Chapter 56

“Before this arrogant man, Lilian forced a smile to contain her rage.”

Charles Garington, who burst in rudely as if he were some noble born, plopped himself down as soon as the door swung open, unleashing a tirade laced with frustration. Though her anger began to swell at his utterly uncouth behavior, Lilian quickly quelled it and slowly began to listen to Charles’s words.

At first, she was confused about what he was going on about, but as she listened closely, it dawned on her that he was rambling about Catherine. Catherine, had he finally caught on?

“Wait a minute. Wasn’t it you who helped cover up my incident?”

“…Gerik Garington’s heir. Charles Garington.”

Her tone had chilled a notch, but Charles Garington, oblivious, replied with a grin.

“Hmm, why do you call for me?”

“Are you out of your mind?”

“…What?”

“Even if you’re a war hero’s kid, you’re nothing more than a commoner who hasn’t even been knighted. You’re really going to challenge me right now?”

Charles Garington found himself utterly taken aback by Lilian’s demeanor. By her reputation, she was supposed to be some radical. Why on earth was he getting grilled like this? And over a commoner at that? The gall of this princess, the daughter of the war hero Gerik Garington, throwing shame at him left him baffled.

Yet, he found himself speechless. Sure, it was a bit funny to see him squirm before the Duchess’s daughter, but the princess could do nothing to uproot him from her rank. Lilian was another story entirely.

If she were to approach the Duke of Portus and express her dissatisfaction with Charles Garington’s actions, the prideful Duke, who despised tarnishing his noble reputation, would surely retaliate against the Garington household.

Thus, her earlier jests were meant to be half serious and half playful, but to think it would backfire so dramatically.

“…I misspoke.”

“Oh, you did… Charles Garington, how long must I tolerate your arrogance?”

Lilian’s tone was still frostier than ever, and the cold gaze she had shot at her rival during a certain banquet flashed back to him, her striking blue eyes dripping with disdain. He had no choice but to lower his head. The kind-hearted Lilian he’d known at the Academy seemed like a distant memory.

“…”

“Shouldn’t you just cut that useless tongue of yours?”

“M… My apologies, Lady Portus.”

His blatant insolence wouldn’t stand much longer; he wasn’t going to spend his entire life in the Academy. Nobles needed fiery radicals to become their pawns, but if he kept acting this way, there would be fewer and fewer nobles willing to use him as a trump card.

Someone so base had zero awareness of the concept of noblesse oblige. The very type of person Lilian detested above all others. Or rather, was Lilian… Lilian? Rubbing her aching temples, she bit her lip slightly and issued a command.

“You may leave now. Don’t bother me.”

“Understood.”

As Charles Garington bowed his head and turned to leave, a surge of rage suddenly erupted in Lilian, and she hurled a teacup at the door. Crash! The shattered remains of the cup lay scattered. Why did she do that? No, it wasn’t sudden; she always did this. If something irked her, she’d break it, get upset, and rage on. The cleaning was always left to Catherine.

“…Catherine.”

Where on earth had her faithful maid gone? Clutching her throbbing head, Lilian searched for Catherine. But of course, Catherine was nowhere to be found. Where could she be when she was so desperately needed? Muttering to herself, Lilian sank down onto her bed.

Though she felt like screaming, the fact that she wasn’t in the Portus Mansion kept that urge in check, as did the noble’s dignity that restrained her desires. Gnawing on her lips and intensifying the bleeding, she curled her body further into a ball.

“Catherine… where are you?”

In the silence of the room, Lilian’s hollow murmurs faded away.

“How’s this place?”

“Just okay. I think it would be nice to bring the Young Lady here…”

My answer puffed Yulia’s cheeks. Some may despise such theatrical gestures, but with a girl as cute as her, it only came off as endearing. The place Yulia had shown me was a quaint little bookstore. I wasn’t much of a reader, but thinking of the Young Lady, who had an insatiable thirst for rare books, I picked up a few hard-to-find volumes that were nearly impossible to procure in the Empire.

Though they weren’t forbidden tomes, they were rarely circulated due to concerns about public morals. As I loaded up on books, Yulia cocked her head to the side.

“Isn’t it heavy?”

“It is.”

Yulia’s eyes widened at my casual response. Why was she so surprised? The answer came to me almost immediately.

“Is that so? I thought Lilian was strong since she handles a sword so well.”

“My sword is on the lighter side.”

Handing my sword, which was indeed quite light, to Yulia, she frowned slightly as she took it, staring at me in disbelief. It was indeed much lighter than I had made it seem.

“Wow, it really is light.”

“Why would I lie about something like that?”

“Where did you get such a sword?”

“Well, it’s a gift from the Young Lady.”

I couldn’t help but worry about how Lilian was doing. No matter how I thought about it, she was on my mind. Looking up at the sky, I noticed the sun was starting to set. We had done a lot of wandering today. We had visited cafés, clothing shops, accessory stores, and gift shops, so many that it felt like we’ve done nothing but shop.

Originally, I thought we would have dinner before parting ways, but it seemed I should consider this bookstore as our final destination. I couldn’t afford to treat Yulia poorly during our date, given my wandering thoughts.

“Shall we head back?”

“Yeah. I’m worried about the Young Lady.”

“I was thinking we could have dinner together, but I guess it can’t be helped.”

As Yulia looked disappointed, I nodded slightly and handed her a gift box I had bought earlier in the accessory shop. Surprised at the sudden gift, Yulia looked at me with wide eyes.

“What’s this…?”

“You didn’t get anything earlier, so I thought I’d pick up something that would suit you.”

“Can I open it now?”

“Yeah.”

Honestly, I was a bit embarrassed. In both my past and present lives, it was no easy task for a virgin like me to give a gift to someone of the opposite gender. Thanks to my façade of calmness that came from my deadpan face, I might have appeared unfazed, but internally I was a bundle of nerves.

What if she doesn’t accept it? What if it doesn’t suit her and I have to get it back? With all these worries swirling in my head, Yulia slowly opened the gift box. Inside was a golden hairpin. She immediately adorned her hair with it, beaming a bright smile as she looked back at me.

“How do I look? Pretty?”

“…Yeah.”

It was just a small gesture, yet she looked absolutely stunning. As if entranced, I responded and began to slowly back away.

“Um, see you tomorrow.”

“Huh? Oh, okay. See you tomorrow.”

As I quickly made my exit, casting a glance back, I saw her still smiling radiantly, waving at me. I too waved back softly before hurrying away from the spot.

With a screech, I opened the door. It was surprisingly dark inside, likely due to the sun having set. Lilian lay among the shards of the broken teacup, much like any other Young Lady, and I cautiously began to tidy up the wreckage. I had done this so often that I had developed my own little tricks.

Whoosh! Once more, a teacup was hurled my way. Catching the flying cup, I turned to see the woman who had thrown it. Lilian’s icy blue eyes were locked onto mine. Why was she so angry? And why was she acting so much like the Young Lady while doing so? Calming my swirling thoughts, I set the cup down.

“Why are you so late?”

“…I was out exploring the area with Yulia.”

“That’s mine, you know.”

“…”

Lilian mirrored the Young Lady’s expression and words perfectly, causing me to bite my lip. Yet, even though the frustration rose within me, it faded just as quickly when I saw the tears welling in her eyes.

“You’re all I have…”

“Young Lady.”

“Get out! Don’t come back, or I’ll kill you!”

Taking a step closer to the shaking Lilian, she quickly grabbed a fork from the side table and aimed it at me. What could she possibly do with that toy? Gradually, I approached, brushed the fork aside, and hugged her tightly.

“…”

Her tears soaked through my clothes. Gently patting her back, I held her close, feeling sympathetic for her being isolated in a world where no one knew her or remembered her. But at the same time… I hated the sight of her becoming so similar to the Young Lady.

Amidst these two conflicting emotions, I found myself lost, knowing that someday I would have to choose one but holding her tightly for now.