"Then, with my authority, I will postpone your return by a day. Don't worry about it, and focus on calming yourself first."
A day? Just one day? Given the amount of tears I’ve shed, shouldn’t I be getting at least a month off?
Lillian felt the air drain from her. It seemed that, perhaps because her body had changed, her acting ability wasn’t as sharp as usual. Her face had changed, so even though she tried to maintain the same expression, it inevitably felt different. She decided that once she was back, she would work on refining her expressions again.
Negotiating wasn’t possible in the current situation. If she tried to negotiate, Enrique’s sympathy would quickly turn to suspicion. Lillian, fully aware of this, decided to feign gratitude and lowered her head with tears in her eyes.
"Thank you so much, Commander Evans."
"It’s nothing. Well, then, I’ll leave for now. We can discuss the details tomorrow."
"Yes. Have a good night."
With her eyes as red as a rabbit’s, Lillian nodded, tightly clutching the handkerchief. The sight was pitiful, yet strangely cute. Seeing her, Enrique’s lips unconsciously relaxed. It was then that an unexpected remark slipped from his mouth.
"This is a private setting, and it's not working hours, so just call me Enrique."
"Thank you for your kindness, Enrique."
"Then, sleep well."
Creak—
The door to the guest room closed with a sound. The moment Enrique left, Lillian’s expression changed into something more relaxed. She soaked the handkerchief Enrique had left her in water and placed it on her eyes. Then, she stretched out her legs and collapsed onto the bed.
‘Good. That’s one less thing to worry about for tomorrow’s return to duty.’
But what about the future? Lillian, her face devoid of expression, sank into thought. She had come up with a plan, but she wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to execute. So, she decided to slowly retrace the outline of her scheme.
What would happen to Lillian Rosetti if she resigned from her position as a knight? The answer came quickly, with no need for further thought.
"She’ll get married."
The Rosetti family, Lillian’s family, was poor. They couldn’t even afford a proper dowry for Lillian. As a result, Lillian had given up on marriage early and became a knight. She had used her salary to pay for the upkeep of the mansion and the wages of the servants.
But what if Lillian could no longer earn her salary? She would likely be married off. And her family would use the money from selling her to suit their own needs. It was a common plot in fantasy novels. In many cases, families treated their daughters like collateral at pawnshops.
‘Lillian doesn’t have a mother, and her father is a wastrel, right?’
Lillian’s maid, Seth, was quite talkative—perhaps too much so.
Thanks to her, Lillian had quickly gotten a rough idea of her family’s situation. Her mother had been the only daughter of the Rosetti family, and after her passing, Lillian’s father had married into the family. The lucky man who married her was none other than Lillian’s father.
Unfortunately, her mother’s luck had run out. Before their marriage, her father pretended to be a good man, but once married, he revealed his true colors. A terrible alcoholic, he frequented bars with women and quickly squandered their fortune. This eventually caused Lillian’s mother to fall ill from stress and pass away. Now, only Lillian and her father remained.
‘What this means is, if my father were gone, life would be much easier.’
Could she somehow get rid of him? Lillian thought and thought again. She had learned that people with gambling and alcohol addictions were best avoided. It would be troublesome even to be friends with such a person, let alone family! Her life was truly unfortunate.
From what Seth said, it seemed Lillian’s salary went mostly toward paying her father’s alcohol bills. Her father used the money she earned from giving up marriage to spend on drinking with women. Truly, he was despicable.
‘If only he would trip and die somehow.’
Lillian smacked her lips, thinking. That way, there would be no more leakage of money, and the family would be hers to inherit. Lillian Rosetti was an only child, after all.
But that was unlikely. The more obnoxious someone was, the longer they lived. Her father would likely live until he could make a mess of everything, continuing to suck the life out of Lillian.
Thinking about that, Lillian’s face contorted in frustration.
‘For now, I need to think more about the father issue.’
When there are too many problems, it’s important to prioritize which to worry about first. This was a truly miserable dilemma. But for someone used to misfortune like Chae Soyeon, this was an ordinary daily life.
‘Is this what living like a human is supposed to be?’
In the midst of her troubled thoughts, Lillian’s gaze fell on the nightstand beside her bed. There was a small statue of a goddess placed on it. She vaguely remembered seeing something similar in her own room. It seemed that in this world, they placed statues of goddesses instead of crosses.
Staring intently at the goddess statue, Lillian suddenly chuckled. She reached out and knocked it off the stand, making it fall as if she had just moved carelessly.
Looking down at the fallen statue on the floor, Lillian’s eyes were indifferent. She didn’t believe in gods. No matter how desperately she prayed in her past life, not once had a god answered her. What she had prayed for was not success, but merely "an opportunity."
‘Perhaps even that was too much for me.’
A bitter smile spread across Lillian’s lips. If the gods didn’t answer her prayers, there was nothing she could do. She would have to grasp the devil’s hand instead, just like Aleina had.
At that moment, a certain person flashed through her mind. The man who could solve all the problems she was facing. But he would demand a great price, and he was a very dangerous man. Deep down, she wanted to make a deal with him, just like Aleina had.
‘But would he listen to me, a mere supporting character?’
Lillian sighed. She wished she had just a little more time to think. But her misfortune clung to her stubbornly, suffocating her with threats. She couldn’t even look far ahead; she was just trying to hop over the sinkhole right in front of her. That was Lillian’s life—or rather, Chae Soyeon’s life.
"Sigh..."
With a troubled heart, Lillian closed her eyes. In this uncertain situation, there was no way she could fall asleep. However, to have a conversation with Enrique tomorrow, she needed at least some rest. After tossing and turning for a while, she finally managed to fall asleep.
"Your face looks bad. Was the bed unfamiliar?"
Enrique asked when they sat down for breakfast the next morning. Lillian smiled weakly with a pale complexion and gently rubbed her cheek.
"No, thanks to you, I slept well. I appreciate your consideration."
In truth, it wasn’t her body’s discomfort but the discomfort in her heart that kept her awake. But she couldn’t say that to Enrique. He was a typical knight and didn’t like those who whined for their comfort. It was precisely why he had fallen for Aleina, who silently swallowed her tears.
As expected, Lillian’s answer was the "right" one. Enrique’s expression softened. It was clear that Lillian seemed to be carrying a heavy burden. Despite that, she still acted considerate of her host, pretending as though everything was fine. Naturally, his voice became softer.
"I’ve been considering your resignation, Lady Lillian."
"...Is that so."
Lillian thought to herself that she needed to give a sad look. She responded with a wistful smile, one that seemed oddly familiar to Enrique.
‘Where have I seen that expression before?’
Enrique unconsciously narrowed his eyes and searched his memory. That expression… yes. It was the same one his deceased sister used to make when she had to give up many things for her health. A smile born out of resignation, one made in place of tears. For some reason, Lillian reminded him of his sister.
"Lady Lillian."
Enrique asked impulsively, an expression of concern on his face.
"How do you truly feel about this? Do you want to quit being a knight? Please answer me honestly."
Lillian’s eyes widened in surprise. Why was he suddenly asking this?
Supporting characters like her were unfair. Since their settings and personalities were rarely explored, there was little to go off of. But Lillian’s mind worked faster than ever. Though she knew little about herself, she had gathered plenty of information about Enrique. Using this, she quickly came up with the "Enrique-targeted answer."
"Of course, I don’t want to quit. I swore to dedicate my life to this… the knights of Legonian. But I can’t stay in the order with no memory of swordsmanship. I’m in no condition to even take care of myself."
"I see."
That was close. She had almost forgotten the name of the kingdom. After managing to recall it, Lillian finished her answer and discreetly wiped the sweat from her brow. Upon hearing her answer, Enrique smiled in satisfaction.
"Then, Lady Lillian, I have something to say to you."
Enrique spoke, his face clearly full of kindness.