"Tell me. Was it your condition? Or was there some other issue?"
Enrique didn’t wait for her to think. Furrowing his brow, he repeated the question. If Lillian hesitated any longer, it was clear he would find it odd. Feeling anxious, Lillian opened her mouth.
"I… I’ll explain everything… cough cough!"
Once again, her misfortune hadn’t left her. Just as she was about to answer in haste, she choked. Bent over, she coughed violently. It seemed the fruits she had hastily shoved into her mouth earlier, due to hunger, were now causing trouble.
"Cough cough, ugh!"
"Are you alright, Lady Lillian? You—!!"
Seeing Lillian’s distressing cough, Enrique hurriedly rose. He was about to pat her back. But in that instant, a red liquid suddenly spilled from her mouth. The front of her white chemise quickly became stained with red. Lillian secretly frowned upon seeing this.
‘Ah, of all things, it had to be pomegranate juice...’
That’s right. What Lillian had vomited wasn’t blood, but pomegranate juice. But Enrique didn’t know that. He was so shocked that he froze stiff where he stood. Seeing his pale face, Lillian thought it was strange.
‘Is it really necessary to be this shocked? He’s the commander of the knights, he must have seen blood plenty of times. What’s so surprising about this?’
Just as Lillian was thinking this, something suddenly clicked in her mind. According to the original story, Enrique’s deceased sister had been a tuberculosis patient. Therefore, she must have often coughed up blood like this. Perhaps Enrique was so shocked because he was seeing his deceased sister in her?
As expected, Enrique, who had frozen up, hastily wiped her "blood" away with his sleeve. His overly kind reaction to a mere subordinate’s coughing fit was odd. His violet eyes, trembling with instability, hurriedly looked at her and asked.
"Are you… are you alright? Have you ever had trouble breathing or strange sounds when you breathe?"
Seeing this, Lillian was suddenly struck with a strong conviction. Enrique was definitely seeing her as his deceased sister. At that moment, a shiver ran down Lillian’s arm.
‘Wait. I think I just realized something.’
Just as the protagonist has their own life, even a lowly supporting role like Lillian has its own insignificant way of surviving. At that moment, she was certain that she had found "her own way."
The one thing this body had over Aleina was that she had read the original story. She knew the backstories and preferences of the new characters that would appear from now on. So, if she used this to act first, perhaps she could seize a chance before Aleina. Maybe, just maybe, there would be a day when she would shine in this insignificant life, just like she had gained Enrique’s favor now.
Lillian heard her own heart pounding loudly. Her mind began to spin faster than ever before, and in an instant, a big picture was formed. Enrique, unaware of her inner thoughts, spoke with concern.
"Please wait here for a moment. I’ll go get our family’s personal physician."
"No, cough! Please don’t go, Commander Evans. When I was hit earlier, I think my mouth got torn. The blood that’s coming out now, please don’t mind it."
Lillian quickly pulled herself together and covered for the situation. If the physician came, it would soon be revealed that the "blood" was actually pomegranate juice. She hastily pulled her shawl over her chest to hide the stains of pomegranate juice. If the liquid hardened over time, it might be mistaken for blood.
"Please sit and listen to me. I beg of you."
Lillian bowed her head earnestly and begged Enrique. He, though eager to go get the physician, reluctantly sat back down. Lillian quickly spoke again to prevent him from changing his mind.
"...Actually, there is something. Something hurts."
Her pale face, partially hidden by her thick black hair, gleamed strangely as her green eyes glistened, catching Enrique’s gaze. He seemed almost hypnotized by them. As he unknowingly held his breath, a single tear fell from her beautiful green eyes.
"...!"
That was the moment Enrique flinched in surprise. Seizing the opportunity, Lillian lowered her head and began to cry pitifully. Her next words were shocking.
"I can no longer become a knight. I’m sorry, Commander Evans. I will submit my resignation tomorrow."
"What are you talking about, Lady Lillian? Are you truly suffering from tuberculosis? Or some other chronic illness?"
Enrique asked, furrowing his brow. His expression remained cautious, but his tone had become slightly quicker, revealing his growing unease. Seeing that her bait had worked, Lillian smiled a little more sorrowfully. Her performance was about to begin.
"In fact… I recently had a high fever and was bedridden for several days. Because of that, my body hasn’t fully recovered, and I think that’s why I lost the fight. I’m sorry for showing such a disgraceful side of me."
Lillian finished speaking, blushing. Her already delicate features made her look unusually sincere, and with the acting skills she had honed through years of training, she was convincing. Enrique nodded, seemingly without any suspicion.
"That’s a big problem. No wonder your movements were strange. I thought you weren’t even a knight at first because you were so clumsy in battle."
Lillian’s shoulders flinched slightly. She hated people with quick wits. But she didn’t let it show and continued planting the seeds of doubt.
"Your keen eyes never fail, Commander. Though it’s embarrassing, when I had the high fever, I think I experienced partial memory loss."
"...Partial memory loss?"
"Yes. I remember most things, but I completely forgot about certain areas of knowledge. No matter how much I tried, I couldn’t recall anything about them."
Tears continued to fall from Lillian’s green eyes as she spoke. She made a pitiful expression, as though she couldn’t bear the sadness. As she tried to wipe away the tears, more kept falling, despite her hurried hand movements. Seeing this, Enrique couldn’t help but take out his handkerchief and offer it to her.
"Thank… you."
Lillian responded in a hoarse voice, burying her face in the handkerchief and weeping uncontrollably. As she wiped her tears, she peeked up to assess Enrique’s expression. A satisfied smile crossed her lips, hidden by the handkerchief.
‘Good. It’s working.’
Her acting, honed through years of effort, was still impeccable. After all, she had trained herself to cover up her fading looks and connections. She had practiced crying hundreds, even thousands, of times, so there was no way she would falter now. Enrique, who had fallen for her performance, asked with a worried look in his eyes.
"So, what is this lost memory of yours?"
"I’m embarrassed to say… but the memory I lost is my swordsmanship."
Lillian’s trembling lips barely managed to speak, and she finally burst into tears. Her face, stained with misery and sorrow, looked heartbreakingly pitiful. Seeing her like this, Enrique’s eyebrows softened in sympathy.
‘Poor thing. No wonder she’s handing in her resignation.’
A knight who didn’t know swordsmanship was useless. As a commander, Enrique knew it was best for Lillian Rosetti to retire. After all, he had witnessed her losing to commoners who didn’t even know swordplay. As a commander, it was his duty to accept her resignation.
But watching her cry before him, he couldn’t bring himself to say those words. Lillian Rosetti looked like someone whose world had ended. When he saw her red, swollen eyes from crying, he couldn’t help but think of his late sister.
‘She would have looked great in a knight’s uniform, Enrique. If I had been healthy, I would have wanted to be a knight too. Isn’t that cool?’
He could almost hear his sister’s voice faintly in his ears. With a small sigh, Enrique spoke.
"For today, rest. It’s too late to go home now. I’ll send someone to your house to inform them. Don’t worry about it. And as for your resignation... let’s talk again tomorrow. When you’ve had some time to calm down."
"Thank you for your kindness, Commander Evans. But I’m expected to return to duty tomorrow..."
Lillian’s voice trailed off as she wore a dark expression. Unlike her face, which wore the mask of a sincere knight, her true thoughts were desperate. Please, please do something about this!
Enrique was a man of honor, one who pitied the weak. Lillian, desperate, was taking full advantage of that trait to earn his sympathy.
Thankfully, her efforts weren’t in vain. Enrique took some time to think it over carefully. Then, he slowly spoke.