Chapter 59

Countess Lilianne Lemure was on the edge of a precipice.

She had no allies left anywhere; Robin was the only person she could trust.

The Lemure family was a line of legitimate nobility with long-standing, prestigious blood. Her father was the Vice Commander of the Knights, and her mother was said to be one of the foremost ladies of high society.

By tradition, the sons were obligated to join the Knights, while the daughters were treated as tools for political alliances. As a tool for diplomacy, she was required to possess perfect refinement and conduct. Of course, showing any emotion was out of the question.

Day after day, both at home and in public, Lilianne lived her life suppressing her true heart. Because she was born a woman rather than a man, the pressure from those around her was severe. The only woman capable of inheriting a house was Princess Mia, whose mother held absolute power. It didn’t work that way in an ordinary household. However, the Lemure family had no sons.

Currently, the fiancé her father had arbitrarily found for her was set to inherit the Lemure house in the future.

Torre Tolbert—a man belonging to the Knights who was a quintessential “muscle-brain,” whose hobbies and specialties were apparently weight training.

…It didn’t seem like they would ever see eye to eye.

Lilianne was naturally energetic; as a young child, she had played freely, climbing trees and fishing in the garden. However, once she grew older and tutors began teaching her academics and manners, all of that was forbidden. If she took even a single action that deviated from their “ideal lady,” her wrists would be struck repeatedly with a whip.

Gradually, Lilianne’s smiles faded and her words grew few. She stopped taking initiative in anything—and eventually, she came to be called a “foremost lady of high society,” just like her mother.

She wasn’t happy about it at all, but her fiancé, Torre, was making a fuss on his own, calling her “amazing.” He never even tried to look at Lilianne’s inner self.

What’s so amazing? It’s all so pointless.

Unable to find a place where she belonged either at home or abroad, and unable to reveal her true feelings to anyone, the pain became unbearable… She would always hide in the corner of the library to shed her tears. If she did it at home, the maids would report it to her parents. In the library, there were few visitors, and depending on where she sat, she could avoid seeing anyone.

It was during one of those times that Lilianne met Robin.

“Oh my, oh my~ what’s the matter~? Why are you crying? It’s ruining such a beauty’s face~.”

The person who called out to her was a young noble she didn’t recognize. He possessed a truly beautiful appearance. He had sun-kissed skin—a rarity in the Royal Palace—with deep-set, sweet features and eyes that drooped with a heavy, alluring sensuality.

Lilianne found herself staring involuntarily before snapping back to her senses and fixing her posture.

“It is nothing.”

She put on her usual mask of a noble lady, coldly pushing him away. However, Robin did not back down.

“That’s definitely not a ‘nothing’ expression~. Come on, tell little old me~. I’m just a low-ranking noble with zero influence, so I think I’m pretty easy to talk to~?”

Perhaps it was a momentary lapse in judgment, or perhaps her suffering had finally exceeded its limit.

Lilianne told Robin everything that had happened to her, pouring out her heart without holding back.

Robin listened with deep empathy, hanging on her every word. Because he was the only person who had ever treated her with such kindness, Lilianne let her guard down. Back at her estate, no one gave a second thought to the feelings of a “tool for political alliances.”

“It’s okay. Little old me is on your side, after all~.”

“Um… may I ask your name?”

“I’m Robin~. Son of the House of Baron Revision. And your name?”

“Lilianne Lemure.”

“Ah, the Count’s daughter…”

Robin leaned in close. Lilianne panicked at the sudden, unexpected proximity to a man, but Robin didn’t seem to care.

“Must be tough being a Count’s daughter~. Isn’t it about time people started pestering you about marriage?”

“Well, yes.”

“I’ll set you free, Lilianne.”

Smiling, Robin gently took her hand. A faint light emanated from where he touched her, and she felt a soothing sensation, as if the suffocating gloom inside her was simply melting away.

“What is this?”

“My special magic. It’s a power meant to help those who are suffering.”

The sadness that had pooled in her heart faded, and her agony felt purified.

“Lord Robin…”

“Just ‘Robin’ is fine~. I told you, I’m just a low-ranking guy.”

“I understand. Robin, thank you. Thanks to you, I feel a little bit lighter.”

From then on, Lilianne spent more and more time with Robin in the library.

—And so, she became hopelessly addicted to him.

Because being with him was easy; because he was the only one who had ever found the real her…

And now, Lilianne’s secret trysts with Robin had been discovered by her family, and she had been kicked out of her home.

Someone must have snitched. Was it the Princess, or perhaps another young lady who harbored feelings for Robin?

Her family was merciless.

“What a disgraceful daughter! You’ve brought shame upon me! Everything is ruined because of you!”

“To think you were meeting another man secretly while engaged? You two seemed quite close, I hear. To drag your mother’s name through the mud like this… perhaps I was too soft on your education?”

“We have no use for a daughter like this! Your sister Luluanne shall take a husband and inherit the Earldom! Get out! This instant!”

Clutching a small handbag and a pittance of coins, Lilianne was cast out into the streets, dazed and confused. It was raining outside, and there was nowhere suitable to take cover.

Above all, the humiliation of being seen in her current state was unbearable. A girl who clearly came from a good family, standing in the rain without an attendant—anyone would assume she was “damaged goods.”

Naturally, the place she headed for… was the Royal Palace library.

The palace staff, unaware that Lilianne had been disowned, looked at her soaking-wet figure with suspicion but let her into the library as usual.

“Robin, Robin, Robin. Please, save me…”

Robin was her only ally. Lilianne clung to his hand the moment he appeared. Robin listened to her woes with sincere attention, an expression of profound sympathy on his face.

“It’s okay, it’s okay, Lilianne. I’ll help you, I promise.”

As he touched her, her heart felt light again. Robin’s magic was a holy power that saved people from suffering.

“But before I do, could you do one little favor for me? It’s something I can only ask of you~.”

“I’ll do anything. Anything within my power…”

Lilianne answered without a moment’s hesitation.