Raine's eyes narrowed as she looked at Vince and Lily, who were seated across from each other.
"So, tell me what happened between you two."
Lily could sense the threat in her captain's voice, as if one wrong word and blood would be shed in the living room of the manor. Vince crossed his legs and nodded at Lily, urging her to explain what had happened.
After his bath, Vince couldn't sleep, so he went to the manor's library to read some books. A couple of hours later, Raine arrived, and a servant fetched him to go downstairs. He found the silver-haired lady sitting with the raven-haired girl in the living room.
When Raine first arrived, she had no idea that something had happened between Vince and Lily until the butler informed her that Lily had paid a visit. The observant Tony told his mistress that Vince had gone for a walk, and when he returned, there were traces of mud on his clothes. Tony also mentioned that Lily had entered the manor afterward, looking agitated.
"I hope it wasn't monkey business."
Though Raine appeared calm, both Vince and Lily felt the air around them grow colder, indicating that the temperature inside the house had dropped drastically.
"Of course not, Captain," Lily quickly replied, her tone polite and full of respect. "I wouldn't dare do that behind your back."
The dark aura surrounding Raine seemed to vanish, and she smiled at her junior.
"Good. You are like a sister to me, Lily, I wouldn't appreciate you stealing my potential mate."
Vince smirked because what Raine suspected was far from what had actually happened. Besides, there was no way he'd be interested in a young girl like Lily. Though she was considered an adult in this world, she looked very young, and he couldn't help but see her as a normal 15-year-old.
"What happened, then?" Raine inquired again, holding a teacup in her hand.
"When I arrived, I found Mr. Rosen in the garden and thought he was a trespasser. But then I soon realized that he was the man you chose from the Selection. His arrogance irked me, so I thought of playing with him a bit. I brought him into my pocket dimension. I apologize if I acted without your permission, Captain."
Raine waved two fingers dismissively. "Well, it seems like a small thing. I don't mind. I know your pocket dimension doesn't harm its captives. So, what happened next?"
Lily told Raine the rest, and the silver-haired lady started laughing.
"…"
"???"
Both Lily and Vince looked at Raine with puzzled expressions.
"Is something fun happening here?"
Lily turned to see where the cute female voice had come from and found a demon cat flying toward them.
Fiona perched on the single sofa next to Vince. She had fallen asleep in her master's room but woke up when she heard the noise downstairs.
Raine looked at Vince with adoring eyes.
"Vince, darling, look at you, surprising me again. Lily is short-tempered, and when she holds someone captive in her pocket dimension, she usually keeps them there for days. Time in her pocket dimension passes much more slowly, with days inside equating to only minutes in the real world. For a dormant, I didn't imagine you could make her yield like that in such a short period of time."
"Indeed, it was commendable," Lily said, but her eyes remained sharp as they fixed on Vince.
She still hated the fact that Vince had managed to see through her like that when no one else ever had. Raine knew that the illusion-made person in her pocket dimension was a loved one, but that was only because Lily had willingly told her captain. Vince was a stranger, and she still resented his arrogance, but right now, she had no choice but to yield. She respected Raine more than anyone because Raine was the reason she became a city guardian.
"I didn't do much, actually," Vince said, smirking proudly.
He turned to Lily. "I have a question, little girl."
Lily glared at him, but Vince didn't correct how he addressed her. Why would he? She looked like nothing more than a little girl to him.
"You can do spatial creation and illusion magic? But I thought people usually have only one magic affinity."
That thought had crossed Vince's mind earlier, but he was too eager to take a bath because of his dirty body, so he hadn't had a chance to ask.
Not everyone with awakened power cores had magic affinities, and it was rare to have two magic affinities.
"The illusion wasn't created by me."
Vince's forehead creased, the question apparent on his face without him needing to voice it.
"He did," Lily said in a low voice, her expression unreadable. Her grey eyes were emotionless now.
"You mean the man inside your pocket dimension?"
"I don't have a magic affinity for illusion manipulation, so he did it as a favor for me… before he left."
He left. Those two words didn't sound too heavy, but looking at Lily, Vince knew she meant that he hadn't simply left. He hadn't chosen to, but was forced to. From the moment Vince learned that the man wasn't real, he had known there must be a tragic story behind it.
Lily stood up and offered Raine a bow.
"I shall excuse myself now, Lady Raine. I need to head back to the base. I'll return when I have things to report."
She also offered Vince a curt bow with a poker face.
"Nice meeting you, Mr. Rosen. I hope you take good care of my captain while you're here. I wish you both a good night."
"Won't you wish me good night too?" Fiona butted in.
Lily only looked at her, and Fiona narrowed her eyes. Lily walked out of the living room without another word.
When the girl was gone, Vince asked Raine who the man was.
"He's a childhood friend of Lily's, someone she holds affections for. Unfortunately, he died many years ago. All she was left with was a fragment of him, which she keeps in her pocket dimension. She can go inside and see him anytime she wants, but after every meeting, the illusion-made man can no longer remember her."
'So that's why he said that he couldn't remember Lily's face,' Vince thought.