"Wait a second!"
Lia panicked instantly at the sight, yelling at Kalis as he got dragged away. "We're here to take care of serious business! Why are you getting all cozy with an NPC?"
"NPC?" Lilith tilted her head, confusion clouding her delicate features. "What does that mean?"
Her gaze drifted past the flustered Lia and settled on Kalis, her voice soft as a gurgling spring. "Darling Kalis, is this your friend? I sense the aura of a Supreme Deity on her, though it's pitifully faint."
Kalis cleared his throat awkwardly, finally regaining some composure after the earlier ambush. He looked at Lilith's joyful yet faintly pale face and quickly changed the subject. "Uh… Lilith, I've been wanting to thank you for saving me last time. I heard you got hurt because of it, so I brought some healing potions. I hope they can help."
With that, he pulled several vials of shimmering Potion of Holy Radiance from his inventory and held them out to her.
Lilith glanced at the potions, took them all without hesitation, and with a flick of her wrist, they vanished into thin air. Her eyes crinkled into crescent moons, her smile widening. "You went out of your way to bring me healing potions. How sweet of you! No need to worry, though. My injuries aren't actually that serious. Just some physical wounds, that's all. My core essence is completely unharmed. A few months of rest, and I'll be good as new."
"I'm glad to hear that," Kalis mumbled a vague reply, having no clue whether her injuries were mild or severe.
He seized the opportunity to cut straight to the point. "Actually, we have another reason for coming to the Abyss this time, we're looking for something. As a princess of the Abyss, you must be incredibly knowledgeable. I was wondering if you could share some clues with us?"
At his words, a faint frown tugged at Lilith's brows, and a flicker of disappointment flashed across her amethyst-like eyes. "So… you came here for another purpose after all. I thought you'd made this trip just to see me."
Lia, standing off to the side, was completely dumbfounded.
A woman's intuition told her that the Abyssal Princess before her wasn't putting on an act—she was genuinely smitten with Kalis. That intimacy and dependence couldn't be faked; it was practically obsession!
"This is insane…" Lia screamed internally.
Sure, Kalis was handsome, and his strength was off the charts, but she was a bona fide NPC!
An NPC crushing on a player, what kind of nonsense was this? Didn't she realize she was just a line of code?
Even if she truly believed she was a flesh-and-blood human, the game had only been live for a little over a day! How on earth had she managed to fall head over heels for a human player in such a short time?
Lia had never even heard of such a ridiculous scenario, let alone witnessed it firsthand. But here it was, unfolding right before her eyes.
"Your Highness! Your Highness!"
Just then, Castle Castellan Nunuoth approached cautiously, his face etched with obvious hesitation, clearly bursting to say something but holding back.
"What is it?" Lilith's frown deepened, her voice laced with unmistakable irritation.
She was in the middle of talking to the man she liked, and she hated being interrupted. If it weren't for Nunuoth's long-standing loyalty to her family, she would have lost her temper right then and there.
Nunuoth hunched his shoulders, lowering his voice to a hurried whisper. "Your Highness, you have no idea! These two humans—they just killed Lord Zerakel and Lieutenant Mior! They're mortal enemies of the Abyss! You mustn't get too close to them!"
"Hm?" Lilith's expression darkened instantly, the affectionate glint in her eyes replaced by a sharp, intimidating coldness. "Silence! Are you daring to tell me how to do my job?"
"I d-dare not, Your Highness!" Nunuoth trembled violently with fear, quickly bowing his head and not daring to breathe too loudly.
"Begone!" Lilith snapped coldly.
"But Your Highness…" Nunuoth tried to argue further.
"I won't repeat myself!"
When dealing with her subordinates, Lilith shed her coquettish, charming demeanor in an instant, exuding the full authority and dignity of an Abyssal Princess, no room for any dissent whatsoever.
Defeated, Nunuoth had no choice but to lead the guards away, retreating dejectedly into the shadows in the distance.
In the blink of an eye, only Kalis, Lia, and Lilith remained at the empty castle gate.
Once her subordinates were completely out of sight, Lilith turned back to Kalis, her brows still furrowed, her tone tinged with reproach. "Kalis—was what he said true? Did you really kill Uncle Zerakel?"
"Uh… yeah, that's true." Kalis had never been one for lying, and besides, the truth was impossible to hide; there were plenty of witnesses back in Zerakel's Hold. He decided to just own up to it honestly.
Lilith let out a soft sigh, her gaze on him growing filled with complicated emotions.
She spoke slowly, her voice calm yet carrying an undeniable weight. "Uncle Zerakel was a veteran who's served my father since ancient times. His strength wasn't the greatest, but his seniority was unmatched. These past years, ever since I was exiled to this desolate land, he's taken great care of me in every way. Killing him is a grave offense. As a princess of the Abyss, I must uphold the Abyss's iron laws. I can't let you leave."
"Uh… what does that mean?" Kalis asked, confused.
Lilith paused for a moment, then answered. "By the Abyss's iron laws, you should be put to death. Tear you apart alive and devour your flesh piece by piece, to be precise."
Kalis raised an eyebrow, saying nothing, waiting for her to continue.
Sure enough, Lilith's tone suddenly shifted, the coldness in her eyes melting into a mischievous smile as her voice turned playful again. "But… you're the man I've chosen as my future husband, the fiancé of the Night Archon's daughter. Naturally, such a cruel punishment isn't fitting for you. I say… how about I sentence you to ten years as my personal servant here in Rosehold? You'll take care of my every need, day in and day out. What do you think?"
Kalis: "..."
So this was all just a roundabout way of trying to get him to stay for her own sake!
He let out a helpless chuckle, his tone sincere. "Your Highness Lilith, I appreciate the honor, truly. But I'm just an ordinary player. I'm afraid I'm not worthy of the title 'Night Archon's son-in-law'. I came here today for two reasons: first, to thank you for saving me back in Valorian City. Second, to ask you about the Divine Dew Spring. As for staying here as your servant… uh, that's really not going to work out."
Kalis's attitude was nothing but polite.
If it had been a player pestering him like this, he would have blasted them with a skill already.
But NPCs were different from players; every word and action they took was designed by the game's creators. There was probably a ton of hidden quests and secrets tied to her, so showing her some respect was only sensible.
After all, even in her current state, injured or not, she wouldn't stand a chance against a few of his skills.
Even though Kalis had phrased his refusal as gently as possible, Lilith's expression still darkened.
She looked at him, her eyes brimming with hurt, her voice cracking with a hint of tears. "You won't even stay with me for ten years… I see now. I never even crossed your mind, did I?"
She paused, her gaze shifting to the dumbfounded Lia standing nearby, her tone turning icy cold in an instant. "I get it now... It's because of her, isn't it? She's human, and she bears the inheritance of a deity. Her status is so lofty. From your human perspective, it's only natural that you'd choose her over me."
The princess wore a look of utter heartbreak, like a girl who'd just been dumped, her pitiful expression enough to tug at anyone's heartstrings.
But the next second, her expression suddenly turned fierce again, her eyes blazing with terrifying malice, jealousy practically dripping from her words.
"But… I still can't let you leave." Lilith's voice was cold as ice. "Whether it's my duty as an Abyssal Princess, or my feelings for you—I have to keep you here."
Her gaze locked onto Lia like a vice, a cruel smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. "As for her… hmph, how dare she steal my man from me, Lilith? She deserves nothing but death!"
Before the words even left her mouth, she raised her delicate hand, her slender, pale fingers clamping around Lia's neck like a pair of iron pincers!
Lia: "???"
"Ugh… it hurts! I didn't even say anything! Why are you trying to kill me!"
Lilith's strength was astonishing. She lifted Lia off the ground with one hand, her feet dangling in the air, her face turning bright red as she struggled to breathe.
Lia wanted to cry but had no tears left.
She was just a regular player along for the quest! How had she gotten roped into this absurd love triangle between an NPC and a player, and ended up being the unjust target of her wrath?
Was there anything more ridiculous than this?
Kalis watched this sudden turn of events, torn between amusement and exasperation.
He hurried forward, trying to mediate. "Lilith, stop overthinking this! I don't have any special feelings for her, and I don't have any for you either! I'm just a player who's serious about this game. Let's talk this through calmly, okay? Even if we can't be… that kind of relationship, can't we at least be friends?"
"Really? You're not lying to me?" Lilith eyed him suspiciously, loosening her grip on Lia's neck slightly.
"Cough cough… I'm suffocating! Put me down! Please~!" Lia gasped, struggling in her grasp, her face turning purple.
Lilith glanced down at her gasping, half-dead form, then looked back up at Kalis, who showed not the slightest hint of urgency on his face. She let out a cold snort and finally let go.
Lia collapsed to the ground like a ragdoll, clutching her neck and coughing violently, silently cursing this moody, unpredictable succubus a thousand times over in her head.
"Alright, how about we go inside and talk this through properly?" Kalis quickly stepped in to smooth things over.
Lilith looked at him, the adoration in her eyes still lingering, though she seemed a bit more rational than before. She nodded, her voice still carrying a hint of hope. "Alright then. It's not too late for you to change your mind, you know."
With that, she stepped forward, looped her arm through Kalis's, and led the two of them affectionately into the opulent yet eerie Rosehold Castle.