Chapter 33: Lilliths celebration
Before Lilith could get any closer—
I suddenly twisted sideways and slipped out from beneath her arms.
Unfortunately—
Lilith had been leaning against me at the time.
Which meant—
"AH—"
THUD.
Both of us immediately tumbled straight off the couch together before crashing onto the carpeted floor.
For a moment—
Silence.
Then Lilith slowly lifted her head from where she’d landed partially on top of me.
"...You escaped."
"I panicked."
"That’s rude."
"You were two seconds away from kissing me."
Lilith looked completely unapologetic.
"I still can."
"You absolutely cannot."
She sighed dramatically before finally climbing off me.
Surviving around this woman every day felt like a full-time job.
After a while, once we’d both properly woken up and gotten ready for the day, I glanced toward her.
"So..."
Lilith looked up immediately.
"Do you want to go out again?"
Instantly—
Her eyes brightened.
"A birthday date?"
"It’s an outing."
"A romantic birthday outing."
I sighed heavily.
Correcting her was pointless.
Not long afterward, the two of us once again found ourselves walking through the massive markets of the royal capital.
Unlike last time though—
Lilith maintained an extremely firm grip on my arm the entire time.
Apparently she had learned from my previous "escape" attempt.
"You’re holding me too tightly."
"You vanished last time."
"There was a crowd!"
Lilith simply huffed before tightening her grip slightly anyway.
Hopeless.
The two of us spent hours wandering through the lively market streets.
Food stalls lined the roads while merchants loudly advertised their wares from every direction.
At one point Lilith dragged me toward a bakery because she wanted me to "experience her favorite pastries."
At another she spent ten entire minutes trying on rings while casually asking which one looked most suitable for "future marriage purposes."
I ignored that conversation entirely.
Eventually we wandered deeper into the market where the crowds grew thinner and the shops stranger.
Magic trinkets.
Ancient books.
Questionable potions.
And then—
I noticed her.
The old woman from before.
The mage-like lady sat quietly beside her stall exactly as I remembered.
The moment her eyes landed on me—
She smiled knowingly.
But then—
Her gaze shifted behind me.
Instantly her entire expression changed.
Shock.
Real, genuine shock.
The old woman immediately looked away afterward and pretended to reorganize items on her table.
I frowned slightly before glancing behind me.
Lilith stood there smiling calmly while holding onto my arm.
Nothing unusual.
"...?"
Before I could question it though, Lilith casually spoke.
"Those kinds of stalls are usually scams."
I looked back toward her.
"Hm?"
"Con artists," Lilith explained casually. "They tell people they have hidden magical talent or secret destinies."
Her voice became slightly mocking.
"Then they convince desperate nobles to hand over all their money for ’special training’ or ancient magical techniques."
That did sound believable.
Lilith lightly tugged my arm.
"Come on."
She didn’t even glance toward the old woman again.
But for some reason—
As we walked away—
I couldn’t shake the feeling that the old woman looked genuinely afraid of her.
After wandering through the markets for a while longer, Lilith suddenly tugged on my arm again.
"I’m hungry."
"You’ve eaten from like five different stalls already."
"That was snacking."
Terrifying logic.
Without waiting for my opinion, Lilith immediately dragged me down another street before stopping in front of a familiar restaurant.
The same one from yesterday.
"...Again?"
"Yes."
"You just want to see Clara again."
Lilith looked away slightly.
"...Maybe."
At least she admitted it.
The two of us entered the restaurant together as warm air immediately washed over us.
Compared to the freezing streets outside, the inside felt incredibly comfortable.
Several workers moved busily between tables carrying food and drinks while conversations filled the building.
And then—
"Oh."
A familiar pink-haired girl looked up from carrying a tray.
Clara froze slightly after noticing us.
Then she smiled warmly.
"Lilith. Leon."
Lilith immediately walked toward her like this was the most normal thing in the world.
Meanwhile Clara looked between the two of us before tilting her head slightly.
"...You two really spend every day together, huh?"
"Yes," Lilith answered instantly.
"Im beginning to think I don’t have a choice."
"You don’t."
Clara giggled softly before guiding us toward a quieter table near the side of the restaurant.
"You came at a good time," she said while setting down menus. "It’s less crowded today."
Lilith sat directly beside me instead of across from me.
Again.
Of course she did.
Meanwhile Clara looked oddly amused while watching Lilith immediately cling onto one of my arms again beneath the table.
"You look happy today," Clara commented.
"It’s my birthday."
Clara blinked slightly before smiling brightly.
"Oh! Happy birthday!"
Lilith nodded proudly before subtly leaning slightly closer against me.
As if reminding Clara who she came here with.
Possessive.
Clara noticed immediately too.
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"So," she teased lightly, "what did Leon get you?"
The moment she asked—
Lilith slowly turned toward me.
Her deep purple eyes locked onto mine expectantly.
I immediately felt danger.
"...Nothing."
Lilith narrowed her eyes.
"He says it’s because I kidnapped him all day yesterday."
"You DID."
"That sounds ungrateful."
Clara immediately laughed.
Meanwhile I stared at Lilith in disbelief.
"How am I the unreasonable one here?"
"You ran away from me."
"BECAUSE YOU KIDNAPPED ME."
Several nearby customers glanced toward us briefly.
Lilith ignored them completely.
Meanwhile Clara covered her mouth trying not to laugh again.
At this point she probably found our suffering entertaining.
Eventually Clara finished taking our orders before preparing to leave.
But before she did—
She paused slightly.
Then smiled softly toward the two of us.
"You know..."
Her eyes drifted between us.
"You really do look like a married couple already."
Instantly—
Lilith froze.
Then slowly—
Very slowly—
A massive smile spread across her face.
Meanwhile I felt genuine fear.
Eventually Clara walked off toward the kitchen to place our orders while Lilith immediately returned to bothering me.
Or more specifically—
Leaning against me so heavily that I was beginning to lose circulation in one arm.
"Lilith."
"Hm?"
"You’re crushing me."
"No I’m not."
"You absolutely are."
Lilith ignored my suffering completely while happily resting against my shoulder.
At this point she was basically attached to me permanently.
After a while, while Lilith got distracted watching snow fall outside the restaurant windows, I quietly leaned slightly toward Clara as she passed by again.
"Hey," I whispered.
Clara glanced toward me curiously.
I lowered my voice further.
"Can you bring out a jam cake later?"
Clara blinked slightly.
"...Jam cake?"
I nodded.
"It’s her favorite."
For a moment Clara looked genuinely surprised.
Then slowly—
A soft smile appeared on her face.
"I’ll see what I can do."
Meanwhile Lilith turned back toward us suspiciously.
"What are you whispering about?"
"Nothing."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Suspicious."
Terrifying instincts.
The next while passed mostly the same as usual.
Lilith continued clinging to my arm.
Continued trying feeding me pieces of food herself.
Continued calling this a "birthday date."
And continued completely ignoring my objections.
Meanwhile Clara occasionally passed by our table while trying not to smile too obviously.
Eventually though—
The restaurant lights dimmed slightly near our section.
I frowned.
"...?"
Then Clara appeared walking carefully toward our table carrying a small cake topped with bright red jam and fresh berries.
Lilith froze instantly.
Clara gently set it down in front of her.
Then both of us spoke almost at the same time.
"Happy birthday."
Lilith stared silently at the cake.
For once she looked genuinely caught off guard.
"It’s your favorite, right?" I asked awkwardly.
For several moments, Lilith said nothing.
Then slowly—
Her deep purple eyes began watering slightly.
"...Lilith?"
She quickly looked away a little.
"I’m fine."
But her voice sounded softer than usual.
Clara smiled warmly from the side.
"You don’t seem fine."
Lilith remained quiet while staring at the cake.
And for the first time since I’d met her—
She looked oddly vulnerable.
After a while she finally spoke quietly.
"I’ve had many birthdays before."
Her fingers lightly touched the edge of the plate.
"Grand celebrations."
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"Nobles. Royalty. Expensive gifts."
Then her eyes slowly drifted toward me.
"But..."
She looked back at the small jam cake.
"I think I like this one the most."
Hearing that made my chest feel strangely heavy.
Meanwhile Clara smiled softly while Lilith wiped lightly at the corner of one eye before immediately trying pretending she hadn’t almost teared up.
It failed completely.
Still—
For once—
Lilith wasn’t smiling because she was teasing me.
She just looked genuinely happy.
For the next hour—
Lilith was unbearably happy.
Which unfortunately meant my suffering increased dramatically.
"Open your mouth."
"No."
Lilith narrowed her deep purple eyes slightly while holding a fork with a piece of jam cake toward my face.
"You ate earlier already."
"This is birthday cake."
"That doesn’t change anything."
"It does."
Impossible logic.
Meanwhile Clara sat across from us quietly laughing while watching the situation unfold.
Eventually Lilith simply gave up asking.
Then forcefully shoved the fork toward my mouth anyway.
I barely managed catching her wrist before impact.
"Lilith!"
"What? Wives feed their husbands."
"We are not married!"
"Yet."
Clara immediately nearly choked laughing again.
At this point she found my suffering entertaining.
After several more minutes of struggling, I eventually gave up and let Lilith feed me the cake just so she’d stop causing scenes inside the restaurant.
Naturally—
She looked absurdly pleased afterward.
Meanwhile Clara smiled softly before taking a smaller slice herself.
"This is really good."
Lilith nodded proudly despite not making it herself.
"It’s Leon’s choice."
"Because it’s your favorite."
Lilith immediately looked even happier somehow.
I was starting to realize she was terrifyingly easy to please sometimes.
After a while Clara suddenly looked thoughtful.
Then quietly—
"...Shouldn’t we sing?"
I immediately froze.
Lilith blinked in surprise.
"You don’t have to—"
But Clara already started softly singing happy birthday anyway.
And after several seconds of painful hesitation—
I reluctantly joined in too.
It felt incredibly embarrassing.
But when I looked toward Lilith—
She just stared at us silently.
A small smile rested on her face while her eyes shimmered softly beneath the warm restaurant lights.
For once—
She looked completely normal.
Not terrifying.
Not obsessive.
Just...
Happy.
By the end of the song, Lilith actually laughed quietly to herself before lowering her head slightly.
"...Thank you."
Her voice sounded genuinely soft.
And honestly—
Hearing that made the embarrassment worth it.
Eventually though, the night began growing late.
Clara walked us toward the restaurant entrance as snow continued falling outside.
"Happy birthday again," Clara said warmly.
Lilith nodded before unexpectedly giving Clara a brief hug.
Clara looked completely shocked.
So was I.
Then the two of us departed back toward the manor together beneath the softly falling snow.
This time Lilith stayed unusually quiet during the carriage ride.
She simply leaned against my shoulder while holding onto my hand gently.
No teasing.
No arguing.
Just silence.
Honestly—
It felt strangely peaceful.
Eventually we returned to the NightBane manor and made our way back toward the room.
And later that night—
As expected—
Lilith once again dragged me into the bed instead of allowing me sleep on the sofa.
Except this time—
Something felt different.
Usually her grip around me was possessive.
Restrictive.
But tonight—
As her arms wrapped tightly around my chest and her legs tangled around mine—
It almost felt desperate.
Far tighter than usual.
Almost like she was afraid I’d disappear if she loosened her hold even slightly.
"...Lilith."
No response.
At first I thought she’d fallen asleep already.
But after a few quiet seconds—
Her voice softly reached my ears.
"You’re leaving tomorrow."
Not a question.
Just a quiet statement.
Outside the manor windows, snow continued falling silently through the night.
Meanwhile Lilith tightened her hold around me more than she ever had before.
As if trying to keep me there just a little longer.
