Chapter 5
“I think that’s enough pruning for now.”
Lilith laughed awkwardly, tossed the expensive shears aside, and quickly descended the ladder.
Just then, Jenia returned with buckets full of water.
One in each hand, and one balanced on her head.
“Doctor, I’ve brought the water.”
“Good.”
“B-but that’s not holy water… No, before that, how did you balance it on your head?!”
The manager trio now wore faces of utter resignation.
Lilith clicked her tongue and reached to take the water from Jenia when Edrion intervened.
Without giving her a chance to speak, he took the buckets instead and approached the exposed roots above the ground.
“Should I pour it here?”
“No, it’s better to water the soil around the roots rather than directly on them. For a tree this size, the roots must be deep and spread out widely.”
Edrion spread the water broadly over the area Lilith indicated.
The three buckets were emptied in no time.
Now the trio was sobbing. This should be enough blasphemy.
“I think that’s it. I’d like to rest a bit.”
[More.]
“I’m tired from the long journey.”
[Give me more.]
“And I think I’m hearing hallucinations, haha.”
[Look here, miss. Over here.]
She had aimed for blasphemy, but it seemed she had aimed too well.
A holy voice pounding directly into her mind, not her eardrums…
What she had intended was to get banished from the capital, never to return—not to acquire some mysterious hallucination or mental illness.
[…So that’s how you’re playing it.]
The World Tree trembling faintly didn’t feel good at all.
As Lilith casually looked down at the ground, the root she was standing on began to turn black.
Whatever this was, it wasn’t right. No, really not okay.
At this rate, she’d end up torn limb from limb before the original story’s events even unfolded!
“Ugh, haha.”
Lilith laughed sheepishly and frantically scraped nearby soil over the exposed root.
Operation cover-up.
[….]
Of course, it didn’t cover anything.
As other nearby roots began to blacken too, Lilith jumped up without a second glance.
“Water, we need more water.”
“…?”
“Don’t dawdle—grab the buckets! Run to the lake and back! Now!”
At Lilith’s urgent shout, Edrion and the knights all dashed toward the lake.
Jenia left as well, carrying three buckets as before.
Now, left behind were Lilith, the thug in tree form, and the manager trio.
The managers, who had been eyeing their chance, spoke up.
“Since Duke Akshard is away, we must say this.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“This is blasphemy. What you’ve just done, Lady Duchess, is clear blasphemy!”
“Not only did you call these beautiful golden leaves faded yellow, but you pruned the World Tree’s branches and poured filthy water—not holy water—on it!”
“This is a grave matter that must be reported to His Majesty immediately. We will not stand by any lon—! Ahem.”
The managers, raising their voices, suddenly shut their mouths.
The knights who had vanished toward the lake were charging back like stampeding bulls.
They poured the water with booming chants, over and over.
Jenia was now standing behind Lilith with her arms crossed.
“Why are your hands empty?”
“The Duke instructed me to stay by your side, Doctor.”
“No, whose maid are you…? We’ll talk about that later.”
The parched, dusty soil was now thoroughly soaked.
Only then did Lilith call for everyone to stop and patted the shoulder of the nearest knight.
“Good work, everyone.”
“N-not at all!”
[Ha, now I can breathe.]
Lilith blinked blankly.
The golden-shimmering leaves seemed to take on a subtle green tint, but it must be her imagination.
Surely, she decided it was imagination.
“Lilith, let’s head back now. The sun will set soon.”
“Time flew by…”
Before she knew it, the sunset was dyeing the sky red.
With a lingering thought, Lilith glanced back at the World Tree.
As if the earlier hallucinations and visions were a dream, the World Tree appeared simply divine and beautiful.
Like an ordinary tree without a mouth.
‘Well, whatever.’
By tomorrow’s dawn, she’d be banished for blasphemy, never to return.
Inwardly smiling contentedly, Lilith followed Edrion down the hill.
Unbeknownst to her, nestled in her hair—
[Peep…]
—was the small leaf she had first plucked, its tiny bean-like eyes wide open.
* * *
“Ah, I’m dying here.”
Lilith slumped into the bathtub like a soggy newspaper, white steam billowing around her.
For someone who had spent her life glued to a desk, tackling such an overly active task today made her feel like her lifespan was draining away.
As she languished, Jenia, attending to her bath, asked.
“Did you enjoy your rare outing?”
“Outing, my foot.”
“I’ve served you for six years, Doctor, but today was the first time I’ve seen you so energetic.”
So my desperate struggle for survival looked energetic to you.
I see…
“Your outings are usually just to the academy at most. I think getting some fresh air now and then is good for a change of pace.”
“Jenia, you wouldn’t happen to…”
Lilith lifted her gaze at a sudden thought.
‘Could she have pushed me on purpose for my sake? To get me some fresh air?’
Lately, the news from the capital had been weighing on her mind a bit.
The tyrant Rajer’s dethronement was only a few months ago, and early this year, with the new emperor’s ascension, the Akshard family had been reinstated.
It meant the day of the original Lilith’s death was drawing nearer.
Jenia, always by her side, would have keenly noticed even the slightest change.
So—
‘You come with me too.’
‘I manage the household here, Doctor. If I leave, this place…’
‘What if I pay you double your current salary?’
‘Welcome, customer.’
Hmm.
Of course not.
“I want to bathe alone.”
“If you fall asleep in the water, Doctor, I’ll be out of a job.”
“Thanks for the concern. Out.”
“Yep.”
Jenia left, and silence settled in the room.
Only then did Lilith recall something she had forgotten amid the whirlwind of events.
‘I’ve been too neglectful as your fiancé all this time.’
‘Pardon?’
‘It’s my fault. All of it—my oversight.’
Edrion had referred to himself as her ‘fiancé.’
But their engagement had been broken off six years ago.
The previous Duke Akshard had come to formally request the dissolution, and in exchange for accepting, she had received a substantial consolation payment.
It was a mutual agreement, legally processed and proper.
‘So why now, all of a sudden?’
Edrion hadn’t been present when she signed the dissolution papers.
But that didn’t mean he was unaware of it.
There was no reason for Duke Akshard to hide it from his son.
It was more reasonable to think he hadn’t shown up that day not because he didn’t know, but because there was no need—he didn’t care.
After all, she was a fiancée he hadn’t even seen properly since the engagement ceremony…
‘Something’s off. I think we need to talk.’
Emerging from the tub, Lilith roughly dried off and slipped into a thin robe.
She didn’t know where Edrion’s quarters were, but if she grabbed a passing knight and asked them to relay a message, she could meet him within a few days.
With that in mind, Lilith stepped out of her bedroom.
“Lilith?”
“…Duke Akshard.”
An unexpected voice echoed down the hallway.
Edrion, leaning against the wall opposite her bedroom, met her eyes with a puzzled look.
Straightening up, he approached her.
“You must be tired from wandering all day. If you need anything, just tell me.”
“No, it’s not that exactly…”
As Lilith awkwardly tried to decline the burdensome offer, she suddenly tilted her head.
‘What did I just hear?’
Had the duke just offered to attend to the duchess personally? Something that could be handled by calling a servant from outside—why him?
It seemed a bit excessive for mere kindness.
But what puzzled her most was…
“Why are you in front of my bedroom, Duke?”
“Because this is my bedroom too.”
“Pardon?”
“Here.”
Edrion pointed behind him.
On the wall where he had been leaning, there was an ivory door identical to the one on her bedroom.
