Lilithia had won. Regardless of strength, she had triumphed over the girl named Lisanna on a deeper, inner level—and survived a crisis.

She felt she deserved to celebrate her own effort.

After all, half of what she’d just said was fabricated, her own assumptions. Not truth. But in the end, she’d convinced that cow of a woman. Wasn’t that enough?

Besides, the other woman hadn’t denied it. That probably meant Lilithia had hit close to home.

Her reasoning went like this: this woman—or her family—must have been minor nobility scheming to latch onto the Glorious Duke’s bastard son, setting some kind of trap.

"Such an obsession with power," Lilithia murmured. She couldn’t understand people like that. The desire for power drove them to waste years in a remote village, raising a child.

Lisanna hadn’t expected to fall for Fiore. But that was only natural. Fiore was the protagonist. Who could stay perfectly rational before a protagonist? Even Lilithia had to constantly remind herself inwardly, or she might melt under that sun-like warmth the next second.

Let alone a silly girl like her?

Still, Lilithia guessed the scheming depth of such a woman. Perhaps it was that little loli named Luna who’d exposed her secret.

Melodramatic authors loved weaving characters’ stories together. Lilithia refused to believe Lisanna’s exposure had nothing to do with that little girl.

Fiore, after all, tended to see the best in people. Without clear hints, he’d assume hidden hardships or coercion behind any darkness he witnessed.

But the result?

Clearly, Fiore saw it as betrayal. He’d buried it deep, only mentioning it once to Lilithia two years ago.

Someone had given him a heads-up.

In other words, the loli by his side—or someone close to her, or perhaps a maid-type figure—had sold out Lisanna. Planting subtle suggestions in Fiore’s mind beforehand.

A sudden chill washed over Lilithia. Someone like Fiore… trapped in others’ schemes. A protagonist, yes—standing at the world’s center, bearing its gaze, both kind and cruel.

Yet both kindness and cruelty would weigh heavily upon him.

Lilithia finally understood this.

After calming her mind and thinking carefully, she truly grasped it.

Her own capacity was too small.

She’d been wrong.

Merely being his friend wasn’t enough. She finally understood why Fiore seemed so fond of her. She hadn’t forced kindness or malice on him. She’d simply fulfilled his wish.

He didn’t seek out others’ pain to save them. She had asked for his help.

Just that small act brought him immense relief. Just her gratitude satisfied him.

But what about before?

Girls adored him yet said nothing. They suffered in silence, hoping he’d save them but never speaking up. Whether due to the protagonist’s nature or Fiore’s own uniqueness, he noticed their pain and rescued them.

Their love grew fiercer.

Still, they said nothing.

Shame? Fear? Unavoidable circumstances? Whatever the reason, they never voiced their true feelings to Fiore.

He always had to guess. To interpret their hearts through a veil.

With her, he didn’t need to.

But that wasn’t enough. To become Fiore’s true friend… it wasn’t enough.

The moon didn’t just borrow light from the sun. It should shine on its own in the night when the sun was gone, offering even a sliver of light. Even when starlight outshone it, the moon would fade into the starlight without complaint.

She finally understood her purpose.

If she had to assign a mission to her arrival in this world, a reason for her existence…

Then she was here to free him.

To stop him from bearing the world alone. To give him a soul’s resting place. And her reward? To be forever bathed in the sun’s radiance.

When the sun shone, the moon would vanish, hiding within its light—that was the meaning she gave herself.

After dinner, Lilithia had thought long and hard.

Thinking wouldn’t make her stronger overnight. But drifting in confusion wasted time. When the moment truly came, there’d be no time left—a regrettable truth.

She opened her diary after eating, recording her reactions after absorbing serpent blood.

She was waiting.

For Luna.

If that little loli came to her room… Age difference aside, her arrival would confirm Lilithia’s guess.

If she didn’t come, someone else had exposed Lisanna years ago.

Who was it?

Lilithia craved the answer. She was certain a woman would visit her room tonight. Recalling Lisanna’s shaken expression, she felt a flicker of satisfaction.

Before becoming a young woman, Lilithia had known love too. Everyone had youth. A classmate? The school idol? Who didn’t have one or two crushes?

The only question was: did they love you back?

Watching silently from the shadows, she’d once darkly wondered if these women simply enjoyed being adored, never acknowledging the affection flowing their way.

She’d been annoyed. Then decided it didn’t matter.

Now, she realized shattering their illusions brought supreme joy.

Just as predicted, a knock sounded on her door.

"Come in."

She’d prepared two empty teacups earlier, pouring tea slowly. She looked toward the door. As expected, standing there was—Luna.

For the first time, Lilithia studied the loli who’d stood beside Fiore. Lisanna’s flashy presence had made people overlook this girl.

"Wise eyes."

No child should have such eyes. For a split second, Lilithia saw herself reflected in Luna.

She narrowed her eyes, recalling rumors: "So… you’re the Seer?"

"You guessed it," Luna said, unsurprised. "I’m curious. Who are you? Some Sage using necromancy or Life Magic to become a child? Only those perverted Sages would do something so twisted."

She thought Lilithia was a Sage?

"You’re mistaken," Lilithia replied frankly, eyeing Luna strangely. "Don’t assume people need grand origins to deduce the past."

"Anyone glancing at Lisanna sees her true nature. She only acts for Fiore. Everyone knows she’s no good—but everyone fears her. I don’t. So guessing the past was simple."

"Noted."

Luna remained calm.

She admitted her oversight plainly: "But teaching Lisanna a lesson like that… aren’t you afraid she’ll steal Fiore from you?"

"Hah? Whoever wants him can have him. I don’t care." Lilithia was blunt. "If you truly wish someone well, why steal them? I’m not saying I love him. I just think someone like him deserves happiness. That woman Lisanna? Her act would only bring him pain. That’s all. I’m more curious—why did you expose her back then?"

"Because of fate."

…Lilithia understood.

She drained her teacup in one gulp. The tea tasted bitter. "Anything else? If not, I need rest."

"You’re not part of fate."

"I dislike women who overstay their welcome. You’re smarter than that, aren’t you?"

Luna stared at Lilithia a moment longer, then turned decisively. "My apologies for the intrusion."

Lilithia lay in bed, gazing out the window. No moon or stars tonight—rare in this world. Rain was coming.

A pivotal day for her.

She’d killed someone today. She didn’t know who. Would never know. She’d learned too much about Fiore. She almost wished she hadn’t.

Staring at the pitch-black sky, the shifting storm clouds, she lay awake for the first time in this world.

This young body craved sleep—growing children needed rest. Even in her darkest past, she’d slept soundly, held in Fiore’s arms.

She caught herself sighing again. It changed nothing. Duty remained.

Yet she couldn’t help murmuring into the dark:

"Is there no one around him… with pure intentions?"