Chapter 108 - 35: The Restless Older Siblings and Younger Brother

Chapter 108: Chapter 35: The Restless Older Siblings and Younger Brother

Once again, it was the drawing room.

Unlike Adrian, Veronica knew the place like the back of her hand.

She didn’t wait for the maid to brew her tea. Instead, she walked over to the cabinet herself, took out the particular brand of tea she always drank from the very back of a drawer, and handed it to the maid.

"Two cups of hot tea. One with sugar, one without,"

she instructed.

Lilia had never been particular about tea, let alone studied it in depth. This packet of black tea was a gift from Veronica; because she liked it, Lilia had tried it and agreed it was delicious.

However, their tastes differed slightly. Lilia had more of a sweet tooth...

Without even realizing it, Veronica had committed all of Lilia’s habits to memory.

Soon, the door to the drawing room was pushed open.

Lilia was still wearing the same intricate, light blue formal dress. Upon seeing Veronica in the room, she was just about to greet her when the latter spoke first. "Adrian was just here to see you, wasn’t he?"

As she spoke, Veronica gestured for Lilia to sit beside her.

Lilia readily complied, nodding.

"What did he want?"

"He wanted to invite me to visit the army. He said the Mages stationed there value talent and that I should have a lot in common with them."

At these words, Veronica said nothing.

She just let out a light, sarcastic scoff.

It was the first time Lilia had ever seen her normally calm and arrogant sister reveal such an aggressive side.

Veronica looked at her. "What do you think of him?"

"Adrian?"

"Yes."

"He’s quite nice."

Lilia replied obediently. "Very polite, and he seems to care about me."

"So..."

Veronica’s gaze turned a little dangerous. "You’ve only met him once, and you’re already bought over?"

"?"

Lilia tilted her head, feigning confusion.

Seeing her look so simple, almost foolishly so, Veronica became exasperated.

She suppressed her anger. "Aren’t you usually very smart? Don’t tell me you couldn’t see his real motive for inviting you."

"This talk about ’communicating with the garrison Mages’—he just wants you to join his ranks and use your Magic Talent to fight his battles for him!"

"Don’t you dare be fooled by his gentle exterior! That man is more cunning than ten of you put together!"

At that moment, Veronica felt like a farmer who had painstakingly cultivated a prized cabbage, only to turn away for a second and find a pig about to root it up.

The anxiety and worry in her voice were impossible to hide.

She looked at Lilia before her, bracing herself for the worst. "You didn’t... already agree, did you?"

Lilia smiled.

Veronica held her breath, her own heartbeat suddenly seeming much louder.

Amidst the THUMP-THUMP of her heart, the girl finally spoke. "Of course not."

Lilia said, "Like you said, it was my first time meeting him. Why would I agree to his invitation so easily?"

As soon as the words were out, Veronica instantly let out a sigh of relief.

Just like that, all her anxiety and worry vanished. She leaned back against the sofa, her posture looking almost leisurely.

"Good, as long as you didn’t agree."

Veronica’s tone returned to its usual haughtiness. "Don’t listen to his grandiose promises and naively think the army is some wonderful place to be. Once you agree to become a military Mage, it means you’ll be in constant danger. Besides, the army has strict discipline; there’s no such thing as personal freedom."

"If you really want to see the world outside of Hillflan, I’ve already asked Father for a fiefdom. You can come with me when the time comes."

Lilia blinked. "...A fiefdom?"

At the mention of this, Veronica’s expression turned gloomy. "Ah, Adrian really does have a lot of advantages, doesn’t he?"

Just because she was a few years younger, she was a huge step behind him in both politics and military affairs.

Even though she had been working hard to involve herself in major policy decisions since graduating from the Royal Capital Magic Academy, she couldn’t catch up to years of his accumulated experience with just her own recent efforts.

Veronica could clearly sense that, compared to her, their father was much more inclined to let Adrian inherit the throne.

Of course, she couldn’t accept that.

To build her political achievements more quickly, and to prove she had the ability to manage the entire Kingdom, Veronica had proactively asked the King for a fiefdom.

As long as the fiefdom developed in all aspects during her time in charge, she would have the capital—both in terms of public opinion and tangible results—to contend with Adrian.

Lately, Veronica had been run ragged dealing with matters concerning Adrian and her new fiefdom. It was precisely because she was spread so thin that Adrian had found an opportunity to approach Lilia.

After confirming that Lilia hadn’t agreed to Adrian’s proposal and wouldn’t be foolish enough to run off and become his garrison Mage, Veronica finally seemed to relax. She offered a few more words of caution before leaving.

She was in a hurry, clearly with many other matters to attend to.

Lilia remained seated in the drawing room, declining the maid’s suggestion that she return to her own room to rest.

"Go brew a fresh pot of hot tea,"

Lilia instructed.

"Of course," the maid replied with a nod. "Should I add extra sugar?"

"No need. It’s not for me,"

Lilia said flatly. "It’s for the next guest."

"The next guest...?"

Before the maid could voice her question, Rebecca knocked and entered the room.

The young woman was already looking a little frazzled. "Um, Princess Lilia... Prince Leo is here as well."

That one word—"as well"—spoke volumes of her silent shock.

Lilia, however, wasn’t surprised. "Please show him in."

...

"In short, don’t agree to anything they say."

The young man’s attitude was even more arrogant than Veronica’s, and he casually trampled all over his older brother and sister. "Those two are the same kind of people. They never deal with others based on feelings, only on what’s in it for them."

"Their invitations—whether it’s to join the army or go to her fiefdom—are just ploys to make you serve them."

Lilia nodded obediently. "So, the best thing for me to do is stay here in Hillflan with you?"

"If that’s what you’re thinking, then that’s for the best, of course."

Leo tried to keep the corners of his mouth from turning up, but the joy in his voice was impossible to hide, as if a block of wood had finally come to its senses. "I’ve already made arrangements with the Royal Capital Magic Academy. You can start your post there as soon as you arrive. The border? A new fiefdom? How could any of that compare to the Capital?"

"Listen to me, staying here is the right choice. You definitely won’t regret it later."

"That’s settled, then. I’ll be going. Think it over carefully."

The girl smiled and nodded. "Okay."

...

"Lilia, don’t you believe a single word they said."

Less than ten minutes after Leo left, the final guest sat down in front of Lilia.

Chris clutched the bone china cup in his hand, his handsome face filled with vigilance, as if he were afraid the girl before him could be lured away with just a few words from the others.

"No matter which of them you choose, you’ll be seen as having joined their faction by default."

"You think they’ll take care of you?"

"No."

The young man’s eyes were somber as he looked up at her. "They all see you as nothing more than a tool."