“Unni, what time is it now?”
“It’s almost 2.”
“Already? We didn’t even do anything!”
Carmen had tried to ignore everything and focus on discussion, but it was Aria who had insisted they clean. What terrified her was how tenderly Francis treated Lilith. A man who used to treat women like pebbles on the roadside now looked at one with such fervent eyes.
People like that were dangerous. You never knew what they’d do for their lover.
“Unni, do we really have to go this far?”
“What else can we do? Francis looked like he’d flip the whole place upside down.”
No matter how calmly Aria tried to reason with her, Melody simply didn’t get it.
“This is so annoying! I don’t even know why I’m the one doing this!”
She had once kicked a wall in a tantrum and now was the one scrubbing the scuff marks off it. Frustrated, Melody threw the wet rag and flopped to the floor.
“I’m done. I swear I’m going to make that Lilith pay for this.”
Aria, already at her breaking point, slammed the dish she was washing onto the rack. The dishes Lilith had been putting off were stacked like a mountain, and Aria was washing them with half her mind gone.
It wasn’t like she wasn’t angry either.
“Obviously. We’re just letting it slide for today, but she’s going to pay for this.”
Being trampled on by Lilith of all people—how could they let that stand? Lilith had been the one they could always push around. Now that she was acting differently, Aria even felt betrayed.
She used to be like a toy in Aria’s hands. Who gave her the right to change?
She was being polite now only because Francis was by Lilith’s side. But even if they were lovers, they couldn’t always be together.
Aria was eagerly waiting for the moment Francis left the mansion and Lilith was left alone.
“There’s not much time left. Let’s change our clothes.”
In their rush to clean, their pretty outfits were now covered in stains. Their only meal had been a lump of bread they’d found in the kitchen, so they were drained.
And so, completely exhausted, they faced Lilith and Francis once again.
“Countess, thank you for inviting us again.”
To be precise, it wasn’t an invitation—it was a forced visit. But since she couldn’t dare argue with him, Carmen greeted Francis with a forced smile.
“Welcome, Marquis Carnelian. Shall we go inside?”
“Let’s.”
Lilith, arm in arm with Francis, stepped onto the newly polished marble floor.
It was still a bit yellow in places where the grime hadn’t fully come off, but compared to how the main lobby looked in the morning, it was a huge improvement.
There wasn’t a speck of dust, and the things that had once been scattered like they lived in a junkyard were all gone.
“There’s not much to see aside from how clean it is, but do come in.”
Carmen offered an awkward welcome, afraid he might nitpick anything. She’d thought her greeting was flawless.
But Francis’s eyes narrowed.
“How can you say there’s nothing to see? Our Lilith lives here.”
“…That’s true. Right, Lilith lives here.”
Carmen forced a laugh as tears welled up inside. There was no such thing as a comment he’d just let slide. So she hurriedly began praising Lilith to smooth things over.
“Thanks to Lilith, our Delphie family truly shines. I’d momentarily forgotten that.”
“Should I be jealous? That you’ve grown so used to Lilith’s presence, you forget how precious she is—like someone who forgets to be grateful for sunlight because the sun is always overhead.”
She’d merely called Lilith a shining presence, and he compared her to the sun?
Feeling like her compliment wasn’t enough, Carmen shifted to outright worship.
“Y-you may be jealous indeed. Lilith is the sun, the light and the salt of the earth! Without her, I might as well die!”
It was obvious those words were insincere—the life had left her eyes. But Lilith, who hadn’t seen Carmen’s expression, beamed brightly at the words.
As expected, her stepmother and stepsisters did need her.
They were finally feeling grateful for her efforts in reforming them into decent people. Compared to simply nagging them, this method of role reversal was far more effective. Truly, “walk a mile in someone else’s shoes” was a timeless classic.
Even if it hurt her heart, she had to torment them harder from now on.
With a sincere heart, Lilith offered her thanks.
“Thank you for thinking so highly of me.”
“It’s nothing…”
“That’s not true, Lilith.”
Francis suddenly cut in before Carmen could respond properly. Ending her sentence at “nothing” made it sound like an insult.
Would Lilith take it the wrong way?
Ignoring Carmen’s panic, Francis continued.
“You tend to undervalue yourself.”
“…I do?”
“The Countess’s words were not flattery, but mere statements of fact. That’s why there’s no need to thank her.”
Was that true? Lilith thought for a moment, then nodded. Without her, these people would have sunk into wickedness. They should be the ones thanking her for her benevolent torment.
Come to think of it, Francis was much better at reading people than she was. She’d once been a villainess who didn’t even understand loneliness, but he had clung to Silvia simply because no one else had stayed by his side.
She didn’t know how his story had ended, but she imagined it ended in tragedy. Unlike her, who had let go of Calyx, Francis must have continued to suffer.
Poor Francis. She couldn’t let that happen again.
And even if he didn’t feel grateful for her help, she would understand. After all, he helped her, so it was only natural for her to help him in return.
And natural acts didn’t require thanks—Francis had said so himself.
But then… what should you say when you’re complimented for doing something natural?
She realized she had no idea how to have a normal conversation or build a proper relationship. Curious, Lilith turned to the much more socially adept Francis.
“So what do you say when someone compliments you for something you’re supposed to do?”
“You were wondering that, Lilith? How can anyone ask such an adorable question?”
Francis looked at her like he could barely contain his love, while Aria, standing nearby, shuddered.
Goosebumps. She hadn’t observed Francis closely, but he was so handsome that he always stood out wherever he went. And yet, she’d never seen that expression on his face before.
“From now on, whenever your mother compliments you, just do as I do.”
Lilith’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. Francis smirked and said proudly:
“‘Of course.’”
Then he tilted his head at Carmen, as if to say, Compliment her again.
Unfortunately, Carmen understood instantly.
“Lilith, thank you so much. Our family shines because of you. Like the sun always overhead, I foolishly forgot your importance and committed a grave sin. But I always think of you this way.”
Kindness brings showers of praise. Unable to hide her joy, Lilith laughed out loud.
“How do you think of me?”
“You’re the sun, the light, and the salt of this household.”
Recycling Francis’s words exactly, Carmen offered her praise again. Lilith, mimicking the expression Francis had just taught her, responded smugly:
“Of course.”
Now that she said it, it kind of felt like her villainess days all over again…
But before she could second-guess herself, Francis dramatically clutched his chest and exclaimed:
“You even left off the verb. Truly brilliant—she understands ten things from one. If only she’d tone it down, so I wouldn’t feel so inadequate next to her.”
“Right? Lilith is so clever.”
Carmen echoed him without being prompted. Truly humiliating.
Aria had told them to flatter Francis no matter what, but did they really need to go this far?
She glared at Lilith, standing so smugly beside him. Let’s see if you can still smile once he’s gone.
As Carmen stewed with rage, she decided to try what Francis had done—insert herself into the conversation.
“And it’s nonsense to say the marquis could seem inadequate. Isn’t the Marquis Carnelian known far and wide as a promising noble?”
“I see.”
Francis responded shortly, then suddenly looked annoyed.
What?! What did I say wrong this time?!
She’d praised him—how could he still dislike it?
Flustered, Carmen wore a deeply wounded expression as Francis said:
“Do you always make your guests stand around like this?”
Oh, right. They were still standing in the main lobby. She should’ve guided them to the parlor the moment they arrived.
Too caught up in complimenting Lilith, Carmen had forgotten all etiquette—and her poker face.
“Sigh.”
With her mother frozen in shock, Aria stepped forward with a sigh and said:
“I apologize. It’s just that my mother was so overwhelmed by such an important guest that she forgot protocol. I hope you’ll understand.”
“I see. She forgot. Just like she forgot how important Lilith is earlier. You do seem to forget things often.”
“I… I’m not very bright…”
Grabbing the chance Aria created, Carmen quickly made excuses. Francis, now smiling slightly, responded:
“How unfortunate that you’re dim. I’ll try to understand.”
“…Thank you for your understanding.”
“Had I not known, I might’ve thought I was an unwelcome guest being kept outside.”
“I’ll show you in, instead of my mother. Don’t feel hurt, Francis.”
Francis had hit the nail on the head—but of the three women, not one dared admit it.
All they could do was lag behind Francis and Lilith, lowering their voices to whisper among themselves.
“Aria, do we really have to keep doing this? Every word he says cuts like a knife. It’s exhausting.”
“…I had no idea Francis had such a way with words.”
“What do you mean? Are his words hellish?”
“Everyone already knows you’re an idiot, Melody. No need to show off.”
Aria snapped, releasing some of her pent-up irritation on airheaded Melody.
No, no. They couldn’t be fighting among themselves.
With only a short walk to the drawing room, they should be encouraging each other, not breaking down.
“Anyway, whether it’s hellish or poetic, the meaning’s the same. He’s awful.”
“How did Lilith end up dating a guy just like her?”
“If it weren’t for Lilith, we wouldn’t be suffering like this.”
Carmen nearly burst into tears as she glared at Lilith’s back. Aria tried to comfort her.
“Mother, let’s just think about the hopeful future. Francis won’t always be by her side.”
“You’re right. Once that man—no, once His Lordship leaves, we’ll decide what to do with Lilith.”
