Chapter 27
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Lilia got up from the bed and realized that the basket Kiki used as a bed was empty.
“Huh?! Where did she go without coming back?”
Kiki had gone out to search for a hole that led beyond the castle gates—and she hadn’t returned even by the next morning.
“Did something happen to her?”
Worried, Lilia slipped on her slippers and was about to head out.
Tap, tap.
Something knocked lightly on the window.
Two tiny front paws were visible.
“Huh? Kiki!”
Lilia hurried over, opened the window, and scooped Kiki into her arms.
“It’s fine to look for the hole, but how could you stay out all night? What if a big beast had bitten you and carried you off…!”
Kiki wouldn’t stay still in her arms. She grabbed at Lilia’s hair and clothes.
“Pip! Pipipip!”
“Hm? What’s wrong?”
“Kyuut!”
The little ferret looked like she had discovered something.
“Don’t tell me you found the passage?”
At Lilia’s question, Kiki pointed outside the window with exaggerated gestures.
“Alright. Let’s go see it now.”
Lilia took Kiki outside. Jumping from her arms, Kiki twitched her whiskers and rolled her black eyes around.
She seemed to gather mana into her body, puffing out her chest and tilting her head as if measuring something.
Then she suddenly dashed in one direction.
“…Huh? Wait for me!”
Pitter-patter.
Tap-tap-tap.
With her long body, Kiki ran swiftly and skillfully.
Suddenly, she stopped and tilted her head.
Lilia, who had run after her and was now catching her breath, asked, “What? Are you confused?”
Kiki began climbing a large tree nearby.
From the top of a tree, it was easier to see where the flow of mana became faster.
Especially through small cracks or holes, mana moved more quickly along with the wind.
Stretching her neck, Kiki looked around carefully.
About three meters ahead, there was a place where the flow of mana sped up.
It was an area tangled with green bushes and vines.
Kiki scurried down the tree and made a big circle in the air with both her arms while looking at Lilia.
“You found it properly this time, right?”
“Kyuk!”
Lilia followed where Kiki led her.
After pushing through thick bushes for quite some time, Kiki stopped in front of long, drooping vines.
“Here?”
As if telling her to hurry, Kiki slipped between the vines first.
It was true.
There was a hole.
But it was so small that Lilia had to crouch down and crawl inside.
On the ground were vines that had been chewed through by some animal.
“My goodness. How did you even find this? You worked hard, Kiki!”
“Kyuk!”
Kiki puffed out her chest proudly at Lilia’s praise.
“Yes, yes. I’ll reward you properly for this.”
After passing the entrance, the passage gradually widened and took the shape of a tunnel.
An adult would struggle, but a child could pass through easily.
Holding Kiki in her arms, Lilia walked all the way through the tunnel.
A gentle breeze seemed to blow from somewhere.
And then—
Before her eyes spread a clear blue sky.
On the other side, beyond the North Gate, she could see that hill, the shade of trees, and even the stream.
It was the escape route Lilia had been hoping for.
“Great! Now I can go outside more freely!”
Maybe someday in the distant future, she might even be able to help the male lead escape.
There were still three years left before Adrian would be kidnapped by Osdel, but there was no harm in preparing early, right?
With a happy heart, Lilia went under the shade of a tree.
The cookies and madeleines she had left in the basket were all gone.
“Noah, you came by.”
Instead, the basket was filled with fresh wild strawberries and raspberries.
“Wow, a return gift. Then I can’t just sit still either!”
From that day on, Lilia began delivering snacks to Noah through the basket from time to time.
Not just snacks.
She also sent healing ointment, bandages, fairy tale books, writing tools, and even dolls.
Before long, waiting for Lilia’s gift basket became a part of Noah’s daily life.
And when Lilia saw the items in her basket disappear, she felt relieved, thinking that Noah must be safe and doing well.
A warm afternoon.
Marit and Yupi had been called by Head Maid Anna for specialized maid training at the main castle.
Lilia was alone in the annex, training her mana.
She summoned the key and the book, reading over and over the hints about the new key, but she grew impatient.
Maybe she should speak directly to Grandfather.
Perhaps during tea time, she could ease his heart by talking about Grandmother and then bring up the temple?
After wandering around the main castle since morning, she finally got a chance to meet him.
“Grandfather, if you’re not too busy, would you like to have tea with me?”
The Duke stared at Lilia as if he had just heard something absurd.
“You and me?”
“Yes. I wanted to tell you about meeting Grandmother in my dream last time.”
At the word “Grandmother,” the Duke’s eyebrows twitched. He quietly entered the small reception room with the tea room.
“What are you doing? Come in.”
When the Duke sat down on the sofa, Lilia hurried after him.
“Yes, I’m coming, Grandfather.”
On the way, she made eye contact with Head Maid Anna, who was in the middle of training.
“Lady Lilia, I’ve instructed the senior maids to properly train your maids.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Quick-witted as always, Anna approached and lifted the small Lilia onto the sofa.
She asked, “For the Head of the House, I will prepare strong Earl Grey as usual. What would you like, Lady Lilia?”
“Ah, I…”
Since she didn’t know much about tea, nothing came to mind. Anna gently recommended,
“How about a sweet-and-sour fruit latte for you?”
“That sounds good!”
While Anna went to prepare the tea, Lilia tried to overcome the awkwardness and glanced up at the Duke. He took out his pocket watch, checked it, and said,
“I must go to the meeting room in thirty minutes.”
“Ah, yes. I won’t take much of your time.”
“So, you met Lillian in your dream…?”
Lilia nodded.
“Yes. In my dream, Grandmother was guarding the Spirit Tree, watching over the descendants of Roberk so they could properly manifest magic. She also encouraged me to become a child who supports you and Father well.”
At her words, Vladimir suddenly recalled the warmth he had felt when passing by the Spirit Tree.
It might have been just a child’s story, but somehow it felt as though it could be true.
She had loved and cherished Roberk as much as he did.
“…But I was really surprised that Grandmother was an elf. And she was very, very beautiful!”
At that, the Duke’s red eyes widened, then softened briefly as if recalling the past.
“Perhaps your dreams truly are accurate.”
Head Maid Anna returned with a warm smile and served the tea. As they talked a little more about Grandmother, Lilia’s heart warmed for a moment. The Duke’s eyes always changed when he spoke of her.
“I should go now.”
“Ah, Grandfather. Just a moment. There’s somewhere I’d like to visit.”
The Duke’s face instantly returned to its usual cold expression.
“The temple? I know you wish to go, but that will not happen. Those temple fools only think about ways to squeeze money out of others. Do not even consider such a place. I do not believe in gods.”
“….”
“If you are a child of Roberk, remember that.”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
With that, the Duke grabbed a history book from the tea room bookshelf.
He opened to a passage he had marked, placed it in Lilia’s hands, and left swiftly.
“…Grandfather, you just destroyed my childhood innocence.”
