How could such a trial come after I’ve tried to live so virtuously for a whole month?
Lilith muttered to herself, feeling desolate, unaware that what she considered “virtuous” was based solely on her own standards.
While she wallowed in her disappointment, the man and her stepmother continued their conversation.
“She turned nineteen this year.”
“I see. Then when is her birthday?”
“It hasn’t passed yet.”
“Oh-ho, how fortunate… Ahem, I mean—please let me know when her birthday comes around. I’ll prepare a gift.”
In the Kingdom of Veloa, where Lilith now lived, citizens were recognized as adults only after their nineteenth birthday. However, one could legally marry as long as they turned nineteen within the calendar year.
In other words, had things gone according to the original plot, Lilith would’ve already reached adulthood and been legally able to refuse marriage.
But now, she was still nineteen before her birthday. And unfortunately, she had been born on the very last day of the year—December 31st—meaning she would not be legally an adult for another half a year.
Her stepmother had deliberately aimed for this.
It was a petty move, but an inescapable trap. No matter how “virtuously” she lived, getting married to the baron like this would be foolish. Lilith had been trying to escape before it came to this, so her expression naturally soured.
“Lilith, go ahead and thank the baron.”
“…”
“Oh my, this child… Please forgive her rudeness, Baron.”
“No need. Lady Lilith has a delightfully proud charm.”
With looks like that, a bit of arrogance could be forgiven. He figured he’d “train” her properly after marriage anyway. Even if she stared at him with contempt now, he was confident he could make her kneel and beg for mercy in time.
And Lilith had the best qualifications of any potential wife he’d met so far.
Not only was she the most beautiful, but she came with the title of count as her dowry. The baron stroked his thick chin, clearly pleased.
“People often say my daughter has quite the charm.”
Carmen chimed in, laughing along, but inwardly, she was sweating bullets.
She’s not going to cause another scene, is she?
Something about Lilith had changed about a month ago. On the surface, she still did her chores obediently as usual, but she was clearly no longer the same.
First, her eyes were different. She used to be so timid that a single glare would make her shrink away. Now, no matter how fiercely Carmen glared, Lilith didn’t flinch at all.
In fact, her sharp gaze and cold expression made Carmen reluctant to make eye contact.
And over the past month, the things Lilith had done gave Carmen more than one headache.
She’d force carrots into Aria’s mouth, saying a balanced diet was important, and she once kicked Melody’s butt for dirtying the floor with her boots.
Every time she did something like that, she always added a parting comment:
“Sisters, you have to live kindly. Like me.”
Yet she still completed every task without complaint, confusing those around her. It unsettled Carmen so much that she stopped overworking Lilith and just kept her stationed by the kitchen hearth.
Simple-minded Melody kept forgetting the abuse and continued ordering Lilith to clean her room, but Carmen remained constantly on edge, fearing what Lilith might do next. Even her clever daughter Aria agreed it was time to get rid of the girl.
I need to get her out of this house soon.
The noble society would gossip again, but her reputation had never been good. A commoner who took the place of the Countess of Delphi, then suddenly became a widow—people were already suspicious.
Not that they were wrong. I did poison my husband, after all.
She had narrowly avoided being convicted and spared Lilith’s life for two reasons: she found it thrilling to boss around a noble-born girl, and she feared another death in the household might reopen the case.
But that was in the past. Now, Lilith had become… unsettling.
Just as Carmen feared, Lilith didn’t throw a tantrum on the spot. Starting a fight when the situation was disadvantageous was something only amateurs did. But that didn’t mean she was giving up.
“Excuse me, how do I get to Linte Street?”
“Go into that alley and turn right.”
Lilith followed the passerby’s directions into the alleyway.
No matter how she looked at it, the situation was too grim. There was no way out alone. What she needed now was an ally.
In the original story, Lilith received help from the crown prince, Calyx. They’d once attended the same academy, so when he recognized her battered face, he stepped in.
But Lilith wasn’t going to him.
Though this Calyx might be different from the one who gave her poison, she still couldn’t bring herself to ask him for help. Besides, how could she seek his help without a reason—when nothing had happened yet?
So she chose someone else as her ally.
“Is this the Black Foot Mercenary Guild?”
“Yes, that’s right. Are you here to request a job?”
Lilith nodded. Dressed in a lavish gown with a robe pulled low over her face, she spoke with such elegance that the clerk immediately assumed she was a noble lady and guided her in politely.
“That dress is stunning.”
“Thank you.”
The dress was borrowed from Melody’s wardrobe. Since she was lending it to her little sister, she figured that counted as Melody doing a good deed thanks to her. Melody should really be grateful.
Thinking this, Lilith sat down where she was guided.
“Is there a specific mercenary you’d like to request?”
“No, I’d like to see them myself and choose.”
Such clients existed occasionally—those who preferred to handpick a mercenary rather than go by recommendation.
But the clerk worried that this delicate-looking lady might be frightened by the rough mercenaries. He asked again, just to be sure.
“Most mercenaries are rather rugged. Are you sure you won’t be alarmed?”
“I won’t be.”
Her confident tone came off as cute, and the clerk smiled. He escorted her to the break room where the mercenaries were gathered.
The moment Lilith entered, curious eyes turned toward her. A young noblewoman coming to a mercenary guild was incredibly rare.
I hope he shows up today…
But her concern was unnecessary. Among the crowd of brutish, brawny men, one man stood out right away.
Seated lazily on a bench, one long leg crossed over the other, he wore a hooded robe and exuded boredom.
He was a tall man, likely around 6’2″, and his face was hidden beneath a mask up to his eyes—so suspicious-looking that most people wouldn’t dare approach.
But Lilith didn’t hesitate. A glimpse of violet eyes through the mask confirmed for her that he was the one she was looking for.
“What’s your name?”
“…Jade.”
Hah. As if.
Knowing his real name, Lilith responded lightly:
“I have a request for you.”
He stood and motioned for her to follow. As she trailed behind him, they entered a small room.
The Black Foot Mercenary Guild always provided private rooms for confidential clients. It was standard procedure to guarantee privacy.
The room was sparse, with just a desk and two chairs. They sat facing each other.
Now that they were alone, the air felt stuffy, and Lilith pulled down her hood.
“Wouldn’t it be more comfortable if you removed your hood too?”
When her bright, beautiful face was revealed, the man flinched. Even with only his eyes visible, Lilith could tell he was startled—and she smirked slightly.
Am I just too pretty?
But when he suddenly stood up, she was the one caught off guard.
“I’m sorry, but I won’t be taking this request.”
“What? Why not?”
“I’m under no obligation to give a reason, am I?”
He turned to leave, and Lilith quickly grabbed his arm.
“Francis Carnelian.”
“….”
“Why are you running away?”
As expected, calling him by his real name had an effect. Francis stopped in his tracks.
Francis Carnelian was clearly a villain in the original novel—just like she had been in her past life.
The only heir to the Marquess of Carnelian, he attended the Royal Academy of Veloa alongside the other main characters.
He and Calyx had never gotten along, but both of them fell in love at first sight with Sylvia, a foreign princess who had transferred to the academy under the guise of diplomatic exchange.
The rest was predictable. Sylvia and Calyx fell in love—leaving Francis out. Driven by his villainous nature, Francis descended into madness and initiated a kidnapping and imprisonment plot. After that, the story got messy until he ultimately met his downfall.
Lilith only knew the rough outline. She had read the beginning diligently but skimmed the rest to only follow scenes involving her namesake before dropping the book altogether.
So she didn’t even know what happened to Francis in the end. But that didn’t matter.
What mattered was that he was standing right in front of her now.
“You’ve got the wrong person…”
“Are you really going to say that to me?”
She gently reached out and pulled off Francis’s hood herself. As the smooth fabric slid down his black hair, the strikingly handsome face described in the novel as “scandalously attractive” was revealed.
Honestly, they could’ve just said sexy, but maybe the book was rated for all ages?
Considering it featured kidnapping and imprisonment, that seemed oddly conservative. Lilith pulled Francis down into his chair again. With a sigh, he finally spoke:
“Lilith Delphi.”
So he did know her name.
Even though she was surprised to hear it, Lilith maintained a composed expression.
They had once been classmates at the Royal Academy of Veloa. All noble children in Veloa were required to attend from age fifteen to twenty-one.
Lilith had only attended the first semester of her first year before Carmen forced her to take a medical leave and withdraw.
It had already been several years. So it was surprising—while it made sense that Calyx might remember her as a plot device, she hadn’t expected Francis to recognize her face too.
