"Hehe, if I sneak out after curfew this time, I won't be caught again."
A disguised Lilith dodged the patrolling professors as she quietly made her way toward the Academy Dungeon.
Her goal was clear: she was going to tell Greg, the man who had looked down on her, that she had defeated Victoria in the Placement Exam today.
She still didn't know how he had predicted Victoria would be her opponent, or why he thought she would fall for a simple feint.
Anyway, now it was all just a joke—"
..."
But as she thought about it, Lilith couldn't quite bring herself to laugh. If Greg hadn't mentioned those things during their conversation, she might have actually been fooled and lost the match.
"But still!"
Lilith shook her head vigorously, as if trying to toss away that shred of unpleasantness. Her ruby-like eyes lit up with pride once more.
"Regardless, I'm the one who won in the end! The victor is me, Lilith Kahn!"
Exactly, that was the main point.
Since the final victory belonged to her, Greg's so-called prophecy had been debunked.
It was she, through her own judgment and strength, who had broken the script he expected!
That was why she was so eager that she had set out for the dungeon in the middle of the night.
She wanted to see the look of surprise on that annoying guy's face as soon as possible.
Seeing the professor patrolling nearby turn his back to her, Lilith immediately darted out from behind the statue where she was hiding, preparing to dash across the final stretch of open ground in one go.
However, just as she took her first step—
"Aah!"
A figure suddenly lunged out from the shadows ahead, and the two of them collided head-on with a solid thud!
Both let out muffled groans and stumbled backward.
Lilith landed hard on the cold stone pavement, a sharp pain radiating from her backside.
She rubbed her aching forehead and looked up angrily at the reckless person—
In the next moment, she froze.
By the dim glow of a distant streetlight, she saw a face that mirrored her own shock.
His blonde hair was slightly messy from the impact, and his amber eyes looked particularly deep in the darkness. His handsome face was currently filled with the exact same surprise as hers.
Greg Sass.
Why was he here?
While she was still reeling from the surprise, Greg spoke first. "Lily, why are you here at this hour?"
"That's obviously because I wanted to..."
Halfway through, Lilith's voice cut off abruptly.
She suddenly realized that if she followed her train of thought and said, "I wanted to see you," it would sound far too much like a misunderstanding!
She was the kingdom's noble Second Princess, and this was the man she used to despise.
She absolutely could not let this guy have any strange delusions!
But... other than her real purpose, what decent excuse could she find to explain why she was near the entrance of the Academy Dungeon in the middle of the night?
Seeing the girl suddenly fall silent, her eyes darting around and her cheeks seemingly flushing a faint red, Greg's initial suspicion was further confirmed.
This reaction—stuttering and hesitating after being caught with a secret—was one he was all too familiar with.
In his previous life, the overachievers who stayed up all night in the library, did extra sets at the gym, and worked silently while others were having fun usually had this exact expression when accidentally run into by an acquaintance.
However, since she wasn't competing against him, Greg had no intention of exposing or prying into her business.
He even proactively gave her an out, his tone carrying a hint of understanding and reassurance.
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone that you're sneaking into the dungeon for extra training at night."
Who would go to the dungeon for extra training this late!?
Although Lilith complained in her heart, Greg had indeed handed her an excuse, so she went along with it.
"That's right! I'm here for extra training! It's definitely not... not because I came to see you or anything! So, so don't you dare misunderstand!"
"Yes, yes, I know. I understand," Greg replied calmly.
He stood up first and then naturally extended a hand to Lilith, who was still sitting on the ground.
"I wasn't paying attention and ran into you. My apologies."
The hand was held out right in front of Lilith.
His fingers were long and slender, his knuckles well-defined, and his palm looked healthy under the streetlight.
Lilith stared at the hand, stunned.
Except for her father and a few close royal elders, she had almost never had direct physical contact with any male.
Court etiquette taught her to maintain distance, and her status as a princess made her instinctively avoid such contact.
Now, facing Greg's well-intentioned gesture, she felt a sudden surge of panic. Her heart began to race for no reason, and her hand hung in mid-air, unsure whether to reach out or not.
"Hey, you aren't actually angry, are you?"
Seeing her lack of movement, Greg thought she was still upset and prepared to withdraw his hand.
"Who... who's angry!? I'm not angry!"
As if provoked by his words, Lilith practically snatched Greg's hand before he could pull it back.
The moment their fingers met, a warm sensation traveled through her.
Lilith's face instantly turned beet-red.
She could clearly feel the temperature and strength of his palm, as well as the steady support as he pulled her up.
Greg, of course, had no idea that Lilith's blushing and racing heart were caused by the massive impact of the Princess holding an opposite gender's hand for the first time in her life.
In his eyes, Lily Carlo was the daughter of a wealthy merchant; she should be well-accustomed to such common social interactions.
The way her face was flushed now was likely just because the shame and excitement of being caught secretly grinding had caused her blood pressure to spike.
This made Greg couldn't help but complain in his head.
Her blood pressure is through the roof just because I caught her secretly grinding, yet she still claims she isn't angry.
Women really are stubborn.
"Since you're fine, I'll be going now."
After pulling Lilith up, Greg let go of her hand.
He really did have business to attend to and couldn't afford to dally here.
"Ah... yeah..."
Lilith was still a bit dazed and responded instinctively.
It wasn't until she saw Greg actually turn around to leave that she snapped out of it.
Wait!
Why had she come out in the middle of the night?
Wasn't it to tell him the result of the match and enjoy the look on his face when his "prophecy" failed?
How could she let him just walk away!?
"Wait a minute!"
In her haste, she stepped forward and grabbed the sleeve of Greg's coat as he turned.
"Is there something else?" Greg turned back, his amber eyes filled with inquiry.
"It's... it's—!"
Lilith opened her mouth, but found the words stuck in her throat, unable to come out smoothly.
It should be so simple!
Just say, "I defeated Victoria, your prophecy was wrong," and then laugh at him to her heart's content!
Wasn't that the scene she had planned?
But...
Why did it feel like... like she was rushing to report her grades and eagerly waiting for his recognition or praise?
This realization caused Lilith's pride to flare up again.
What a joke! She was the winner! she was here to announce the result and crush his ego!
She wasn't here to beg for a compliment!
Looking at the girl who was clutching his sleeve with a flushed face and shifting eyes, unable to utter a full sentence for a long time, Greg sighed somewhat helplessly.
"Alright, alright, you really don't need to worry."
He softened his tone, as if soothing a child throwing a tantrum. "I promise I won't tell anyone about your secret training in the dungeon. If there's nothing else, I really have to go. I have an emergency."
He waited patiently for another two seconds, but seeing that Lilith only continued to hold his sleeve with her head down in silence, he gently but firmly pulled his sleeve back and turned around again.
This time, he didn't stop.
However, before he had even taken three steps, an urgent shout suddenly came from behind him.
"Her Highness Lilith defeated Victoria with a Flame Burst during the Placement Exam! Her Highness is much stronger than you thought!"
Greg's footsteps halted, and he turned back in surprise, only to find that the girl who had shouted those words had already bolted like a startled rabbit. She ran past him and... without looking back, sprinted toward the girls' dormitory area, which was in the complete opposite direction of the dungeon entrance.
"???"
Greg watched the slender silhouette quickly disappear into the night and the shadows of the buildings, scratching his head in bewilderment.
He shook his head, assuming she was so flustered after he caught her secret that she had even mixed up her directions.
Casting the thought aside, he prepared to continue with his own business.
However, the moment he stepped forward again, the content of Lilith's shout exploded in his mind like a delayed-trigger spell.
"Wait a second!"
Greg skidded to a halt, freezing in place as his pupils constricted slightly.
"She said Lilith... used Flame Burst... to beat Victoria!?"
Rate on N.U.
