Lilian of Turin

Three days later, the day Lily and her party would depart from the capital of Turin to Cantacun.

“It’s very windy.”

Dark clouds had gathered since morning, and the atmosphere was unusual.

Cedric anxiously stroked Lily’s windblown hair.

“Lily, would you rather leave tomorrow?”

“But you’ve prepared a lot like this.”

At Cedric’s disuasion, Lilian awkwardly smiled.

“If you put it off for a day, it will be disrupted in many ways.”

“Uhh…”

Cedric hesitated. However, Lilian, who knew in advance that the weather would be like this at this time and that she could save Damian in time if she left today, took a firm stand.

“As long as I get out of the main city, I can use the tunnel from the Magical Era. Don’t worry, brother.”

Cedric groaned. He felt very uneasy and an inexplicable ominous feeling would appear whenever the tunnel came in handy.

To him, the Marquis of Turin who was at odds with the Emperor, the magic tunnel was like a sharp knife stuck next to a pillow.

‘I know nothing will happen. I know.’

The fact that Lily was using that unsettling tunnel made him feel uneasy.

‘I can’t stop her and tell her not to go now.’

Was she excited about going on a trip for the first time?

Cedric had no choice but to tighten the cloak on Lilian’s shoulders a little more.

The cloak, lined with fine fur to avoid wind and moisture, was a garment Cedric had made from a game he had caught some time ago.

He used to feel so proud and confident when she put on this outfit. As if he’s protecting his little sister.

As if guessing Cedric’s feelings, Lilian calmly smiled at him.

“I’ll be back.”

“…alright.”

Cedric didn’t have the confidence to beat Lilian. He gave one more order to Dunkel, the captain of this party’s escort.

“Not a single hair must be hurt.”

“Yes, sir.”

It was an order, not a request. The momentum was terrifying.

Goosebumps ran down the back of the man who had 7 tera of magical power. Lilian smiled awkwardly.

Cedric also read the faint rebuke from his sister’s expression, as if saying ‘Do you even need to do that?’, but pretended not to know.

“Let’s see. The clothes are heavy, so it must be difficult to walk.”

He just pretended not to know and picked up his sister. Lily gave up and kept saying “yes, yes” as she climbed into the carriage in the arms of her older brother.

It was time to depart.

***

A tunnel from the Magic Era that connected Cantacun Islands and Turin.

Through this road, which couldn’t even be demolished by human power at present, it was possible to reach the southernmost tip of the Empire at once.

Besides, Lilian had to take medicine and fell asleep in the carriage, which was decorated almost like a bedroom this time.

So in many ways, they arrived in the blink of an eye.

The carriage lightly passed the checkpoint. The feeling of a brief pause on the way awakened Lilian from her slumber.

“We’re almost there. Would you like to sleep a little longer, my lady?”

“No.”

Lily, who shook her head, took the medicine Rita prepared.

Lilian bit into the white end of the long pipe. And she sucked in and spat out smoke that smelled like a deep forest.

Unlike cigarettes, the specially treated herbal smoke was fragrant and didn’t cause any sense of rejection even when inhaled.

Of course, at first, she wasn’t used to inhaling the smoke, so she sometimes coughed. She’s used to it now, so she didn’t have to.

Inhale and exhale.

As she breathed slowly, her head cleared. Lilian asked Rita to raise the wooden blinds.

It was to see through the pouring rain, but she could tell that it was a well-organized city.

‘The city where the Emperor’s soldiers keep the peace.’

And because of that, Lilian was safe.

If she’s killed within Cantacun, the imperial family themselves would ruin the reputation of this city, which was responsible for 10% of their annual income.

Moreoever, Lilian was not an important enough person to risk killing her.

‘Not yet.’

Huuu. Lilian leaned back on the white fox fur cloak and let out smoke.

Tong tong.

Then Dunkel’s finger hit the window. Rita opened the window only slightly to keep the rain from coming in.

“My lady, we will go straight to Heath Cottage.”

“No.”

Unexpectedly, Lilian refused.

“Yes…?”

Dunkel was taken aback. Rita also twitched her eyebrows.

The two shared a look.

The knight first asked what was going on with his eyes, but Rita shook her head slightly. She hadn’t heard either.

Lily just quietly smiled.

And softly said.

“I have a place to stop by. Let’s go to Terrine 3.”

This was the start.

***

In the heavy rain, the carriage made its way to Terrine 3.

A short distance from Terrine 3 was a famous theater.

Lilian even put her name on the reservation list ahead of time, just in case. It was to pretend that she was on her way to the theater if she was discovered.

‘It’s okay…’

She could do it. She had to do it calmly, calmly.

The moment Lilian made up her mind, the carriage came to a stop.

Feeling calm, Lilian spoke to Rita.

“Open the door.”

“Miss?”

“Hurry.”

Instinctively, Rita didn’t ask more because of the firm command and opened the door without thinking.

“Miss!”

Dunkel exclaimed. Surprised by the sudden action, his voice sounded like he was angry.

If it was a normal young lady, they would have opened their eyes in surprise. But Lilian wasn’t like that.

“Stand back, Sir Dunkel.”

It was just a quiet command.

It was a strange feeling of intimidation. It was not like a girl who had never set foot on the ground outside her original home since she was born and climbed into the carriage in the arms of the Lord.

Lilian’s light blue eyes, which looked just like Lord Cedric, stared intently at Dunkel.

Her complexion was pale, but her eyes were lightly smiling.

Those eyes seemed to be saying this.

‘I know even the Lord will do my bidding.’

Dunkel involuntarily took a step back.

As the tall knight in a black raincoat stepped back, the man standing behind him appeared.

He was a very tall man. He wasn’t even talking.

Rain soaked blond hair clung to his face, and eyes of an unknown color flashed between them.

The shirt clinging to his body was completely soaked in blood. His feet was bare, but his hands were covered with gloves, making him look even more messed up.

That’s not all. The while ankles and bare feet beneath the hem of his black trousers were dripping with blood, staining the puddles on the ground red.

She was prepared but Lily’s heart beat wildly.

It felt like her body reacted first.

‘This is the man.’

It was this man. This man was Damian Rupenwein, her husband.

Then Dunkel’s loyal hand moved cautiously to the hilt of his sword.

Damian’s eyes sparkled even when he lost his senses.

The air began to stir. Damian’s shoulders swelled greatly with hostility. It was like a lion before it smacked his front paws.

In the imminent situation, Lilian unknowingly exclaimed urgently.

“No, Your Highness!”

At that moment, to her surprise, Damian stood still.

At the peak of tension, time seemed to have stopped.

With no one breathing, Damian slowly turned his head towards Lilian.

Did the desperate disuasion work? She wasn’t sure, but there was nowhere else to cling to.

Lilian repeated.

“I am on your side, Lilian Islar of Turin.”

It was impossible to know how much Lilian’s calm words could have been heard over the sound of the pouring rain. Damian’s eyes were still dazed.

The fortunate thing was that the intangible aura that seemed to oppress people was much thinner.

‘It went through…right?’

Then Damian moved his lips as if to say something…

“!”

He was about to fall to the ground.

Surprised, Dunkel quickly grabbed his arm and saved him from face planting on the ground.

“My lady, I have to report it to the police…”

“No, Sir Dunkel.”

Lilian shook her head. Then ordered.

“Put him in the carriage.”

“Yes?”

“Hurry.”

Lilian’s voice was firm.

Dunkel winced.

Her voice, which wasn’t high for a woman, sounded like Cedric’s for a moment.

Dunkel was overwhelmed by the insubstantial sense of intimidation. But he still couldn’t understand.

“Wait a moment. It’s a suspicious vagabond. He can never ride with the lady…”

“Shh.”

Lilian raised a finger to her lips where the medicinal smoke was leaking out. The urgent words thar were about to flow from Dunkel’s lips dispersed like smoke.

“Not a vagabond. Please refrain from talking like that to me because he’s the Grand Duke of this country.”