Chapter 70: Lilliths return to the academy
The carriage ride back to the capital felt unbearable.
Not because I was upset.
Quite the opposite.
I physically could not stop thinking about him.
Leon’s voice replayed endlessly inside my head while the carriage rolled through the snowy roads toward the Nightbane capital.
"I’ll marry you."
Every single time I remembered it, warmth spread through my chest all over again.
He said yes.
Not confidently.
Not willingly.
And definitely while fearing for his life.
But still—
He said yes.
I sat quietly beside Father while trying and failing to suppress the smile stretching across my face. Unfortunately he noticed almost immediately.
"...You’re smiling again."
I looked toward him innocently.
"Mhm."
"That concerns me."
I ignored him completely before looking back out the window. Outside, snow drifted across the roads while Nightbane knights rode alongside the carriage silently beneath the dark evening sky.
Meanwhile my heartbeat still refused to calm down.
Leon promised himself to me.
The realization alone almost made me start kicking my feet against the carriage floor again.
Father sighed heavily beside me after several more minutes of silence.
"You realize he only said that to stop the two of us from escalating further."
I immediately looked back toward him.
"And?"
The silence that followed felt deeply exhausted.
Father slowly rubbed one hand across his forehead.
"...You genuinely don’t care."
"He still promised."
"That is not the important part of that sentence."
I smiled happily before leaning slightly against the carriage window again.
It absolutely was the important part.
The rest of the journey passed quietly after that, though I kept catching Father glancing sideways toward me with increasing concern. Honestly—
Reasonable.
Because I was happy.
Actually happy.
Not pretending.
Not masking.
Not forcing expressions for political appearances.
Just genuinely happy.
And apparently that frightened people more than when I threatened murder.
People were strange.
Eventually the carriage passed through the massive gates of the Nightbane capital while guards and servants bowed immediately toward the Nightbane crest. The moment we arrived at the palace entrance, servants hurried toward the carriage doors nervously while knights lined the stairways leading deeper into the estate.
One maid lowered her head the second I stepped out.
"Welcome home Lady Ni—"
I walked directly past her.
Honestly I barely even noticed anyone around me anymore.
Because my thoughts remained completely occupied by Leon.
My Leon.
My future husband.
The thought alone made warmth spread through my chest again.
I moved quickly through the palace hallways while servants scattered out of my path immediately. A few accidentally looked up toward me before freezing after noticing my expression.
Right.
I forgot people hated when I smiled.
Apparently smiling frightened them more than threatening murder.
Again—
People were strange.
Eventually I reached my room and immediately locked the doors behind me the second I entered.
Then stood completely still for several seconds.
Silence filled the room.
And then—
I screamed directly into my hands.
A happy scream.
I spun around once before collapsing face-first onto the bed while kicking my legs violently against the mattress.
"He said yes..."
I buried my face into the blankets while laughing quietly to myself.
"He actually said yes..."
The warmth in my chest almost hurt at this point.
Eventually I rolled onto my back while staring at the ceiling with a ridiculous smile on my face.
Then suddenly sat upright again.
Right.
Important matters first.
I immediately climbed off the bed before walking toward the massive wardrobe near the side of the room. Carefully I moved several dresses aside before reaching deeper into the hidden back section.
Then finally—
There he was.
Fake Leon.
The crude smiley face drawn onto the pillow stared back at me while Leon’s old clothes remained stuffed around it exactly the way I left them before summer.
I had stolen those clothes personally.
One shirt.
One pair of pants.
And absolutely nobody could stop me.
I carefully lifted the fake Leon from the wardrobe before carrying him back toward the bed gently like something precious.
Then immediately collapsed onto the mattress while hugging him tightly against my chest.
The clothes still smelled faintly like smoke and metal.
Leon.
I smiled happily before rubbing my cheek against the pillow face.
"Hi husband."
Silence.
Then I answered for him anyway in a deeper voice.
"Hi Lillith."
Perfect.
I snuggled deeper into the blankets afterward while continuing the conversation completely seriously.
"Did you miss me?"
Then again in the fake Leon voice:
"Yes."
"I missed you too."
I hugged him tighter happily before suddenly gasping slightly.
"Oh."
Very important question.
I looked directly at the badly drawn smiley face.
"Where should we have our honeymoon?"
Silence.
Then thoughtfully I answered for him.
"Near the ocean maybe?"
I paused briefly.
"No wait, you like workshops too much."
Another pause.
"Maybe somewhere with both."
Reasonable compromise.
I nodded proudly to myself before another important thought suddenly appeared.
"How many kids do you want?"
I stared at fake Leon seriously for several moments before immediately answering for him again.
"Probably less than you."
"That’s true."
I thought about it carefully afterward while pulling the blankets tighter around us.
"Maybe ten?"
Silence.
Then I frowned slightly.
"Actually maybe more."
The fake Leon continued smiling peacefully.
Supportive husband.
Excellent.
I rolled slightly across the bed while dragging him with me beneath the blankets.
"Our daughter is definitely getting your eyes."
Then quietly—
"And our son is getting my mana."
I paused briefly afterward.
"...Actually maybe that’s dangerous."
Probably dangerous.
Still acceptable though.
The conversation continued for what felt like hours afterward.
I talked about future houses.
Future children.
About how I would absolutely not allow other women near him.
At one point I started explaining exactly how our future home should look while using nearby pillows to demonstrate furniture placement.
The fake Leon listened very attentively.
Best husband.
Eventually though—
The exhaustion from the past week finally started catching up to me.
My thoughts slowed gradually while I remained curled tightly around the fake Leon beneath the blankets.
"...I really love you..."
The words slipped out quietly against the pillow.
Then softer—
"Don’t die before we get married..."
I pressed my face deeper into Leon’s stolen clothes afterward while warmth filled my chest one final time.
And eventually—
Still holding the fake Leon tightly in my arms—
I finally fell asleep.
—————
The next morning I arrived at the academy late.
Very late.
Apparently classes had already resumed over a week ago while I was busy rescuing my future husband, threatening a foreign kingdom, almost fighting Father, and getting proposed to.
Honestly—
Reasonable priorities.
The moment I pushed open the classroom doors, the entire room went silent.
Every student immediately looked toward me.
Fear.
Nervousness.
Panic.
The usual.
Even the teacher visibly stiffened the second she saw me standing there. Her expression shifted rapidly between relief, confusion, and absolute terror while the classroom atmosphere somehow became even more uncomfortable than normal.
Because unlike most students—
I wasn’t just strong anymore.
After the capital incident and the war rumors, people had started genuinely viewing me as dangerous.
Which was fair.
The teacher awkwardly adjusted her glasses before trying to maintain composure.
"Lady Nightbane, you’ve been absent for the past—"
I looked directly at her.
That was all.
Just one stare.
The teacher immediately froze.
"...Never mind."
Excellent.
I walked calmly toward the back of the classroom afterward while everyone silently moved out of my path slightly despite already being seated.
Then finally I reached my usual seat beside the window and sat down quietly.
Outside, snow drifted softly across the academy grounds beneath the pale winter sky.
Meanwhile I remained completely distracted.
Because my brain kept replaying the same moment over and over again.
"If you graduate..."
Leon’s nervous face appeared in my head again.
"...I’ll marry you."
Warmth immediately spread through my chest again.
Without even realizing it, I started smiling while lightly swinging my legs beneath the desk.
He was mine.
The thought alone made me happier than anything else ever had.
Beside me Clara slowly looked over with visible confusion.
"...Why are you late."
I barely even heard her.
"And why do you look..."
She paused briefly.
"...way too Happy."
Now that genuinely confused her.
I turned slightly toward her afterward while lowering my voice quietly.
"Leon agreed to marry me."
Clara immediately covered her mouth in shock.
"...WHAT."
Several nearby students flinched hearing her sudden outburst.
I smiled proudly.
"He proposed to me."
Clara stared at me in complete disbelief for several seconds before suddenly grabbing both my shoulders excitedly.
"Lillith that’s amazing ."
"I know."
"Oh my gods congratulations—"
Then she suddenly paused.
"...Wait."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"How did that even happen?"
I happily explained everything afterward.
Leon getting kidnapped by a noble from the Magneto Kingdom.
Me rescuing him.
Refusing to leave his side afterward.
Ignoring the academy completely.
Then Father arriving at the manor.
And finally the near fight before Leon stopped it.
The farther the story progressed—
The less enthusiastic Clara looked.
By the end she stared at me with deep concern.
"...Lillith."
"What?"
"That sounds less like a proposal and more like psychological warfare."
I ignored that completely.
"He still said yes."
"That is somehow not the part I’m worried about."
I leaned slightly against the window while smiling again.
Meanwhile Clara continued processing the fact that my engagement story somehow involved international warfare, emotional hostage situations, and near-catastrophic magical conflict.
Eventually though she suddenly blinked once.
"...Wait."
I looked toward her.
"If Leon said he’d marry you after graduation..."
Clara pointed toward the front of the classroom.
"...Does that mean you’re finally going to stop sleeping through lessons and actually pay attention now?"
Silence.
I stared at her blankly for several seconds.
Then answered honestly.
"No."
Clara physically deflated.
"What?!"
I shrugged calmly.
"I’ll just threaten the academy into letting me graduate."
The girl looked horrified.
"LILLITH."
"They can’t actually stop me."
"That is NOT how education works!"
I rested my chin against one hand while looking back out the window happily.
"Sounds their problem."
Clara grabbed both sides of her head dramatically.
"You cannot bully your way into graduation!"
I thought about that for several seconds.
"...I probably can."
"That isn’t reassuring!"
Meanwhile at the front of the classroom the teacher continued lecturing nervously while very deliberately avoiding eye contact with me.
Understandable.
Because if the academy tried stopping my graduation—
I absolutely would become a problem.
Lunch somehow felt even more unbearable than class.
Not because of the food.
Because I physically could not stop daydreaming.
Me and Clara sat in our usual isolated spot while I absentmindedly stirred tea inside my cup, completely ignoring the conversations happening around me.
Meanwhile my brain replayed the proposal again.
"If you graduate..."
Leon’s face appeared in my head once more.
"...I’ll marry you."
Warmth immediately spread through my chest again.
I wondered what our wedding would look like.
Would Leon wear black?
Probably.
Would he let me hold his hand the entire ceremony?
Hopefully.
Would Father cry?
Actually possible.
I smiled slightly while imagining Leon standing beside me looking exhausted and deeply concerned while we got married.
He looked perfect.
Then suddenly Clara’s voice interrupted my thoughts.
"...Lillith."
I blinked once before slowly looking toward her.
"What?"
Clara sighed deeply while sitting across from me with a tray of food.
"You’ve been staring into space smiling for almost ten minutes."
"Mhm."
"That is deeply unsettling."
I calmly sipped from my tea.
"I’m happy."
"I know. That’s the unsettling part."
I ignored her completely before continuing to think about whether Leon would prefer living inside the capital or somewhere isolated afterward.
Definitely isolated.
He hated nobles and noble life too much for the capital.
Then Clara suddenly leaned forward slightly.
"Do you have any plans for the upcoming project?"
I stared at her blankly.
"...What project."
Silence.
Clara slowly lowered her fork.
"You don’t know about the project."
"No."
"...Lillith."
"What?"
The girl physically rubbed one hand across her face tiredly.
"They explained it three separate times this morning."
"I wasn’t listening."
"I know."
Clara sighed again before explaining.
"The academy is assigning field projects for second year students."
I stared at her silently while continuing to drink tea.
"We have to form groups of four."
Still nothing.
Then Clara continued.
"Each group gets sent somewhere across the kingdom for a mission."
That finally got a slight reaction from me.
"...A mission?"
"Mhm."
"Like combat?"
"Sometimes."
Clara nodded slightly.
"Some groups get monster extermination requests. Others get escort missions, investigation work, magical surveying, helping local territories..."
Then she paused briefly.
"Basically practical field experience."
I thought about that for several moments afterward.
Then honestly—
"...Sounds annoying."
Clara looked completely unsurprised by that response.
"Anyway."
She pointed toward me with her fork.
"You’re joining my group."
I calmly sipped my tea again.
"Okay."
Clara looked genuinely relieved hearing that.
"Good."
I rested my chin against one hand afterward.
"Who are the other two?"
Clara blinked once.
"...I haven’t decided yet."
Silence.
"You asked me before even finding other members?"
"Well obviously I asked you first."
That was fair.
Most students were terrified of me.
Actually—
Almost all students were terrified of me.
Being in my group dramatically lowered the chances of dying during dangerous field missions.
Unfortunately it also dramatically increased the chances of emotional trauma.
Clara leaned back slightly afterward while thinking.
"I’ll ask around later."
I looked out the courtyard window again while snow drifted softly across the academy grounds.
Then after several seconds—
"...Can the missions take place near Aldric territory."
Clara immediately narrowed her eyes.
"You just want to see Leon."
"Yes."
"At least you’re honest."
I smiled slightly into my tea cup afterward.
Because...
Any mission near Leon automatically became my favorite mission.
