Chapter 21: She Will Never Be Trouble

Chapter 21: Chapter 21: She Will Never Be Trouble

Victor’s movements were gentle, yet they carried a hint of unquestionable dominance.

He was obviously doing this for the first time. After fumbling around the edge of the shoe for a moment, he finally found the hidden clasp. He unfastened it, took the shoe off, and then rolled down the white sock.

Near her heel, the delicate skin had been rubbed raw by the leather, leaving a red mark that looked as if it would bleed at any moment.

Victor’s breath hitched for a second. "...Don’t wear these shoes for now."

"Oh."

"Wear these first... I just bought them. They’re very clean."

"Okay," Lilia obediently agreed, letting him change her shoes.

This was the first time the two had met outside of Lien Academy. The young man had changed out of the uniform representing his student status into a loose cotton-linen shirt. Compared to his previous gentle aloofness, he now possessed an extra touch of tangible reality, making him seem exceptionally vivid.

With downcast eyes, his long eyelashes concealed the emotions within. His fluffy black head was less than an inch away from Lilia’s calf; the slightest movement would cause them to touch.

"Done." Victor looked up to find Lilia watching him. She looked like an Angel descended to the Mortal World, curiously observing a mortal struggling in the mud.

Victor instinctively averted his gaze, only to see that fair, slender calf right before his eyes. He suddenly realized how incredibly close they were—his hand was even still tightly gripping the girl’s ankle.

He restrained himself and let go, standing up. "I’ll go pour you some water."

Lilia nodded.

Victor turned and went to the kitchen, returning a moment later with two cups. He placed one in front of Lilia and took the other, sitting down across from her.

"I don’t have any good tea at home... only this," Victor said, his voice a bit hoarse. He didn’t usually drink tea, and living alone meant he had no social life or need to entertain guests. He had just rummaged through the entire cupboard, only to find a single tin of low-quality tea leaves. It was probably old stock that the grocery store boss had casually tossed at him to cover part of his wages after a shift once. Of course, he couldn’t possibly serve that kind of garbage to Lilia.

"It’s fine. Warm water is enough." Lilia had always been understanding. She picked up the cup and took a small sip.

Victor watched her. The girl bent her fair neck, reminding him of a young deer drinking from a stream. He pressed his lips together tightly before finally asking, "How long do you plan to stay here?"

The question carried a clear intent to drive her away.

Lilia looked up.

Victor avoided her gaze. At this moment, his mind was a complete mess. His only clear thought was that he couldn’t let her stay here any longer.

"If you’re interested in my life... well, you’ve seen it now. It’s not interesting at all. It’s very boring." Victor’s Adam’s apple bobbed. "You should go back."

Lilia didn’t say anything. A dead silence gradually spread through the room, feeling somewhat unnerving.

After receiving no response for a long time, Victor finally turned his head. "Lilia..."

Lilia curled up on the sofa. "My foot hurts." As if feeling that wasn’t convincing enough, she added, "I definitely won’t be able to walk anytime soon."

"..." Victor didn’t know how to respond for a moment. "I..."

"Did I disturb you by coming over so suddenly?" Lilia interrupted.

Victor shook his head.

"Do you think I’m a burden, so you can’t wait to chase me away?"

"No." Victor lowered his eyes. How could he... how could he ever think she was a burden?

Hearing this, Lilia seemed to sigh in relief, her mood improving significantly. Seeing her relaxed expression, Victor remained silent for a long time before finally conceding defeat.

He still tried to save face verbally. "Then rest a little longer. You can go back whenever your foot stops hurting."

"Okay," Lilia agreed casually. As for when her foot would heal... wasn’t that up to her to decide?

After sitting on the sofa for a while, Lilia grew a bit restless. Asking for Victor’s permission, she went into the partitioned room.

Sure enough, just as she had guessed, this was Victor’s bedroom. There wasn’t much furniture inside—only a bed and a desk with a matching chair. The bedding was folded with military precision, while the desk was piled high with books and notes.

Lilia stepped closer, her fingertips brushing against the spines of the books. There were quite a few titles she was interested in. She turned her head and asked, "Can I read them?"

"Of course." Victor helped pull out the chair for her.

Most of these books were scavenged from the used book market. He had cleaned them, but there might still be lingering stains. Fortunately, Lilia didn’t mind. She pulled out a book about Spirit Realm creatures and started flipping through it.

After standing nearby for a moment, Victor quieted his footsteps and went to the kitchen. He opened the cupboard again. Inside, there was only half a loaf of rye bread left over from yesterday and a few wilted cabbage leaves. It was fine for him to eat these things normally, but not Lilia.

He realized he had to go out and buy some groceries.

With this in mind, he returned to the bedroom and knocked on the door. "Lilia, I have to go out for a bit. Just stay in the house and don’t wander around."

The West District was chaotic and poorly managed. Victor believed Lilia had the ability to protect herself, but he didn’t want to see her take any risks.

"Okay." Lilia didn’t even lift her head, clearly already immersed in the world of the book.

Victor smiled. For some inexplicable reason, he felt an indescribable sense of peace and satisfaction.

Taking his keys, he headed out. Victor first went to the grocery store where he worked part-time.

The moment he saw him, the fleshy-faced boss loudly hollered, "Victor! You’re late. I’m going to dock your pay!"

"I’m sorry, Mr. Dyson," Victor explained. "I’m taking a day off today."

"Haven’t I told you? You need to tell me at least a day in advance if you’re taking time off, so I can arrange the work schedule. Did something come up? Or are you not feeling well?" The boss grew a bit impatient as he spoke. "Forget it, why do I even care... Just don’t let it happen again!"

Victor thanked him. He was already used to the boss’s attitude. Back when his parents passed away unexpectedly and he had nowhere to turn, it was this grocery store boss who gave him a job, preventing him from starving to death at home. Victor never said anything out loud, but inwardly, he had always been very thankful to him.

Leaving the grocery store, he arrived at the street market. He had brought quite a bit of money this time. After picking and choosing, he bought a few potatoes, onions, some exorbitant spices, and a fine piece of tender mutton.

In addition to these, he bought white bread as a staple from the only bakery on the street. The goods there certainly couldn’t compare to the afternoon tea pastries of the Nobles, but it was one of the few "high-end" establishments in the neighboring blocks.

Taking the bread from the clerk, Victor glanced at the display case.

"Would you like anything else?" the young clerk asked with a smile.