Chapter 92

The story of Vail Gabriel defeating and utterly crushing the Sagreen Kingdom’s army spread like wildfire throughout the empire. It was accompanied by whispers that Duke Gabriel’s forces had been so incompetent that they had provided no help.

At that time, Liliana was humming cheerfully, as there had been no mention of the compensation Duke Gabriel’s household owed her. More than half of Gabriel’s knights had perished in the Sagreen Kingdom’s ambush, but it seemed that none of the survivors knew about the mercenaries and spirit summoners fleeing the battlefield.

This was primarily thanks to Vail, who had discreetly handled the aftermath.

Not only did Liliana not have to pay any penalties, but she also got to keep the down payment from the contract. More than the money, she was thrilled that she had successfully pulled off a grand deception against Duke Gabriel’s household.

“I never knew you had such a talent for fraud,” Agrina said in a light, amused tone as she watched Liliana.

She, too, seemed delighted that Duke Gabriel had been humiliated and her brother had returned without a scratch, having gained significant merit.

“The knights on the battlefield said they thought Vail was the old Duke Gabriel who had returned to life. In social circles, people keep comparing Vail to Duke Gabriel.”

“That’s no surprise. If not for Vail, they would’ve been crushed by the Sagreen Kingdom’s army that they so arrogantly looked down on.”

Sophia approached and informed them of a guest’s arrival as they continued their cheerful conversation.

“Your Highness, Lord Hesdin has arrived. He’s waiting in the study.“

“Hesdin? It’s that time already?”

Liliana was eager to meet Hesdin immediately, but Agrina firmly placed her hand on the desk and said with conviction, “You need to deal with this first. Let the teacher wait a little.”

“But Hesdin is my tutor…“ Liliana began.

“And not just any tutor—he’s the empress consort’s tutor. He’ll understand if you handle urgent matters first.”

Although Liliana didn’t like the idea of making Hesdin wait, she had to admit that Agrina had a point.

“Sophia, could you prepare some tea for Hesdin?“

“Of course!“ Sophia clenched her fist energetically and headed toward the study. Agrina watched her leave, scratching her cheek thoughtfully.

“Your Highness, you’ve been spending much time with me lately, right?“ Agrina said casually.

Liliana looked up from the documents she was reviewing with a confused expression.

“When did I ever spend time playing with you?“

“I agree, but I don’t think your childhood friend would see it that way.”

At that, Liliana glanced toward the door where Sophia had just exited. It was true that Sophia hadn’t shown any signs of being upset, but Liliana had spent less time with her recently. And it wasn’t just Sophia; it had been the same with Chuchu, the empress dowager, and even Lucia. Helio had even grumbled that he barely saw the empress these days.

If Agrina was pointing it out, perhaps there was something Liliana hadn’t noticed.

“I’ll talk to Sophia. Thanks for bringing it up.“

“Don’t mention it. I just don’t want to get involved in any romantic drama,“ Agrina replied with a mischievous grin, prompting Liliana to wave her hands in protest.

As she resumed signing documents, Liliana suddenly felt a prickling sensation on the back of her neck, as though someone had poked her.

Startled by the eerie feeling, she whipped around, but nothing was behind her.

“What’s wrong?“ Agrina asked.

“Nothing, I just…“ Liliana trailed off, shaking her head. Maybe she had been working too hard and was imagining things. She tried to focus on the papers in front of her again.

However, the unsettling feeling of being watched persisted. Slowly, she raised her gaze, scanning the room until—*plop*—a single drop of water fell from the air and landed squarely on her forehead.

“Ah!”

Liliana squeezed her eyes shut, wiping at the water with her hand. But strangely, when she touched her forehead, there was no moisture.

Agrina asked again, “What’s going on?“

“Is the ceiling leaking?“ Liliana muttered, bewildered.

“That’s impossible.“ Agrina looked at her incredulously. A leak in the palace? Such a notion would be laughable if mentioned outside these walls. Liliana, feeling slightly embarrassed, lowered her head.

But then Agrina sniffed the air and tilted her head in confusion.

“There’s no way the ceiling is leaking, but it feels oddly damp here. And in the middle of winter, too… I’ll call for the building manager just in case.“

“Thanks,“ Liliana replied.

Once Agrina had left, Liliana tried to refocus on her work. Perhaps there was an issue with the building, as Agrina had suggested. Yet…

What was this persistent feeling that someone was staring at her from behind?

Suddenly spooked by the thought of being alone, Liliana hurried through the remaining documents faster than ever.

She sealed the completed papers in an envelope and made her way to the study at double, if not triple, her usual pace.

She stopped short as she neared the study door, hearing peals of high-pitched laughter from inside.

‘Ha ha ha!’

‘Kee-hee-hee!’

Liliana froze in place, her body rigid like stone. Sophia, who had been waiting outside, noticed her odd behavior and asked with concern,

“Your Highness, is everything all right?”

It was already the third time she had heard this question today.

By now, Liliana couldn’t pretend to be unaware. Before Sophia could even open the door, she grabbed the handle and pushed it open forcefully.

The loud laughter coming from inside the study vanished instantly.

Only Hesdin, nervously wiping his glasses, remained. When he saw Liliana, he hurriedly put his glasses back on and bowed.

“You’ve arrived, Your Highness.”

Liliana crossed her arms and looked at the top of Hesdin’s head before glancing around the study.

How strange. Hesdin liked tea but wasn’t fond of sweets, yet the plate of pastries on the tea set had noticeably dwindled.

“Hesdin, you didn’t get soaked today, did you?“ Liliana asked, not even bothering to disguise the pointed nature of her question. It was practically a direct accusation.

Hesdin sighed deeply and gently massaged his temples as if to ward off a headache.

“My apologies.“

“For what?“

“For my spirit’s rudeness toward Your Highness.”

Just as she had suspected.

Liliana’s hunch had been correct. She had thought it strange when she heard that Hesdin had fallen into a pond in the garden.

Hesdin wasn’t the type to make such a clumsy mistake. If he had fallen into the pond, his clothes should have been covered with leaves or other debris. Yet, he had only been wet, with no signs of anything else.

And the laughter she had heard that day was almost identical to the laughter she had just heard, which none of the maids seemed to have noticed.

The conclusion was clear. Hesdin was a spirit summoner.

“You knew I had the qualities of a spirit summoner too, didn’t you?“

“Yes, Your Highness.“

“Should I go fetch Chuchu and introduce her to you?“ Liliana joked, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

“There’s no need.“

Hesdin’s response was so firm that Liliana felt a bit awkward. Hesdin sighed again, and a thick mist formed behind him at that moment. From within the fog, a stunningly beautiful woman emerged.

She stood a head taller than Hesdin, with sky-blue hair flowing down to her feet. It was clear from just one glance that she wasn’t human.

The woman’s teal-colored eyes gleamed mischievously as she smiled.

“Hello, big little one,“ she greeted in a high-pitched and melodious voice.

Liliana was struck speechless.

“What…?”

She managed to utter a single word but couldn’t finish her sentence, blurting out another question instead.

“How…?”

But she couldn’t complete that one either.

As Liliana stood frozen, struggling to speak, the woman covered her mouth, an expression of pity on her face.

“Oh dear, the big little one is quite startled.”

Hesdin spoke with an exasperated expression, almost as if he were sighing.

“Anyone would be surprised to meet the Spirit King in their own quarters.“

“Like you were?“

“Yes.”

Liliana nearly fainted when listening to the casual conversation between Hesdin and the Spirit King. As she swayed on her feet, the Spirit King gasped in concern and snapped her fingers.

Immediately, water gently surrounded Liliana, supporting her. Strangely, despite the water’s presence, she didn’t get wet.

When Liliana, now standing upright, reached out to touch the water, it playfully curled around her fingers, tickling her before dissipating into the air.

Blushing with amazement, Liliana’s cheeks grew warm, and the Spirit King burst into laughter.

“My goodness, the little one is so adorable.”

Liliana grew annoyed at being called a “little one“ so many times. It was even more embarrassing than when Helio teased her for being small.

“… I’m not a child. I’ve already gone through my coming-of-age ceremony,“ she protested.

“Humans have their coming-of-age at around twenty years, don’t they? To someone like me, born with this world, all humans are like infants,“ the Spirit King replied, her tone amused.

“But you called Hesdin by his name.“

“Well, that’s because… you’re much more endearing than he is.”

Liliana found the Spirit King’s words incomprehensible. She sighed and placed her hands on her hips.

“You’re Hesdin’s contracted spirit, right? Can’t you do something about this?”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?“

“Because I didn’t want the contract. She forced it on me unilaterally. And it’s a temporary contract at that.“

“You make it sound like I’m some tyrant,“ the Spirit King said, smiling radiantly as she cupped Hesdin’s face. The scene was as beautiful as a painting, though Hesdin’s expression was full of dissatisfaction.

Realizing that Hesdin couldn’t help her, Liliana negotiated with the Spirit King.

“Well then, Spirit King…“

“It feels too formal, doesn’t it? Call me Aria.“

“…Fine, Aria.“

“Just Aria. Let’s be friendly, okay?”

It was hard to refuse someone so beautiful and affectionate. Liliana, as if entranced, finally called her by name.

“Aria.“

“Why did you call me, little one?“

“I understand why you call me a ‘little one,‘ but why do you keep saying ‘big little one‘?“

At this, Aria burst into laughter.

“Oh, even the little one knows she’s small, huh?“

“Aria! Just answer my question!” Liliana’s face turned bright red, clearly flustered by the teasing.

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