Chapter: 02
Lilis hastily tore the request letter to pieces, tossed it into the fireplace, and muttered,
“I didn’t see anything. Nope.”
“I saw it, Professor.”
“No, you didn’t. Be quiet. Nothing came for me today.”
Lilis let Xenia’s nonsense go in one ear and out the other.
How hard had she worked all this time to stay far away from the Imperial Capital?
Finishing her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate in only six years had been anything but easy, but she had accomplished it for one reason alone.
To enjoy a quiet and peaceful life!
“This is way too dangerous. If I accept this, I have a feeling my life is going to be completely screwed.”
“The fact that the request says our entire family will be exterminated if the contents are leaked does seem incredibly suspicious.”
“So it really is a trap. This must be the scheme of someone who bears me a deep grudge.”
“It still sounds fun. You should accept it.”
“…Looks like you hold quite a grudge against me too.”
Just in case, Lilis checked three separate times to make sure the word “Decline” had actually been selected before preparing to send the reply by mail.
For once, she didn’t want to entrust the task to a servant.
She wouldn’t be able to relax unless she saw the rejection letter being sent with her own eyes.
Lilis opened the front door.
“Ah, Lilis!”
“…”
Thud.
She reflexively slammed the door shut and rubbed her eyes.
She could have sworn she’d just seen something that absolutely shouldn’t exist.
A formation of knights standing in front of her mansion, and one particular man smiling brighter than ever the moment their eyes met.
‘Right. I must’ve imagined it. I was so startled that I hallucinated.’
There was no way that man would come all the way to this remote countryside.
Chuckling awkwardly, Lilis opened the door again.
“Lilis!”
The man was still there.
Standing beneath the warm spring sunlight, his golden eyes shone even more brilliantly than the sun itself as they remained fixed on Lilis without wavering.
As though they were sayingā
My destination was you all along.
“…”
Lilis quietly closed the door again.
She was thoroughly flustered.
‘Wait… Why is Edrion here? He should be in the Imperial Palace. Don’t tell me he came to drag me back?’
Had his promise to wait for her response been a dream? An illusion?
No. That couldn’t be it. This had to be nothing more than a very ordinary coincidence.
She had received the request letter only a second ago.
Haha.
…Her thoughts didn’t last long.
“What in the world is going on? Why are there knights here?”
“Did someone attack the professor’s laboratory?”
“Oh my goodness! Is the professor all right? Shouldn’t we go inside and check?”
The murmurs of curious villagers began to rise outside the laboratory.
This was a tiny rural village at the southern edge of the continent, far removed from the Imperial Capital.
It was such a peaceful place that there weren’t even people who resembled knights, let alone an actual order of knights. It wasn’t hard to imagine how much attention their sudden appearance would attract.
‘No! My peaceful life in the south…!’
She wanted absolutely nothing to do with the Imperial Capital in any form.
In the original story, Lilis had quietly stayed inside her home, yet she was falsely accused of causing the World Tree to wither.
More accurately, the villain had actually damaged the World Tree, and the nobles who had long resented Duke Akshad’s overwhelming influence shifted the blame onto his wife, accusing her of secretly collaborating with the villain.
They couldn’t dare target Edrion directlyāthe Empire’s greatest hero and the Empress’s younger brother.
So instead, they made his wife the scapegoat.
Rumors that Lilis had harmed the World Tree spread like wildfire.
The enraged public dragged her into the town square before anyone could intervene.
Her husband, Edrion, rushed there as fast as he could.
But by then…
It was already too late.
His wife had been torn apart so horribly that not even her remains could be recovered before she was burned.
‘More and more people are watching. Whatever he wants, it’d be better to hear him out quickly, refuse him, and send him away.’
Returning to reality, Lilis pulled the brim of her wide hat down to hide her face as much as possible before opening the door.
The moment Edrion saw her, he smiled warmly.
“It has been a long time, Lilis.”
“Ah… Duke Akshad. Perhaps we could speak somewhere with fewer people…”
“I’m sorry, Lilis. Could you repeat that?”
Apparently, her voice had been too soft to hear.
As Lilis stepped closer to whisper in his ear, a gust of wind suddenly blew her hat away.
“…!”
She stretched out desperately to catch it.
Unfortunately, her athletic ability was utterly hopeless.
Instead of grabbing her hat, her foot caught on a stone.
Just as she thought she was about to fallā
“Are you all right?!”
“Ah!”
A large, sturdy hand wrapped around her slender waist and pulled her close.
As a result, she buried her face against a broad, solid chest honed through relentless training.
She had landed directly in Edrion’s arms.
“Lilis.”
What thoughts crossed his mind as she flew into his embrace?
For an instant, Edrion stopped breathing.
Then he let out a deep, satisfied sigh and wrapped an arm around her waist.
His touch was as careful as if he were handling a delicate sugar doll.
Yet his grip was so strong that she couldn’t move an inch.
“I’m sorry I was late, Lilis.”
“…Pardon?”
She hadn’t fallen.
So… what exactly was he late for?
Lilis looked up at him with wide eyes.
‘This is the first time I’ve seen him since our engagement ceremony… so it’s been about ten years?’
Edrion was just as breathtakingly handsome as ever, as though blessed by the gods themselves.
Silky silver hair.
Brilliant golden eyes that looked as if they had been forged from melted sunlight.
Although his face was refined enough to resemble a noble young master, his physique was tall and powerfully built.
Yet whenever he looked at Lilis, his smile became endlessly gentle and affectionate.
And still…
For some reason, she couldn’t feel at ease.
Like a tiny rabbit standing before a starving beast, a sense of danger crept down her spine.
‘Why do I feel so uneasy?’
It was as though something was hidden behind that smile…
While she was lost in thought, the surroundings gradually fell silent.
Edrion watched his subordinates disperse the gathered crowd with an indifferent gaze before lowering his eyes and gently caressing Lilis’s flushed cheek.
Warm emotion filled those brilliant golden eyes.
“Have you been well all this time?”
“Yes… It’s really been a long time.”
“…”
Thinking he intended to kiss the back of her hand, she offered it to him.
Instead, Edrion firmly clasped her small, delicate hand and lowered his gaze.
“As your fiancĆ©, I have neglected you for far too long.”
“…Excuse me?”
“I was wrong. This was entirely my fault.”
FiancƩ?
That was ancient history.
There were countless things she wanted to point out, but before anything else, Lilis desperately tried to rescue her precious little hand from Edrion’s grip.
Unfortunately, it was impossible.
Even though he seemed to be holding her gently, it felt as though every muscle in his hand had been specially trained. She couldn’t move even a fingertip.
Anyone would have believed her hand was trapped inside a crack in a giant boulder.
“M-May I ask what brings someone as busy as you all the way out to this rural village? There must be countless people waiting for you. Wouldn’t it be better to finish your business quickly and return to the Imperial Capital?”
“You’re right.”
“Exactly, so if you’ll excuseā”
“Thank you for being so considerate. In that case, let’s talk while we’re on the way. I’ll explain everything in detail during our trip back to the Imperial Capital.”
“…?”
Before she knew it, Edrion had naturally wrapped an arm around her waist and started walking toward the carriage.
Looking behind her, she saw Xenia and the servants waving handkerchiefs as they cheerfully saw her off.
The scene ahead was even worse.
The knights had already flung the carriage door wide open and stood fully prepared to deliver her directly to the Imperial Capital.
Startled, Lilis stopped walking.
“W-Wait a minute!”
“Yes, Lilis?”
“I can’t leave. It’s just… it’s because…”
“I’m listening. Take your time.”
The eyes of the tall, handsome man glistened softly.
They looked exactly like those of a giant dog desperately waiting for affection from its owner.
Unable to reject him outright, Lilis instinctively chose a more indirect excuse.
“If I leave, there won’t be anyone to take care of my laboratory. So I…”
“Oh, if that’s the problem, there’s no need to worry. I brought someone to care for your plants while you’re away. Allow me to introduce him.”
An elderly man stepped forward and bowed after Edrion gestured to him.
Lilis asked without thinking,
“Who are you?”
“Greetings, My Lady. I am Pavil, the Head Gardener of the Imperial Palace.”
“…”
Wait.
Hadn’t they just said they urgently needed a gardener?
And they brought the Head Gardener of the Imperial Palace?
Are they really allowed to do that?
Receiving Lilis’s burning stare, Edrion rubbed his chin and muttered,
“Ah, right. That was the setting.”
“…”
What did you just say?!
Every instinct in Lilis’s body screamed that she was facing an enormous threat.
To make matters worse, even a quick glance inside the carriage revealed an absurd number of magical devices.
A magical heater.
A magical air conditioner.
A magical humidifier.
A magical dehumidifier.
A magical anti-vibration device.
A magical rocking cradle.
Anyone could tell something was seriously wrong.
This was absolutely suspicious!
“I-I don’t leave my laboratory in other people’s hands. I trust only my own abilities.”
“…Sob.”
Head Gardener Pavil lowered his head.
His frail shoulders trembled as he covered his eyes with one hand.
D-Don’t cry!
“Professor.”
“Xenia!”
Just as the situation was descending into complete chaos, a ray of salvation appeared.
No one understood Lilis better than Xenia.
Lilis had first met her six years earlier, when she was twelve, just before entering the Academy.
From that day onward, Xenia had remained faithfully by her side.
Although many people misunderstood her cynical way of speaking as coldness, in reality, she understood Lilis better than anyoneā
“Professor, you forgot your identification.”
“…”
“I’ve heard that inspections have become much stricter lately because of the Shadow faction. As your personal maid, this level of preparedness is only natural. There’s no need to praise me.”
In Xenia’s hands were Lilis’s identification card…
And even her doctoral diploma.
With those alone, even the notoriously strict security at the Imperial Palace could be passed in a single second.
Receiving Lilis’s fiery glare, Xenia nodded proudly.
“And who are you?”
“Greetings, Your Grace. I am Xenia, the professor’s personal maid.”
“I see.”
After a brief moment of thought, Edrion continued,
“Lilis is so small and delicate that a sudden change in environment wouldn’t be good for her. Having a familiar attendant carefully look after her should make the adjustment much easier.”
“…?”
Having casually compared Lilis to a sapling being transplanted, he added,
“You’ll come as well.”
“I oversee the entire household here. If I leave, this place will…”
“What if I pay you twice your current salary?”
“Thank you for your patronage, valued customer.”
As though she had never refused at all, Xenia immediately climbed into the carriage first and beckoned for Lilis to follow.
…Lilis will never forget today’s grudge.
As expected…
The servant truly took after her master.
