Chapter 22: So Close, Yet So Far

Chapter 22: Chapter 22: So Close, Yet So Far

In response to the shop assistant’s inquiry, Victor nodded. Soon, he returned home with the food.

Hearing the door open, Lilia stepped out of her room. "You went grocery shopping?"

Victor murmured an acknowledgment as he carried his armful of ingredients into the kitchen. Lilia offered to help, but Victor turned her down on the grounds that ’guests shouldn’t cook’. She didn’t insist, nor did she return to her reading as he had suggested. Instead, she leaned against the kitchen doorframe, quietly watching him.

For ease of movement, the young man had rolled up his sleeves, revealing his sturdy forearms. He clearly did this often. He skillfully washed the vegetables, boiled the water, and diced the tender mutton before tossing it into the pot.

Before long, the savory aroma of meat wafted out, filling the cramped space.

Lilia sniffed the air. "Smells delicious."

"Are you hungry?" Victor smiled gently. "It’ll be ready soon."

The mutton was tender and stewed to a melt-in-the-mouth consistency with ease. Victor added a few spices for seasoning and set the bread aside to warm up. A few minutes later, a pot of mouth-watering mutton stew was brought to the table. Along with it, a slice of white bread and a peeled, roasted potato were placed in front of Lilia.

With everything ready, Victor took a seat beside her. Unlike his effortless grace in the kitchen, he now looked a little nervous. "Give it a taste?"

Lilia took a bite of the mutton, said nothing, and then tried the potato. Under Victor’s anxious gaze, she nodded. "It’s delicious."

Victor let out a breath of relief, though he couldn’t help but ask for confirmation. "Is it really good?"

"It’s genuinely delicious," Lilia smiled.

The mutton was incredibly flavorful; the rich scent of its fat blended perfectly with the spices, creating a complex taste and a hearty texture. As for the potato—an ingredient that was impossible to ruin—it was soft and fluffy. Its natural sweetness was enhanced by a touch of sea salt, offering a stark contrast to the refined, elaborate dishes served by the Beaumont family.

Seeing her eyes crinkle in utter satisfaction as she ate, Victor finally relaxed. An unconscious smile tugged at his lips as he produced another item, as if by magic, and set it before her. "There’s also this."

Lilia glanced at it. It was a slice of lemon cake.

Before Lilia could ask, Victor offered a slightly defensive explanation. "I walked past a bakery and picked it up on a whim... I thought we could have it for dessert."

Lilia blinked.

Victor grew nervous again. "I know a street-side bakery can’t hold a candle to the Beaumont family’s pastry chefs, but it should still taste decent. The shop assistant said it was their best-selling signature item. You can give it a try. If you don’t like it—"

Before he could finish, Lilia scooped up a generous bite with her spoon and popped it into her mouth.

"It’s good."

Victor paused. "...Is it really good?"

"It’s genuinely delicious."

As the words left her lips, they both realized they had just repeated their earlier exchange and burst into laughter. Listening to the notification chime of [Favorability Increased], a beautiful smile curled the corners of Lilia’s lips.

Dinner soon came to an end.

As Victor cleared the table, Lilia sat in her chair and let out a soft yawn. She had stayed up reading until midnight and woken up before dawn; her hours of sleep for the day fell far short of what she needed.

Noticing her drowsy expression, Victor hesitated before asking, "If you’re tired, would you like to lie down on the bed for a while?"

That was, assuming she wouldn’t mind...

Lilia, completely oblivious to his underlying concerns, nodded and agreed. Exhaustion made her movements sluggish and delightfully lazy. The girl’s figure vanished behind the partition, and the bedroom quickly fell silent.

She must have fallen asleep.

Victor deliberately softened his movements as he washed the plates. Once everything was clean and tucked away in the cupboards, he approached the bedroom door. He hesitated for a moment before stepping inside.

Lilia was lying on his single bed. A space barely large enough for him to sleep in somehow looked quite spacious with her lying there. Her long black hair spilled across the pillow, highlighting a delicate face as flawlessly pale as jade. Bathed in the sunlight, she seemed to softly glow.

She was wearing a light green dress today, its wide hem spreading across the mattress like a blossoming flower. She looked just like a fairy born from the petals. And yet, right at this moment, this fairy completely untainted by the Mortal World was resting on his faded, over-washed bedsheets.

Looking at this scene, Victor didn’t feel the smug satisfaction of having something so beautiful entirely to himself. Instead, a wave of profound bitterness welled up in his heart.

Lilia and he—along with the very room he lived in—belonged to two entirely different worlds. Two worlds that would never have intersected if she hadn’t taken the initiative.

Victor crouched by the bed, gazing closely at her stunning, Angel-like features. He reached out, his knuckles brushing against her cheek with immense restraint before tracing downward, coming to rest near the soft curve of her cherry-pink lips.

Warm. Soft.

She was right in front of him... yet utterly out of reach.

[Victor’s Favorability Increased.]

...

Lilia was completely exhausted.

During her time with the Beaumont family, her nerves had been strung tight every waking second. Lady Beaumont treated her well, and the Earl was gradually accepting her presence. However, both their kindness and acceptance were built entirely on the premise that she was useful.

That was why she had to study so diligently. It wasn’t just to farm better stats for her second playthrough; it was to maintain the stellar grades required to keep everyone satisfied.

She hadn’t had a proper rest in a long time. Nor had she been able to sleep in.

...

When she finally opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was a slightly battered ceiling. There were no intricate engravings, nor any uniquely shaped vaulted domes. It was just a blank, empty expanse of white. It was so starkly simple and clean that Lilia felt slightly disoriented.

That was, until Victor’s voice murmured near her ear. "You’re awake?"

His tone was feather-light, as though he were afraid of shattering a beautiful dream.

Lilia sat up. As she moved, the thin quilt that had been draped over her at some point quietly slipped down, revealing her slightly rumpled collar and the snow-white skin beneath. She murmured an acknowledgment and noticed Victor sitting by the bed, reading a book.

She had no idea how long he had been keeping watch over her.

Lilia looked at him, her eyes still hazy from sleep. "What time is it?"

"Half past four."

Which meant she had slept for over three hours. It had been quite a long nap.

Lilia glanced out the window. Dusk was approaching. The harsh golden sunlight had melted into a much warmer, vibrant shade of orange. The uneven skyline of buildings bathed in the glow looked like a framed oil painting—utterly surreal.

"I want to go for a walk," Lilia said suddenly.

Victor set his book down. "...Now?"

He instinctively wanted to repeat his earlier warnings—that the West District was chaotic, lawless, and far too dangerous for someone like her. But as he looked at Lilia’s expression, the words died on his tongue, and he swallowed them back.

Victor nodded. "Alright."