CHAPTER 4 – Escape at Night (Part 5)

“Felix…?”

Lillian pushed Felix away, who embraced her as if they were long-lost friends as if to say she wasn’t particularly pleased.

“What are you doing here?”

“Your complexion has really improved, Lillian. Well, your face was always beautiful, to begin with.”

‘Even coming this far, you haven’t forgotten to evaluate faces.’

Feeling no need to respond, Lillian pushed Felix aside and took her seat at the dinner table. She couldn’t help but notice Lord Turin looking over at her with a smirk on his face.

“Priestess Primrose, I apologize for not informing you in advance. Sir Felix Perry here is my nephew. I heard that the two of you already know each other from serving together in Toulouse’s triumphant campaign…”

“Yes, Your Excellency. She was my dear comrade-in-arms.”

Lillian sliced her steak in silence while Felix answered.

“Look, don’t these two really make a good couple? Gosh, I hope you don’t mind me saying so. Hoho.”

“You dear, honestly. Young people will figure it out on their own. Haha!”

What’s going on here? With a puzzled look on her face, Lillian turned to the side and met the gaze of Felix, who had been staring at her intently with an unfamiliar expression.

“I took a two-month leave from the knights. I decided to spend some time here.”

As he said that, with his characteristic intense gaze, somewhat subtly, he continued to look at her.

“It might extend to more than two months.”

“….”

“Maybe I’ll end up staying here too. Like someone who left the capital without a word.”

It was a statement that left room for interpretation. Startled, Lillian dropped her fork.

‘Is he crazy?’

No matter how close they were as relatives,

What kind of behavior is this in front of Lord Turin? This was her workplace. As if that wasn’t enough, Felix was being presumptuous.

“Count Ronald, please take good care of our Lillian.”

‘Our?’

“Although she may seem refined on the surface, she’s still a bit naive. She’s not like the women these days, frugal and oblivious to extravagance. I fell for her simplicity…”

“Come out for a moment.”

Interrupting harshly, Lillian sought permission from Lord Turin and his wife and left the dining table.

“What’s wrong, Lillian?”

Felix followed her out of the room, a bewildered look on his face. Seeing him like that, Lillian belatedly felt her anger boiling up.

“Are you insane? What’s with this behavior?”

The image of him acting like a protector during the dinner, pretending to be a guardian, flashed in her mind, making her face heated up.

“When did I ask you to follow me here and play the role of a husband? If my asking you to dance at the Countess of Huntington’s ball has misled you, I’m sorry, but I’m not…….”

“Lillian, I know you had feelings for Lord Edelgard.”

“But now, he’s no longer a member of the Knights of the Silver Cross. He has returned to the embrace of his family. You already know that.”

Felix added with a bitter smile, mentioning how the capital’s social scene turned upside down due to that.

“Lord Edelgard, or rather, soon-to-be Duke Edelgard, is no longer the man you can dream of. That’s what I mean.”

“He’s going… to become a duke?”

“Yes.”

How on earth did Cedric, the third son, become the successor to Duke Edelgard? The age gap between the two brothers was quite significant, and they already had their own heirs. Rumors had it that Colin Edelgard, the second son who had long held the family together, was the likely successor….

Everything was surprising, but it wasn’t unreasonable, considering Cedric’s accumulated achievements. And if there was fervent support from the nobles, it could have been possible.

“Right now, there’s talk of marriage with Princess Beatrice.”

Lillian flinched. Princess Beatrice was a woman of character, knowledge, and brilliance, a favorite of the Emperor.

‘There are even rumors that she has a secret lover…….’

Marriages for an imperial family must be with a consort chosen by the emperor. And Cedric was undoubtedly the most desirable catch in the emperor’s eyes.

In the midst of deep thoughts, Felix, who had stealthily approached, took hold of her left hand and knelt down on one knee.

“What is it now?”

“Give me a chance, Lillian.”

“I’m sorry, but I’ve never thought of you that way. If I unknowingly left any room for you…”

“You can’t be with Duke Edelgard anyway. You know that, which is why you’ve come all this way here.”

The words that came out of Felix’s mouth pierced her chest like a sharp spear. Even though she already knew the fact, hearing it from someone else was not something she desired.

“I’ve come this far to hold onto you. It took about a fortnight on horseback. I thought my rear end was going to fall off. If you feel pitiful for me, please give me a chance.”

Felix seemed desperate, but Lillian harshly shook off the hand that held her.

“Pitiful? I don’t find you pitiful at all, Felix.”

Using one’s emotions to make the other person uncomfortable is not a pitiful thing.

Although she had once threatened Cedric twice before, at least she hadn’t been this crazy. Once was when death was imminent, and the other time, she was less sober. But she had never, in her right mind, forced affection on someone in front of their superior at work.

“At least give me a chance. Watch me from the sidelines, get to know me properly, and I’m sure you’ll like me.”

Lillian was stunned by the arrogance of the fearless nobleman.

“No, I won’t. I don’t like you, and no amount of time together will change that.”

“Lillian, if you want, I’ll stay here. Do you know that my aunt has no heir?”

Lord Turin and his wife had two sons, but they died of a respiratory illness when they were young.

“If I go into adoption with them, all the beautiful manors of Turin will be mine.”

“You’re insane. How can you say such things?”

“It’s something my aunt is already considering. There’s no law that says I have to stay in the capital just because the Duke left. The war is over too.”

Lillian took a step back slowly. She had nothing more to say.

“Don’t waste time and just go back to the capital.”

“You’re just a woman too! Don’t act all high and mighty.”

Felix called out willingly from behind her as she turned away.

“Wait and see. You’ll be my woman soon enough, Lillian.”

“…”

“There’s a saying that there’s no tree that doesn’t fall after being hit ten times.”

Her fist clenched in genuine anger. She wanted to punch him.

She wanted to rip whoever had come up with that disgusting phrase that came out of his mouth.

Without even looking at Felix, Lillian quickly returned to her bedroom. If she looked back, she felt like she might really resort to violence.

As she practically ran, Felix spoke to her fleeing back as a warning.

“Starting tomorrow, I’ll be accompanying you on your inspections of the estate, just so you know.”

Curses bubbled up inside her.