"...Evil god."
"I wish you'd say it's cozy instead of cramped."
"Is there really a need to make a secret room? If you want to rest, you could just choose any room near your bedroom."
The man didn't seem to like the secret room very much.
The woman smiled.
"Well, I can't rest comfortably there. In that place, I'm just Duchess Rodbel."
"Is it different here?"
"It is. Here, I'm just Lucrecia. Just an ordinary woman who wants to spend time with her precious people."
"......"
When the man didn't react, the woman's bright smile gradually faded.
"......Actually, you were right. I really didn't want to admit it... Rodbel changed while I was away on campaign. Everyone covets the power and wealth I built."
The woman's voice gradually became gloomy.
The man looked at her silently.
"I can give it to them if they want. But I don't know. Will they be satisfied with that...? They..."
The woman swallowed.
"They want Rodbel itself. They even covet my soul."
"......"
"There's someone manipulating them, but I don't know who. That's why I'm actually scared. I'm afraid that person might be among the people I love. That's why I made this room. Because I don't have to suspect anything here. You can even call it escapism."
"......"
"Do you think I'm pathetic? Do you think I'm not qualified to be the head of the family?"
The woman asked in an anxious tone.
The man looked at her for a moment, then slowly put his arm around her shoulder and replied.
"Well, I don't really know. Whether you're qualified to be the head of the family or not."
"......"
"But I know one thing for sure. Rodbel is Lucrecia Rodbel, you. No matter who covets it, that truth will never change."
"......"
"Just do what you've been doing. If you get tired of suspecting, then don't suspect. If the work of the head of the family is too hard, quit and go play."
"......Chi, then who will protect Rodbel?"
"I will."
"......"
"I'll protect you, and Rodbel. That's why I became emperor."
"......"
"So you can just read your favorite books and be happy. That's all you need to do."
"Really..."
The woman smiled, closing her eyes as if imagining it.
"Just thinking about it makes me happy."
"That's right."
"And you're there, and my other loved ones are there too."
"Isn't just me enough? I'm not really keen on the others."
The man answered curtly to the words 'other loved ones'.
"I'm not keen on it either, Your Majesty."
"Sister, I've been looking for you everywhere!"
Two people approached them.
One was a lovely-looking woman with white hair and purple eyes, and the other was...
'Who is it?'
A man with gray hair and an intellectual atmosphere.
He felt similar to Ligrin, and he sighed as if he was dissatisfied with the situation.
The woman who found them - Lucrecia Rodbel - shouted happily.
"How did you two come together? How did you know I was here?"
"You often rest in the library. I couldn't see you, so I thought you might be here."
The white-haired woman smiled charmingly and linked arms with Lucrecia.
"I met Ash on the way. He was looking for you, so I brought him along."
'I did a good job, right?' the woman asked with a refreshing smile.
Ash adjusted his glasses and said in a stiff tone.
"Head of the family, the meeting is about to start, what are you doing here?"
At those words, Lucrecia looked surprised.
"Ah, that's right. Sorry, I forgot."
"Besides the meeting, there's still a lot of work to do today. Even if you stay up all night, it won't be enough, but you're being so leisurely."
Ash glared at the man with an unpleasant look.
The man was just as displeased with him.
He said in a cold tone.
"Doesn't the duchess need a rest too? You seem to be pushing her too hard. Anyone would think you were the superior, not the duchess."
"As an aide assisting the head of the family, I was just giving the head of the family the necessary advice. Sometimes the truth can be bitter. But if you only seek sweet things, you'll ruin your health."
"That sounds like you're aiming that at me? Is it my imagination?"
"How could I presume to judge His Majesty the Emperor's thoughts? It's your imagination."
After a fierce exchange, a chilling cold air flowed between the two.
Lucrecia mediated with a cold sweat.
"Haha, you two stop fighting. You used to be friends when you were comrades, but these days you fight whenever you meet."
"That was then."
"Your Majesty is right. Relationships change depending on the situation. Currently, I am not His Majesty's comrade, but the aide of Duchess Rodbel."
"I am the Emperor."
"Yes, I already know, Your Majesty."
The two fought really persistently.
And it was childish.
I was getting tired of watching them.
Lucrecia, who couldn't stand it anymore, pushed the two of them out of the room.
"Stop it and let's go. You go back to the palace, and Ash, come with me to the conference room."
"Sister, I'll go with you too!"
Lucrecia looked back at the white-haired woman and smiled brightly.
"Welcome, Lilith!"
"……!"
At the name that came out of the mouth of the first head of the family, my eyes widened.
'Lilith.'
The first head of the family called the white-haired woman that.
The scene of Lilith, the white-haired woman, linking arms with Lucrecia Rodbel, was the last thing I saw before their illusion disappeared.
The bright room was dyed with darkness, and before I knew it, I was back in the restricted area I knew.
Was it because I had just seen a room full of people in the middle of the day?
The scenery of the dark room without a single warmth felt particularly lonely.
I recalled the sight I had just seen.
There was no mistake. The first head of the family had definitely called the white-haired woman 'Lilith'.
'If it's Lilith, that's the name I heard back then.'
The illusion of the first duchess suddenly appeared during the direct descendant ceremony.
She clearly said to me.
[Be careful of Lilith.]
-That's what she had said.
Could the 'Lilith' she was talking about be that white-haired woman?
'But why?'
Judging from my experiences so far, these were not just simple dreams.
It really was the memory of the first duchess - Lucrecia Rodbel.
In that memory, Lucrecia loved Lilith. Lilith also seemed to genuinely like and follow her.
That's why I felt a sense of disconnect from her saying to be careful of Lilith.
My head was confused, and at that moment, my eyes seemed to brighten for a moment, and the appearance of the first head of the family appeared.
Just like when she appeared like an illusion on the day of the ceremony, with a sad expression again.
The only difference from that time was that this time I could see her face.
The color of her eyes was reddish-purple. It was an unfamiliar feature in Rodbel, where white hair and purple eyes were symbolic.
Rather, it was closer to mine...
Looking at her, I parted my lips.
"What do you want from me?"
I had been thinking about it all along.
Why was it that only I could see the appearance of the first head of the family?
Why was I peeking into her memories?
Perhaps... did she have something she wanted to say to me?
Until now, she had unilaterally conveyed something to me and disappeared.
I took a step closer to her and asked.
"What do you want to convey? Why did you tell me to be careful of Lilith? Who is Lilith?"
The first head of the family is a person from a thousand years ago.
That means that the woman named Lilith who lived in the same era is also a person from a thousand years ago.
Why did she tell me to be careful of her, who doesn't exist now?
I tried to find out on my own.
'There's not enough information.'
The first head of the family was a mysterious figure in many ways.
In fact, even what her actual appearance was like was not properly known.
Looking at the characteristics of the Rodbel family, it is only speculated that she also had white hair and purple eyes.
'I knew it would be like this.'
Furthermore, there were even questions about whether she was a real person.
"What on earth happened back then?"
I couldn't suppress my anxiety that she might disappear like this again.
"Above all..."
Questions piled up and formed a mountain.
But more than anything else, what I wanted to ask the most was.
"...Why are you looking at me with such an expression?"
She looked at me with sad eyes, as if she would shed tears at any moment.
That look bothered me a lot.
So this time, I have to hear the answer.
At that moment, looking at her with a strong will.
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