Chapter Three: Duty

Before the Mana Catastrophe

"You season the water before you add the vegetables," Lilia explained. "The salt will cling once they're in the pot."

Sylphie nodded, peering up over Lilia's shoulder; balanced on a wooden stool. "And how long do they cook for?"

"Usually about an hour, with the size of our hearth," Lilia waved her hand towards the flames below the pot. "Maybe a little longer, if we're making more."

Sylphie looked over at the selection of crops on the counter. "And did… Rudy like this dish?"

Lilia couldn't help but smile. She was so obvious in her affections, yet still tried to be subtle. Were it not unbecoming, Lilia might've been tempted to tease her. "Master Rudeus ate most everything we put in front of him. But sometimes he would seem forlorn; I always believed what he wanted most was rice, but it didn't grow well in Buena."

"Rice?" Sylphie repeated.

"I'm not sure when he developed a taste for it," Lilia admitted. "But I admit it'd go well with single pot recipes like this."

"Is there somewhere rice could grow? Or a way that magic could make it grow better here?" Sylphie wondered.

She was trying to find a way to provide him his favorite meal. Lilia chuckled to herself, fondly patting the girl's green-haired head. "You're the expert on magic, dear Sylphiette. I'm sure you can find a way."

Lilia suspected that being at court meant the young master would meet many other noble ladies. Young though he may have been, he was already quite lustful. But Lilia hoped he would take after his father, and prefer women like Sylphie who knew how to work with their hands, rather than those who sat idle in high castles all day.

Lilia began separating leaf from stem and turned her eye away from Sylphie to Aisha, finally adorning her maid uniform. Another she hoped the young master would be fond of when he returned, hopefully without the stigma of a new arranged marriage to complicate things.

Though his talent meant he'd likely ascend to greater heights than a humble village like Buena, Lilia couldn't help but hope that he'd come back for Sylphiette and Aisha first. That he might enjoy hearth and home and see the beauty and contentment in the simple life.

"Besides, food isn't the only way to make him happy," Lilia explained. "The young master can be… crass at times, but only because he is so passionate and affectionate."

"Oh?" Sylphie wondered.

Lilia thought on how to explain it. If Sylphie was serious about pursuing him, she'd need to know some of the more unsavory things…

Today

Lilia knew she should've returned, and knocked on the door to invite her young master to breakfast. She should've carried out her normal routine and left them no reason to suspect anything had changed. She could've feigned surprise -feigned, at least- to find Roxy in Rudeus' bed.

Maybe it would've been better to leave them. She knew all too well how much a lover coveted the sight of their partner beside them when they woke, and how prolonging that sight could be the smallest change needed to improve one's day. Watching her lover sleep just a few moments had always helped to allay her nerves when she woke beside her Lord… a guilty pleasure she would occasionally indulge while they continued their search for Zenith.

With Paul, it had been natural. With Rudeus…

She thought she might take some small comfort in longer being the other woman. But knowing the young master had a much stronger, much more emotional connection to Roxy… wasn't a comfort at all.

Normally, Lilia was comfortable falling back into her role of servant: it suited her far better than the pretense she shared status with Zenith. Her title was solely for Aisha's benefit, and Lilia did not pretend to be anything more than she was. She could savor the night and the morning, but it was like waking after a dream: she returned to reality.

So why?

Why did that striking cold keep hitting her chest? Why wasn't she happy that Master Rudeus was finally healing, with the help of the woman he loved?

Because it was yet another woman besides his wife, whom Lilia loved too?

Because Lilia herself hadn't been the one to heal him?

Because even if Master Rudeus was better, her Lord and Lady were still beyond her reach?

She hated having questions without answers. Her only comfort was that she alone was bothered by them… for the moment. She could not fix Zenith's condition. She could not call Paul back from the dead. Lilia turned her attention to those she could help: Master Rudeus, Roxy, and Sylphiette. The problem was that she was a complication for all of them.

Well, unless she and Master Rudeus kept the matter secret… she didn't want to sneak around, but it was probably the simplest solution. She serviced her new Lord, and that was that.

Lilia unconsciously reached up to her half-bun, pausing when she found hair brush her fingertips. That had likely been the last time she'd ever allow herself to be… what had her Lord called her? Wild?

She didn't care for the word, but for only two men in all the world, she wouldn't mind it…

Lilia returned her hand to her side and collected her breaths. Her chest was still being assailed by some painful cold wisp with her every rapid heartbeat, but it was a quiet, unseen pain. She could mask it under several layers of propriety; she had for years. She would do so again.

Rudeus woke to the flitters of light poking their way into his quarters, situated at the top of his bed. He lifted himself to a sitting position to get his eyes out of the sun's path, only to pause upon noticing all the bedsheets wrapped around something on his left…

Roxy was still there, by his side. Looking -unsurprisingly- quite beautiful while she slept.

He glanced back at the floor, where their clothes sat in a careless pile. Which meant, under the thin sheets, Roxy was-

Rudeus put a hand up to his face. He couldn't even savor the sight…

He'd done it again. Just as he had the previous night with Lilia: bemoaned his pain, his loss, his guilt, and upon being offered comfort… accepted it.

It seemed like the right choice in the moment. The morning after, however…

The pendant was somewhere in the pile, probably still with his shirt. Roxy must've missed it when she undid his collar…

Rudeus had no chance to dwell on it. The same light that forced him awake reached Roxy, who grimaced and tossed onto her side. Moments later, her eyes blinked open and found his. Her face turned bright red again and she hunkered down, pulling up the sheet to obscure part of her face. "...good morning, Rudy."

Rudeus loved the sight, but could not hold her eye either. He turned his head away and mumbled a "good morning" of his own.

Roxy pulled herself up to a seated position, still modestly holding the sheets over her naked form. "Do you -um- feel a little better?"

Rudeus forced himself to look at her this time. She had been brave and assertive the night before, and he owed it to her to at least try to do the same. "Yes."

He did feel better. Just as he had after he and Lilia-

The guilt compounded again. Rudeus turned his attention to their scattered clothes, trying to at least appear nonchalant when he reached down to collect them. He attempted to be chivalrous in handing Roxy her discarded nightwear, but he still had trouble meeting her eye. After they each got their garments back on, they once again sat on his bed and for several seconds said nothing.

They should have had so much to talk about, and yet…

"What should I do now?" Rudeus asked her.

Roxy thought on the question for a moment before answering earnestly: "You'll just have to treasure the family you have right in front of you. I'm sure that's what Paul would've wanted, too."

Family…

Zenith…

Lilia…

Roxy…

Was she telling him to go back and see his mother, as painful as it was?

Was she asking him to see her as his family now? Eris had once offered the same… and the heartbreak that followed still haunted him.

Roxy met his gaze again. "Face forward. They're all waiting for you."

'They' were waiting for him. They… not her.

"Alright," Rudeus acknowledged. But still, he was grateful, even if this was…

A moment of weakness, like Lilia had for his father?

A passing dream?

Over?

"Master," Rudeus sincerely began, "thank you very much."

Roxy smiled at him: Rudeus' heart sank at the sight. "You're welcome."

Roxy stood up. Rudeus walked her to the door. When she poked her head out into the hallway, she looked around at the other doors: apparently she didn't want to be noticed.

But the instant Roxy stepped out from Rudeus' room, Elinalise stepped out from her quarters. She gave a brief gasp upon noticing the two. "Roxy, did you-?"

Roxy remained calm, turning around to address him. "I'm sorry, Rudy; I need to discuss something with Elinalise. Would you go join Lilia on your own?"

She had been planning to go with him to see his mother? And Lilia?

Well, she'd have no reason to suspect-

Rudeus tried to put it out of his mind. Both nights had passed, and both dreams faded in the sunlight. "...all right."

He stepped down the hall towards the women's quarters, while Roxy and Elinalise stepped into the latter's room. Rudeus reached under his shirt for the wooden pendant once again hanging from his neck, pulling it out from his collar and staring at the intricate carving.

Like his father…

No, worse. His father had only one lover after he was married.

Elinalise was not disappointed: this sort of thing was only natural. But she was surprised Roxy would be so brazen. That could only happen when someone so modest and reserved was pushed to a breaking point.

Paul's death, perhaps? Maybe grief had affected Roxy and she needed an outlet? Or had she fallen so hard for Rudeus that she couldn't contain herself? At the very least, Elinalise understood being carried away and actively choosing not to think.

It did tear at her, though. Roxy was a close friend -possibly her best friend- and Rudeus was married to her granddaughter. She could not simply be happy for the two acting on their feelings.

"Geese and I both told you not to," Elinalise reminded her.

"And did you think I would listen?" Roxy wondered, perhaps genuinely curious.

It was a fair question. Elinalise hadn't really come up with an alternative, because she hadn't been willing to take the step herself and she'd quashed Geese's suggestion. Vierra and Shierra weren't as close with Rudeus and would never have been amenable. Elinalise knew that it would help Rudeus to be with someone he knew, but she didn't want any complicated feelings getting in the way when the deed was done. She no longer had that luxury: Roxy and Rudeus were so obviously interested in each other and -while everyone pretended otherwise and tried to overlook it- everyone could see where things were headed between them.

"I thought you might, after we talked about Sylphie," Elinalise left some bait on the hook and waited for Roxy to take it.

Roxy had very conventional -even childish- views on love and romance. Roxy would blush and stammer whenever she and Elinalise talked about it. Now, however… "I didn't do this for me."

"Oh, no?" Elinalise wondered. "You didn't have any fun?"

Part of her was genuinely curious. She couldn't grill Sylphie about this sort of thing, and Roxy was brimming with rare confidence at that moment. Part of her was hoping it was what it seemed to be: just Roxy enacting Elinalise's plan and severing contact after that.

"That doesn't matter," Roxy dismissively replied. "He's feeling better and he's out of his room. That was the plan, wasn't it?"

"My plan," Elinalise conceded. "But you can't expect me to believe that was your plan, Roxy. Did you think you'd just have your way with him and move on?"

Normally, Elinalise would relish the details. For one of the very few times in her long life, she didn't want to know everything.

"That wasn't what I hoped for," Roxy admitted. "But it was what he needed. And that's that."

Roxy wasn't being cold, but she was firmly adhering to her story… too firmly. She could be focused on a task and set her emotions aside, but Elinalise had seen the same girl constantly vying for Rudeus' attention and using him as her pillow for days on end.

"And if he were to walk by your door and ask you to dinner, what would you say?" Elinalise wondered. "If he were to ask you to play a bigger role in his life, what would you do then?"

This time Roxy was given pause. She clearly hadn't expected anyone -least of all Elinalise- to ask.

But it was an important question. With the Fangs of the Black Wolf, Elinalise and Ghislaine had a simple understanding with Paul. There might've been some complicated feelings, but no one ever gave them voice. It wasn't until Zenith came into the picture and got him to fall in love with her that things became… complicated.

Roxy had fallen in love with Rudeus. She was already wading into dangerous territory trying to separate her emotions from something simple and mechanical. It didn't suit her.

"I don't think he'd do that…" Roxy stammered.

"He might not," Elinalise allowed. "But he's already surprised you, hasn't he?"

Lilia had to stop and wipe Zenith's chin with every spoonful of thin soup. Zenith had only become increasingly immobile and inactive the longer she spent in bed, and had made no further attempts to engage or communicate. She was clearly conscious and would occasionally move her eyes to look around the room, but her body barely moved. She could only sit upright thanks to Lilia positioning her so.

She faintly heard the door open behind her, but paid it no mind. The twins had been in and out a few times today -mostly just getting up and moving around so they wouldn't get cabin fever. But when Lilia heard loud, strong footsteps at her right, she realized who'd come to join her.

She'd coaxed him out of his room once already, only for him to rush right back to it after seeing Zenith in this state. Lilia knew all too well how hard it was to face her -face oneself- looking like this. She did not betray any trepidation in front of him, but she couldn't hide the bags under her eyes or the grim expression on her lips.

"Lilia?" the young master asked as he stood beside his empty chair, still positioned at Zenith's bedside.

"Yes, Master Rudeus?" Lilia inquired, turning her eye to him. He looked just as haggard as she did, despite a fresh change of clothes. His eyes were still sunken, his hair still messy… and there was something else to him… some scent she couldn't quite place.

"I'm sorry I made you take care of Mom without me," Rudeus apologized.

Lilia stared straight ahead: she wouldn't be distracted by concerns right then. It was her duty to put up a brave front. "Don't be. This is my job."

Rudeus turned his gaze from her to the still motionless Zenith. "How is she?"

"She doesn't seem to remember anything," Lilia acknowledged, "But she's doing well, physically. No after-effects to speak of." No, that wasn't entirely true. Lilia clarified: "Shierra suspects being trapped in a mana crystal caused a magical impairment."

Rudeus finally sat down in his chair and reached over to hold his mother's hand. Lilia breathed in that scent again… and knew it. She breathed it in when she embraced the girl upon being reunited with her. Evidently, Roxy hadn't persuaded him to bathe immediately after, as Lilia had. Perhaps Roxy was proud of her accomplishment, rather than concerned with appearances...

Lilia felt her hand clench around the spoon she'd used for Zenith's meal. If she so easily noticed Roxy's presence surrounding the young master, Elinalise would too. The other women wouldn't be far behind.

"Will she recover?" Rudeus asked as he tried squeezing Zenith's fingers.

"Elinalise thinks it's a lost cause," Lilia had to be blunt with him: the others would not sugarcoat the truth. However, she wanted to reiterate her commitment. "My Lady did well by me. I will care for her now that my Lord has passed on."

If anyone would know how well Zenith had treated Lilia, it would be the young master. He persuaded his mother to forgive Lilia, but Zenith still made the decision herself.

Young master, now Lord. She had spent so long taking care of Zenith so she wouldn't have to be in his company… and face the question of which one she wanted him to be.

"I want to do what I can too," Rudeus affirmed.

"You needn't," Lilia immediately interceded -perhaps too quickly. At his confused look, Lilia realized she had to very quickly make a decision.

"Master Rudeus… I realize I'm overstepping my bounds… but will you permit me to say something impolite?" Lilia began, thinking on how to proceed.

"I will," Rudeus agreed.

Lilia breathed in again. Memories hit her again, overlaying on the man seated across from her. Of a dutiful son ordering his father around so they could clean up and let his mother rest, followed swiftly by a ten year old boy seated in her lap, holding a box with something he cherished…

She'd held him so tightly; so relieved that he was safe and hadn't changed despite the years apart. Even his crude remarks had made her feel better, knowing the young Master was just like his father.

But she let him go moments after that, to not reveal his identity to Aisha. She figured it out anyway -smart girl that she was- but Lilia had tried to disguise their connection and their bond. The young Master had to continue on his journey and search for his mother and the others cast around the world by the catastrophe.

Zenith sat beside them now. He had accomplished his mission. His family may have been damaged, but he had done all he could.

"Do your own duty," Lilia finally said. "My Lord would tell you the same: caring for my Lady is my duty. It's why I'm here."

She hoped he'd infer her meaning. He would be just as miserable seated at Zenith's bedside as Lilia was; torn to see what had become of someone he loved.

In Lilia's absence from his bed, he'd found someone else. He could move on from all the things that caused him so much pain, so much faster than he realized.

But some part of her already knew better. He was still holding his mother's hand, and miserable as he no doubt felt to see her in this state, he wouldn't let her go.

"Let's go home," Rudeus decided. "To our family."

To his sisters; to Lilia and Zenith's daughters. To his wife.

It should've been a comforting thought. Yet for Lilia, it was anything but.

Lilia knew what she had to do now. She had to be strong enough to face the uncomfortable facts facing both of them.

Lilia decided on the title. "My Lord… may we speak outside?"

Not in front of Zenith. If there were any chance his mother understood… Lilia could understand why Zenith wouldn't forgive her that one. Forgiving one mistake was more than most people were capable of.

"Sure, Lilia," Rudeus agreed, relaxing his grip on his mother's hand and standing up. Lilia drew a deep breath and steeled herself.

"Paul married a second time," Elinalise pointed out. "And while I'm sure there were challenges, has it not been made clear he was still very much in love with Zenith? Even with Lilia at his side to see to his needs, he still traveled halfway around the world to save her rather than simply accepting she was lost.

"Rudeus would do the same for you," Elinalise assured her. "When we arrived in Rapan, and he heard you'd been lost in the labyrinth, I could feel his pain and anxiety. He needed some help then to get his head in the game, and only really gelled with the rest of us after we got you back."

Elinalise remembered it vividly. She was concerned about the others seeing Rudeus' sudden change of state and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder to try and steady and anchor him. After they brought Roxy back to the inn, Rudeus would constantly check on her as she slept and recovered. When she finally came back from the second floor to join them again his face lit up.

"I'm not going to mess up what he has," Roxy defiantly replied.

"That isn't you," Elinalise bluntly reminded her. "You don't have a little fun with a man and go on your way."

"What makes you so sure…?" Roxy wondered, testing Elinalise's defenses; searching for the hole in her argument.

"How many years have we traveled together, and how many times did you date anyone?" Elinalise asked her. "How many men did you want out of the hundreds we met?"

Before Roxy could answer, Elinalise pressed on: "And when you were here with Paul, you saw another man suffering the same way. Did you ever think of doing the same, but decided not to because he already had Lilia with him?"

"Of course not!" Roxy protested. "That's completely different, and I-"

She fell silent as Elinalise smiled. Once again, Roxy took the bait and fell right into the elf's trap.

"It's different, to care about a man than it is to want him," Elinalise reminded her. "You cared about Rudeus too, but only wanted him last night?"

Roxy shuffled her feet. She knew she was caught and wouldn't try to dissuade Elinalise further.

"I want to hear all about it someday," Elinalise assured her. "But for now, I just want to know if it is what I think it is. Did you change so much while I was gone that I managed to miss something, or…?"

Elinalise surmised that there was only one thing that would motivate Roxy to climb into another man's bed; and only one particularly strong thing to lay with an already married man. Now Elinalise only hoped Roxy would admit it, if even just to herself.

Roxy sighed. She mouthed something Elinalise couldn't quite make out, as though practicing the words before saying them aloud…

Roxy then cleared her throat and said: "I'm getting breakfast," and headed from the room. Elinalise made no effort to stop her. There would be quite a bit to think on in the meantime, for her and Roxy both.

After stopping by her own quarters to change back into her usual mage's robes, Roxy noticed the door to the women's quarters was open. Vierra and Shierra had taken over caring for Zenith; at least long enough to give Lilia a break. Roxy wondered if she'd gone for breakfast - it'd be nice to speak with her when things weren't quite so hectic.

But when Roxy poked her head out over the staircase she only saw Geese and Talhand on the floor below. Maybe Lilia needed to wash up instead…

And did that mean Rudy hadn't gone to see her and just slunk off back to his room? After all that, had he-?

Roxy saw his door closed across the hall and stepped towards it. She didn't want to be angry with him, but if he really had just retreated right back into his shell after Roxy pried him out…

But she paused when she faintly heard Lilia's voice on the other side of the door; so at least those two had reconnected. Roxy fully intended to head back downstairs and eat something. Capable adventurers though Geese and Talhand were, Roxy doubted either would catch on what had happened between her and Rudy, and the twins were busy…

Lilia on the other hand, would notice immediately. Roxy paused and waited for her, thinking she should probably speak to the maid in person too and -at least- hear it from Roxy rather than Elinalise.

She tried not to simply loiter in the hall, but she was curious what the two were saying… was it possible Rudy was going to fill her in first?

Roxy nervously glanced around before leaning closer, her curiosity getting the better of her…

"What will you tell Sylphiette when we return?" Lilia asked.

Rudeus was surprised his wife was Lilia's first thought; she'd always asked after Aisha whenever they spoke. Still, it was a fair question… and it only had one answer. "Everything."

Lilia grimaced. "Are you sure that is wise, my Lord?"

"What else can I tell her, Lilia?" Rudeus asked. "She's my wife. I have to be honest with her."

Lilia should've felt proud of him. Not keeping secrets from his spouse was a noble trait, all too uncommon in the men who called themselves nobles. But it wasn't practical. It would only hurt her.

"You and I are the only ones who know, my Lord," Lilia reminded him. "There is no need to tell Sylphiette about it. It can easily be as if it never happened at all."

About Roxy, her new lord would make his own choice. About her, however…

Men were allowed their secrets too. And their shame.

Rudeus was quiet for several seconds. "Do you want me to pretend it didn't happen, Lilia?"

Lilia dodged the question immediately. "I will not cause any trouble for you, my Lord."

Rudeus pressed ahead. "I asked you what you wanted, Lilia."

The Greyrats were unusual in the way they sought her opinion; as though it mattered in the grand scheme of things. She lived to serve, and did not allow herself the pretense of having the things she wanted. The last time she tried that, it nearly tore their family apart.

There was another way to turn things around on him, and underhanded though it was, Lilia exploited the opportunity. "I will continue to serve you in any capacity you wish, my Lord. I can… see to you, when Sylphiette is unable."

It was a temptation for both of them. Complicated and uncertain as her feelings might've been, there was no mistaking the comfort -the appreciation- she felt in being held by a man. She could set aside any complicated feelings for his sake.

Rudeus grit his teeth. "That isn't what I asked."

His father had been much the same. Even after knowing her most of their lives, Lilia could still annoy him by simply accepting his will in place of her own. She had become quite patient in her response. "Whatever you ask, I will accommodate you."

"No!" Rudeus finally let his frustration break through. "I want you to tell me what you want! You came into my room and offered yourself to me; was that just because of what happened to Dad? Was that just because you felt sorry for me?"

"No, of course not," Lilia immediately tried to correct him. "I am at your service now, and any time you need anything it is my duty to-"

"No!" Rudeus said again, before trying to calm himself. "Lilia, I was grieving; we both were. If this wasn't something you wanted to happen, or this was something you only wanted to happen once, then tell me that. Tell me it was…"

She watched him search for the word. She knew a few that might come to mind.

First and foremost: mistake.

That familiar cold lashed at her chest. Not merely from the feeling of disappointing the young master-

The young master again. She couldn't maintain the illusion. She couldn't pretend she was only his subordinate; his concubine if he so chose. That wasn't the role she played.

Though he'd always been wise beyond his years, there had been times he'd been a child. She hadn't grown up with him like she had with Paul.

Lilia had treasured holding him in her lap. She fondly remembered clapping at his fifth birthday. Hard as she tried, she couldn't square that fondness with the passion she'd shown two nights earlier. It had been sincere, yes, but she had been driven by her own desire more than anything else… disguised as duty to her new lord.

Her silence was telling. The dead air gave Rudeus time to compose a new thought: "Why shouldn't I tell Sylphiette about what we did?" He averted his eyes ever so slightly. "Are you ashamed?"

Lilia felt an unfamiliar warmth come to her cheeks. At the same time her chest should be lashed by blistering winds, her face could still betray her embarrassment. "No, my Lord. I could never be ashamed of you."

She was always so proud of him. Of her-

She couldn't define him anymore. And it was tearing her apart.

All the more reason they had to stop and bury this single night away. Because if she was suffering under the weight of it, Sylphiette would struggle all the more. Aisha would hate her -and worse- possibly hate Master Rudeus.

"My Lord," Lilia took another deep breath before she spoke, "I will not ask you to lie to your wife. I will not ask you to lie to your sisters."

But she desperately wanted him to lie for her. She simply could not voice that.

"But you mustn't hurt them," Lilia concluded. "Not for me; never for me. Their happiness -and your happiness- must come first." Before he could offer a rebuttal, Lilia pressed ahead: "There is a more important matter to discuss, anyway."

Rudeus caught on immediately. "Roxy…"

Lilia felt the cold hit her again, this time accompanied by a slow, sinking feeling… and a tightening right around her heart. "Yes."

His and Lilia's indiscretion could be hidden easily enough. But Roxy wasn't bound by the same familial duties. She had no such obligation to Sylphie or Aisha's feelings.

Lilia could never take the lead in Paul's presence. But struggle though it was, she could find some sense of an authoritative tone with Rudeus; some memory of having once spent time raising and doting on him. "Do you know what you want from her, my Lord?"

Rudeus was quiet. No doubt he'd been asking himself the same question, but he'd apparently yet to find his answer.

Lilia wanted to offer some reassurance; perhaps to embrace him. It had been so easy for her to do before. And now…

Now she was held back by cold winds encircling her heart. Now she was trying to distance them even further.

Lilia decided not to push any further, at least for the moment. "You should join the others for breakfast, if you're up for it. They'll be relieved to see you out of your room."

Still nurturing, but from afar. It was the best she could manage.

"Yeah," Rudeus agreed. "Okay."

Lilia had no illusions that the conversation was over. She still had to persuade Master Rudeus to spare Sylphiette and the others the pain of the actions they took on the other side of the world. Actions that Lilia -at least- could live with.

But Roxy was in the prime of her life. It was entirely possible there would be real consequences to her laying with Rudeus. That would require a real, difficult choice.

Lilia watched him step out from his quarters and sighed to herself once he was out of earshot. She had known it'd be exhausting to talk to Master Rudeus about this, but she'd also hoped she'd be able to rest a few moments before returning to her duties looking after Zenith. It didn't matter how long she waited by herself: she could not find the strength to walk out of the room.

Lilia wiped her eyes to try and minimize the sagging skin. She clapped her palms against either cheek to remind herself she was awake and tried to come back to her usual demeanor. It would be expected of her.

When she finally stepped into the hall, she spotted a familiar pair of tails: long blue hair over a brown cloak. Lilia put on a practiced smile and greeted her: "Good morning, Roxy."

Whatever Master Rudeus and Roxy did the night before -whatever would have to happen next- Roxy was still her friend. Her smile may have been put on, but Lilia was happy to see her.

Roxy, however, did not return the smile. She glared at the maid, practically glowering.

"Roxy…?" Lilia wondered, confused.

Roxy tried to maintain her fierce expression, but some sadness crept through. Some stammer, some rapid pace in her breathing… and…

"Lilia, how could you?" Roxy asked, her voice strangling its way out. "How could you seduce him too?"

Lilia paused in the hall, looking straight ahead at the girl in front of her. It was quite an accusation to make; all the worse from a friend.

And Lilia had no answer.