The day went by pretty fast, it was already 5pm and Lilith was walking in the garden occasionally stopping to touch the flowers and examine every detail. The colors, every curve, vein and shape: every intricate detail she could see or feel with her fingers. She sighed in satisfaction and finally got to her goal, the pond. Wondering if it was deep enough for her to drown, maybe if she died like that she would be able to go back home. Her attention quickly shifted to some lily pads with pretty pink flowers and tadpoles swimming under it. The turquoise color of the water intrigued her and her mind drifted off onto the doves flying above her, nature always made her happy. For now she went to the weeping willow and rested her back on the wood, watching how many birds liked to make rest stops to eat or just swim in the water. The noises made her a little sleepy and she closed her eyes, hoping to take a quick nap. The painter had gone out to the garden as well to clear his mind and be able to focus on the new portrait the Allard family wanted, he caught sight of Lilith sleeping under the weeping willow and he approached quietly. He sat on a boulder a few feet away from her and started to sketch her, he focused more on her eyes and lips than anything else. Thinking they were her most beautiful features, he wished he could sketch her with her eyes open but this would do for now. The noise of footsteps made her wary, she woke up but pretended to stay asleep. She could hear mumbling and the sound of a pencil fast at work, recognizing the sound of someone inspired since she would also sketch that way whenever she was inspired. "Perfect…if i could just hurry and put this on a canvas…." He said softly, not noticing he was talking out loud. She wanted to laugh but kept quiet, she didn't want to distract him. "Wait…oh no…what color were her eyes…I could have sworn they were purple…but what if they were blue…it all happened so fast…" he muttered in disappointment. He finished his sketch and quietly tip toed away not wanting to disturb her sleep, not knowing she was aware of his presence. The family was gathered in the art room again and he finished setting his canvas and art supplies up. He didn't notice he was smiling as he painted until the duchess called him out. "Oh dear…Mathew your very happy this evening.." the duchess said smiling. He blushed a bit, "yes my lady, it's just..I seem to be inspired by my newfound muse…" he said as he blended some colors on Thalias portion of the painting, not noticing that it looked like he was speaking of Thalia being his muse. Cyrus and Vincent didn't like what he was implying and got upset, but since they saw Thalia get so excited to be somebody's source of inspiration they didn't say anything. Lilith started sewing again and was almost done making some finishing touches on her teddy bear when Natalie walked in with a small envelope in her hand. "My lady, a letter from the Millard home." She said as she bowed. Lilith grabbed the letter and nervously read it, she started smiling excitedly and showed Natalie the context. "Look Natalie, Lady Odette is inviting me to her home for tea…this is great." She said. Natalie had a small almost unnoticeable smile as she read the invitation. "I will pick something suitable for you to wear my lady." She said as she started to look through the closet, "This is good, i'll do my best to get along with her and hopefully she might be able to help me escape if i ever need it." Lilith thought as she applied an ointment on her lips that Natalie puts on her every night since it helped keep her lips rosy and soft. She made a nightly routine of sketching under the moonlight before going to sleep, a lot of her friends faces, even Ayano who she didn't really hang out with as much, but she still enjoyed her company since she was a funny girl. "I don't want to forget your lovely faces…" she thought as she drew Yukis hair, two buns on each side, and short betty bangs. "Alright, tomorrow I will finish drawing you, Yuki" She thought as she shut her sketchbook and went to bed. For the ride she had to take Natalie since she was her handmaid, and she took Sebastian since he was now assigned to be her valet. The duke told him to keep a special eye on her in case she did anything suspicious, and she found out Sebastian was their most trusted informant so she needed to be on his good side. The carriage ride was peaceful but a little awkward since Natalie and Sebastian were of a quiet nature. As soon as the got there Lady Odette was already waiting for her outside, a butler holding an umbrella for her as she waved excitedly. "Lilith, it's so nice to see you again, I wanted to invite you sooner but didn't to disturb you during the honeymoon period.." she said as they bowed towards each other. " Oh no that would have been fine, I love to meet with friends." Lilith said as they started walking, knowing full well there was no honeymoon phase for her or Vincent, maybe mourning his single life, but definitely not honey moon phase. Instead of going inside Odette was leading her around the mansion to her garden, where she set up some food and tea. "I apologize if you don't like being in the garden, I absolutely love being outside and forgot to ask if that was okay with you as well." Odette said politely. Sebastian pulled the chair for Lilith, "Oh that's fine I personally love being outside as well, looks like we're a match made in heaven.." Lilith said as she sat down. Odette smiled brightly. "I'm so happy to hear that, my husband had a meeting that would take all day and I didn't want to be by myself, and I remembered how well we got along at the wedding, we moved here about a month ago so we're still new to this area.." she said. "Oh, so thats why she was nice to me at first, she never heard any nasty rumors about 'me', how convenient.." Lilith thought as she stirred the sugar cubes in her tea. "I hope I will see you next month in the castle for the ball, I hear people from all over the world will be there." Odette said with hope in her eyes. This triggered a memory in Lilith, when she read the book 'Lilith' wasn't allowed to go to the ball since she was on probation, Lilith in the novel tried to push Thalia out of a very high window to kill her out of jealousy of the attention Vincent was giving Thalia. "Well since I have no intention of killing her maybe I will actually be able to go…" Lilith thought as she bit into the best lemon meringue tart she ever tried in her life. "I hope I can see you there, maybe everyone will enjoy our dance show.." Lilith teased. Odette laughed heartily, "I would love to be your dance partner, my husband Henry has been meeting a lot of the Kings officials and doesn't have a lot time to dance with me lately, I heard he might be able to dance a but more with me then since he's done most of what he needed this month, besides we're hoping for a child soon, his mother wants grandchildren already…" Odette said as she blushed. "Thats lovely, are you hoping for a boy or a girl?" Lilith asked. "Well…I would love for the baby to be a girl, but if its a boy, I would love for him to look like Henry.." she said shyly. "What about you Lilith? Do you wish to have children soon?" Lilith froze and Sebastian watched her through a side eye, wondering what she would reply. "Well…it doesn't seem to be a possibility but…if it were up to me..I really love kids, they can be a mess, and be a bit stressful, but they make good companion's. I guess with kids you would never be lonely…" Lilith said as she thought about how nice it would be to have a little companion with her in these lonely days. Odette felt sad, "Lilith…have been feeling lonely?" She asked. Lilith was taken aback but she smiled. "I think maybe a little, but I keep busy all day, I do archery, I sew, draw, and i'm looking for other hobbies…" she said smiling. Odette looked at her a bit strangely. "Archery? I didn't know ladies could do that too…" she said. "Oh yes, it's actually very fun, It helps me with my concentration." Lilith said proudly. "That is very impressive, and you draw? Maybe you can draw me and Dilly!" She said excitedly as she kissed Dilly's head, the dog just lazily wagged its tail. They laughed as Odette put him back on the chair and he instantly fell asleep. The sun was setting as the carriage rode off, Lilith waved at Odette through the window. Natalie and Sebastian were watching her intently as she sighed deeply and rested her head back, she looked content. "My lady, did you enjoy your outing today?" Natalie asked curious. "Yes, it was very fun, I really needed a good laugh with someone." She replied. Sebastian kept quiet but he looked relaxed as well, "She is nothing like the rumors…from what I heard Lilith was someone that didn't get along well with other Ladies, and not one to look for friends…" he thought. As Lilith sat on the window bench that night she couldn't stop thinking of the kids she met at the orphanage when she was in the army. She had been a mercenary for a few months when got stationed as a body guard with ten others at the orphanage. The kids loved her and she would always tell them stories, those stories in reality being movies she watched as a kid. She had been with them for a month but she quickly got attached and loved them dearly, unfortunately war broke out and a bomb landed on the orphanage one night, blowing everything up and leaving no survivors, she felt tears stream down her face as she remembered the horrible sight. Dismembered body parts all over the place as she searched endlessly to find at least one child. She wasn't hurt since she was on lookout with five others, they would take turns checking the perimeter to make sure no one was trying to sneak up on them. They later found out someone on their side had leaked the information, they had a spy from the other side posing as one of them. She felt anger rising inside her, it was horrible to kill off kids like that, but the enemy knew that every countries weakness is the kids, thats the way to make the adults compliant. She heard a knock at the door, she wiped her tears and ran over. "Oh…Thalia…what are you doing here at this time?" "Good evening Lilith…I was just hoping tomorrow we could spend some time together, I want to be good friends with you." Thalia said sweetly. "Yeah…of course that sounds nice, i'll see you tomorrow…" Lilith said. "Okay, i'll see you tomorrow, have a good night!" Thalia said excitedly as she ran off. "Okay…." The next day, She sat patiently at her desk as Sebastian finished checking her work, a knock at the door caught their attention. The door slowly opened and Vincent walked in reluctantly, both Sebastian and Lilith stared at him as he looked like he was working up the courage to say something. "Thalia…told me…to get you…" he said his face contorting. "For…" he stopped and was struggling to ask her so she sighed and stood up. "I'm going, Thalia told me last night." She said and as she patted Sebastians shoulder to say bye. Vincent stepped out to wait for her. "I'll see you tomorrow." He heard her say, they started walking and he felt uncomfortable. "I thought it was going to be just me and Thalia, I didn't I would see you today…" she said trying to ease the tension. "She's always been sneaky.." he said a bit resentful of Thalia forcing him to pick up Lilith. "I see." Lilith said as she put her hair behind her ear. He looked at her and noticed how her hair gave off a purple hue when the sun hit her, giving off an illusion of a purple halo around her hair, though he thought some horns and a tail would suit her better. As much as he hated the idea of her, he did find her attractive, her body was…well built. The way she walked was elegant and smooth, he couldn't hear her footsteps even though she was wearing heels. If she was walking behind him he wouldn't have even known she was there. They finally made it to the tea room, Cyrus and Thalia were talking comfortably, when he saw Lilith walking with Vincent he raised in eyebrow confused. "Oh Lilith! I'm happy you're here, please sit, I hope you like the desserts prepared for today." Thalia said sweetly. Lilith smiled and took a seat, they were quiet for a while until Thalia broke the silence. "Well…how are you doing Lilith? I heard you've been taking up a lot of hobbies, one of them embroidery right?" Thalia said. "Oh, yes I like to keep busy, embroidery is fun when I want to relax…" Lilith cleared her throat as she picked up the tea cup. "How does she know that?" She thought. "I like embroidery too, i'm probably not as good as you are but I still enjoy it from time to time…" Cyrus and Vincent looked at her concerned. "No Thalia you are very good at embroidery, a lot of the ladies always compliment your handiwork.." they said trying to comfort her. There seemed to be a bubble of happiness around them, and Lilith saw no space for herself, but that wasn't what bothered her. "Is she fishing for compliments? No…she seems so innocent i'm sure she must be..insecure? In the novel she was rescued from being sold into slavery so maybe she just has trauma from that?" Lilith thought. Thalia was looking at her expectantly, as if waiting for her to say something. The boys were also looking at her as if they wanted her to compliment Thalia. "I'm sure you're very good at it…you seem to have delicate hands…" she said unsure of what to say, it's not like she could compliment something she hasn't seen. "I hear you're a natural with archery Lilith, have you ever done it before?" Cyrus asked out of the blue. She was caught off guard by the question, the way he was looking at her was like he was trying to get dirt on her, " Truthfully, I have done it once before, it was a long time ago but I really liked it, I have excellent aim." She said, now wary of his intentions. "Are you still going out at night to eat figs at night?" Cyrus said in a teasing tone. She scoffed surprised by his mockery. "You like figs?" Thalia asked curiously. "Yes, but that night it was more of an unexpected craving….." Lilith said awkwardly. "By the way, Thalia would you like to come with me to see some territory down north?" Cyrus asked. Thalia looked a bit nervous, and she seemed hesitant to answer. "Hmmm, at this point of the story Thalia is well aware that those two are in love with her….in the book it never indicates that she was ever uncomfortable around them…" Lilith thought. She started picking at her piece of cake as she observed Vincents actions, he looked angry that Cyrus was now flirting with Thalia but knew he couldn't intervene since he was now a married man. "I hope you don't get bothered that Thalia and Vincent sometimes go on trips with me, if you would like perhaps we can make some..space for you.." Cyrus said in a rude tone. What she understood from that was that she is just a fourth wheel, and she wasn't actually welcome to join them. "He's testing me." She thought as she smiled. His smile faded when he saw that she wasn't bothered. Thalia cut in and awkwardly laughed. "Oh, I heard the Millard family invited you to their home yesterday? Was it fun!?" Thalia asked. "Yes, me and Lady Odette get along very well.." she said watching them intently. "Theres almost no one she doesn't get along with, she's very forgiving." Thalia said in the sweetest voice. "Woah, thats passive aggressive….I don't see any memories of Lilith having any problems with Thalia or Odette so far, is Thalia implying i'm a problem? No right…" Lilith thought conflicted, was Thalia really a sweetheart or a wolf in sheep's clothing? "She is quite a wonderful person." Lilith said as she thought of Odettes genuine kindness. Normally she was very good at sensing any malicious intentions, but with Odette, they had a good vibe together. "I was thinking, Vincent has been very busy lately…why don't you two have lunch together sometime?" Thalia said with a big smile. Vincents face looked horrified at her suggestion. "Well..maybe not for lunch but I wouldn't mind going to the library." Lilith said, "at least that way I won't have to talk to him." She thought. He seemed to be thinking the same thing since he relaxed a little bit hearing the library suggestion. Natalie walked in and bowed, "My lady, the archery field is set up." Lilith stood quickly and bowed her head, "Wait a minute, why don't we join you? It could be fun." Cyrus said. The idea of that was uncomfortable for her but she smiled. "Of course, however you like." The uniform for her was fitted perfectly now since she kept tampering with it so it wouldn't look awkward when she wore it. When she looked over at Vincent and Cyrus she almost drooled, for having horrible personalities they sure looked handsome. She could feel her heart racing, she thought they looked handsome all the time but seeing them in uniform was different in a way. Richard the young knight was shocked to see all of them there since it was usually only Lilith. Some guards and maids were there to watch the showdown, it would be embarrassing for their masters to be defeated by a Lady and the wanted to be there to see it. Vincent and Cyrus felt the threat when they saw how many people came to watch, and Lilith didn't want to destroy their ego since she still wanted to be liked. "What if instead of those targets, we use live targets?" She suggested. "We'll go with you to make sure you are safe from any predators." Richard said and the guards agreed. The two brothers looked at each other and agreed. "Alright, that sounds good, lets go into the forest, the person with the highest kill count wins." Vincent said. "I thought it was just hunting." Lilith teased, he blushed out of embarrassment, they had never said it would be a competition. "However a competition sounds fun, i'm very competitive." She said, Thalia just smiled and wished them luck as she and her personal maid walked away to go inside. As they went into the forest, Cyrus noticed how quiet and focused Lilith was. Even walking through dry leaves and twigs she didn't make a lot of noise. "She's too quiet.." he thought. She stopped moving and knelt down, she positioned herself as she pulled the string. They watched her curiously wondering what the hell she was aiming at. Letting go of the string she smiled confidently and a small thump was heard from the bush she shot in, they went quickly and pulled out a rabbit, the arrow had gone straight through its eye. "They die quickly and won't feel the pain if you shoot the small critters through the eye." She said as she tied a red ribbon on its leg. They decided to color code their hunt to make it easier to count later on. Cyrus gave Vincent a strange look. "This is bad…they're getting more suspicious of me…I shouldn't have done this." She thought regretting her choice. Her excitement to being friends came from how well she got along with Odette, but she forgot she was still the villain in their eyes. They kept hunting and every kill she got was shot through eyes, while Vincent and Cyrus were good hunters and not far behind her they couldn't get most through the eyes which made them feel inferior. In the end some servants took their pret to clean them and prepare them for dinner. They were only hunting for an hour so the sun was still up, Natalie waited for Lilith patiently outside the forest, along with Melinda and Betty. "I hope she won, that would be great." Betty said, she was a lovely girl, only 16 years old with chocolate brown hair and hazel nut eyes. "I'm sure she did, she practices every day and never misses." Melinda said, she was 17 years old with reddish brown hair and brown/black eyes. "She's taking a while…" Natalie said as she stared into the forest, "I hope she's okay…" she thought. Relief consumed her when Liliths silhouette could be seen walking towards them, as she walked Natalie felt a chill up her spine. "She looks so powerful just by walking towards us.." she thought. Lilith was a strong woman, mentally and physically, and Natalie knew she worked out every morning. Every time she dressed Lilith and saw her naked body, she could see how toned she was becoming. As she got closer the look in Liliths eyes made Natalie shiver, such a strong and confident gaze, never once looking back. "My lady doesn't seem like she's from here…she doesn't act like any of the other ladies…she speaks in a weird way, her movements are too quiet, and she notices every detail.." Natalie bowed when Lilith was standing in front of them. Melinda and betty fawned over Lilith, bombarding her with questions about the hunt, and Lilith gladly answering every question. Lilith laughed with how cute they were acting and she held their hands as they walked. "She treats us like her equals..like if we matter, she shares her snacks with us, she doesn't like to be a bother, in my heart, she is my lady…" Natalie thought deciding to let Lilith be her only master, the master in her heart, and she would do anything for her master, no matter the price. "What is Natalie thinking, she hasn't said a word and she's kept herself 3 steps behind me the whole way here…" Lilith thought finding Natalies new behavior strange. Mathew watched the hunting from far away, he got many sketches of Lilith every time she took aim. However he got a little freaked out when it looked like she made eye contact with him, she stopped moving and turned to look in his direction, like if she knew he was there, which would be impossible since he was a good distance away and hiding in the bushes and nobody else noticed he was there. "It's impossible right? But she..focused on me so well…like she was reading my eyes..No, she couldn't have known, anyway i'm so glad I got all these good sketches, I cant wait to paint her." He thought as he rushed out of the forest to go inside the mansion. Thalia sat with her personal maid, who was massaging her hands, they had been waiting for the group to come back from hunting. Thalia perked up when she saw Vincent and Cyrus not far behind Lilith as they walked back. "Wynona, will you get some figs in a gift basket to give to Lady Lilith?" Thalia asked. Wynona nodded and stopped massaging her hands. "Yes my Lady, I will be back soon." She said and left. "I hope she likes my gift basket…" Thalia thought as she smiled watching Lilith walk hand in hand with the young maids through the window.