Chapter 10. Then

Lilith glared at Prince Lysander with a mixture of anger and disgust, "A nobleman, are you? If you weren't so 'useful,'...I wouldn't want anything to do with you anymore."

"Why is that? Many of your crew also come from noble families..." Prince Lysander retorted, raising an eyebrow. Lilith gripped the bottle in her hand until it shattered into pieces before responding in a voice that was unnervingly calm, "That's because they are from noble families who were discarded, while you... no wonder I sense something is off."

Prince Lysander went silent, anticipating Lilith's next words, which he truly couldn't predict by himself.

"ㅡthe moment I saw you, despite your starkly different appearance...my instincts told me that you are a member of the royal family..."

"Hahahaha!" Prince Lysander erupted into laughter, holding his stomach as the ache from his intense mirth began to set in. Lilith furrowed her brow, allowing Prince Lysander to continue his laughter until it subsided on its own.

"Lilith, hmm? You're truly a fascinating character. You should have a role in the main storyline of the game," His words, incomprehensible to Lilith, only deepened her irritation, "What do you mean? Game? This is clearly no game!"

"Let it be. Your instincts are spot on. I am, in fact, a member of the Royal Family. However, I won't disclose my identity or how I came to look like this. Just know that I am a child, and you should tolerate any odd behavior or speech from me."

Prince Lysander took another sip of his orange juice, while Lilith reached for a new bottle of liquor and took a drink. After they both let out a long sigh, Lilith regarded Prince Lysander with suspicion. "Putting all the confusion aside, you must have a plan for how you'll use the favor I owe you."

Placing his index finger on his lips, as if contemplating for a few moments, Prince Lysander responded with a wide smile. "Since you owe me three favors... first, I simply wish for you to teach me everything about your fighting style. How you control your magic and infuse it into your weapon..."

"Haaah?!" Lilith interjected with a reluctant expression. "Tsk...fine...that's the first one. I just have to teach you, right?" Prince Lysander nodded before continuing, "Secondly, I hope to trust you with my secrets...what will unfold before you later..."

... because I—at least want to have one person who knows everything about my secrets...and it seems Lilith is the right person to be the keeper of my secrets.

Seeing Prince Lysander's expression, which for some reason appeared to him like that of an adult who was so desperate and gloomy, Lilith simply nodded, "Yeah yeah...I don't care about that, so I won't expose someone else's life, because that's boring!" she replied, waving her hand dismissively.

Taking another sip of her alcohol bottle, Lilith glanced back at Prince Lysander, who was now silent. "So...what about the last favor?"

"Put that aside for now. Tomorrow night, I'll return to learn from you. Please assist me, Master Lilith!" Prince Lysander came to his senses, bowing respectfully before exiting, leaving Lilith alone in the room.

"Watch out, you little troublemaker!" Lilith's voice echoed from behind the door. Prince Lysander chuckled softly before returning to his room and slipping into a deep slumber, ensuring that he appeared in his true form in the eyes of others.

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From that day forward, Prince Lysander continued with his routine. He trained in the mornings with Kain, spent time with a baffled Lucius, who was surprised to see him actively seeking his company, and strolled the palace grounds with Rina. In addition, he ventured outside the palace with a few guards and Kain to explore the town as a prince.

In contrast to Lucius, who was constantly surrounded by adoring crowds, Prince Lysander was met with polite greetings or indifference from the people, despite the presence of his numerous guards in the bustling town. Although Rina had heard the rumors from several of Prince Lysander's guards, claiming it looked so pitiful that she kept urging Prince Lysander to be patient about it, for Prince Lysander, it was seen as a special blessing.

"Just think of it this way, Big Brother Lucius takes all the spotlight because he is indeed the main character. Supporting characters like us should just be grateful for being given a decent life..." replied Prince Lysander casually, his words met with a puzzled look from Rina.

After exploring the town thoroughly, Prince Lysander would sometimes have dinner with other family members or dine alone in his room while reading a few books before retiring for the night...which meant sneaking out of the palace for special training sessions with Lilith.

"Hey, Leader! Miss Lilith is already waiting for you inside!" called the mustached man, who, to Prince Lysander's surprise, was still alive and getting drunk in front of the bar as usual, but this time he was alone. Maybe he was traumatized by what happened with his other friends who didn't know me and met the same fate as the young man before?

Who knew.

After expressing his gratitude to the mustached man, Prince Lysander entered the bar to find it less crowded than before, with only a few individuals who were part of Lilith's henchmen.

The symbol of the Night Flare gang was a thin tattoo in the form of a number, akin to livestock brandingㅡsignifying the date of their initiation into the gang. Each tattoo was strategically placed in areas that didn't raise suspicion, like the arm, neck, cheek, shoulder, and other visible spots.

Descending the same stairs as before after exchanging words with the bartender, Prince Lysander was received by two guards standing watch between the iron door, one of them nodding and opening the door for him.

Upon stepping inside, Prince Lysander was immediately met with the sight of Lilith dressed in nothing but her underwear. She sported a bright red lace bra, likely covering her D-cup breasts, with well-defined abdominal muscles visible on her unusually smooth and healthy white skin. Her matching panties hugged her curves in the same intricate design, and her long legs shimmered under the dim glow of the enclosed room.

"You little pervert, I'm changing," Lilith casually remarked as she donned her usual attire, while Prince Lysander apologized, he turned his body towards the wall, silently offering a prayer in his heart, 'Thank you, Lord, for your blessings. May this girl's life go smoothly, despite the bad karma she may have.'

Prince Lysander carried on living in the same routine untilㅡthree years later when the specter of his death loomed ominously on the horizon.

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To Be Continue ?