Chapter: 01
Prologue
Lilith’s eyes were sharp as she examined the World Tree.
She inspected the condition of the soil and roots, observed the color and damage of the leaves, and checked for any diseases or pests that might harm the sacred tree.
“Hm.”
“……”
The people watching Lilith gradually filled with confidence.
As expected of the botanical expert specially invited by the Imperial Palace.
She was someone so talented that Duke Akshad—the strongest knight in the Empire—had personally traveled to the edge of the continent to bring her here.
No, it wasn’t just that he had brought her.
The way Duke Akshad treated her was so cautious and attentive that anyone watching would think she wasn’t an expert he had gone to great lengths to recruit, but rather the lady he secretly adored.
The thought of the hero, famous for having neither blood nor tears, being in love—
It was something that could never happen even if the sky split in two.
Still, that was how restless and careful he seemed around her.
“……”
“Lady Lilith, is there a problem?”
Everyone turned their eyes toward Lilith again.
She was so absorbed in inspecting the World Tree that she didn’t even notice the people around her, staring at it with a stern expression.
As expected of an expert!
They were impressed all over again.
Completely unaware that the only reason for Lilith’s expression was because she was absolutely fed up.
[Give me water.]
“I just gave you some.”
The damned World Tree’s shamelessness knew no bounds.
Suppressing the urge to chop down the talking tree and throw it into a blazing fire as firewood, Lilith whispered quietly so no one else could hear.
The answer she received was unbelievable.
[Who do you think that tiny amount was for? Give me more.]
“……”
Apparently, what she’d hauled all night long hadn’t been water—it had been pesticide.
That had to be why her adorable future firewood had completely lost its mind.
Wrapping an arm around one of the World Tree’s branches, Lilith whispered conspiratorially,
“If you’re that thirsty, I’ll have a water supply line built all the way here. It’ll be a huge construction project, but if I ask the Imperial Palace, it’ll be finished in no time.”
[You’re suggesting I drink tap water? To me? How dare you?]
“No, it’s just that there’s a limit to how much water a person can carry by hand…”
[Fine. Then I’ll wither. I’ll drop every leaf. Let’s see your entire family line wiped out.]
Trembling with humiliation, the World Tree immediately put its threat into action.
The tips of its evergreen leaves blackened in an instant, then the leaves began snapping off and falling one after another.
“W-Wait… the World Tree?!”
“It’s an evil omen!”
“A sign that the continent—no, the entire world—is about to be destroyed!”
“Aaaah!!”
Lilith looked back and forth between the shower of falling leaves and the crowd descending into panic before crying out in despair.
At this rate, my whole family really is going to be exterminated!
“I’ll bring you rainwater!”
[What happened to the tap water?]
“Oh my, how could I possibly offer tap water to the noble and magnificent Lord World Tree? Such an outrageous idea would never cross my mind.”
[That’s more like it.]
“Of course.”
[I’m thirsty. Hurry.]
As if nothing had happened, the World Tree instantly returned to its lush, evergreen appearance.
…Damn it.
Lilith bit her lip to suppress the overwhelming sense of misery welling up inside her.
A small but distinct vein bulged at her temple.
Misreading her expression completely, the people around her murmured in admiration.
“As expected of an expert. She revived those dying leaves so quickly.”
“She truly is someone who should be permanently retained by the Imperial Palace…”
The mere thought sent chills down Lilith’s spine.
The officials excused themselves, saying they had to report today’s miraculous event to their superiors.
Lilith also rubbed her goosebump-covered arms before hurrying toward the storage building where the collected rainwater was kept.
The land where the World Tree had taken root was a sacred sanctuary where the Primordial God had first opened His eyes.
Because of that, outsiders were strictly forbidden from entering.
Even direct members of the Imperial Family required the Emperor’s permission to enter.
If even royalty faced such restrictions, there was no need to mention servants.
Which means all the exhausting manual labor has to be done by me personally.
Lilith took two golden buckets down from the shelf.
They were so heavy that just lifting the empty buckets made her want to swear, but carrying them one at a time was simply not allowed.
Because—
[Did you know?]
Know what?
[Humans have two hands so they can offer me two buckets of rainwater at once.]
In other words, since it hated waiting, she had to carry two buckets every trip.
Sob… sob… sob…
My poor back.
A slipped-disc surgery costs eighteen hundred gold. How much of my payment am I going to spend on medical bills after this job…?
Having filled both golden buckets to the brim with rainwater, Lilith gathered every ounce of strength she had just to stand up with them.
At that moment—
A tall, broad shadow fell over her.
“Lilith.”
“…Ah.”
“Didn’t I ask you to leave this kind of difficult work to me?”
A large, calloused hand gently rested over hers.
Startled, Lilith looked up at the man before her.
He stood nearly two meters tall, with broad shoulders, the lean yet powerful muscles of a predator, and disciplined movements that reflected countless years of training.
He was, in every sense of the word, the body of a warrior honed to perfection.
“You’re already frail enough as it is. If you collapse again, then I…”
“That won’t happen anymore! I’m really fine now.”
“Do you feel burdened because you think you’re inconveniencing me?”
“No, it’s not that…”
It’s because our adorable firewood threatened to wither immediately if I didn’t bring rainwater right away.
There wasn’t time to leisurely ask someone else for help.
As Lilith struggled to think of how she could possibly explain that, the man—Duke Akshad—gave her a lonely smile, almost like he was pouting.
“I’m a little afraid.”
“Pardon?”
“I want to become a man you can trust and rely on… but I fear I haven’t managed to do that.”
“……”
“I keep feeling as though you’ll leave me one day.”
“……”
“Am I imagining things?”
His golden eyes, fixed intently on Lilith, shimmered softly.
They reminded her of a gentle, giant dog desperately yearning for its master’s affection.
If the woman standing before him had been anyone other than Lilith, she might have grabbed the Duke’s hand on the spot and run straight to a wedding ceremony.
Unfortunately…
The woman before him was Lilith.
And she harbored a very deep grudge against Duke Akshad.
Tch. He’s frighteningly perceptive.
That was exactly what Edrion La Akshad was to Lilith.
The culprit who had dragged her back just when she was trying to flee as far away from the Imperial Capital as possible, only to turn her into the World Tree’s personal servant.
The man responsible for making both the Emperor and the Empress trust and value her so deeply.
And above all—
He was my husband in the original story.
…That was the biggest problem of all.
