Chapter 87 - 14: Who Isn’t a Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing?

Chapter 87: Chapter 14: Who Isn’t a Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing?

Leo was shocked, suspicious, and utterly in disbelief.

If Lilia had simply accelerated the growth of a sapling, he wouldn’t have thought much of it. The crux of the matter was that she only demonstrated her ability after the rest of them had completely failed.

And considering the vast disparity in the educational resources they had received...

One had been left to roam free and untutored in the Royal Court for several years.

The other had received daily instruction from a court magician, practicing diligently since the age of fifteen...

With such a stark contrast, Leo couldn’t help but feel incredibly dense.

If he was beginning to question his entire existence, the shock Veronica felt was truly beyond words.

Her immediate instinct was that this was a trap—that Lilia and Victor had conspired to deceive them just to ignite their fighting spirit!

But... did it make any sense to spin a lie that could be exposed with a single poke?

If Lilia was nothing but an embroidered pillow—all flash and no substance—the truth would easily spill out in their future classes.

So... was her talent genuinely so extraordinary that she could effortlessly crush them without having studied at all?

Veronica felt her mind spinning in chaos.

Victor paid no mind to his students’ immensely complicated emotional shifts. He simply left them with the words, "I now have a general understanding of your aptitudes. That will be all for today’s class. We will meet here at the same time and place tomorrow. I will tailor a teaching plan for each of you based on your respective levels," before turning and leaving the training ground.

After the teacher’s departure, a brief silence fell over the grounds.

Leo wore a rather peculiar expression.

He hesitated in place for a long time. It wasn’t until he saw Lilia preparing to leave that he finally sprang forward, closing the distance between them in a few quick strides.

"Hey!"

The young man crossed his arms over his chest, using his height advantage to look down at the girl before him. "How did you do that?"

Lilia hadn’t intended to pay him any mind, but seeing him so utterly shocked and curious—yet still trying so desperately to maintain his arrogant facade—she reconsidered. Pausing her steps, she offered a faint smile. "To what are you referring?"

"The test just now, obviously!"

Leo said, clearly dissatisfied. "Don’t play dumb. You’ve been exposed to Magic before, haven’t you? You must have practiced in secret numerous times and grasped some trick I don’t know about."

That was the only explanation he could accept.

If she said no... No! Impossible! There were no ’ifs’! That absolutely had to be the case!

Meanwhile.

Veronica’s face remained impassive, but when no one was looking, she discreetly inched two steps closer to Lilia, clearly deeply invested in her answer.

Looking at the curious yet somewhat tense Leo, the girl’s smile grew even more radiant. "Not at all."

She blinked, her expression a picture of pure innocence. "Does something so simple even require practice?"

As her words hung in the air, Veronica’s eyes widened in shock, and Leo was struck entirely speechless.

Damn it... that matter-of-fact, condescending attitude of hers was so infuriating!

Fuming, Leo stormed off.

Veronica plunged deeper into self-doubt. As she trudged out with her head bowed, she resolved to have someone deliver a hundred ash tree seeds to her room that very night. She was going to practice until dawn! She wouldn’t sleep until she could do it better than Lilia!

Watching their retreating backs, Lilia couldn’t help but chuckle.

Was this the scenery that geniuses of Magic saw?

No wonder Caius always loved delivering such infuriating remarks in a flat, deadpan tone. It turned out that watching others fume in helpless rage was genuinely, viscerally satisfying.

Still smiling, Lilia left the training ground with a light step.

She hadn’t gone far when a figure suddenly blocked her path.

It was a boy who looked to be around fifteen or sixteen. He wore a simple shirt and trousers, his dark bangs partially obscuring his eyes, giving his handsome face a serene and obedient look.

"Your name is Lilia, right?"

Chris looked up. His oval eyes resembled those of a puppy, yet his gaze harbored an imperceptible aggressiveness.

"My name is Chris. It’s very nice to meet you... little sister."

Lilia gave a slight nod in greeting. "Can I help you with something?"

"No, I just thought... my new sister is very cute, and very impressive, so I wanted to get to know you."

Chris took a step forward. "Can we play together from now on?"

"Of course," Lilia smiled. "We’ll be taking classes together every day."

"No, I mean, outside of class..."

Chris came to a halt right in front of Lilia.

The girl’s smile was exquisite and flawless, yet it didn’t contain a single ounce of sincerity.

As if sensing this, Chris lowered his eyes slightly, appearing rather dejected, like a drenched little animal on a rainy night. "I know... we just met, so it’s perfectly normal if you don’t like me.

"But I really want to be friends with you..."

The boy took a box of cookies from his pocket. He opened it and offered it to Lilia, as though presenting his most treasured possession. "These are my favorite cookies. I was originally planning to save them for tonight... Would you like to try one and tell me how it tastes?"

Lilia glanced down.

The cookies were baked to a crisp, golden-brown perfection, their surfaces sprinkled with icing sugar. They looked incredibly appetizing.

Under the boy’s expectant gaze, Lilia picked up a cookie.

However, instead of putting it in her mouth, she brought it right up to Chris’s lips. "Say ah—"

Chris froze.

Lilia narrowed her eyes and tilted her head. "Aren’t these your favorite cookies? Why aren’t you eating? Could it be... you’re disgusted by me?"

"No..."

Chris explained, somewhat flustered, "I wanted to give it to you to eat..."

"But that’s exactly what I’m thinking, too," Lilia smiled. "Rather than eating it myself, seeing a friend look so happy eating something they love makes me even happier."

"This... I..."

"If you won’t eat it, could it be because this isn’t actually a cookie, or perhaps you’ve added something inedible to it?"

"Of course not!"

Chris vehemently denied it, though a drop of cold sweat rolled down his temple.

He gritted his teeth, expecting Lilia to relentlessly press the issue. To his surprise, the girl casually tossed the cookie back into the box and dusted the icing sugar off her fingers.

"Sorry, I don’t really have an appetite right now," Lilia said with a smile. "Maybe next time."

"By the way," she asked, "what year and month were you born?"

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Chris answered instinctively, "August 1353..."

"I’m July." Lilia stood on her tiptoes and patted the boy’s head. "So you should be calling me ’older sister’."

Chris remained utterly silent.

"It’s getting late. I should head back." Lilia waved at him. "See you tomorrow, little brother Chris."

Chris was left completely speechless.

Even after Lilia walked away, he remained in a daze.

Lilia had guessed correctly. He had indeed added something inedible to the cookies: the sparkling granules on the surface weren’t icing sugar, but grains of salt.

But... how did she see through it?!

Furthermore, as a pitiful child who had been neglected since birth, shouldn’t she have been ecstatic to suddenly receive someone’s care and an offer of friendship?

Why was she so unfazed?!

It was as if she lacked neither friends nor love...