Night deepened over the Glory Cael Magic Academy, specifically within the exclusive dormitory area for princesses.
Warm yellow magic lamps illuminated the exquisite small living room, yet they failed to brighten the gloom on the faces of the three maids.
Renee, whose ear-length hair and expression were always as stern as iron, looked at the gilded wall clock for the thirteenth time.
Layla, wearing glasses and possessing an intellectual air, wiped the already spotless coffee table for the fifth time.
Rena, the most lively of the three who usually wore a high ponytail, sat quietly on the sofa hugging a cushion, her delicate brows tightly furrowed.
"9:47 PM," Renee’s voice sounded like a tightened string. "Her Highness has never stayed out past this time without notifying us."
"Even when she sneaks out to test magic, she's usually back by 8:30 at the latest," Layla said, pushing up her glasses. Her eyes behind the lenses were full of worry.
"Something hasn't happened to her, has it?" Rena hugged the cushion tighter, her voice sounding a bit weak.
The three fell into silence.
The Princess's impulsive nature, her terrifyingly vast curiosity, and her nearly blind faith in her own strength had always been their biggest headaches.
They were maids, guards, and older sisters who had watched her grow up since childhood.
Their concern had long since transcended mere duty.
The hand on the wall clock quietly ticked forward another notch.
Renee took a deep breath, appearing to have made a decision. "We'll wait fifteen more minutes. If Her Highness hasn't returned by then..."
She paused, her voice carrying a rare gravity. "We must immediately report this matter to Her Highness Vivian."
Vivian Kahn, the Eldest Princess of the kingdom and Lilith's half-sister, was also one of the leading contenders for the position of Second-year Representative.
She was extremely strict with both herself and others. If she found out her younger sister had suddenly vanished...
The three maids shuddered simultaneously.
The consequences were enough to make one's skin crawl just thinking about it.
Just as the oppressive silence was about to reach its breaking point—
Click.
The sound of the lock turning was faint but distinct.
The three maids instantly sprang from their positions, their gazes snapping toward the entrance hall.
The door pushed open, and a figure walked in.
Her dark brown hair was a bit messy, and her ordinary academy uniform was stained with a suspicious mixture of water and dust.
"Your Highness!" the three cried in unison, rushing over together.
Renee looked her up and down. "Are you injured? Do you feel unwell anywhere?"
Rena hurried to pour hot water. "Your Highness, you scared us to death! Where on earth did you go!"
Lilith, surrounded by them, waved her hands somewhat helplessly. "Alright, alright, I'm fine."
She reached behind her ear and gently peeled away the magic disguise item.
In an instant, it was as if a gray filter had been removed.
The dark brown hair vanished, replaced by a head of brilliant red hair that glowed like a burning flame, cascading over her shoulders with a warm luster under the lights.
The contours of her face became clear and defined—a perky nose, lips as soft as cherry blossoms, a beautifully lined chin, and those most striking eyes, like the purest rubies.
Seeing that she indeed had no obvious injuries and that her mana fluctuations were stable, the three maids breathed a slight sigh of relief, though their confusion and worry did not diminish in the slightest.
"Your Highness."
Renee took half a step back and gave a bow, her tone stern and brook no argument. "Please tell us, where exactly were you from four o'clock this afternoon until ten o'clock tonight? What were you doing?"
Lilith blinked, her ruby eyes darting around. She handed her mud-stained coat to Layla while saying in a feigned casual tone:
"Why are you all so worried? I just... went to a friend's place for a bit."
The living room fell silent for a moment.
Renee looked at her expressionlessly and spoke slowly, "Your Highness is lying."
Layla nodded with equal certainty, her tone calm and flat. "Yes, without a doubt, Her Highness is indeed lying."
Rena tilted her head, her pretty face full of confusion. "Why would Your Highness tell a lie that we can see through so easily?"
"..."
"W-what do you mean by that!" Lilith's face instantly flushed red, the color reaching even the tips of her ears. Her body trembled slightly, whether from anger or embarrassment. "Even I... can have a friend or two!"
Because they had grown up together, their private relationship had long since surpassed that of master and servant, becoming more like sisters who shared everything.
Precisely because of this, they understood Lilith perhaps more deeply than she understood herself.
Her little tells when lying—like how her eyes would unconsciously drift toward the upper right, or how her fingers would aimlessly twirl a lock of hair.
To them, these signs were as obvious as a lighthouse in the dark.
Renee stepped forward and bowed slightly, her tone respectful but her question sharp. "May I ask, Your Highness, is this 'friend' you speak of the kind that we can actually see and touch?"
Lilith nearly jumped like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "How old do you think I am! I graduated from imaginary friends a long time ago!"
Her red hair swayed slightly with her agitation.
Rena: "It seems you've graduated to solid rubber friends then. But please remember to do those things in moderation."
Lilith: "Why did it turn into that!? He's really just a genuine, ordinary human friend!"
"If that's the case..."
Layla adjusted her glasses, a sharp glint reflecting off the lenses.
"Then could you please tell us this 'friend's' name? After all, since they could make Your Highness so 'reluctant to leave' that you even missed dinner, we would very much like to meet them."
"No!" Lilith refused almost without hesitation.
The name Greg Sass carried a meaning that was far too special.
Moreover, she didn't even know if their relationship counted as being friends yet. The only thing she was certain of was that she truly didn't hate the man as much as she used to.
"Oh?"
Rena caught the fleeting, complex look on her face and immediately acted as if she had discovered a new continent. She leaned in close, her beautiful almond eyes sparkling with the light of gossip.
"This reaction... the blushing face, the firm tone, and refusing to give a name... how very in-ter-est-ing—"
"The Placement Exam is tomorrow!"
Lilith suddenly raised her voice, cutting off Rena's drawn-out tone and successfully changing the subject.
"I-I'm going back to my room to rest! Resting is very important!"
With that, she ran into her bedroom like a startled rabbit without looking back. A loud "thud" followed as she slammed the door, and the clear sound of the lock clicking echoed through the hall.
"Your Highness! You haven't eaten dinner yet! You'll ruin your health!" Renee quickly called out to the closed door.
"I've already eaten!" Lilith's muffled voice drifted out from the locked room.
Outside, the three maids looked at each other, their faces filled with disbelief.
Her Highness... has already eaten?
They knew very well that Lilith had no habit of carrying money when she went out, and she absolutely did not know how to cook. In the palace, she never lifted a finger, and in the academy dorms, they took care of her.
So, it seemed only one answer remained...
Her Highness had actually made a friend and even had a meal at their place!
...
Inside the room.
After changing her clothes, Lilith collapsed backward onto her soft, large bed.
The expensive silk sheets instantly enveloped her, but she didn't notice. She just stared blankly with her ruby eyes at the ceiling decorated with starry magic patterns.
Moonlight spilled through the exquisite bay window, casting a silver glow on the carpet.
She rolled onto her side. A pair of fair, jade-like legs with elegant lines stretched out from under her skirt, her delicate ankles exposed, her ten toes as round and cute as pearls.
She unconsciously swung her lower legs, her white feet moving gently in the moonlight as if she were pondering a difficult problem.
"A friend..."
She whispered softly, the word rolling over her lips with a strange and novel sensation.
Greg Sass... was completely different from the person she thought she knew.
Even though she had explicitly told him to his face that she would repay him for saving her life.
And what about him?
He just scratched his half-dry blonde hair and said with a mix of helplessness and amusement, "Repay me? Don't go to all that trouble. You... well, you just keep supporting Princess Lilith like this."
Support Princess Lilith?
At that moment, disguised as "Lily Carlo," she had nearly lost her composure.
Did that guy have any idea who he was talking to?
And why would he sacrifice a favor for himself just to have Lily Carlo support Princess Lilith?
There was absolutely no benefit in it for him, was there?
What an idiot.
A complete and utter idiot.
Does he even understand what a favor from me means?
To just give it up so willingly.
Pushing that matter to the back of her mind for a moment, Lilith thought about the time she spent with him.
Although he constantly annoyed her, she felt an unprecedented sense of ease during the process.
She didn't need to maintain her princessly poise, didn't need to weigh the gravity of every word, and didn't need to consider the royal family's reputation.
She could get angry, she could yell at him, and she could express her dissatisfaction without reservation.
Just... like a normal person.
And then there was the food he made.
How could something so crude, something that shouldn't even exist on a princess's menu, taste so good?
The skin was crispy, the inside was juicy, and the layers of spices... it left a better aftertaste than the steaks meticulously prepared by the royal chefs.
"Next time, I'll definitely make him cook more."
She muttered under her breath, her tongue seemingly relishing that wonderful flavor again.
Even though that guy waved her off at the end, saying things like "the dungeon is dangerous, little girls shouldn't keep running here," she, Lilith Kahn, could go wherever she pleased!
Why should she listen to him? She would go whenever she wanted! Not only would she eat roast meat, but she would also make him hand over those strange spices!
At the thought, the corners of her mouth curled up unconsciously. A hint of cunning and expectant laughter rippled through her ruby eyes, and the swaying of her feet became a bit more lighthearted.
But this small excitement, like a ripple from a stone thrown into a lake, soon dissipated.
Cold reality surfaced in her mind.
The one who had sat by the fire, bickered, and eaten roast meat in the cave with him was "Lily Carlo," the ordinary daughter of a wealthy merchant.
And the one Greg Sass saw, talked to, and saved was also "Lily Carlo."
If he knew...
If he knew that the girl sitting across from him, gnawing on meat skewers with no regard for her image, was the Second Princess of the kingdom, Lilith Kahn—the younger sister of the person he had almost been engaged to.
Would he still look at her with that casual gaze?
Would he still shamelessly argue with her and make her angry?
Would he still casually hand over a skewer of sizzling meat and say, "Try it"?
Probably not.
Just like the students and teachers at the academy who knew her identity.
Their eyes would be filled with awe, distance, flattery, or cautious scrutiny.
Their speech would become calculated, and their behavior would become stiff and polite.
Everything would be covered by a thin film called "status" and become utterly boring.
Somewhere in her heart, there was a strange tug, followed by a faint trace of sadness.
"Hmph!"
She suddenly shook her head forcefully, her red hair spreading across the pillow.
"It's not like I actually want to be his friend anyway! I just... I just think the food he makes is delicious! Yes, that's it! Everything else... is irrelevant!"
As if to convince herself, she sat up abruptly on the bed, turning her gaze away from the bright moon outside the window.
Her jewel-like eyes became firm again, even igniting a small, defiant flame.
She raised a clenched fist and shook it at the air.
"And! He actually dared to say I would lose to Victoria because of a feint? That's preposterous! I am Lilith Kahn!"
Tomorrow, the Placement Exam.
I'll see exactly what happens!
...
The first floor of the dungeon, Greg's simple camp.
Fresh wood had been added to the campfire, and it burned brightly, warming the hollow cave.
The noisy Lily Carlo had already left, taking most of the clamor with her, leaving only the never-ending sound of the dark river and the occasional roar of a beast in the distant tunnels.
Greg finished his last skewer of meat and threw the wooden stick into the fire. He looked around his home, which was almost empty except for the fire and the rock walls, and sighed softly.
He would definitely have to find a way to add some more things later; otherwise, he was truly afraid he would eventually regress into a wild man.
He shook his head, pushing those thoughts aside for now.
There was something more urgent that needed to be confirmed.
Clearing his throat, he spoke to the flickering firelight and the empty cave in a calm but clear tone:
"Hey, Goddess of Night."
He paused, his amber eyes appearing exceptionally deep in the firelight.
"You're still here, aren't you?"
There was no response.
Only the crackle of the flames and the gurgling of the water.
Greg wasn't in a hurry. He simply waited in silence, his gaze scanning every shadowed corner of the cave.
A few seconds later.
"Meow~"
A soft, somewhat lazy meow drifted from the largest shadow behind the fire.
The shadow rippled like water, and a cat, entirely black except for its glowing emerald eyes, stepped gracefully out from the darkness.
Rate on N.U.
