It was Empty

"This… This is…" Lilith knitted her brows, cupping her forehead. She stopped pacing and faced the wall opposite of Amon.

"I'm not sure my brain is working right now," she exasperated as she shut her eyes and massaged her temples. "Give me a minute."

Amon chose not to answer and sipped his wine. With her back towards him, he was able to divert his attention easily. Every part of him was hyper aware of her presence. If that weren't the case, he might have given her a snarky comment about being quiet for once.

Lilith whirled around. The quick motion made her breasts bounce and the hem of her nightgown flutter, exposing a bit of her legs temporarily.

Wine shot out of Amon's mouth. He coughed as a burning sensation filled his throat from almost choking on his drink.

"So, let me get this straight," Lilith started. She stared up at the ceiling and focused on turning her thoughts into words. On the other hand, Amon tried not to stare at how low her neckline seemed.

"You met my mother while she was dying—which actually makes sense since you are The Grim Reaper and this is part of the job description—" Lilith made a face but kept talking, "She was actually giving birth at the same time and the baby was probably destined to also die with her but then, you agreed to save the baby instead because she asked you to..."

Silence fell between them.

"... Huh." Lilith finally glanced at Amon's way. A wide smile slowly spread across her face. She skipped towards him, making him lean back as if to escape.

Her hands gripped the bar counter behind Amon and trapped him between her arms. She wiggled her eyebrows at him.

"You're not so mean, after all, huh, Mr. Grim Reaper? You're actually a really nice person. Maybe even a softie."

This up close, she tried to see if she could the face underneath the mask.

"I—"

Amon felt a lump form inside his throat. His gaze landed on her below her collarbone. The neckline of her nightgown now hung low, pulled down my gravity and...

Lilith followed his line of sight. Two sizable hills were peeking out to say, 'hello.'

She went red in the ears.

"And apparently, a pervert!"

Lilith exclaimed. She hugged herself, covering her chest area while searching for her shawl.

Amon coughed, once again relieved that his mask covered his expressions. His cheeks should be bright red right about now. He gasped for some air, not realizing he had previously stopped breathing.

"How am I the one at fault if you were the one being careless?" Amon remarked as he composed himself.

Lilith found her shawl and immediately wrapped it back around her shoulders. Her yellow and green eyes glared at the Grim Reaper.

"Because you didn't say anything!"

"I'm not sure if you haven't noticed but you are not the best type of listener," he fired back.

At that, Lilith pursed her lips. The short silence suddenly changed the atmosphere around them. It sunk in for Lilith that not only was she alone with the opposite sex but she had also flaunted around with her nipples poking at her nightgown.

Just thinking about it made her blush deeper. How embarrassing! Although she and Amon were linked, he wasn't close to anything like family. He was still more of a stranger.

Amon grabbed his wine and drank. He used this time to redirect his focus on more pressing matters. As the more mature person in the room, he shouldn't be easily susceptible to a bit of bare skin.

He was stronger than that. With his power, there was no room for error or distractions. It could cost a great deal.

"Wow, are you an alcoholic?"

Surprised by her voice Amon put down the now empty wine glass. "No. Not really, no."

"Could have fooled me," Lilith shrugged.

"And why do you think I ended up finishing my drink?" Amon glared at her though she couldn't see it. "You're not supposed to leave this kingdom but you have King Blanc, Nevin, Eucraick and even Gregory on your side."

Lilith shifted her weight from one foot to the other. She did expect that she'd be forced to stay once she found out Amon was the reason behind her detainment. But Amon had agreed to let her go—that was what she'd imagine a miracle would be.

"And why am I not supposed to leave? Why can't I go out into the human world?" The questions flew out of her mouth before she could think.

"It's not safe," Amon replied. His finger circled the opening of the wine glass. It was best to keep his eyes fixed on one place. "At least, I'm not yet sure if it is. I made a decision that night that your mother asked me to save you. If something were to happen to you, my efforts would be wasted and I would have failed her."

A witty comment was ready to launch out of Lilith's lips but she bit her tongue. She watched the Grim Reaper carefully, noting how unguarded he was—even just a tiny bit—compared to their previous encounters. Her curiosity suddenly became more interested in Amon.

She began to wonder what his favorite pastime was, how he felt about his job, why he was trying so hard to keep everyone at a distance…

Lilith shook her head, pushing those thoughts aside.

"Thank you," she whispered after a while. "For saving me, I mean. And for bringing me here. I couldn't be more at home anywhere else."

Amon looked up to find tenderness in her eyes. He nodded curtly and turned his attention back on the wine glass.

"So…" Lilith cleared her throat. She sat down and got back to business. "Why do you think I shouldn't go? I don't think you'd say that without a good reason."

"After your mother died, she was buried near the location I found her. I came across it the other day and…"

Lilith scooted forward to hear him better. Frown lines covered her forehead. "And what?"

Meeting her gaze through the mask, Amon uttered the following words, "She wasn't there. The grave. It was… it was empty."