fee?’
‘Welcome, customer.’
It started small.
Lilith began occasionally fixing precious plants for southern nobles as a way to pass the time.
Most cases were problems caused by excessive attention to the precious plants.
Too much water, too much fertilizer, too much sunlight, or choosing the wrong pot thinking expensive meant better.
Issues easily solvable with basic gardening knowledge.
But the nobles couldn’t help but marvel as plants on the brink of death revived immediately after being entrusted to Lilith’s lab.
‘For plants, a moderate amount of neglect is the best medicine, but people don’t know that.’
Anyway, it wasn’t a bad thing.
It was easier than spoon-feeding while lying down, and it doubled as pocket money.
But as Lilith began to quietly gain fame as a plant expert, people with increasingly complex problems started seeking her out.
Horticulture was a commoner’s field.
More precisely, it was a major casually chosen by those hoping to work as gardeners in noble houses.
Thus, experts with doctoral degrees were rare even across the entire empire, and most of them stayed in academia as professors.
With commissions piling up, Lilith eventually started working in earnest.
She also calculated that solidifying her position in the south would make it harder for her father or family to interfere in her life.
“And Countess Olga has requested a meeting this afternoon.”
“What’s it this time?”
“She’s having trouble with new crops imported from the southern continent; they’re not adapting and keep wilting. She’d like you to take a look.”
“What’s she up to now? She gets a taste of success a few times and it’s endless… Fine, tell her okay.”
After circling the lab to check the plants, Lilith settled into a wing chair.
As always, Jenia placed the coffee tray on the table.
“And these are letters for you, Doctor.”
“Thanks.”
Sipping her coffee leisurely, Lilith picked up the envelope stamped with the academy’s seal first among the few.
Though she’d graduated, she still had ties to the horticultural society, and they occasionally sent commission letters like this.
Given the field, they were all safe requests far from central politics…
Seeking palace gardener.
“……?”
Commission details confidential. Disclosure results in family extermination.
Extremely generous success reward guaranteed.
Awaiting contact.
Coffee dribbled down Lilith’s chin.
