Chapter 54: The Aldric territory
That night ended up becoming far louder than I expected.
The moment word spread that I had actually returned alive, the entire manor somehow descended into chaos. Servants hurried through the halls carrying food and supplies while guards constantly moved around outside the estate. Apparently my disappearance had caused enough panic throughout the territory that people were still trying to process the fact I had suddenly returned.
Meanwhile—
I was trapped.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
My mother kept checking my injuries every ten minutes like she expected another limb to disappear if she stopped paying attention. Alex wouldn’t stop questioning me about the kidnapping. Finn had somehow turned himself into the victim of the entire situation and kept talking about the "emotional damage" my disappearance caused him.
And through all of it—
Lillith remained attached to my arm like she had legally claimed ownership over it.
At some point dinner had been moved into one of the larger dining rooms purely because everyone kept gathering around me.
Even now, I sat near the center of the long table while Lillith calmly leaned against my shoulder beside me, one of her hands wrapped around my arm.
I was beginning to suspect she physically could not sit farther than a meter away from me anymore.
"...So let me understand this correctly."
Alex leaned back in his chair while staring at me.
"You escaped through a bathroom window..."
I immediately pointed toward Lillith.
"She’s the reason I tried escaping."
Lillith looked mildly offended.
"I was being affectionate."
"You erased my bedroom door from existence."
"You locked me out first."
"That is because you were staring at me sleep!"
"That’s normal."
"No it isn’t!"
My mother quietly sipped tea while looking increasingly concerned.
Meanwhile Finn just stared blankly at the table.
"...I still think I’m somehow the most mentally stable person here."
"No you aren’t," Alex answered instantly.
Then eventually the atmosphere shifted slightly.
My father entered the room.
The moment I saw him properly standing again, something inside me relaxed slightly.
He still walked with a faint limp from his injuries, but compared to the state I last saw him in—
He looked significantly better.
"Father."
He quietly approached the table before stopping beside me.
For a moment, he simply looked down at me silently.
Then his eyes drifted toward my missing leg.
A shadow crossed his face briefly.
"...You came back alive."
"...Barely."
My father slowly exhaled before placing one hand firmly against my shoulder.
"You protected this territory."
His voice remained calm like always.
But I could still hear the emotion beneath it slightly.
"And then you survived being dragged across another kingdom."
A faint sigh escaped him afterward.
"You continue making my blood pressure worse."
"...Sorry."
Then suddenly his eyes shifted toward Lillith.
More specifically—
Toward the way she was still wrapped around my arm like a snake.
The room became slightly awkward again.
To his credit, my father somehow managed not to visibly react.
"...Lady Nightbane."
Lillith smiled politely.
"Lord Aldric."
"I owe you thanks for returning my son safely."
"You do."
I nearly choked.
My father somehow remained composed.
"I see."
Lillith nodded seriously.
"Leo almost died several times."
"...I’m aware."
"I prevented that."
"You did."
She looked oddly satisfied by the acknowledgment.
Meanwhile Alex slowly rubbed his forehead.
Finn leaned slightly toward me before whispering:
"...Your future children are going to be terrifying."
I elbowed him instantly.
"Shut up."
Lillith heard him anyway.
Her eyes visibly brightened.
My soul immediately left my body.
"Children..."
"...No."
Lillith slowly looked toward me.
"No?"
"We are not having this conversation."
"But I think they’d have your eyes."
"LILLITH."
My mother suddenly covered her mouth trying hide a laugh.
The rest of dinner somehow continued becoming increasingly unhinged from there.
At one point Finn accidentally mentioned the destroyed Magneto checkpoint.
That immediately drew everyone’s attention.
"...Destroyed?" my father repeated slowly.
Finn froze.
"...I have made mistakes."
My father’s eyes slowly moved toward Lillith.
The room became unbelievably tense.
Meanwhile Lillith calmly sipped tea like nothing was wrong.
After several seconds of silence, my father finally spoke carefully.
"...What exactly happened?"
Nobody answered immediately.
Mostly because none of us really knew how to explain "Lillith may have committed several acts of destruction rescuing me."
Eventually I awkwardly cleared my throat.
"...There was some property damage."
Finn immediately looked horrified.
"LEON SHE ERASED A ENTIRE BORDER CHECKPOINT."
"That still technically counts as property damage."
My father closed his eyes briefly.
Alex stared at Lillith in disbelief.
Meanwhile she looked completely unconcerned.
"They kidnapped Leo."
Like that explained everything.
Actually—
To her it probably did.
After another painful silence, my father slowly sighed.
"...I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear most of this conversation."
"Wise choice," Finn muttered.
Eventually dinner finally ended.
Or more accurately—
My mother forcefully ended it after realizing the conversation was somehow getting worse over time.
By the time I finally made my way back toward my room, I already felt exhausted.
Lillith naturally followed directly behind me.
Of course she did.
The hallway remained quiet except for the sound of our footsteps.
Well—
My footstep.
And the sound of my new prosthetic awkwardly tapping against the floor.
Honestly, the temporary replacement still felt terrible to walk with.
As we reached my room, I noticed something immediately.
The door looked completely new.
Right.
Because the old one had ceased existing.
I slowly opened it before stepping inside.
Everything looked exactly how I remembered.
The desk.
The bookshelves.
The scattered sketches.
For a moment, seeing all of it again felt strangely nostalgic.
Then suddenly—
Lillith wrapped both arms around me from behind.
"You’re thinking too much again."
I sighed quietly.
"I almost died."
"Mhm."
"I got kidnapped."
"Mhm."
"...I feel like thinking about that is reasonable."
Lillith gently rested her chin against my shoulder.
"You survived."
Her voice softened slightly afterward.
"That’s all that matters."
For several moments neither of us spoke.
Then eventually I quietly asked:
"...Did you really destroy that checkpoint?"
Lillith went silent briefly.
Then calmly—
"Yes."
I stared ahead quietly.
"...How many people died?"
Lillith hesitated.
"...I lost count again."
There wasn’t guilt in her voice.
Or pride.
Just honesty.
The lives genuinely hadn’t mattered to her compared to my rescue.
Slowly her grip around me tightened slightly.
"I was angry."
That much was obvious.
"And at the fortress where you where kept captive."
"I knew they were hurting you."
"...They were."
Lillith buried her face slightly into my shoulder afterward.
"And every hour I couldn’t find you..."
Her voice lowered softer.
"...I started becoming more afraid."
I stayed quiet listening.
"Then eventually..."
Her fingers tightened slightly against my clothes.
"...I stopped caring about anything except getting you back."
The room fell silent afterward.
Honestly—
Part of me understood.
That was the frightening thing.
Eventually I slowly turned toward her.
Lillith immediately looked up at me.
For once, she actually looked uncertain.
Like she was worried what I might think after hearing everything.
Then quietly—
"...Thank you."
Her eyes widened slightly.
Not because of the words.
But because I’d said them anyway after knowing what she did.
The next second Lillith immediately buried herself against me again.
"I love you."
"...You say that way too much."
"It’s important."
I sighed quietly before looking toward the bed.
Then toward Lillith.
Then back toward the bed.
"...You’re sleeping here again, aren’t you?"
"Yes."
Lillith smiled happily afterward before immediately climbing onto the bed like she already owned it.
At this point she practically did.
