Chapter 007
The moment to slip toward the border checkpoint was fast approaching.
In this region, Lillian—armed with the ‘knowledge of the original story’ and a month of preparation—held the advantage over the villain’s group, who were passing through for the first time.
‘Since I taught them the processing method for control stones too…’
At the very least, that man won’t split the Empire in half due to a power rampage—as happened in the original novel.
‘Please, just don’t let the wake of your destruction reach the Kingdom of Tenbrine.’
However, the state of her own body was beginning to worry her.
‘I feel feverish; I can’t even taste my food anymore.’
She had poured a massive amount of the expensive pepper she’d stolen from the main house into the soup, yet she felt no spicy kick at all.
‘The villain’s companions are more polite than I expected, but…’
If she asked them for an antipyretic, it would cause unnecessary concern and make her stealthy exit even more exhausting.
‘How stupid of me to forget to pack fever medicine.’
Lillian pushed herself up from the corner of the tent where she’d been curled. She remembered a spot she’d noticed while drinking her soup earlier. A field where the snow lay scattered in patches.
She recalled a flower she’d seen blooming at the base of a tree there. It looked like a dandelion, but from its petals to its roots, it possessed a potent fever-reducing effect.
‘Found it.’
Hehe.
She made absolutely sure it wasn’t a poisonous lookalike. Lillian washed it with melted snow and began to chew the roots vigorously. But as the petals touched her lips, she tilted her head in confusion.
‘Strange. Usually, the effect is instantaneous.’
In her childhood, after her parents passed away because of her—
“They wanted to take a bug like you to the Temple…! My heir died because of a bug!”
By her grandfather’s order, the entire family had abandoned Lillian. It was a period where even basic survival was a struggle. Back then, whenever she caught a fever, she would stuff her mouth with any medicinal herb she recognized from books. That harsh treatment only ended when she became engaged to Karkin.
A sudden thought occurred to Lillian.
Was her ten-year love for her fiancé… merely a feeling born from the decent treatment she received because of Karkin Pavil?
‘Perhaps I just clung to him out of a survival instinct…’
Out of fear of returning to those days as an outcast.
So, had she ever truly known ‘love’? Even once?
‘Even in my past life, I never knew it.’
In her previous life, she had no family at all. She was found in a baby box and grew up alone. She had to accomplish everything by herself. She had to be strong on her own.
But Lillian preferred her past-life self. Despite the loneliness, she never groveled weakly before others. She intended to live with that strength again, even if she were alone…
“Lillian Tillard!”
My goodness, you scared me.
Lillian jumped in shock. The yellow flower was still stuck between her lips. The novel’s villain was approaching her with steps that were nearly a run, his facial features completely rigid.
“Ha… you.”
“…Huh?”
“Spit it out, immediately!”
Ptooie. Lillian did as ordered without understanding why. Supernatural users were more likely to rampage if their emotions intensified.
This man needs to stay stable until we reach the destination. Please.
“Your Highness, what’s the matter…? Ah.”
Lillian asked, then looked at herself objectively. Since the flower was in her mouth, her condition probably looked grim to others. Let me correct him; I’m not crazy.
“Your Highness, there’s a reason for all this—”
“You. Open your mouth wider.”
“Pardon? Ha?”
“Hurry!”
Stunned, she couldn’t process what was happening. The villain pulled off his black glove using his teeth. Then he gripped Lillian’s jaw…
Wait, why is this man even touching someone else’s skin? And with his bare hand?
‘Didn’t he avoid that out of fear that his power would cause troublesome issues?’
If he was doing this out of pity because I had dirt on me, then thanks… no, that’s not it. He pressed the thumb of his right hand firmly against the center of her parted lips.
“Wa-wait. Your Highness.”
Lillian suddenly grabbed his hand.
“It seems you… have misunderstood the situation—”
In that moment, the tip of her small tongue brushed against the thumb resting on her lips.
‘What in the world?’
Suddenly, her vision blurred. The villain had misunderstood something completely. She had intended to shout so he wouldn’t lose his temper and rampage.
But the moment her lip touched his hand—
A heat more intense than what she’d felt before chewing the flower surged through her. This wasn’t a fever from simple exhaustion.
‘Because of the First Prince’s touch…?’
But she was fundamentally powerless. Even if she touched a supernatural user, there was no reason for her physical state to change at all…? Lillian felt dizzy.
“Tillard…!”
She heard someone calling her name. But she could no longer endure the heat and fell forward, losing consciousness.
The First Prince caught her and held her, but it was far from comforting. Her entire body had become like a scorching piece of fire. It was an ominous sensation…
In her scattered consciousness, she felt the distance as he carried her into the tent.
“Doctor! Get here now!”
But before the doctor could arrive, stumbling in his haste—Elias, who had been outside, rushed in.
“Your Highness! There is something I must report—”
Lillian caught only a few words.
Down the hill path… suspicious people…
‘At this specific time?’
If it were monsters, it would be understandable; the Empire was full of dangers once outside the boundaries of civilization. But suspicious humans?
The First Prince issued orders to someone.
“Lady Tillard will remain in the tent under observation.”
“By your command, Your Highness!”
Wait…? Are you leaving me like this and going…?
Lillian grit her teeth against the heat and the looming dread. It felt as if her plan was crumbling. But she couldn’t give in to her frustration. No, she couldn’t. She had worked so hard to prepare for this border crossing!
No matter how unlucky she had been since birth! Luck had to be on her side this time!
The doctor approached Lillian and asked, “My lady, wake up. Can you hear me?”
“This…”
“My lady?”
“Dam… m… it…”
You original story villain…!
* * *
At first, Evren’s group thought they were hired assassins. Sent by the Second Empress alone, or the Pavil family, or… in the worst case, the Emperor himself.
“Everyone, cover your faces.”
Evren endured the heat that had risen to his throat. His mind and body were in total disarray because of Lillian Tillard.
Now was the time to focus. When the bushes—showing only shadows under the moonlight—began to rustle. Knights carrying torches appeared below the hill path where they were lying in wait.
A moment later, Elias sent a signal in sign language:
— They are knights of the Tillard family.
Not only were they using the turquoise family crest, but he could recognize some of their faces. He could also hear their chatter.
“…Ah, I’m dying of boredom.”
“I didn’t expect her to run away after drugging our tea—”
“Just catch her. I’ll teach that girl a lesson she’ll never forget.”
A shadow slowly clouded Evren’s eyes. The expressions of his followers were similar. They hated the Tillard family. They had been involved in the death of Evren’s mother, the First Empress, and had continued to pressure them alongside the Second Empress.
But the dialogue taking place among these men was not a conversation that should occur in a normal relationship between a master and subordinates.
The vile conversation continued.
“Hehe! She’s a Lady and we’re knights, how are you going to do that?”
“Ah, don’t you know? Is this your first time guarding Lillian?”
