The mourning Doves sang and a fresh breeze fluttered across her sleeping face. Lilith slowly opened her eyes and looked at the clock, 5AM.
"I'm still on military sleep schedules…" she thought.
She raised her arms and stretched in satisfaction a loud hungry grumble came from her stomach and she groaned.
"I could eat a whole cow…" she thought rubbing her eyes.
She looked to her left and flinched hard, her heart dropping to her stomach as she clenched her jaw and covered her mouth to stifle a scream.
"Fuck I forgot he was here…" she thought embarrassed at how scared she got when she saw Vincents sleeping face. He looked so serious, except for his hair being a little messy, but she thought it suited him. She was glad he seemed to be feeling better than last night.
She tried to get up but his arms were around her so tight that it was hard to move. "He has a death grip on me…" she thought as she kept squirming, trying to escape his grasp but to no avail, it didn't help that Tatsus heavy body was on her legs too. She gave up and stared at the ceiling, her stomach growling again and a frown overtook her face as her eye twitched, she was starting to consider taking a bite out of Vincents arm.
"Just a little bite…" she thought licking her lips. She sighed and shook her head.
"No…I want food.." she thought, trying to squirm out of her bed prison one more time, Tatsu finally rolled off her legs. She breathed out in relief, she managed to squirm out of Vincents arms and get out of bed.
She rushed to the door and unlocked it so Natali could easily come in when she brought breakfast.
She watched Vincents sleeping form for a few seconds, he looked so peaceful, which made her wonder about last night. When Vincent showed up hot and sweaty, she thought he had a fever or a cold, but seeing him now, it had to be something else.
The smell of food came in from the open window, she sniffed the air and her stomach growled again.
"Natali should be here soon.." she thought.
Lilith went into the bathroom, locking the door behind her, washing her face with cold water wake up. She looked at her reflection, she was starting to forget little details about herself as Estella, as if her brain was trying to replace her memories with original Liliths memories.
She smacked her cheeks lightly and looked into her own eyes.
"My name is Estella Yamada, i'm 24 years old, I am stuck in a novel, my mom is Joana and my dad Minato, my best friend is Yuki." She whispered to herself, this was her way of keeping herself from forgetting who she was.
She was getting close to the 7 month mark of how long she has been stuck here, and she had a really bad feeling about today. There was an eery aura around her and she was getting antsy, she had good instincts and this feeling was strong.
"If the novel is still going naturally, then lady Hansen is going to host a banquet soon, the original Lilith couldn't go because she was on another probation after trying to push Thalia out of a window. Since nothing has happened recently i'm assuming i'm gonna go." She thought as she exited the bathroom.
Natali was there already placing the food on the coffee table, Lilith smiled brightly.
"Food!" She thought as she rushed over to eat, she rubbed her hands together in anticipation.
The smell of food reached Vincents nose, his eyes opened slowly and he looked back to see Lilith happily eating and chatting with Natali as they drank coffee. Tatsu was sleeping on Vincents back and was making it hard for him to move.
"Tatsu…off.." he groaned, Tatsu wagged his tail and jumped off the bed, rushing to his own breakfast next to his dog bed.
Vincent rubbed his face and smiled at Lilith. "Good morning Lilith, Natali." He said.
Natali stood so she could bow to him. "Good morning young master, I will return with a toothbrush and a change of clothes for you, excuse me." She said and exited the room.
Vincent went to the bathroom to wash his face, Lilith was now full and she rubbed her belly in satisfaction.
"Vincent, what happened to you yesterday?" Lilith asked.
He came out of the bathroom and sat next to her, eating some of the fruit and yogurt.
"I'm not sure, I just remember talking with Thalia, she asked me to go shopping with her, I was going to say no and my head started hurting really bad." He said.
Lilith hummed, it was strange, but maybe he was originally supposed to say yes. The last time she saw the original Lilith she mentioned that everyone was being manipulated, maybe Vincent was breaking free from the "authors" control.
"Well, I don't see why you shouldn't go with Thalia, you used to go with her all the time right?" She asked.
He seemed confused by her question, he thought she would be upset and agree that he shouldn't go with her. After all, if a married man goes shopping with another woman it could start up rumors, and it wasn't exactly well looked upon unless he was part of the staff.
"So you're encouraging me to go with her?" He asked.
"Yeah, it's not like it will personally affect me, besides rumors are just rumors, people will always talk no matter what I do." She said.
And she was right, after all before they married there were so many rumors circling around her. People basically ate her alive with all the vile things they would make up, Vincent suddenly felt guilty, since before he married her, the things he said were not very respectful and he believed the rumors.
"You should go, take your mind off things, i'll stay here and finish up on some things i've been working on." She said smiling.
He was a bit hesitant, but eventually agreed.
"If you say so…." He said a bit down.
Natali came back with his clothes and toothbrush, setting them down on the bed and leaving. He got up to change and Lilith turned to look at him as they talked.
"What do usually do when you go to town with Thalia?" She asked.
He blushed since he was now naked and she was watching him without a care in the world.
"Do you…have to watch me?" He said embarrassed, his face red.
She smiled. "It's nothing I haven't seen before, besides, I like the view." She said biting her lip, he blushed harder and covered his face with his hands.
"You're so lewd.." he said.
She laughed and turned back around. "Okay, I turned around, happy?" She asked.
As his face burned from the embarrassment he finished changing and getting ready, he wanted to let Thalia know he was available to go with her. However he needed to finish some work first before he left.
Lilith stood with him at the door before he left. "When are you gonna leave?" She asked.
"I was thinking after lunch, that way I could eat with you or something." He said a little shy.
She smiled. "Or something." She said, pulling him in for a kiss, he melted into it and smiled.
"I'll see you in a few hours." He said as he left.
"Bye." She said, watching him leave. She sighed and closed the door, sitting at her window bench her smile faded and she stared ahead.
She could feel herself start to catch feelings and she didn't like it, there was no way she was going to let herself fall in love, because it would hurt when she needed to go back home.
She took out her journals and notes, there were a lot of things she needed to write down since yesterday she wasn't able to since he came to her room around the time she usually did that.
Tatsu was licking his paws comfortably on the bed, waiting patiently for her to finish.
She finished and hid everything again, there was a feeling inside of her she couldn't shake off, it was making her anxious.
"Let's go for a walk." She said to Tatsu and he excitedly jumped off the bed, tail wagging full force as they walked out. She felt like someone was watching her, observing her, she felt like prey.
Thalia sat comfortably in her bed as she ate from the bed tray, she looked around and looked confused.
"Where is Lucia?" She asked.
Wendy wiped her mouth. "She took your laundry, and she's going to get fresh sheets and bedding for you." She said.
Thalia smiled. "Alright, have I gotten any letters recently?" Thalia asked.
"Yes, this one from lady Hansen, it appears to be an invitation." Wendy said giving her the small grey envelope, she brought her the scalpel to cut the wax seal. Thalia put them on her nightstand, as Wendy removed the bed tray Thalia got out of bed.
Wendy saw an expression on Thalias face she had never seen on her before. She looked so concentrated, her eyebrows furrowed and lips in a small frown.
"My lady?" Wendy asked, Thalia snapped out of it.
"Oh, i'm so sorry, I was just upset.." Thalia said apologetically.
Wendy smiled softly. "Would my lady like to talk about it?" She asked.
Thalia thought about it, then looked at Wendy sadly. "I was missing Vincent, so I asked him if he would like to go to town with me and…he didn't seem to want to, then he left without giving me an answer…i'm just confused.." Thalia said sadly.
Wendy frowned, she couldn't say anything bad about Vincent so she just tried to comfort Thalia. "It's alright my lady, i'm positive he will say yes." Wendy said.
Thalia sighed. "What if he says mo because of Lilith?"
Wendy frowned. "That woman is no good my lady, we know the young master will show up for you like he always does, after all he cares for you so much." She said.
"Please say lady Lilith, don't disrespect her like that again, she is a lady of the house as well." Thalia scolded.
Wendy looked at the floor. "I apologize my lady, however it is true that that the young master will agree." She said.
"I suppose…I will just to stay ready then." Thalia said, a small smile forming on her face.
"I am glad you are feeling better my lady, let me run a bath for you." Wendy said and rushed to the bathroom.
Thalia smiled, feeling more confident about going to town with Vincent.
Lilith walked faster, no matter where she went she felt watched, it was messing with her head. Tatsu started sniffing more as well, also looking around uncomfortably.
"This is so bad…" Lilith thought, there was this darkness looming over her that she couldn't explain.
"I need to go back…" she thought, if she was truly being followed and watched she'd rather go back to her room than stay out where people wouldn't see or hear anything if she got attacked.
She saw Sarka from the corner of her eye, carrying a big basket on her back to carry back food product from the crops.
"Sarka!" Lilith called out, Sarka stopped and looked around confused.
"Hey, would you mind helping me bathe Tatsu?" Lilith asked.
Sarka smiled brightly, Tatsu was sniffing her and wagging his tail. "Yes, that sounds fun, I love spending time with Tatsu, right boy." She said bending down to ruffle his fur.
His tail wagged harder and Sarka stood back up. "I'll bring him to you later my lady, I just need to finish this and i'll get started with Tatsu." Sarka said, she whistled and patted her leg so he would follow her.
Lilith sighed, one less thing to worry about, she hurried to her room immediately.
"This is bothering me so much…" she thought.
She closed her bedroom door, sliding down onto the floor as she caught her breath, running up all of those stairs was tiring.
When she caught her breath she checked her room, looking inside every door and checking under the couch and bed. Nobody was in there, she breathed out in relief.
"Am I being paranoid?" She thought.
She looked at the clock, it was almost 11, which meant it was about time that Vincent and Cyrus to train.
"Hmm, maybe Vincent will train right now, he did say he was leaving after lunch.." she thought and went to her window.
Right on time, she saw Cyrus from afar, but Vincent wasn't with him. She frowned, she stayed at the window watching Cyrus, he seemed to notice the eyes on him and he started looking around as he got closer. He looked up and saw Lilith watching him, she lightly waved.
He looked confused, raising his hand as a greeting, she was disappointed she couldn't see Vincent.
Suddenly she noticed Cyrus eyes widen, fear clear on his face. "Lilith!" He yelled, getting the knights attention that were doing their afternoon shift.
She turned around, she was face to face with someone wearing a green cape, their face covered with what looked like black fabric. Black gloved hands lushed her hard, since she wasn't well balanced on the window bench she flew out.
Suddenly, Lilith felt the wind all around her, she wasn't able to grab onto the person and the culprit ran off. Lilith braced herself for an incredible amount of pain, but instead she pushed before collapsing into the ground.
Arms wrapped around her as they slid on the grass, she was shaking from the adrenaline and she looked at her rescuer.
"That is…gonna…bruise…" Cyrus muttered, letting ho of her as he sat up.
"You caught me?" She asked, surprised there was no signs of broken bones.
"Yes…did you see their face?" Cyrus asked.
"No, they covered it with black fabric, it happened fast and I couldn't even see any details." Lilith said, although what made her truly uncomfortable, was the fact that this person was able to walk right up to her and she didn't even sense it.
It made her shiver, that has never happened before, even worse she couldn't even smell anything on them.
She heard heavy footsteps running towards her and she knew it was Richard.
"My lady!? Are you alright!?" He asked looking at her arms and face, inspecting her for injuries.
His eyes were full of worry, she smiled and hugged him. "I'm alright, just a little shaken up.." she said as she rubbed her arms.
He took off his cape and placed it on her tightly, his strong hands hands on her arms. He turned to look at his soldiers.
"I need you all at every entrance and exit, no one leaves, no one enters. Search every corner, every room, every hall, bring anyone suspicious." Richard said and the soldiers and guards left, passing on the word to the rest of the soldiers they found on the way.
Lilith was taken aback by his authority, he usually acted so goofy with her, seeing this side if him wasn't so bad.
"We'll find out who it was, I will protect you with my life if it comes to that." He said looking into her eyes.
His fierce strong eyes made her blush lightly, when he left she covered her mouth with her hand.
"He's so heroic…" she said biting her lip.
Cyrus looked at her offended. "I'm the one that saved you." He said.
Lilith looked him up and down. "There's grass on your ass." she said in a teasing tone and walked away.
"What!? Is that all you have to say?" He asked.
"Well what do you expect? Do you want me to give you a handkerchief and act like a damsel in distress?" She asked, looking at him lamely.
"You were a damsel in distress, that fall would have killed you, you could at least thank me." He said.
She looked down at the grass, he was right, if he hadn't caught her she would have died.
"You're right…sorry..thank you for catching me." She said, feeling a little guilty for teasing him, but she would have done it again.
"You're welcome, now I'm going to tell my father what happened, get back inside and find my mother, just stay with her until we figure out what to do." He said, his mother usually a good amount of guards around her quarters so he knew Lilith would be safe there.
"Okay…" she said as he walked away, everything happened so fast she wasn't even able to process it. She looked at shaky hands and sighed.
"Am I getting rusty? Or was that a professional?" She thought, still thinking about how easily they snuck up on her even after she felt followed the entire day.
"Alright, I have to go to the duchess.." she thought as she headed back inside.
Vincent looked at the paperwork in front of him. "So japan is the only one that is still thinking about the trade?" Vincent asked.
"Yes, China and Arabia have agreed, Japan is just being cautious." The duke said.
"The ball this Saturday is to welcome those kingdoms back, does that mean we'll hold the meeting during, or after?" Vincent asked.
The duke clasped his hands together. "I was told that it would be during, we have to try and please the Japanese emperor, which might be difficult, I've heard he isn't easy to please." The duke said.
Before Vincent could reply the doors swung open and Cyrus walked in with a serious expression on his face. The duke and Vincent looked at him concerned.
"Lilith was just pushed out of her bedroom window, she is doing fine she was caught before she hit the ground. Unfortunately we couldn't see who it was, the knights and guards are searching thoroughly and have gotten their orders on how to proceed." Cyrus said.
Vincent sat back down, processing what Cyrus just said.
"Wait, it could be possible that it was the same person that poisoned Thalias dessert and tried to frame Lilith, if so it means that person is definitely one of the staff." Vincent said.
Cyrus shrugged. "At this point it is hard to tell, the soldiers and guards are doing as they were told, we won't be able to leave today. No one can leave or enter." Cyrus said.
Vincent sighed, he knew how much Thalia wanted to go to town, but it looks like he's going to have to take a raincheck.
"So what do we do, father?" Cyrus asked.
"Let's make sure this stays here, no one else can know of this, keep an eye out for any staff you do not recognize." The duke said.
Cyrus and Vincent agreed. "Yes father." They said.
Vincent worried for Lilith. "She must be scared…" he thought.
Lilith hummed as she walked up the duchesses library, knocking gently.
"Come in." The duchess said, Lilith opened the door and smiled.
"Hello mother.." she said as she walked in.
"Oh what a pleasant surprise, sit dear I just got a letter from the Hansen residence." The duchess said, getting the scalpel to cut the wax seal.
The envelope looked s elegant, it was white with pink flowers elegantly drawn. As the duchess read the invitation she smile.
"Well, it's for tomorrow at 4pm, I hope you don't have anything planned for tomorrow." The duchess said excitedly.
"No I don't, i'm as free as a bird.." Lilith said jokingly, she wondered if it would be a good idea to tell the duchess about her almost falling to her death.
She decided to keep quiet about it since there was no need to stress her out and she was going to hear about it at some point either way.
"I have heard the Hansen residence prides themselves from their water fountains and water statues." The duchess said.
"They must be very beautiful…" Lilith said, now that she was actually trying to have small talk with the duchess she had almost nothing to say.
Lilith was playing with her fingers as a maid brought her a cup of black coffee, the cream and sugar cubes in front of her.
She wasn't expecting the Hansen banquet to be tomorrow, and she definitely didn't think that she would be pushed out of a window. Is the story trying to keep the main events in correlation with novel? Even if it meant that Lilith would now be a victim in Thalias place?
Lilith sighed, her face was blank like always but the duchess could tell there was something off about her.
"What is it dear? What troubles you?" The duchess asked.
"Nothing mother, I was just thinking about tomorrow…." Lilith said, a small smile on her face.
The duchess hummed, she remembered hearing about the situation Lilith had with lady Hansen at the ball.
From what she heard lady Hansen was very rude to Lilith and tried to start rumors about her.
"I understand, is this about the problem you had at the ball?" The duchess asked.
"I suppose so.." Lilith said, ever since she found out lady Hansen was the one that paid the kidnappers to take her, she had been on edge.
"Don't worry sweetie, it will get better, you g ones always have so much to say, if you ask me, it's because she's jealous if you." The duchess said.
Lilith smiled, she knew it wasn't going to get easier, if anything it was going to be so much harder.
The doors opened and Vincent walked in, his eyes full of worry.
The duchess saw the somber expression on his face and she felt nervous for the news he was about to say.
"Lilith…are you feeling alright? Does your body hurt anywhere?" He asked.
The duchess was confused, looking at Vincent for an explanation.
Vincent saw his mothers expecting face and realized Lilith hadn't told her.
"You didn't tell her?" He asked.
"Tell me what?" The duchess asked, looking back and forth between them. Lilith chuckled nervously, scratching the back of her head.
"Please don't freak out…" Lilith pleaded to the duchess, she raised an eyebrow at Liliths request and waited for Vincent news.
"Lilith was pushed out of a window today, Cyrus caught her and she is apparently fine." Vincent said, looking at her in disapproval for not letting his mother know.
The duchess gasped and looked at Lilith in shock. Lilith chuckled nervously.
"I'm doing fine, my back and bottom are a little sore but other than that i'm doing great." Lilith said smiling.
"Sit down son, tell me the details." The duchess said looking at Lilith like she scolding a child.
Lilith gulped. "I wanna go home…" she thought.
"So we're on lockdown?" Thalia asked.
"Yes my lady." Lucia said as she bowed.
Thalia sighed as she put down the book she was reading, it appeared Lilith was once again in the middle of another chaotic event.
Lucia saw Thalias sad face and tried to comfort her.
"It's alright my lady, I was told it was just for today, you will have plenty of fun tomorrow at the banquet." Lucia said gently brushing her hair.
Thalia sighed. "That's not why i'm sad.." she muttered.
Lucia looked at expectantly. "Oh, then why are you sad my lady.." she asked.
"I thought I was going to be able to spend time with Vincent…I miss him.." Thalia said, she was used to him always giving her gifts, be it a flower, a dessert, or a book. He always made time for her before and would come running as soon as she called out for him.
Lucias eyes widened. "My lady, are you in love with the young master?" She asked.
Thalia seemed to realize it herself, but instead if feeling relief, she felt saddened.
"It's too late anyway, I confessed that I loved him, and he said that he used to love me…besides he's married to Lilith, I can't come between them…" Thalia said sadly.
Lucia felt anger and resentment towards Lilith.
"You can't…but I can…" Lucia thought, a small smiling forming on her lips as she continued playing with Thalias hair.
Lilith managed to get away from everyone hovering over her, the girls and Natali were crying and made her anxious. Since it was now nighttime she told them she needed to sleep since she was very tired, and they reluctantly left.
"Finally…my bed.." she groaned, plopping down into the bed.
A soft knock at her door made her frown. "I literally just laid down…" she thought, getting up angrily.
She took a deep breath and opened the door with a smile.
"Oh…Sarka.." she said surprised, Sarka looked worried but she didn't say anything about what happened to Lilith.
"I brought Tatsu…" Sarka said, Tatsu running in and jumping onto Liliths bed.
"Did you have a hard time bathing him?" Lilith asked, Sarka smiled a little.
"No…it was fun.." she said, a sad smile on her face.
"I'm assuming you heard about what happened." Lilith said, putting her hand Sarkas head to mess with her hair.
"Yes…I was worried for you ny lady…" Sarka said, looking at the ground to hide her tears.
Lilith sighed, she pulled in Sarka for a hug, holding her tightly. Sarka sniffed as she cried into Lilith's chest.
"I worry about you my lady, you are the only person I know that treats me like an equal, I have never met a lady that is as kind and generous as you. You are genuine and fun to be around, when I think of you in danger…I get so worried…" Sarka said.
Lilith rested her chin on the top of Sarkas head. "Is this what it feels like to be a mother?" She thought as she comforted Sarka.
"Nothing will happen to me, so don't worry so much." Lilith said.
Sarka nodded and stepped. "Alright my lady….I have to go now, good night." Sarka said and bowed.
"Good night.." Lilith said as Sarka walked away.
Lilith went back to bed, looking up at the hand painted ceiling. She had gotten bothered by what she felt was overreacting from her maids, but she didn't stop to think about they felt.
It wasn't common for staff to be treated kindly, many even get punished or pushed around by their masters. However, the person Lilith was most angry at, was herself, she wasn't able to do anything. If Cyrus hadn't made her turn around she would have never noticed someone was behind her until she was already falling.
She couldn't even smell if the person had a scent, she always prided herself for having a great nose, but now she felt useless. She curled up and held herself, trying her best to think about any possible culprits.
"Well…this is better than losing my kids.." She thought, her heart aching as she remembered the sweet smiles of the orphans she once lost.