Chapter 3: Scheming Woman, Tattletale

Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Scheming Woman, Tattletale

[That afternoon, the three of you shared your bread.]

[You and Caius became playmates.]

[At first, you dragged Betty along to find him. But at some point, he found out where you lived and took the initiative to wait for you at your door.]

[You were a little surprised when you first saw him, but he just looked at you quietly, his black eyes seemingly reflecting the starry sky.]

[You smiled at him, a very happy smile.]

[Caius’s favorability increased.]

[From then on, the trio turned into a duo.]

[You learned quite a few things from Caius.]

[For instance, his mother was in poor health. The doctor had said the southern climate was better for her recovery, which was why they had come here for vacation.]

[Also, in another month, the Lien Royal Magic Academy would open. The Lien Academy was the highest hall of learning in the Lien Kingdom and even the entire Magic World. Only here could the strongest Mages be cultivated.]

[Furthermore, before the school term started, he had to return to the Capital Taronia, needing to set aside some time for preparations. So, in a week at most, he and his mother would leave Ernst, and he didn’t know when they would return. Perhaps they never would.]

[Your brief playmate relationship seemed to be coming to an end here...]

No.

Lilia absolutely would not allow that to happen.

If she couldn’t take this opportunity to enter the Lien Royal Magic Academy, it would probably be hard to find another chance in the future.

But Caius had said that the Countess didn’t know about their relationship. She wouldn’t allow him to make friends in Ernst.

What should she do? Should she encourage Caius to lay his cards on the table with his mother?

No, that would only deepen the Countess’s disgust for her. To make someone like the Countess actively want to keep her around, Lilia had to make her feel that she was useful.

Lilia quickly formed a plan.

That day, she called Betty out again, and the trio had a rare reunion. Caius seemed a bit unhappy about Betty’s appearance, but Lilia didn’t care.

The picnic spot this time was chosen by the lake.

Lilia used to play here often when she was little. The ground by the shore was very slippery, and she almost fell into the lake once. When the Sifris couple found out about it, they gave her a rare, severe scolding, but their hearts softened immediately upon seeing her pitiful eyes. To make up for it, they bought her many small cakes.

So, Lilia had a very deep impression of this incident.

Halfway through the picnic, she made up a random excuse to lead Betty to the lake. Betty always listened to her and didn’t suspect her intentions at all.

Lilia pretended to squat down to wash her hands, but her foot slipped and she bumped into Betty. The girl lost her balance and was knocked into the lake.

SPLASH.

"Betty!" Lilia feigned panic.

This place was remote, and very few people ever came here. Unsurprisingly, her shout only attracted Caius, who was not far away.

Seeing her worried face, Caius jumped into the lake without a second thought. As a noble youth, he was good at various sports, and he quickly dragged Betty ashore.

Because she hadn’t been in the water for long, Betty was fine. She coughed up a few mouthfuls of water and recovered. With something like this happening, the picnic naturally came to an abrupt end.

"Betty, you’re soaked through. Let me walk you home," Lilia said worriedly.

Caius stood to the side, looking down at himself. His clothes were also completely drenched, and his hair plastered wetly against his face. Caius thought he must look like a mess right now, like a little puppy that had fallen into the water.

"Here." The girl’s fair fingers appeared before his eyes. Lilia held out a handkerchief. "Wipe your face. It’s covered in water; it must be uncomfortable."

Seeing that Caius wasn’t taking it, she simply stepped forward and gently wiped his face for him.

Lilia had kept the handkerchief close to her body, so it still retained her warmth and a faint, sweet fragrance. It was a very special scent. It was like the aroma of flowers and fruits, mixed with the unique sweetness of cake. It was a scent that belonged exclusively to Lilia.

Lilia didn’t often take care of others. She held the handkerchief and wiped haphazardly across the boy’s face. It didn’t remove much water, but instead rubbed Caius’s cheeks until they hurt.

Caius inexplicably wanted to laugh. He reached out to take the handkerchief. "I’ll do it."

He glanced at Betty, his mood suddenly improving significantly. "You take her back. Remember to go home quickly and don’t wander around outside."

"I know." Lilia smiled at him. "You should go home early too. Be careful not to catch a cold in the wind."

"Okay."

...

Caius quickly returned to the villa.

While no one was looking, he was about to return to his room to change into clean clothes. Unexpectedly, the Countess was just coming downstairs and bumped right into him.

Seeing him in this state, the Countess frowned tightly. Her son had gone out to relax and came back completely drenched. Whether he had been bullied or had encountered some kind of accident, any mother would be anxious in this situation. Not to mention that the Countess was already extremely controlling.

She ordered a maid to take Caius to bathe and change clothes. Only after all this was done did the Countess call him into her room.

"Caius, what exactly happened?"

Facing his worried mother, Caius knew he absolutely could not tell the truth. His mother had always been overprotective of him. If she found out that he had jumped into a lake for Lilia...

"It was nothing, Mother," Caius said. "I was just careless."

"Really?" The Countess obviously didn’t believe him.

"Really." Caius looked up. "It won’t happen again."

Looking at her expressionless son, the Countess sighed helplessly. She knew Caius’s personality well and understood that pressing him would be useless. She had no choice but to let him go back and rest, repeatedly warning and instructing him that there must absolutely not be a next time.

Caius nodded in agreement to everything, then turned and left.

After he left, the Countess’s expression turned cold. She went down to the first floor and called for the butler, Alfr. Just as she was about to ask him to investigate what exactly happened this afternoon, a maid came up to her.

"Countess, there is a young lady at the door who wishes to see you..."

The Countess frowned, clearly a bit annoyed. Her mind was completely occupied with Caius right now. At this moment, even if a noble requested an audience, they would have to wait outside, let alone a commoner girl living in Ernst.

She was about to wave the maid away, but the latter, observing her expression, carefully spoke the second half of her sentence, "She says she knows the reason why Young Master Caius fell into the water."

The Countess paused. After a moment of silence, she said, "...Let her in."

The maid acknowledged the order and withdrew.

Two minutes later, Lilia followed behind her and met the legendary Countess of Beaumont.

The woman looked to be only in her early twenties. She wore a dark red loungewear dress and sat with her legs crossed on a chaise longue. She was expressionless. Her slightly upturned eyes exuded a strong sense of pressure, and the gaze she cast was filled with a cold, scrutinizing judgment.

"Hello, beautiful Lady Beaumont." Lilia lifted her skirt and performed a rather non-standard curtsy. "My name is Lilia. Lilia Sifris."

The Countess couldn’t help but twitch the corner of her mouth at the somewhat comical action. She found it quite interesting that such a young girl wasn’t the least bit intimidated.

"You say you know why Caius fell into the water?"

"Yes." Lilia raised her face, her eyes narrowing as she smiled.

The girl was already cute to begin with. When she smiled like this, she looked even more like a blooming flower bud... No, there was no flower that could be more endearing than her.

"Caius voluntarily jumped into the lake to save a girl," Lilia said. "I saw it with my own eyes."

As her voice faded, before the Countess could speak, a soft sound came from nearby. Lilia turned her head and saw Caius standing not far away.