The little girl's pursed lips tightened slightly, as if she wanted to continue praying, but just then, another voice rang out:

"Miss, it's time for bed."

It turned out to be the maid who came to take her to sleep. Lilith could only gaze longingly at the statue before leaving.

At that moment, Silvanus emerged from the statue. He realized his body was somewhat translucent—perhaps that was why Lilith couldn't see him.

But the problem was, where exactly was he now? Lilith had brought him here, but as for how to leave… Silvanus had no idea.

[Oh, a new map? But this part wasn't in the script at all!]

[So this damn program finally figured out how to keep the audience hanging, huh? The stakes aren't too high, but I like it.]

[Silvanus always manages to bring surprises.]

[That's right, I want to see him gouge out someone's eyes.]

Silvanus: "..."

He was at a loss for words at the barrage of constantly refreshing comments, though he did manage to glean the information he needed.

So this place hadn't been broadcast yet—another mystery.

Silvanus couldn't help recalling Lilith's earlier prayer. Very well, he might as well indulge the girl for now.

[My lord, you're sure to gain an unexpected harvest! I can't believe you made the right choice before I even had the chance to remind you!]

The voice of the acting system suddenly rang out. Thanks to the experience of surviving seven dungeons, Silvanus didn't flinch.

He frowned inwardly: [If I could rely on you, I wouldn't have had to crawl through all this. Fix your system panel already.]

At this point, Silvanus wasn't even sure whether he should still call it the acting system anymore—it was far too unworthy of the name.

Sure enough, it immediately retorted: [You're looking down on me again! Besides, you already know your true identity. The system only existed to stabilize you when you were still lost. Now that you have power, this matter falls entirely within your control. It has nothing to do with me anymore!]

Having exposed itself, it immediately revealed its lazy nature. It no longer wanted to do anything beyond lazing around, occasionally popping up to deliver meaningless tidbits.

Silvanus paid it no further attention.

[Long live my lord, truly there is nothing you cannot do! Your humble servant takes his leave!]

Its tone was grandiose, but Silvanus could clearly hear it yawning just before the connection cut off.

Silvanus: "..." He wanted to curse out loud.

If he truly was a god, how on earth did he end up with such a subordinate?

He couldn't help but fall into contemplation, but in just a blink, the night sky above him had turned brilliantly bright.

Time in this place did not flow in a usual way.

Silvanus swiftly drifted along with the wind, searching for Lilith's figure.

But before leaving, he suddenly turned his head back. The spot where Lilith had prayed was empty—there was no statue at all.

So then… just what exactly had Lilith been praying to?

Silvanus couldn't help but furrow his brows slightly, quickening his pace.

The path ahead turned into a shortcut, and Silvanus appeared in the music room in the blink of an eye.

Gentle music floated through the air. Lilith's small ten fingers danced across the keys, flawlessly completing a piece Silvanus didn't even know the name of. He only knew that it sounded beautiful—without a doubt, Lilith hadn't missed a note.

She lifted her hands, her eyes shimmering with light, brighter than the sunlight streaming through the window.

Her teacher immediately walked up, praising her endlessly.

Aside from Lilith, there were two other youths in the room, at that moment poking idly at the piano keys, producing strange, silly noises.

The teacher glanced at them with displeasure, though said nothing.

Just then, a servant arrived, announcing to the young masters and miss that it was time for lunch.

Lilith was the first to dash downstairs, and the scene before Silvanus instantly shifted into a resplendent golden dining hall. On the long table lay a spread of delicacies, far too much for only four people to finish.

A bald man with a long beard sat at the head of the table. Lilith's eyes lit up as she looked at him:

"Father, today I played the piano well—the teacher even praised me!"

She shared her excitement eagerly. The man she called father gave a slight nod, then turned his gaze toward the two youths who were eating, starting to converse with them.

They spoke at length, but their voices were muffled, as if separated by countless walls—impossible to make out clearly. Their mouths moved ceaselessly, like they would never run out of things to say.

Silvanus felt Lilith's silence was noisier than those three constantly flapping mouths.

Recalling what Lilith had once said, Silvanus stepped forward. A ruler appeared in his hand, and without hesitation, he smacked it straight on Zarukel's head.

The man's head jolted forward with a visible thud.

He widened his eyes and snapped his head up, glaring furiously:

"Who's there?!"

But there was no one. The servants standing far away were frozen in fear, not moving an inch. His three children were still eating, nothing out of the ordinary.

But how could that be? He had felt it—someone had struck his head with a ruler!

Seeing Zarukel's expression, Lilith couldn't help but worry:

"Father, are you all right?"

Yet at that moment, the sounds and words swallowing her up disappeared. That strange feeling made her father's dismissal less painful than usual.

.

"So what if you're talented? I will never love you. Foolish child, hahaha."

"That's right—you dream of inheriting the Zarukel family's position? Look at yourself. You're nothing like us. This black hair is the true bloodline of the Zarukel family. You're like your mother. Hahaha."

The scene shifted once more, this time into a lush green meadow. The three children were now on horseback. Lilith, too, was dressed in riding clothes. She was so small, yet sitting atop the horse, she showed no fear, gripping the reins tightly—as though clinging to her destiny.

Faced with her brothers' cruel words, Lilith couldn't help feeling hurt. She grew angry:

"Mother married Father, she's part of the Zarukel family! She gave birth to us—you can't talk about her like that!"

"Hahaha, so stupid. See? You're nothing like us. A snake should be cold-blooded. If you want to act like a warm-blooded beast, then get lost! You're not qualified to compete with us!"

Lilith was so furious she couldn't even speak. At that moment, the two youths rode their horses toward her, intending to bully her. Stubbornness and defiance showed on Lilith's face, but she still couldn't help feeling a little afraid.

Yet just then, both youths suddenly fell off their horses simultaneously, slamming face-first into the ground. As if startled by some unseen force, the two horses bolted into a frenzy. Lilith quickly spurred her horse forward and galloped away, leaving the two brothers sprawled beneath the hooves, their survival uncertain.

Lilith blinked, touched her face with both hands, then looked around. She couldn't hide her excitement:

"God, was that you? You heard my prayer… you're willing to protect me?"

Indeed—it was this handsome, powerful god. Silvanus restrained himself from saying it out loud.

[Hahaha, serves them right! Those two little monsters dared to threaten the princess—disgusting!]

[The princess as a child is too adorable, hehe, come here and let me hug you!]

[Ugh, gross up there. Besides, Lilith normally acts like this anyway.]

[Not the same! That Lilith was an old monster wearing a child's skin—you don't even know how many years she'd lived. This Lilith is the honest young Lilith, of course, it's different!]

[This Lilith—if I pinch her cheek, she'll smile. That Lilith—if I pinch her cheek, I'll be the one smiling, but from the depths of hell.]

[Die with a smile.]

That night, Lilith went to bed. This was also the first time Silvanus had seen Lilith's actual bedroom.

The princess's bed was huge, both sides piled high with stuffed animals, yet the one she hugged tightly to her chest was a shabby gray teddy bear.

One arm around the bear, the other holding a photo, Lilith began to whisper her heart out:

"Mother, I miss you so much… But don't worry, I'm still doing well. One day, I'll become as outstanding as you always said I would. I'm not tired at all, and not sad either. Oh, right—God even answered me. I must be a good girl, so the gods also favor me."

[This damn program really shouldn't be doing flashbacks. Suddenly, I want Silvanus to give Lilith her heart back!]