Jared, having slept for a while, woke up again to find the outside world completely dark.
“Oh, you’re awake. I’ll have them prepare your meal now, so please wait.”
Lily, who had been sitting by the bedside, turning the pages of a thick book, stood up and left the room, heading into the hallway. After a while, she returned with a meal.
Perhaps because he hadn’t eaten for so long, the aroma stimulated his nostrils and his stomach began to stir.
“I’ve made something easy to digest. Just vegetable soup and bread, I’m sorry, but it’s not good to eat a heavy meal all at once. For now, I’d appreciate it if you could bear with this.”
“You made this, Lily?”
“Yes. People are often surprised by my words and actions, but I’m good at housework. Just like Olivier. Now, come here.”
Invited to the table, Jared sat up in bed. Unlike before, he was now in his nightclothes. He had no memory of putting them on himself, so he decided not to think about who had so kindly done it for him.
“What about you, Lily?”
“We’ve already eaten. Come on, eat.”
“Ah, I’ll have it… delicious.”
The large-cut vegetables and the flavorful broth spread through his stomach. As he ate slowly, savoring each bite so as not to upset his empty stomach, Lily, who had sat down across from him at the table, smiled at him.
“What is it?”
“No, I’m just happy that you’re eating so deliciously, Lord Jared.”
“I was thinking, you don’t really have to call me ‘Lord Jared,’ do you?”
“Is that okay?”
“If you’re going back to your normal way of speaking, it’s a bit odd for me to be addressed so formally.”
When they first met as Ari, she hadn’t been as frank as she was now. Because of that, Jared had also called her “Ari-san.” However, Lily’s true personality was friendly and approachable, so he felt there was no need to be so formal.
Besides, Jared called her Lily and treated her in a friendly manner, so he wanted her to do the same.
“Then, I’ll call you Jared. Of course, I’ll maintain a distinction between public and private matters.”
“Thank you.”
“Hehe, to be honest, I wanted to be more casual. Since I’ve shown you my true self, I wanted to shorten the distance between us. Also, you treat me not as a daughter of the Ducal Family, but as Secretary Officer Lily, which makes me happy.”
When they first met, there was a slight sense of unease. He even felt like something was being hidden. In fact, she had told him about her hidden background, but he hadn’t expected her words and actions to be fabricated as well.
Now, there was no more unease. He knew that the older woman smiling before him was Lily Rüdiger.
“To be honest, I was planning to reveal my true identity after we became closer, or after my feelings about becoming a consort solidified.”
“Ah, I’m honestly in a difficult position to discuss that with you right now. Olivier isn’t here, and neither is my family. I don’t intend to make any decisions or even think about it on the spot.”
As much as he felt sorry for Lily, Jared was not good at thinking about marriage. Sometimes he felt overwhelmed just by Olivier and Yeny. Yeny was easy to deal with as she treated him like a younger sister, but his daily life with Olivier, whom he had begun to see as a woman, was already challenging.
He couldn’t irresponsibly say he would make her a consort on top of that. It would be disrespectful to his fiancées and to Lily.
“Yes. I also don’t think it’s necessary to force the discussion about becoming a consort right now. Before talking to you, I need to talk to the formidable Olivier.”
Not knowing how to respond, Jared decided to give an ambiguous smile.
Perhaps sensing Jared’s confusion, Lily gave a wry smile. However, her expression quickly changed.
“You know, there’s something I wanted to ask you about Ernesta, would that be alright?”
“Ah, sure.”
“Why is it that you can’t interact with her the way you do with me? I feel like there’s some kind of wall.”
“That’s because… I killed her brother. If I hadn’t, I would have been the one killed, but still, I don’t know how the one who took a family member should interact with the one who lost one.”
Lily should know the circumstances. Even so, she must have had a reason for asking.
Indeed, there was a wall. He was aware of it. However, he couldn’t erase the memory of Barnabas. In Jared’s mind, even if it was an unavoidable outcome with his reasons, the relationship between him and Ernesta was fundamentally that of perpetrator and victim.
“I understand your guilt, but if you don’t soften your attitude a little, she won’t be able to approach you either. From my perspective, Ernesta doesn’t resent you. She’s just emotionally unstable due to the loss and grief of her family.”
“Then what should I do?”
“Please call her by her name, ‘Ernesta.’ Just like you call me ‘Lily.'”
“I’ll try. That’s all I can say for now.”
“No, that’s enough. Ernesta is a good child—oh, apologies for speaking so casually to an elder perhaps? But I really think so. That’s why I want to help her, and I hope your relationship with her improves.”
Receiving Lily’s words, Jared thought about Ernesta, who wasn’t there.
Even if it couldn’t be now, it would surely be wonderful if they could build a relationship between Jared and Ernesta as individuals, not as a connection through the deceased Barnabas.
It was fine for her to hold resentment. He might continue to carry his guilt. Nevertheless, Lily’s words made him strongly feel that he should face her squarely.
“I think it’s fine for now to not overthink it and just call Ernesta by her name. Well, it seems we’ve finished eating while we were talking.”
After confirming he had eaten everything, she nodded with satisfaction and took out several garments from a chest, handing them to Jared.
“Your combat uniform is torn in many places, so perhaps you should get a new one. For now, please wear my brother’s.”
“Thank you. I’ll consider getting new combat gear.”
“It seems you’ll be provided with new combat uniforms once you become a Court Mage, so it would be good to have something to wear until then. Well then, I’ll take these dishes to clean up, so please go change.”
“Hey, Lily.”
“Yes? Is something wrong?”
Jared called out to her as she was about to leave the room. He stood up and bowed his head slightly.
“Thank you for everything. The meal was delicious. Thank you for the feast.”
“Hehe, you’re welcome. See you later, Jared.”
Lily, her cheeks slightly flushed, happily called him by his name without the honorific and smiled.
