TAVD 07

The moment was drawing near when she could quietly slip away toward the border checkpoint.

Compared to the villain’s party, who were unfamiliar with the terrain, Lillian held the advantage with her “knowledge of the original story” and the month she had spent preparing her escape.

‘While I was at it, I even taught them how to process the control stone.’

At the very least, they wouldn’t split the Empire in half because of a rampage.

Like they had in the original story.

‘Please don’t let the aftermath reach the Kingdom of Tenevrin.’

Still, she was beginning to worry about her condition.

‘Why do I have a fever? I can barely taste anything.’

She had deliberately dumped in the most expensive pepper she had stolen from the main estate.

Even then, it had no effect.

‘The villain’s group is more polite than I expected, but…’

If she asked whether they had fever medicine, they would only become concerned about her.

That would make sneaking away far more troublesome.

‘Sigh… I can’t believe I was stupid enough not to pack any fever medicine.’

Lillian pushed herself up from where she had been curled up in the corner of the tent.

Earlier, while drinking her soup, she had noticed something.

A snow-speckled plain.

She remembered a flower blooming beneath one of the trees there.

It resembled a dandelion, but every part of it—from blossom to root—had fever-reducing properties.

‘Jackpot.’

Heh.

She had made absolutely sure it wasn’t one of the poisonous look-alikes.

After rinsing it with melted snow, Lillian began chewing it from the root upward.

But when the flower itself touched her lips, she tilted her head.

‘That’s strange. Usually this works immediately.’

Back when she was a child, after her parents died because of Lillian…

“You’re actually going to take someone like her to the temple…?! My heir died because of that little vermin!”

Under her grandfather’s orders, the entire family had abandoned Lillian.

Those had been days when even the basics of food, clothing, and shelter were hard to come by.

Whenever she came down with a fever back then, she would shove whatever medicinal herbs she had read about into her mouth.

Only after becoming engaged to Karkin did that treatment finally come to an end.

A thought suddenly crossed Lillian’s mind.

Had she really loved her fiancé for those ten years…

Or had it simply been because of the kindness she received through Karkin Pavil?

‘Maybe I only clung to that bastard out of survival instinct…’

Because she was afraid of being abandoned again.

If that was true…

Had she ever actually known what “love” was?

Even once?

‘Not even in my previous life.’

In her previous life, Lillian hadn’t had a family at all.

She had been found in a baby box and raised alone.

She had to do everything herself.

She had to become strong on her own.

Yet she actually preferred her previous life.

She might have been alone, but at least she had never groveled pitifully before anyone.

From now on, she intended to live as that same strong person who could survive even alone—

“Lillian Tillard!”

Good grief.

Lillian looked up in mild surprise.

She still had the yellow flower clenched between the center of her lips.

The villain from the original story came rushing toward her, his face completely hardened.

“Haa… you.”

“…Yes?”

“Spit it out. Right now!”

“Ptoo.”

Without understanding why, Lillian obediently spat it out.

Ability users were prone to going berserk when their emotions became too intense.

She desperately needed this man to remain sane until they reached their destination.

“Your Highness, what’s wrong…? Ah.”

Only after asking did Lillian objectively look at herself.

Well… from someone else’s perspective, standing there with a flower hanging out of her mouth probably did look a little strange.

She should clear up the misunderstanding.

She wasn’t crazy.

“Your Highness, there’s a reason for thi—”

“Open your mouth wider.”

“What? Huh?”

“Now!”

She was so bewildered that she couldn’t make sense of what was happening.

The villain bit off his black glove with his teeth.

Then he grabbed Lillian’s chin…

No, wait.

Why was this man touching someone else’s skin in the first place?

With his bare hand?

‘Didn’t he avoid physical contact because it could cause trouble with his ability?’

If he was simply brushing dirt off her face, she appreciated the thought…

…No, that wasn’t it.

His right thumb gently pressed against the center of her parted lips.

“W-Wait, Your Highness.”

Lillian instinctively grabbed his hand.

“I think you’ve misunderstood—”

At the same moment, the tip of her small tongue brushed against the thumb resting above her lips.

‘What… is this?’

Her vision suddenly blurred.

The villain from the original story had clearly misunderstood something.

She was about to tell him not to panic and go berserk.

But the instant her lips brushed against his hand—

An even fiercer heat surged through her than before she had chewed the flower.

This wasn’t an ordinary fever caused by exhaustion.

‘Because I touched the First Prince…?’

But she was powerless to begin with.

There was no reason her physical condition should change simply from coming into contact with an ability user.

Lillian felt dizzy.

“Tillard…!”

She knew someone was calling her.

But she couldn’t endure the fever any longer and collapsed forward.

The First Prince caught her in his arms.

Unfortunately, that only made things worse.

Her entire body became an even greater blaze of heat.

This was bad…

Half-conscious, she vaguely felt him carrying her back into the tent.

“Physician! Get over here immediately!”

But before the physician could rush over—

Elias hurried inside from outside.

“Your Highness! I have something urgent to report—”

Lillian could only make out fragments.

Below the hill…

Suspicious people…

‘Now, of all times?’

If it had been monsters, she could have understood.

Once outside the civilized regions of the Empire, danger lurked everywhere.

But suspicious humans?

The First Prince immediately issued an order.

“Lady Tillard stays in the tent.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

…Wait?

You’re just leaving me here?

Grinding her teeth against both the fever and her growing sense of dread, Lillian felt as though she could hear her plans crumbling apart.

She refused to accept it.

No.

That couldn’t be happening.

Do you know how much effort I put into preparing to cross the border?!

No matter how cursed my luck has been since birth…

Just this once…

Just this once, luck has to be on my side!

The physician approached her.

“Lady, stay with me. Can you hear what I’m saying?”

“I…”

“My lady?”

“I’m… screwed…”

You villain from the original story…!

At first, Evren’s group suspected assassins.

Perhaps sent solely by the Second Empress.

Or by House Pavil.

Or…

In the worst-case scenario…

By the Emperor himself.

“Everyone, put on your masks.”

Evren suppressed the heat rising all the way to his jaw.

Because of Lillian Tillard, both his mind and body were in complete turmoil.

Now wasn’t the time.

He had to focus.

Soon, as moonlit bushes began to rustle in the distance—

Knights carrying torches appeared on the road beneath the hill where they lay in ambush.

A short while later, Elias signaled with hand signs.

—They’re Tillard family knights.

Not only were they wearing House Tillard’s turquoise crest, but he recognized several of their faces.

Their conversation also carried clearly through the night.

“…Ugh, what a pain.”

“Who would’ve thought she’d drug us with sleeping tea and run away—”

“Just wait until we catch her. We’ll teach that bitch a lesson.”

A shadow slowly fell over Evren’s eyes.

The expressions of his subordinates darkened in much the same way.

They loathed House Tillard.

The family had been involved in the death of Evren’s mother, the First Empress, and had repeatedly oppressed them by working together with the Second Empress.

But what these men were saying was impossible in any normal lord-and-retainer relationship.

The vulgar conversation continued.

“Haha! She’s our young lady. So what?”

“Oh, you don’t know? Is this your first time serving as Lillian’s escort?”