Chapter 100 - 27: Don’t Get Too Close to Him

Chapter 100: Chapter 27: Don’t Get Too Close to Him

Outside the garret, the morning light was faint.

The Royal Court in the early morning held a certain languor, as if it had just awoken. A thin mist shrouded the lush greenery, like the hazy, sheer veil on a young maiden’s skirt.

Lilia didn’t return to her chambers right away.

Lifting the hem of her skirt, she followed a secluded path, soon arriving at the lake on the west side of the Royal Court.

She didn’t even have to get close to see a dark silhouette standing in the mist.

He had been standing there for who knows how long, his once-straight back now looking somewhat stooped. He wasn’t pacing anxiously like someone waiting for a friend to arrive; instead, he stood quietly by the lake, silently gazing into the distance.

He looked like a man stranded on a deserted island, waiting for a ship that would never come ashore.

In the absolute silence, even the faintest footstep was incredibly distinct.

Hearing the sound behind him, the boy waiting by the lake stiffened and turned his head in disbelief.

He had already been disappointed countless times.

Whenever he thought someone was coming and turned with a hopeful look, eager to greet her, his eyes were met with nothing but darkness.

There was nothing but the grass beneath his feet, the distant woods, and the sound of the whistling wind.

Each time, his heart would sink little by little.

’She didn’t come.’

’She didn’t come. But isn’t that to be expected?’

’Yesterday, he’d tricked her, making her wait all night in an empty grove.’

’So today, she was treating him the same way. He had no right to complain.’

Chris truly had no complaints. He only felt regret.

He regretted not having seen Lilia since the night before last, regretted not being able to apologize to her in person.

But...

Chris chuckled softly.

’He probably wouldn’t get that chance now, would he?’

He looked up at the mist-shrouded lake, and his mind began to race.

’He’d known since he was very young that his parents’ favorite was his older brother. He wasn’t even a substitute for his brother; he was just an accident, neither pleasant nor beautiful.’

’After realizing this, he began trying all sorts of ways to get his mother’s attention.’

’Acting obedient, playing the fool, being moody... but even then, he only ever managed to capture his parents’ fleeting attention. They only ever gave him tangible affection, like endless exquisite food or countless rare trinkets.’

’Including Veronica and Leo... they didn’t like him either.’

’Chris grew up without any playmates, let alone anyone who would trust him with their whole heart.’

So, when Andre had told him that Lilia waited for him all night in the little garden because of a single note—when he’d pointed out that only someone who trusted him completely would fall for his tricks... that’s why Chris had panicked.

’That’s right.’

’Before her, no one had ever been deceived by his clumsy lies. Not his father, not his mother, not Adrian, and not Veronica or Leo.’

’But Lilia did.’

’Lilia had really waited for him in the little garden all night, waiting for him to show up.’

’But...’

’Because of his nasty little impulse, he had driven away the only person who was willing to be fooled by him... ’

At this thought, hearing the faint footsteps behind him, Chris turned around instinctively, though his heart was already devoid of hope.

He thought it was the sound of wind rustling the treetops, or maybe a maid or guard passing by. He even thought it might be Andre, whom he had strictly ordered to stay in his chambers, chasing after him to say he would be late for his lessons if he didn’t return...

But the one person he never expected to see behind him was Lilia.

Chris froze, unsure for a moment how to react.

Lilia said nothing either, simply watching him in silence.

After a long moment.

As if finally confirming that his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him, and that this wasn’t a hallucination born from his own anguish, Chris closed the distance in two strides and stood before Lilia, his glistening eyes fixed on her.

He had stood in the mist for so long that his freshly changed clothes and soft hair were damp with moisture. Combined with his slightly downcast eyes, brimming with unshed tears, he looked like a puppy callously abandoned in a rainstorm that had just managed to find its way back to its owner.

"Lilia, it’s really you! No... I mean..."

He was rambling.

He was so glad she had come, and also...

Chris lowered his gaze. "I’m sorry..."

"Hm?" Lilia tilted her head.

"I’m sorry, Lilia." Chris wrung his hands. "I shouldn’t have pranked you, I shouldn’t have tricked you into meeting me in the little garden, and I shouldn’t have given you cookies covered in salt..."

"I... I just..."

The rims of the boy’s eyes were red, and he looked especially pitiful. "I just wanted to play with you."

"Did you want to play *with* me, or just see me as an interesting toy?"

Lilia finally spoke.

Chris’s head snapped up.

The girl before him wore a brilliant smile, like a beautiful Demon from legend that preys on humans. "What’s wrong? Did I hit a nerve?"

"No! I..."

Chris wanted to explain, but...

In the end, he just lowered his head and said, "I’m sorry."

"I don’t like being treated like a toy," Lilia said, looking at him. "If that’s why you approached me, then I’m sorry, but please stay away from me from now on."

The girl’s words were polite, but it was that very politeness that completely shattered the last glimmer of hope in Chris’s heart.

His lips parted and closed. He wanted to defend himself, but found he couldn’t say a word.

’How could he explain?’

’Tell her it wasn’t like that? That she had misunderstood?’

’No...’

’He didn’t want to lie to her again.’

Chris’s fists clenched. He was about to say "I’m sorry" one last time and then disappear from her sight, but then he heard the girl’s clear, sweet voice once more.

"But."

Lilia smiled. "If you don’t think that way anymore..."

She held her hand out to Chris. "Want to get something to eat, then head to our lessons?"

Chris’s eyes widened.

He stared at the girl’s hand in his line of sight—so fair and delicate. It radiated an incredible warmth, yet it was so hot it felt as if it might burn him.

In that moment.

A torrent of emotion threatened to wash away his reason.

He couldn’t even tell if it was surprise or joy.

In any case, before he could process it, he had already tightly grasped her hand.

"Yeah!"

Chris nodded vigorously, as if afraid Lilia would change her mind. "Let’s go!"

"Eat, and then go to our lessons!"

...

"These past few days, your relationship with Chris seems to have grown much closer."

In the garret, Victor spoke without looking up from his book.

In the past, he would never have allowed himself to be distracted from his research to chat with someone, especially about such a frivolous topic.

But the longer he spent with Lilia, the more he found it difficult to suppress his true feelings.

He had never imagined that the "Observer" mask he thought had long since been sewn to his face would be so fragile in Lilia’s presence.

It was as if she had already made her way into his heart.

’This mindset is dangerous. Very dangerous.’

’Especially for someone who has vowed to dedicate his entire life to his research.’

’But...’

"His personality isn’t as simple as it seems on the surface."

Victor couldn’t help but warn her, "It would be best for you not to get too close to him."