Chapter – 06
The capital of the Pernies Empire, Meltant.
Iris, returning from the palace, had a face swollen from crying.
“Sniff… sniffle.”
Who had written such an article about Karkin Pavil?
‘I got scolded by Her Majesty the Empress!’
By anyone else’s standards, she hadn’t really been scolded. The Empress had been very lenient with Iris.
“Iris, be careful of your behavior for a while. Many will be jealous of the one destined to be with my son.”
But to Iris, who had been raised with great care, it was unbearably humiliating.
S-class controller… and I’m being put through this trial!
Cuern, who was riding with her in the carriage, gently patted her.
“Don’t cry, Iris, okay?”
“Sniff… but… Grandfather was angry about the embezzlement.”
“Oh, he wouldn’t really be angry with you. You know him—he’s impatient by nature.”
Cuern tried to console her kindly.
“You grow by learning. Don’t worry too much. I handled Grandfather well.”
That meant he had taken care of all of Iris’s nurses and maids.
“Th-thank you… Brother, you’re the best.”
“But, Iris…”
“Yes, brother?”
“How is the controller stone business report going?”
“…”
“It seems a bit delayed. Ah! I’m not trying to rush you. I just wanted to check if something isn’t going smoothly.”
“No, no way! It’s just a large amount, so you don’t need to worry!”
“Of course, Iris. You’re always perfect; there’s nothing to worry about.”
Iris smiled brightly.
But when Cuern wasn’t looking…
‘Lilian…!’
She pressed her lower lip between her teeth, careful not to smudge her makeup.
‘Even if I go north, I should have finished my work first!’
The Tillard family had two major businesses:
The first was providing personnel for controllers.
The second was the artifact business using controller stones.
As an S-class controller, Iris naturally controlled the second business.
But she had no innate talent for it.
“Brother, shouldn’t we bring my sister back soon?”
“I know you care for Lilian, but she should stay there a little longer.”
“Oh, but—”
No, the one who doesn’t understand is you. You fool…!
Iris gritted her teeth in frustration at Cuern.
He had no idea that Lilian had handled the groundwork for the business.
‘Even if he knew, he would have sided with me anyway.’
How could she manage to get this foolish cousin to bring Lilian back?
Eventually, the carriage arrived at the main gate of the Tillard estate.
At that moment, the family’s longest-serving butler came running in a panic.
“Your Grace!”
“Why are you so flustered?”
“This is an urgent message from Lord Lamio, arriving via the communication stone just now!”
The butler hurriedly handed over a green communication brooch.
Cuern frowned.
“Lamio… what’s the matter? Didn’t Lilian arrive at the northern annex already?”
—No!
Lamio sounded furious.
—Do you know what Lilian did!? She drugged us!
“What?”
—Thirty knights… she gave them sleeping pills, anesthetics—
“…What?”
—Emetics and antacids too, and then disappeared!
Did that mean she had tried to kill people?
The color drained from Cuern and Iris’s faces. Lilian was still an important piece for the family—for different reasons, each of them.
“Lamio, find Lilian immediately. I’ll explain the situation to the palace knights.”
—Ha… okay. But!
Before hanging up, Lamio shouted:
—That trash Lilian… don’t expect her to return unharmed!
Traveling with a woman whose mind had been affected by her fiancé.
It had been five days.
Evren observed Lilian closely, arms crossed.
He had expected her to sit down in protest on the rough mountain path—but surprisingly, there was nothing to criticize.
“…And yet, something is suspicious, Your Majesty.”
Elias was astonished.
“She keeps staring blankly over the mountain, muttering ‘Soon… soon…’”
“…”
“…And keeps distributing things… to the knights.”
“When do ordinary humans do that?”
“…When they are getting their life in order…”
Evren frowned, hiding it behind a smile.
Hadn’t she also refused to hand over the brooch willingly?
‘I’ll live according to my station.’
‘I only brought her along because she might be of some use.’
He had also intended to subtly cause trouble for the Second Empress’s family and the Tillards.
But what was bothering him wasn’t just that.
Why didn’t she come closer?
His senses, increasingly sensitive, were irritated.
Lilian wasn’t a controller, yet she kept giving off a “presence.”
When he collected himself, his eyes were tracking her from behind.
At the center of today’s campsite, a fire had been lit.
Evren stopped at a distance.
A person with his abilities could hear conversations clearly from afar.
Jeanne awkwardly offered a bowl.
The first day, Lilian had repaired an artifact, working in the shadows.
“Miss Tillard… would you like some soup… or rather, please have some.”
People generally disliked the Tillards.
They controlled the high-level controller networks, cutting off support to Balthazar.
However…
“Thank you. Should we add this while it’s still hot?”
“But… that’s pepper!”
“Yes. I brought it from Bonzer myself.”
Lilian generously sprinkled pepper into the camping pot.
The shadows’ faces turned pale.
Pepper was a rare delicacy, even crossing the Tenebrin Kingdom.
“Is it really okay to use something so valuable like this?”
“Yes…? It’s fine. What’s the point in saving it now?”
Her tone lacked energy. It wasn’t an attempt to curry favor.
It was as if she were just unloading a bothersome burden.
Evren’s irritation with her strange behavior grew.
And…
Surely, she isn’t trying to break first, is she?
The voice in his mind, always provoking destructive impulses, sounded urgent.
No. She mustn’t break. I haven’t even gotten to take it.
She wasn’t a controller!
‘This is maddening.’
His own state was maddening, and so was Lilian Tillard, who kept getting under his skin.
But regret was already too late.
He called Lilian, who had finished cleaning up after eating the soup.
Her expression looked slightly more worn than a few days ago.
“Miss Tillard. Tomorrow, we will arrive in Aetherna.”
Then this journey would end.
What would happen to this woman now?
But then Lilian spoke.
“Oh, right. I’ll tell you the materials needed to process controller stones.”
“Hmm?”
“First, a fire rat’s tail, starflower root harvested on a full moon, and ginseng…”
“Wait, Tillard.”
Evren interrupted her.
“You know the processing method?”
“Yes? Yes.”
“Why…?”
That must have been a Tillard family secret.
Evren had intended to extract that secret himself.
But he hadn’t imagined she would divulge it so freely before any coercion.
Lilian blinked slowly.
Her once radiant eyes were now clouded.
“There’s no reason not to tell you now… since this is the last time.”
Last time?
Evren studied her expression.
It had vanished. She looked very displeased.
“Stop talking nonsense and go back, Tillard.”
Evren spoke coldly and turned his back.
She had failed at love once. A “normal” person would behave as if she had completely given up on life.
‘She really has some strange thoughts…’
No!
His mind was in complete chaos.
Evren turned and walked.
The scent of lilies, which had filled the barracks earlier, now wafted strongly outside.
Evren began running, slowly at first, then faster.
Outside the barracks.
In the dark, under trees where the snow had not yet melted, Lilian Tillard was crouched… eating poisonous herbs.
