As the night deepened, in the princess's exclusive dormitory area at Glory Cael Magic Academy...
Warm yellow magic lamps brightly illuminated the exquisite little living room, yet they could not dispel the cloud of gloom hanging over the faces of the three maids.
Renee, whose chin-length hair framed a face as perpetually stern as steel, looked up at the gilt wall clock for the thirteenth time.
Layla, wearing glasses and exuding an intellectual aura, wiped the already spotless coffee table for the fifth time.
Rena, usually the liveliest with her high ponytail, sat quietly on the sofa clutching a cushion, her delicate brows knitted tightly together.
“It's 9:47 PM,” Renee said, her voice like a taut string. “Her Highness has never stayed out past this hour without informing us.”
“Normally, even if she sneaks out to test magic, she returns by 8:30 at the latest.” Layla pushed up her glasses, deep concern shining behind the lenses.
“Could something have gone wrong?” Rena hugged her cushion tighter, her voice trembling slightly.
The three fell silent.
The Second Princess's wild personality, frighteningly fierce curiosity, and near-blind confidence in her own strength had always been their biggest headache.
They were maids, guardians, and older sisters who had watched her grow up.
Their worry went far beyond mere duty.
The hands of the clock on the wall silently ticked another minute past.
Renee took a deep breath, seemingly making up her mind. “We'll wait fifteen more minutes. If Her Highness still hasn't returned...”
She paused, her voice unusually heavy. “...We must report this to Her Highness Vivian immediately.”
Vivian Kahn, the Eldest Princess of the kingdom, Lilith's half-sister, and a strong contender for the title of Second-year Representative.
She was extraordinarily strict with both others and herself. If she were to find out that her younger sister had suddenly gone missing...
All three maids shuddered in unison.
Just thinking about the consequences was enough to make their scalps tingle with dread.
Just as the suffocating silence reached its peak—
Click.
The sound of the door lock turning was faint yet distinct.
All three maids shot up from their positions instantly, their eyes snapping toward the entryway.
The door was pushed open, and a figure walked in.
Her dark brown hair was somewhat messy, and her ordinary academy uniform was stained with a suspicious mixture of dirt and water spots.
“Your Highness!” all three called out together, rushing forward at once.
Renee scanned her up and down. “Are you hurt? Is anything wrong?”
Rena hurriedly went to pour hot water. “Your Highness, you scared us to death! Where in the world did you go?”
Surrounded by them, Lilith waved her hands helplessly. “Alright, alright, I'm fine.”
Reaching behind her ears, she gently peeled off her magical disguise item.
In an instant, it was as if a dull grey filter had been lifted.
The dark brown hair vanished, replaced by vibrant, eye-catching crimson locks that burned like fire, cascading down her shoulders and flowing with a warm sheen under the light.
The contours of her face gradually grew sharp and clear—a neat, delicate nose, soft cherry-blossom lips, an elegantly curved chin, and most striking of all, a pair of eyes like the purest rubies.
Seeing that she indeed had no visible injuries and that her mana fluctuations were stable, the three maids finally breathed a sigh of relief, though their confusion and worry remained undiminished.
“Your Highness.”
Renee stepped back half a pace and bowed, her tone undeniably serious. “Please tell us: where did you go between four in the afternoon and ten at night? What were you doing?”
Lilith blinked, her ruby-like eyes darting around. She handed her mud-stained jacket to Layla while adopting a feigned casual tone:
“Why are you all so worried? I just... went to hang out at a friend's place for a bit, that's all.”
As her words fell, silence descended upon the living room.
Renee looked at her expressionlessly and spoke slowly: “Your Highness is lying.”
Layla nodded with equal certainty, her tone calm and steady. “Mhm. Without a doubt, Her Highness is indeed lying.”
Rena tilted her head, her pretty face full of confusion. “Why would Her Highness tell a lie that we could see right through in a second?”
“...”
“W-What do you mean by that!” Lilith's face instantly flushed crimson, even the tips of her ears turning red. Her body trembled slightly, whether from anger or embarrassment. “Even I... can have a friend or two, you know!”
Having grown up together, their private relationship had long surpassed that of master and servant, resembling sisters who shared everything.
Precisely because of this, their understanding of Lilith was perhaps deeper than her own.
Her little nervous habits when lying—like right now, her eyes unconsciously drifting toward the upper right, and her fingers aimlessly twirling the ends of her hair.
To them, these tells were as blazingly obvious as a lighthouse in the dark.
Renee took a step forward and bowed slightly, her voice respectful yet sharp. “May I ask, Your Highness, does this 'friend' of yours refer to the kind we can see and touch?”
Lilith reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, nearly jumping into the air. “How old do you think I am?! I graduated from imaginary friends ages ago!”
Her crimson hair swayed as she gestured wildly.
Rena: “Looks like it's evolved into a solid rubber friend, then. But please remember to keep those activities in moderation.”
Lilith: “Why did it jump to that?! It really is just a genuine, real-life human friend!”
“In that case...”
Layla adjusted her glasses, light glinting off the lenses.
“Could you please tell us the name of this 'friend'? After all, for someone to keep Her Highness so enthralled that you even missed dinner, we'd love to meet them.”
“No way!” Lilith rejected the idea almost instinctively.
Because the name Greg Sass carried too much baggage.
Besides, she didn't even know if their relationship counted as friends. The only thing she was certain of was that she didn't hate him as much as she used to.
“Oh?”
Catching the fleeting, complex look on Lilith's face, Rena acted as though she had discovered a new continent. She leaned in, her pretty eyes sparkling with gossip.
“This reaction... Such a red face, such a firm tone, and refusing to tell us the name... How in-ter-est-ing—”
“The Placement Exam is tomorrow!”
Lilith abruptly raised her voice, cutting off Rena's drawn-out teasing and successfully changing the subject.
“I-I'm going back to my room to rest! Conserving energy is very important!”
With that, like a startled rabbit, she bolted into her bedroom without looking back, slamming the door shut with a loud bang, followed by the distinct click of the lock.
“Your Highness! You haven't had dinner yet, have you? You'll starve yourself!” Renee hurriedly called out toward the closed door.
“I already ate!” Lilith's muffled voice called out from behind the door.
Outside, the three maids exchanged glances, disbelief written all over their faces.
Her Highness... already ate?
They knew full well that Lilith never had a habit of carrying money when going out, and she certainly didn't know how to cook—she had never lifted a finger in the palace kitchen, and here in the academy dormitory, they took care of everything.
Thus, only one answer remained...
Her Highness had actually made a friend and even eaten a meal at their place!
...
Inside the bedroom.
After changing out of her dirty clothes, Lilith collapsed backward onto her soft, massive bed.
The expensive silk sheets instantly enfolded her, but she barely noticed. She simply stared up at the ceiling decorated with starry sky magic patterns, her ruby eyes wide and dazed.
Moonlight spilled in through the exquisite bay window, casting a pool of soft light on the carpet.
She rolled over onto her side. Her jade-white, beautifully shaped legs poked out from under her skirt, exposing delicate ankles and ten pearl-like toes that looked impossibly cute.
She unconsciously swung her calves, her fair feet gently swaying under the moonlight as if contemplating a difficult problem.
“A friend...”
She murmured softly. The word rolled off her tongue with a strange yet novel feeling.
Greg Sass... was completely different from the person in her memories.
Even though she had explicitly promised to repay him for saving her life...
What had he done?
He had merely scratched his half-dry blond hair and said, with an expression that was half-helpless and half-amused: “Repayment? Don't bother with all that. You... well, as long as you keep supporting Princess Lilith like this, that's enough.”
Support Princess Lilith?
Disguised as “Lily Carlo” at the time, she had almost failed to keep a straight face.
Did that guy have any idea who he was talking to?
And why would he waste a favor from someone just to get Lily Carlo to support Princess Lilith?
It didn't benefit him in the slightest!
What an idiot.
A complete and utter idiot.
Does he even understand what a favor from me is worth?
To just throw it away so willingly...
Putting that matter to the back of her mind, Lilith thought about the time she spent with him.
Although he always managed to annoy her, she had felt an unprecedented sense of ease during it all.
There was no need to maintain proper princess decorum, no need to weigh every single word, and no need to care about royal dignity.
She could get mad, yell at him, and express her dissatisfaction without holding back.
Just like... an ordinary person.
And then there was the food he made.
How could something so crude—something that should never even be mentioned near a princess's menu—taste so good?
The crispy outer skin, the tender and juicy interior, the layered richness of spices... It lingered in her mind even more than the delicate steaks prepared by royal chefs.
“Next time, I'm definitely going to make him cook more.”
She muttered softly, as if tasting that wonderful flavor on her tongue all over again.
Even though he had waved his hand at the end, telling her that "the dungeon is dangerous, a little girl shouldn't keep coming here," Lilith Kahn went wherever she pleased!
Why should she listen to him? She was definitely going! Not only would she eat his roasted meat, but she'd also force him to hand over those strange spices!
At the thought, the corners of her mouth unconsciously curled upward. A hint of slyness and anticipation flickered in her ruby eyes, and her fair feet swung a little livelier.
But this tiny flutter of excitement was like ripples caused by a stone thrown into a lake—it dissipated all too quickly.
Cold reality surfaced in her mind.
The person sitting in the cave by the fire, bickering and eating skewers with him, was “Lily Carlo”—an ordinary daughter of a wealthy merchant.
And the one Greg Sass saw, talked to, and saved was also “Lily Carlo.”
If he found out...
If he found out that the girl sitting across from him, recklessly devouring meat skewers, was actually Lilith Kahn, Second Princess of the kingdom and the younger sister of his former potential political match...
Would he still look at her with those casual eyes?
Would he still talk back to her without hesitation and push her buttons?
Would he still hand her a sizzling, juicy skewer and casually say, “Want a taste?”
Probably not.
Just like the students and teachers at the academy who knew who she was.
Their eyes would be filled with awe, distance, flattery, or cautious scrutiny.
They would weigh every word and act with rigid politeness.
Everything would be covered by a thin veil called "status," turning utterly boring.
Somewhere deep inside, her heart twinged inexplicably, a faint ache rising within her.
“Hmph!”
She suddenly shook her head vigorously, her crimson hair fanning out across the pillow.
“It's not like I actually want to be friends with him anyway! It's just... I just think his cooking tastes good! Yeah, that's all it is! Anything else... doesn't matter!”
As if trying to convince herself, she sat up abruptly and snapped her gaze away from the bright moon outside.
Her ruby eyes regained their conviction, a tiny, unyielding flame igniting within them.
Raising a clenched fist, she jabbed it at the air.
“And besides! How dare he claim I'd lose to Victoria just because of a feint? That's completely absurd! I am Lilith Kahn!”
Tomorrow: the Placement Exam.
I'll see about that!
...
Dungeon First Layer, Greg's crude camp.
Fresh wood had been added to the campfire, making it burn brightly and casting a cozy warmth across the spacious cavern.
The noisy Lily Carlo had left, taking most of the racket with her. All that remained was the ceaseless rushing of the underground river and the occasional distant roar of beasts echoing through the tunnels.
Finishing the last skewer, Greg tossed the wooden stick into the fire. He looked around his "home"—which consisted of almost nothing except the campfire and rock walls—and sighed softly.
Eventually, I really will have to find a way to furnish this place a bit, or I'm genuinely afraid I'll turn into a caveman sooner or later.
Shaking his head, he pushed those thoughts aside for now.
Because there was something far more important he needed to confirm right now.
Clearing his throat, he addressed the flickering fire and the empty cave in a calm yet clear voice:
“Hey, Goddess of Night.”
He paused, his amber eyes reflecting the firelight and appearing exceptionally deep.
“You're still here, right?”
No response.
Only the crackling of the fire and the gentle murmur of water.
Greg wasn't in a hurry. He waited patiently, his gaze scanning every shadowed corner of the cave.
A few seconds later.
“Meow~”
A soft, slightly lazy meow echoed from the largest shadow behind the campfire.
The shadow rippled like water, and a cat—completely pitch-black except for its eyes that shimmered with an eerie green light—stepped elegantly out from the darkness.
Rate on N.U.
