Chapter 10: The evening after
The celebration afterward somehow became even more chaotic.
Nobles flooded the castle halls discussing Lilith’s awakening while rumors spread faster than wildfire throughout the estate.
Some called her a genius blessed by mana itself.
Others whispered that the rumors about the Nightbane heir being cursed had to be true.
Meanwhile, Lilith had somehow escaped the endless crowd of nobles and dragged me onto one of the castle balconies overlooking the capital below.
The cool night air felt refreshing after the suffocating atmosphere inside the ceremonial hall.
For several moments, neither of us spoke.
Then suddenly—
"You noticed, didn’t you?"
I froze slightly.
Lilith leaned against the balcony railing while staring out toward the city lights below.
"Noticed what?" I asked carefully.
She turned toward me slowly.
"That something was wrong with the awakening ceremony."
My expression stiffened.
For a second, I considered pretending not to understand.
But knowing Lilith, she would probably see through it instantly.
"...Maybe," I admitted cautiously.
Lilith smiled faintly.
"I knew it."
"How?"
She tilted her head slightly before answering in a strangely casual tone.
"Because I’ve been studying your face for years."
"...What?"
Lilith looked completely serious.
"You make a very specific expression whenever you’re confused or nervous," she explained. "Your left eyebrow twitches slightly, and your eyes narrow a little."
I stared at her blankly.
Why did she know that?
More importantly—
Why had she apparently spent enough time watching me to memorize my facial expressions?
"You’re overanalyzing my face," I muttered.
Lilith giggled softly.
"Maybe."
The wind gently swept through her long black hair as she looked back toward the distant city.
For a brief moment, the atmosphere between us felt calm again.
Then Lilith suddenly spoke.
"Your awakening ceremony is only a few months away now."
Right.
I had almost forgotten amidst all the chaos.
I would turn thirteen soon as well.
My own mana capacity would finally awaken.
Honestly, even I had no idea what rank I would end up with.
Probably C-rank if I was lucky.
Maybe B-rank if genetics decided to bless me.
"I’m excited," Lilith admitted quietly.
"You sound more excited than I am."
"Of course I am," she replied immediately. "I want to see what rank you’ll get."
I chuckled lightly.
"Well, don’t expect anything too crazy."
Lilith remained silent for a moment.
Then, unexpectedly—
Her expression dimmed slightly.
"...Once you awaken," she said softly, "you’ll probably leave the Aldric Territory someday, won’t you?"
The question caught me off guard.
I hesitated briefly before answering honestly.
"...Probably."
I still wanted to travel the world.
That dream had never changed.
For a brief moment, Lilith lowered her gaze.
The faint sadness in her eyes almost made my chest tighten.
But before I could say anything—
She suddenly stepped closer.
"Lilith?"
She looked up at me silently.
Then—
Before my brain could properly process what was happening—
She lightly kissed me.
Directly on the lips.
My entire body froze.
The world itself seemed to stop functioning.
It only lasted a second.
Maybe two.
But by the time Lilith pulled away, my brain had completely shut down.
Lilith stared at my stunned expression before a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.
"...There," she mumbled quietly.
I continued staring at her in absolute disbelief.
Meanwhile, Lilith quickly looked away while pretending to focus on the city below.
"...You looked too calm," she muttered defensively.
My mind struggled desperately to recover.
Did I just—
Did she actually—
The cool night wind swept across the balcony once more.
For the briefest moment, faint strands of dark purple mana shimmered near Lilith’s fingertips before disappearing entirely into the night.
Little did I know, this simple kiss had changed the course of my entire life.
—————-
The next morning, I woke up far earlier than I wanted to.
Mostly because someone was aggressively shaking me awake.
"Leo."
I buried my face deeper into the pillow.
"Go away."
"Leo."
"Please let me die peacefully."
A few seconds of silence passed.
Then suddenly—
My blanket vanished.
I immediately sat upright in panic only to find Lilith standing beside my bed with my blanket folded neatly in her arms.
"You’re slow," she said calmly.
I stared at her in disbelief.
"It’s not even sunrise."
"Exactly."
"That is not a normal time for humans to be awake."
Lilith ignored my complaints entirely.
"Get dressed," she ordered. "I’m showing you the city today."
Before I could protest further, she turned around and walked toward the door.
"...You’re terrifying in the mornings," I muttered.
"I heard that."
Of course she did.
About half an hour later, I finally finished getting ready before meeting Lilith outside one of the castle entrances.
Unlike yesterday’s extravagant ceremonial outfit, she now wore a much simpler dark purple dress with a black cloak draped over her shoulders.
Even dressed casually, however, she still attracted attention from nearly everyone nearby.
Several knights immediately bowed the moment they saw her.
"Good morning, Lady Lilith."
Lilith gave a small nod before grabbing my wrist again.
"Come on."
"You really like dragging people around."
"You complain too much."
The two of us eventually exited the castle grounds and entered the capital city below.
Almost immediately, the atmosphere changed.
The city was alive.
Merchants shouted from crowded market stalls while carriages rolled through the streets. Knights patrolled the roads in organized formations, and countless civilians moved throughout the capital beneath the towering black walls surrounding the city.
It was incredible.
Compared to the quieter Aldric Territory, the Nightbane capital felt enormous and energetic.
Lilith proudly watched my reaction.
"See? I told you it was amazing."
"...Okay, I admit it," I said reluctantly. "This place is pretty impressive."
Lilith smiled triumphantly.
For the next several hours, she enthusiastically dragged me across almost the entire city.
She showed me massive training arenas where Nightbane knights sparred using magic powerful enough to crack stone.
She showed me enormous libraries filled with ancient spellbooks.
At one point, she even forced me into an expensive bakery because she apparently wanted me to "experience proper desserts."
"You’re spending an alarming amount of money," I pointed out while staring at the pile of sweets she had bought.
Lilith blinked.
"...Is this a lot?"
"You bought enough food to feed a family."
"Oh."
Despite her response, she still continued buying more.
Apparently, the concept of financial restraint simply did not exist for Nightbane nobles.
Eventually, we ended up wandering through one of the larger market districts near the center of the capital.
The streets here were even more crowded than before.
Merchants sold everything imaginable.
Weapons.
Magical artifacts.
Jewelry.
Rare monster materials.
At one stall, I even spotted mana crystals glowing faintly beneath a glass display.
Lilith suddenly stopped walking.
I nearly crashed into her.
"What now?"
Instead of answering, she pointed toward a small stand nearby.
A jeweler.
More specifically—
A jewelry stand displaying silver rings and necklaces.
I immediately felt danger.
Lilith stared at the display silently for several seconds before turning toward me.
"Leo."
"No."
"I didn’t even ask anything yet."
"I can already tell this conversation is dangerous."
Lilith puffed her cheeks slightly before grabbing my sleeve again.
"Come look with me."
Against my better judgment, I allowed myself to be dragged over.
The elderly shopkeeper immediately brightened the moment he recognized Lilith.
"Lady Lilith! It’s an honor!"
Lilith nodded politely before continuing to examine the jewelry.
Meanwhile, I awkwardly stood beside her while several nearby civilians secretly stared at us.
More specifically—
At the fact that the duke’s daughter was casually holding onto some random boy’s sleeve.
Yeah.
That definitely looked suspicious politically.
Lilith eventually picked up a small silver pendant shaped like a crescent moon.
"What do you think?" she asked.
"It looks nice."
"You said that without even looking."
I glanced at it properly.
"...Okay, it actually does look nice."
Lilith smiled faintly before purchasing it without hesitation.
Then unexpectedly—
She turned toward me and held it out.
"For you."
I blinked.
"...Why?"
"Because I wanted to."
That was apparently the only explanation I was getting.
After several seconds of hesitation, I eventually accepted it.
"Thanks."
Lilith looked strangely happy at those words.
The rest of the afternoon passed surprisingly peacefully after that.
At some point, we ended up sitting together near one of the fountains close to the center plaza while watching people move throughout the city.
For once, Lilith sat quietly beside me without dragging me somewhere.
The setting sun bathed the capital in warm orange light while the distant castle overlooked the city from above.
"It’s loud here," I commented.
Lilith tilted her head slightly.
"In a bad way?"
"No," I admitted. "It’s... nice."
The corner of Lilith’s lips lifted slightly.
Then, after a brief moment of silence, she quietly rested her head against my shoulder.
I stiffened slightly from the sudden contact.
Lilith, meanwhile, looked completely relaxed.
"...You’re warm," she mumbled softly.
"You say weird things sometimes."
"And you ruin nice moments."
I let out a small sigh but ultimately said nothing else.
As I sat there beside her watching the bustling capital below the evening sky, it became harder and harder to connect this girl with the terrifying Void Witch from the original story.
Right now—
Lilith simply felt like Lilith.
