Chapter 2
Lilith hurriedly tore the commission letter and tossed it into the fireplace, muttering to herself.
“I didn’t see anything, okay?”
“I saw it, though, Doctor?”
“No, be quiet. Nothing came for me today.”
Lilith brushed off Xenia’s nonsense with one ear.
How much effort had she put into living a life detached from the central imperial capital?
Breaking through bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs in just six years was no easy feat, but she’d managed it all for this very reason.
For a simple, peaceful everyday life!
“It’s way too dangerous. I have a feeling that accepting this will screw up my life big time.”
“The condition about confidentiality and annihilation of the family upon disclosure is definitely suspicious.”
“As expected, it’s a trap. Clearly the scheme of someone who harbors deep resentment toward me.”
“But it looks fun—why not accept it?”
“…You must harbor some deep resentment toward me too.”
Just in case, she checked three times to make sure the word “refusal” was properly included, then immediately began preparing to go out and send the reply by post.
Today, she had no intention of leaving it to a servant.
She felt like she could only relax after confirming with her own eyes that the response was sent.
Lilith opened the door.
“Ah, Lilith!”
“…”
Slam—
Lilith, who had reflexively closed the door, rubbed her eyes.
She felt like she’d just witnessed a hallucination that shouldn’t be there.
A group of knights lined up in front of her mansion, and a certain man who, upon meeting her eyes, smiled brighter and more radiantly than ever before.
‘Yeah, it was a hallucination. I was so flustered that I saw things.’
There’s no way that man would come all the way to this rural backwater.
Lilith laughed haha and opened the door again.
“Lilith!”
But the man was still standing there.
Under the warm spring sunlight, his golden eyes shone more brilliantly than the sun itself, gazing unwaveringly at none other than Lilith.
As if to say, my target is none other than you.
“…”
Lilith closed the door again for now.
She was utterly flustered.
‘Tsk, why is Edrion, who should be in the imperial palace, here? He couldn’t have come to drag me away, could he?’
Was that talk about waiting for contact just a dream? An illusion?
No, that couldn’t be. This was nothing more than a common coincidence.
She’d received the commission letter just a second ago, after all, haha.
…Lilith’s thoughts, muttered like that, didn’t last long.
“What’s going on? Who are these knights?”
“Did some intruder break into the doctor’s lab?”
“Goodness, is the doctor okay? Should we go in too?”
Whispers from people outside the lab began to reach her ears.
This was the edge of the continent, a small rural village in the south, far removed from the imperial capital.
It wasn’t hard to imagine how much attention a sudden appearance of people like this would draw in a peaceful village where not even a single knight, let alone a knight order, existed.
‘Ahh, my peaceful southern life…!’
She wanted no involvement with the central imperial capital in any form.
In the original story, Lilith had lived quietly in seclusion but was framed for withering the World Tree.
More precisely, the villain had withered the World Tree, and nobles dissatisfied with Duke Akshad’s immense power pinned the crime on his wife for colluding with the villain.
They couldn’t dare touch Edrion, the empire’s hero and the empress’s younger brother, directly, so they made his wife the scapegoat instead.
Rumors that she had harmed the World Tree spread like wildfire.
Lilith was dragged to the square by an enraged mob. It happened before anyone could intervene.
Her husband, Edrion, rushed over belatedly, but it was already too late.
His wife had been torn apart and burned so gruesomely that even her body couldn’t be recovered.
‘More and more eyes are watching. Whatever his business is, it’d be better to hear it quickly, refuse, and send him back.’
Snapping out of her thoughts, Lilith covered her face as much as possible with a wide-brimmed hat and opened the door.
Edrion, spotting her, smiled brightly.
“It’s been a while, Lilith.”
“Ah, Duke Akshad. First, to a place with fewer people…”
“I’m sorry, Lilith. Could you repeat that?”
Her voice must have been too soft to hear clearly.
As Lilith approached Edrion to whisper closer, a sudden gust of wind blew her hat away.
“…!”
Flustered, Lilith stretched out her hand to grab the hat.
But unfortunately, she was the owner of despairingly poor athletic ability, so instead of catching the hat, she tripped over a stone.
In the moment she thought she was about to fall—
“Are you alright?!”
“…Ah!”
A large, firm palm wrapped around Lilith’s slender waist and pulled her in.
Thanks to that, she ended up burying her face in a broad, solid chest trained to the extreme.
It was Edrion’s embrace.
“Lilith.”
What thoughts crossed his mind as he looked at Lilith who had flown into his arms?
Edrion, who had momentarily held his breath, soon let out a deep, satisfied sigh and embraced her waist.
His touch was careful, as if handling a fragile sugar doll, yet strong enough that she couldn’t budge an inch.
“I’m sorry for being late, Lilith.”
“Pardon?”
She hadn’t fallen, so what was he late for?
Lilith, eyes wide, looked up at Edrion.
‘It’s the first time seeing him since the engagement ceremony, so about ten years?’
Edrion’s appearance was unchangingly beautiful, as if blessed by the gods.
Silk-like soft silver hair and deep, vivid golden eyes like melted sun.
His face was like a noble young lord’s, but his build was tall and imposing, yet whenever his eyes met Lilith’s, he wore an endlessly tender and soft smile.
But for some reason, she couldn’t feel at ease.
Like a small, precious rabbit standing before a starving beast, a sense of danger crept up her spine.
‘What is this uneasy feeling?’
As if something was hidden behind that smile…
While she was lost in brief thoughts, the surroundings had grown quiet at some point.
Edrion, who had been gazing impassively at his subordinates dispersing the gathered crowd, lowered his eyes and gently stroked Lilith’s flushed cheek.
Warm emotion seeped into his vivid eyes, like melted sun.
“Have you been well all this time?”
“Ah, it’s really been a long time.”
“…”
Thinking he meant to kiss the back of her hand, she extended it, but Edrion grasped Lilith’s small, slender hand and then lowered his gaze.
“As your fiancé, I’ve been too neglectful toward you all this time.”
“Pardon?”
“I’ve done wrong. It’s all my fault.”
Fiancé? What era is he talking about…
There were many points to nitpick, but Lilith first focused on rescuing her small, precious hand from Edrion’s rock-hard grip.
But whether he’d even trained the muscles in his palm, he was clearly holding lightly, yet she couldn’t move a fingertip.
It was believable enough to think it was stuck in a rock crevice!
“Y-You’re a busy person, so what brings you to this rural area? There must be many waiting for you—wouldn’t it be better to handle your business quickly and return to the capital?”
“That’s true.”
“Yes, so then…”
“Thank you for your consideration. Shall we talk on the way? I’ll explain the details on the road to the capital.”
“…?”
At some point, Edrion had naturally wrapped his arm around her waist and began walking toward the carriage.
Looking back, Xenia and the servants were waving handkerchiefs, bidding Lilith a cheerful farewell.
Of course, the front was even more spectacle-worthy—the knights had flung open the carriage door, fully prepared to escort her straight to the capital!
Startled, Lilith stopped in her tracks.
“Wait, just a moment!”
“Yes, Lilith.”
“I can’t leave. It’s, it’s…”
“I’m listening. Take your time; it’s okay.”
The tall, handsome man’s eyes glistened moistly.
Like the gaze of a large dog desperately awaiting its master’s affection, Lilith unwittingly chose an indirect refusal.
“If I leave, there’ll be no one to look after the lab. So I…”
“Ah, if that’s the issue, it’s fine. I’ve brought someone to take care of your plants in your stead. Let me introduce you.”
At Edrion’s gesture, an elderly man bowed his head.
Lilith asked without thinking.
“Who are you?”
“Greetings, my lady. I am Pavel, the chief gardener of the imperial palace.”
“…”
Wait, didn’t he just say he urgently needed a gardener?
But is it okay to pull out someone as high as the chief gardener? Is that really allowed?!
Receiving Lilith’s burning gaze, Edrion rubbed his chin and muttered.
“Ah, right. That was the setup.”
“…”
What?!
Lilith’s instincts detected the immense threat looming over her.
Moreover, inside the wide-open carriage, an enormous amount of magical devices were installed at a glance.
Magic heaters, magic coolers, magic humidifiers, magic dehumidifiers, magic anti-shake devices, magic rocking cradles, and so on.
No matter who looked, it was weird. This was definitely weird!!
“I-I don’t entrust the lab to others. I only trust my own skills.”
“…Sob.”
Pavel, the chief gardener listening to the story, hung his head.
The elderly man’s thin shoulders heaved quietly as he covered his eyes with his hand.
D-Don’t cry!
“Doctor.”
“Xenia!”
Amid the situation smoothly turning into a complete mess, a ray of salvation descended.
Xenia was the person who knew and understood Lilith better than anyone else.
Lilith had first met her six years ago, around age twelve, just before entering the academy.
Since then, Xenia had loyally stayed by Lilith’s side.
Though her speech was a bit cynical, leading many to misunderstand her as cold, in truth, Xenia understood Lilith more than anyone—
“Doctor, you forgot your identification.”
“…”
“I heard there are frequent random inspections lately due to the shadow forces. As your maid, this level of preparation is essential, so no need to praise me.”
In Xenia’s hand were Lilith’s ID and even her doctoral degree certificate, neatly prepared.
With these, even the strictest palace inspections could be cleared in one second.
Receiving Lilith’s burning gaze, Xenia nodded proudly.
“Who are you?”
“Greetings, Duke. I am Xenia, the doctor’s personal maid.”
“Ah, I see.”
Edrion, who seemed lost in thought for a moment, continued.
“Indeed, Lilith is small and delicate, so a change in environment might not be good. If a familiar attendant cares for her attentively, it’ll be much easier for her to adapt.”
“…?”
Treating Lilith like a repotted seedling, he added.
“You come along too.”
“I oversee the household management of the doctor’s mansion. If I leave, this place will…”
“What if I give you double your current salary?”
“Welcome aboard, sir.”
As if she’d never refused, Xenia changed her tune and boarded the carriage first, gesturing to Lilith.
‘…Lilith will not forget today’s grudge.’
Truly, like master, like servant.
