Chapter 47: A calm night in the woods
Consciousness returned slowly once again.
The first thing I noticed was movement beneath me.
The second—
The sound of wagon wheels.
I slowly opened my eyes.
Wooden walls surrounded me while soft sunlight filtered through small openings within the carriage.
For several seconds I simply stared upward blankly trying process where I was.
Then I looked toward the front of the wagon.
Lillith sat there holding the reins guiding the horses forward along a forest road.
The moment I shifted slightly—
She instantly turned around.
Her eyes locked onto mine immediately.
"Leo!"
Without hesitation she yanked the reins hard enough stop the horses instantly before practically jumping from the front seat and rushing toward me.
A second later she was already holding me tightly in her arms.
"How are you feeling?"
Before I could answer she immediately continued.
"Do you want water?"
"Food?"
"Do you need more sleep?"
"Should we stop somewhere more comfortable?"
I stared at her blankly still half-awake.
"...I just woke up."
Lillith blinked once.
Then somehow looked embarrassed.
"...Right."
I slowly rubbed one side of my face tiredly before looking around the carriage again.
Then suddenly another thought came to mind.
"...Where’s the merchant?"
Lillith smiled pleasantly.
"I bought the carriage from him."
Something about how quickly she answered that made me slightly suspicious.
But before I could question it further, she gently pushed some hair away from my face.
"We’re around five days from the Valenor border now."
Five days?
I must’ve been unconscious for quite a while.
"Take it easy," she murmured softly before kissing my cheek.
Then after making sure I was comfortable again, she returned toward the front of the carriage and continued guiding the horses onward.
Every so often she would glance back toward me briefly just to check if I was alright.
Meanwhile I simply laid there staring at the ceiling quietly.
Eventually boredom made me start examining the inside of the carriage more carefully.
Several crates sat stacked near the sides while blankets and supplies filled most of the remaining space.
Then—
Near one of the corners—
I noticed a small dark stain across the wooden floor.
Frowning slightly, I slowly dragged myself closer toward it.
That immediately caught Lillith’s attention.
"...Leo?"
I ignored her and kept moving.
The closer I got—
The clearer it became.
Red.
My stomach tightened slightly.
Blood.
And worse—
It still looked damp.
The moment realization started forming in my head, I slowly turned around.
And froze.
Lillith stood there staring at me.
For only a brief second—
Her expression looked genuinely terrifying.
Cold.
Sharp.
Dangerous.
Then instantly—
The moment she realized I was looking at her—
Her face softened back into its usual innocent expression.
She quickly crouched beside me again.
"Leo?"
Her voice sounded sweet.
"Are you alright?"
I slowly looked back toward the stain.
Then toward her.
"...The blood."
Lillith tilted her head slightly.
"the merchant."
For a brief moment, silence filled the carriage.
Then she smiled softly again.
"The stain is probably from livestock the merchant transported before."
She gently cupped both sides of my face.
"And the merchant is fine."
Another kiss landed softly against my cheek before she carefully guided me back toward the blankets again.
Then she returned toward the front of the wagon once more.
A second later—
The reins cracked through the air as the carriage started moving again.
And while the wheels rolled forward through the forest road—
I couldn’t stop thinking about the look on Lillith’s face from earlier.
A while later, as the carriage continued rolling through the forest road, I quietly looked down toward where my missing leg should’ve been.
The rough blanket covering it shifted slightly with the movement of the wagon.
Eventually I looked toward Lillith sitting at the front.
"...Lillith?"
She immediately looked back.
"Yes?"
"...Do you think we could stop somewhere eventually?"
Her expression softened slightly.
"Of course."
"I mean somewhere I could get a prosthetic. Or at least a temporary one."
Lillith blinked.
Then tilted her head slightly.
"...Why?"
I stared at her in disbelief.
"...So I can walk."
She looked genuinely confused.
"But why would you need to walk?"
I opened my mouth.
Then closed it again.
Lillith continued casually:
"I can carry you."
"That’s not the point."
"It literally solves the problem."
I rubbed my forehead tiredly.
"Lillith, I can’t just rely on you forever."
"You absolutely can."
"...What if you aren’t there one day?"
The moment those words left my mouth—
The entire carriage went cold.
Lillith slowly pulled the reins.
The horses stopped.
Silence filled the forest.
Then she turned around completely and slowly climbed into the back of the carriage toward me.
Something about her expression immediately made me regret speaking.
She reached me within seconds before grabbing both sides of my face gently.
Then slowly—
She squished our cheeks together while staring directly into my eyes.
"That."
Her voice sounded strangely calm.
"Will absolutely never happen."
Her grip tightened slightly.
"Ever."
The desperation in her eyes genuinely startled me.
"You will never be somewhere I cannot reach."
Her arms slowly wrapped around me tighter and tighter while she continued speaking softly.
"You’re never leaving my side again."
"I won’t allow it."
"I can protect you."
"I can keep you safe."
The more she spoke, the more emotional her voice became.
Then finally—
After several long moments—
Her expression slowly softened back into its usual innocent smile.
"...It’s getting dark."
The sudden shift nearly gave me emotional whiplash.
"So we should set up camp now."
I quietly nodded.
"...Okay."
I slowly tried pushing myself upward onto my remaining leg.
Immediately Lillith frowned.
"...What are you doing?"
"I’m helping."
"With what?"
"Setting up camp."
"No."
I blinked.
"No?"
"You’re resting."
"I’ve been resting for almost two days."
"You need more."
"I really don’t."
Lillith crossed her arms stubbornly.
"I want you resting."
Before I could protest again, she suddenly scooped me up effortlessly into her arms.
"Lillith—"
"No struggling."
"I can still help."
"You can emotionally support me from nearby."
"That is not a real task."
"It is now."
A while later she stepped outside to prepare the campsite while leaving me inside the wagon.
From outside I could occasionally hear her humming happily to herself while setting things up.
Eventually the carriage flap opened again.
"It’s ready."
I immediately started trying stand again.
Lillith narrowed her eyes.
"...What did I say earlier?"
Before I could answer, she once again picked me up effortlessly.
"At this point I’m starting think you enjoy carrying me."
"I do."
"...That was disturbingly quick."
She smiled happily before carrying me outside.
The camp itself was fairly simple.
A small tent rested beside a fire pit while a metal pot hung above the flames gently boiling.
But then my eyes drifted slightly farther toward the edge of the clearing.
And froze.
A wooden sign had been planted into the ground nearby.
Written across it in large uneven letters were the words:
Leon And Lillith’s Love Nest
I stared at it in silence.
Then slowly looked toward her.
"...Lillith."
"Yes?"
"What is that?"
She looked toward the sign proudly.
"I made it."
"...Using what?"
"Some spare materials from the wagon."
I could physically feel my face heating up.
"...Do you even know what people mean when they say a love nest?"
"Yes."
Her smile widened slightly.
"It means it’s the place where we love each other."
The way she said it sounded innocent.
The smile accompanying it absolutely did not.
I looked at her with growing concern.
Meanwhile she simply smiled happily before carrying me into the tent and gently placing me down onto the blankets inside.
Once she made sure I was comfortable, she crouched beside me.
Then softly—
"Are you hungry?"
I hesitated slightly before answering.
"...A little."
Lillith immediately brightened.
"I made soup."
"...You can cook?"
"No."
That answer did not inspire confidence.
"But I tried very hard."
"...That somehow worries me more."
A few moments later she carefully brought over a bowl and sat beside me again.
Then after blowing gently on the spoon to cool it—
She held it toward my mouth expectantly.
"...Lillith."
"Open."
I sighed quietly.
"...You’re enjoying this way too much."
"I really am."
The soup was somehow both terrible and comforting at the same time.
I honestly couldn’t tell how she had managed it.
"It tastes burned."
Lillith looked deeply offended.
"It’s rustic."
"Is this crushed charcoal?."
"It has emotional value and I heard it improves health and vitality."
"That does not improve the flavor."
She pouted slightly before taking the spoon back and tasting it herself.
A few seconds passed.
Then she quietly muttered:
"...Maybe slightly burned."
I stared at her blankly.
"Amazing observation."
Despite my complaints, I still finished nearly the entire bowl.
Mostly because my body still desperately needed food.
Lillith watched the entire time with visible satisfaction.
Every time I finished another spoonful, she somehow looked happier.
Eventually she set the empty bowl aside before gently brushing several strands of hair away from my face.
"You already look better."
"I still feel like I got beaten to death."
Her expression darkened instantly.
The atmosphere inside the tent noticeably shifted.
"...Don’t remind me."
Right.
Probably bad topic.
I quickly changed the subject.
"So..."
I glanced toward the tent entrance.
"...What exactly happened back there?"
Lillith blinked once.
"With Kael?"
"And the mansion."
"Oh."
Her voice returned to normal immediately.
"I killed most of them."
The casualness of that sentence genuinely stunned me.
"Most?"
"A few escaped probably."
Probably.
That word somehow made it worse.
Lillith rested her chin against my shoulder afterward while speaking softly.
"They kept trying to stop me."
"...Lillith."
"Mhm?"
"You attacked an entire noble territory."
"They kidnapped you."
The way she answered made it sound like the most obvious thing in the world.
I opened my mouth.
Then closed it again.
Honestly—
I didn’t even know how to argue against that logic anymore.
Lillith smiled faintly before nuzzling against my shoulder slightly.
"I was very angry."
"...I noticed."
"They hurt you."
Her fingers slowly intertwined with mine.
"I didn’t like that."
Outside the tent, the fire crackled softly while the forest around us remained completely quiet.
Eventually I leaned back slightly against the blankets.
For the first time in days—
I actually felt safe again.
Even if the source of that safety was also deeply terrifying.
Lillith suddenly looked toward me again.
"...Leo?"
"What?"
"If someone kidnaps you again, can I destroy their country?"
I stared at her for several seconds.
"...No."
She sighed sadly.
"You’re no fun."
"That is an insane sentence."
Lillith ignored me completely before carefully laying down beside me again.
Then immediately wrapped herself around my body possessively once more.
At this point I had honestly stopped resisting it.
Mostly because I was too exhausted.
The warmth from the fire mixed with the soft sound of the forest outside while Lillith quietly traced circles against my arm with her fingers.
After a long silence, she suddenly spoke again.
"...When we get back."
I looked toward her.
"I’m staying in your room permanently."
"...That sounds less like a suggestion."
"It isn’t."
I sighed tiredly.
"You know normal people ask things."
Lillith looked genuinely confused.
"But you’d say no."
"...Fair point."
A smug smile immediately appeared on her face.
Then softly—
Almost sleepily—
"I missed you so much."
Something about hearing that after everything that happened made my chest tighten slightly.
So after a moment, I quietly answered:
"...I missed you too."
Lillith froze.
Completely.
Slowly she lifted her head upward and stared directly at me with widening eyes.
"...Say that again."
"No."
"Leo."
"You’re terrifying when excited."
Her expression somehow became even happier anyway.
Then without warning she buried her face directly into my chest while squeezing me tightly.
Outside, the forest wind drifted softly through the trees.
And for the first time since being kidnapped—
The night truly felt peaceful.
