CHAPTER 3 -  Reality Slap

"How can you be openly mocking a royal right now, Lady Osborne? You've grown too arrogant," Lilia replied to her mock with a colder tone.

"Yes, after all, I am the aide of the Crown Prince and the closest friend of Princess Lilia Escheat, and... I need to live up to my nickname as the ice lady of Osborne County," Evelyn said with a mysterious smile.

"I can't ever win a debate with you, right? Snaky tongue" Lilia chuckles and lets out a deep breath, she relaxes on the couch.

A maid entered the room with tea and some snacks and quickly went out, leaving two powerful ladies of the empire alone. Evelyn pours a cup of tea and gives it to Lilia. The girl takes a sip of the tea, she looks more relaxed.

"Calm down?"

"Indeed… again about your suggestion... Do I need to visit the Oldenburg duchy tomorrow?"

"Yes, of course. I think knowing the response sooner is better for your next step." Evelyn tilted her head cutely while imagining the future fiasco that would happen if Lilia did decide to visit the Oldenburg manor.

"But don't be too pushy, show the right amount of persistence and sincerity. It must be a fatal shock for the duke too. I can't even imagine how his fragile mind and body will take this big news and revelation." Evelyn adds another piece of advice.

"What if he grows to hate me after that confession?"

"Don't be that pessimistic, Lilia, I'll support you with my whole heart, and Alicia seems to be on your side too, so don't give up."

Evelyn encouraged her with the brightest smile she could manage. Lilia feels reassured for now. She was glad she talked all the way out to the short girl. The young lady seems to always have her own way of calming her down and helping Lilia find a way out of her problems. Lilia approaches the girl who sits across from her and hugs her with all her might. Evelyn, who was sipping her tea, almost dropped the cup for the sudden act, but then she just laughed happily.

For the rest of the day, Lilia spent it conducting a plan for her visit to the Oldenburg duchy tomorrow with Evelyn. She is overly excited about tomorrow's event, she even began to fuss about what kind of dress she would wear, which accessories, and which shoes, and this is the first time she shows her enthusiasm for dressing up like a proper young lady.

She has a strong will now, and her long-term goal is right in front of her. She just needs to fight a little harder to achieve it. Lilia will make sure the Duke accepts her as his wife. She daydreamed about the precious moment when she realized how she fell in love with the Oldenburg.

It was cliché, yet simple and endearing. She admired the great Oldenburg duchy for its neutral standing within the empire and its success in maintaining the wide territory of the Oldenburg dukedom even without taking sides. The more mesmerizing fact is the true nature of the duke she saw when he went to the slum himself to search for his lost daughter, despite all nobility being in a dispute about being in such a lowly place as it is.

Even though she only vaguely remembers the first time she met the duke, she still felt that moment was the biggest turn-up of her life. Lilia Escheat lost his father, the Grand Duke, at a very young age, thus, the most sorrowful memories are those she still beholds now. Losing a father figure at the age of five brought a deep hole inside her heart, moreover, the death of the Grand Duke is not a natural death. It does still save a mystery until the present.

Duke Oldenburg, being the closest acquaintance of her parents, comes to her aid as well, as she is a good friend of his children. He is there, hugs her, and tells her that everything will be fine, she still has her mother, who loves her equally, but the pitiful Grand Duchess has shocked her, and she falls into despair for a long time, leaving five-year-old Lilia alone in her sadness.

"princess… You are a strong girl, aren't you, We will go through this together, you and me… We both love your father, as does your mother, but now she is unable to embrace you because she lost herself too... act as her replacement now, Please allow this uncle to comfort you, and let's share the strength to carry on with this anguished moment together…"

Carlisle speaks to young Lilia. The cheerful kid that is always laughing and twirling around while holding a small sword with her eyes as green and deep as a forest is now looking at him blankly, empty, and fragile, as if that small body may collapse at any moment.

Lilia then throws her body towards the duke and cries out her agony, she is sad, and her grief, anger, and desperation are far too much for her to contain. Carlisle soothed her as gently as he could. He knew the feeling of losing someone important, he had just lost his wife to the seasonal plague that had attacked the capital two years prior. He understands how difficult it can be for children to accept that they will never meet the precious person they love and see every day.

Much more, he feels some kind of responsibility not to let Lilia alone, whether it is because of her age or his relationship with her father. So, after the funeral, Carlisle continues to accompany Lilia, helping her overcome her sadness. Spending his day with Lilia doing anything that would help the little girl stand again like before. He brought all of his children to play with Lilia, and sometimes the crown prince would also come and join them. He feels fortunate that Lilia is surrounded by a lot of good friends and has a good time.

The death of the Escheat Grand Duke has more than enough complicated mystery behind it, not to mention that a week after the funeral, another sorrowful news comes from the palace, thus, for the same vague reason, the Empress was announced to have passed away due to a sudden chronic illness. Lilia, who just found her smile once again, fell into grief because now she had lost her aunt and the most precious person to her, her beloved cousin, the crown prince.

Lilia convinced herself that she is now a much stronger girl than before, thus, she will take the time to protect and comfort her cousin now as part of showing gratitude to Duke Oldenburg for supporting her this whole time. She also goes to her mother, uttering her resolve. Lilia is a very independent and bright girl. With her strong volition, she takes a big step toward the future.

Lilia tells the Duke about her volition when he comes to visit her. She said confidently that she will become the strongest knight in the empire, and thus she can protect the Crown Prince and her mother without being afraid of any ill or evil intentions from everywhere. She also says in her cute voice that she will never disappoint the duke. Carlisle fell into a laugh and stroked her head with a lot of affection, acting like a proud father.

From that moment on, Lilia held high respect for Carlisle, she saw the duke as a great man. She sometimes coddles herself by calling him father, which pleased the Duke more. He is very capable and cold-headed, very wise and gentlemanly, and sometimes strict but always full of affection for his children. The father-daughter relationship between her and Duke Oldenburg lasts for around 4 years before she decides to take an early exam for academy entrance. The duke gives her his last support when she decides what major she will take when attending the academy. Even though he found it peculiar at first, seeing Lilia's strong will, he decides to let her do it as she is sure about this.

Lilia continues to reminisce and daydream about the duke. His lofty attitude was what made her fall in love with the duke. She was just a mere kid back then, she just saw the feeling as a contemporary attraction and longing for a father figure, and that's why she got close to the duke. But after she reached adulthood, the feeling did not fade away. Oppositely, it becomes stronger and more unbearable, and as time goes by, it has a different perception of admiration.

The feeling was a different kind of longing for a father's affection. It was not all of that, she came to the conclusion that she loved the duke simply as a man, not as an honorable duke nor a loving father figure. She loves him as a man, but the revelation drives her crazy; she indeed feels ashamed and is in great horror. She even needed two whole months to gather her courage to tell Evelyn about this. Until she can't contain the longing feelings anymore, she went to Raphael and told him she wants to marry the Oldenburg dukedom and threatened him with something very terrifying if he fails to make it true.

Lilia went to sleep with a placid mind, not knowing about the new obstacle that awaits her tomorrow. what kind of conversation she would have with the Duke tomorrow?