Chapter 96 - 23: How Could You Have the Heart to Hurt Her?

Chapter 96: Chapter 23: How Could You Have the Heart to Hurt Her?

Lilia slipped into character in an instant.

In response to the young man’s tentative question, she first lowered her gaze, then summoned her courage to ask, "Chris..."

The girl’s voice held a slight tremor, and her long, curled lashes trembled faintly. "Where is Chris now?"

Hearing the girl’s broken voice, the young man felt as if his own heart was about to break along with it.

He didn’t quite dare to meet her gaze, much less look at her face, which still held a faint glimmer of hope.

"Um... Princess Lilia..."

For a moment, the young man didn’t know how to answer.

He tried to evade the question, but she wouldn’t let him. The determination in her dark eyes was unsettling.

There was no way out. He could only grit his teeth and say, "Prince Chris... he... he’s in his chambers."

The girl’s already exhausted face instantly withered, like a butterfly that quietly perishes after the spring has passed.

She fell silent for a moment, then asked, as if unwilling to accept it, "Has he... been in his chambers this whole time?"

The young man replied, "...The whole time."

"He didn’t come out last night either?"

"...He did not."

At that moment.

As his words fell, gazing at that delicate face, now completely devoid of hope and smiles, the young man even began to feel a sense of resentment toward Chris.

’His Highness has really gone too far this time.’

’How could he let Princess Lilia wait here for so long... And how could he bear to see her with such a sorrowful expression?’

"Princess Lilia!"

The young man tried to smooth things over. "Prince Chris... he... he was probably held up by something, that’s why he didn’t..."

"Even if he was held up, why couldn’t he send someone to tell me?"

The girl’s voice was filled with utter dejection.

She gave a self-deprecating laugh. "He must have forgotten completely, or he’s just deliberately toying with me."

"N-No, that’s not...!"

The young man wanted to explain, but the girl wouldn’t listen anymore.

She paid him no more mind. Her slender body swayed from a sleepless night, yet her steps were more firm and resolute than ever before.

The young man could only watch as Lilia set off on the path back, a mix of complicated feelings swirling in his heart.

「At the same time.」

Chris sat at the dining table, staring at the sumptuous breakfast before him, but he couldn’t muster any interest.

Ever since hearing that message from who-knows-where last night, a strange sense of unease had settled in his heart.

Reason told him that he had given Lilia that note purely to mess with her, and her running off to meet him in the middle of the night was exactly what he’d wanted. Not only did he have no reason to feel guilty, but he should even mock her mercilessly when he saw her today.

’As for her not coming back all night... how is that possible?’

’Even the stupidest person would have realized they’d been tricked when I didn’t show up, right? How could she possibly keep waiting there?’

’But...’

’What if?’

’What if there really is someone that stupid in this world...’

’What if she really did wait for him all night in that remote little garden?’

At this thought, Chris’s brow furrowed, and he ground his back teeth.

"Where’s Andre?"

Chris suddenly spoke, glaring viciously at the maid beside him. "Why isn’t Andre back yet?!"

"I-I..."

The maid dropped to her knees with a THUD. "My apologies, Your Highness, I don’t know either... Shall I go outside and check for you?"

Chris let out a "tsk" and waited with even greater agitation.

The maid remained kneeling on the floor with her head bowed, not daring to rise without his command.

About fifteen minutes later, the grand doors to the dining room were pushed open from the outside, and a male servant in a shirt and vest strode in.

"Andre!"

Chris asked, "Well? Did you see Lilia there?"

Before the servant named Andre could answer, Chris started laughing to himself. "She couldn’t have been there, right? Who would be that stupid, waiting all night in the same spot when they know I’m not coming?"

However, his question, which was more of a plea for confirmation, did not receive the response he was hoping for.

Andre stood silently beside the dining table, his lowered face etched with sorrow and a subtle hint of accusation.

"Prince Chris."

Andre reported, suppressing his emotions, "When I arrived, Princess Lilia was right there."

Chris’s pupils shrank.

"She really did wait in the garden all night. She didn’t sleep at all, believing the entire time that you would go find her."

Andre’s voice was filled with pity as he spoke. "The very first question she asked after seeing me was about your whereabouts."

Chris’s pupils trembled. "No... That’s impossible..."

"Prince Chris."

For the first time, Andre, his servant, interrupted him.

"I don’t know if you’ve ever heard this," Andre said, his tone laced with disappointment. "The only people you can fool are the ones who trust you."

"Princess Lilia trusted you so much... How could you bear to hurt her?"

Lilia trusted him so much...

How could he bear to hurt her?

The question echoed repeatedly in Chris’s mind. With every echo, his heart gave a thud so powerful that his chest ached from the impact.

In the end, Chris didn’t eat his breakfast. Instead, he rushed to the training grounds as fast as he could, desperate to see Lilia.

He didn’t know if he wanted to confirm her story or... apologize.

But at this very moment,

he just had to see her.

Under the sun, on the training grounds, several figures were already standing there.

Chris came to a halt, gasping for breath. His gaze swept over Victor in the front, Veronica further away, and Leo, who was standing next to Veronica and giving him a strange look.

"Hey."

Leo frowned. "What are you in such a rush for? Class doesn’t start for another twenty minutes."

It was true that Victor was strict about punctuality, but Chris had never cared about any of that—not about high scores, not about being punished by the instructor for being late.

’The way this guy’s acting today... Don’t tell me he’s starting to try hard too?’

Leo felt a sudden wave of pressure—

’He couldn’t beat Veronica, and he was even further behind Lilia. The only person he could feel a little superior to was the good-for-nothing Chris. If Chris started trying to catch up...’

Leo couldn’t guarantee he could hold on to his second-to-last-place ranking.

Chris completely ignored him.

He looked at Victor, his expression and tone filled with an unprecedented urgency. "Lilia... Hasn’t Lilia arrived yet?"

As soon as he said it, Veronica and Leo also sensed that something was wrong.

"Yeah, how come Lilia isn’t here yet?" Leo asked, puzzled. "I remember she’s always early..."

Veronica frowned. "Was she held up by something?"

’Seriously...’

’I should have gone with her to class today.’

The three of them looked at Victor at the same time.

Victor’s expression was as calm as usual. "She isn’t feeling well and needs to rest, so she took the day off."