CHAPTER 88: NOT SUITABLE FOR A LADY

They continued their walk while eating the cake. It was one of the best Lilith had ever tasted, so good that she devoured it within seconds. A bit of chocolate had smeared at the corner of her mouth, and Eldric gently wiped it off. The gesture caught her by surprise, but it didn’t stir any butterflies in her stomach.

She thanked him softly and they kept walking. Yet, no matter how hard she tried, Lilith couldn’t stop thinking about the prince. It frustrated her that she was spending time with another man, yet her mind kept drifting to someone who probably hadn’t thought of her once.

Letting out a sigh, she tried to shake the thoughts away. She realized she hadn’t heard a word Eldric had been saying—she saw his lips moving, but her mind had tuned out completely.

Her eyes wandered past him and landed on a building behind him. An idea lit up in her mind. "Let’s go into that building," she said suddenly, unintentionally cutting him off.

Eldric turned to see what she was referring to and his eyes widened. "No. Absolutely not. We can’t go in there."

Lilith frowned. "Why not? It looks fun. I need something to help me loosen up—and I’m very, very cold."

"No, Lilith. It’s dangerous. That’s not a place for a lady like you," he warned.

She rolled her eyes. "I’m no lady, Eldric. And you’ll be with me, so I’ll be safe," she said, batting her lashes playfully.

Eldric groaned and raked a hand through his hair. "I mean... you’re not wrong, but that’s still not a good enough reason to just walk in there."

Lilith grabbed his arm and began pulling him toward the door. "It is."

She took a deep breath and pushed the door open. The sight that met her eyes wasn’t what she expected. She had imagined rough, grimy men and women with loud voices and foul smells—but the people inside were surprisingly decent.

Lilith offered a small smile as she passed them, though no one returned it. They just stared, as if she and Eldric didn’t belong—and truthfully, they didn’t.

It was her first time in a tavern, and she wasn’t sure if Eldric had been in one before, but he didn’t look like he had either. He seemed just as uneasy as she felt.

Fortunately, they spotted an empty table nearby. Lilith took a seat and Eldric sat across from her, visibly uncomfortable. Despite the awkwardness, she couldn’t help but feel a flutter of excitement at being somewhere new.

"Have you ever been inside a tavern before?" she asked, unwrapping her scarf now that the place was unexpectedly warm.

"Just twice, and I came with some men from the palace," Eldric replied, placing his hands on the table.

"Oh, that’s nice," Lilith said, trying her best to ignore the many eyes on her.

"I’ll go get us some drinks," Eldric said, rising from his chair and walking over to the counter to speak with the tavern keeper. Lilith noticed the woman smiling at him, clearly flirting. He returned shortly after, carrying two tankards and setting them on the table. The strong smell of the drink filled the air.

"That’s ale," he explained, noticing the way Lilith eyed the liquid. "I wanted to get wine, but they didn’t have any."

"Thank you." She lifted the tankard to her lips and took a sip. The moment the burning liquid slid down her throat, her face contorted in discomfort and she coughed loudly, her cheeks flushing from the heat and the embarrassment.

"Careful. Take it slow—you’ll get used to the taste soon," Eldric said with a small smile, taking a sip of his own without flinching.

Lilith gave it another try. It wasn’t much better, but she managed to stop herself from coughing like a child. They drank in silence for a while, the air between them gradually loosening.

Lilith could already feel the ale working its way into her head, so she slowed down. The last thing she wanted was to embarrass herself in front of Eldric—or worse, in front of all the watching eyes.

"It’s obvious you don’t drink," Eldric said with a chuckle. "So why did you decide to come to a tavern today? Did something happen?"

Lilith, who had been tracing the rim of her tankard with her finger, wanted to lie and say no—but her mouth had a will of its own. "I want to stop thinking about the prince," she confessed. The words escaped before she could stop them.

She stared at Eldric, eyes wide with shock, but surprisingly, he didn’t look as surprised as she expected.

"I..." she began, flustered.

"I’m not a fool, you know, Lilith," Eldric said softly. "I already know you have feelings for the prince. Anyone with observant eyes could see it. Besides, you don’t exactly hide it well."

Embarrassment washed over Lilith once again. She sighed and rubbed her face with her hand. "You should call me stupid for having feelings for him, because I know it’s foolish. He’s a prince, and I’m... just Lilith."

"You’re not stupid, and it’s not foolish, Lilith. I mean, I fully understand why you might have feelings for him. He looks ethereal for starters, and I believe he has a kind heart beneath all the toughness he shows."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "How do you know that?"

"I’m very good at reading people." He leaned forward slightly. "And... I also believe the prince cares about you, too."

Lilith gasped and slapped a hand over her mouth. "I assure you, he does not. His care for me is no more than a master’s care for his servant. He only keeps me around because of what I can do for him," she whispered.

"You don’t completely believe that, Lilith. Deep down, you know it."

She scoffed. "If he truly cared for me like you claim, then why did he sleep with another woman? Don’t ask me if I’m sure—because I am. I saw them with my own two eyes," she said, sinking into the chair. "And she was utterly beautiful," she added in a whisper.

"That doesn’t necessarily mean he doesn’t care about you. The prince is a nobleman—and that’s what many noblemen do."

Lilith shot him a cold glare. "Would you do that? Would you take another woman to your bed if you had feelings for someone else?"

"N-no, I wouldn’t," he said quickly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Forgive me. That was wrong of me to say."

She let out a long breath and took another gulp of her drink. As the situation settled in her mind, realization dawned on her—she had just spoken freely about her feelings for the prince in front of a man who might have feelings for her.

"Oh dear heavens," she muttered. "Forgive me, Eldric. It was certainly cruel of me to talk about my affection for the prince in your presence without thinking about you."

Eldric chuckled. "You don’t need to apologize. I’ve moved on from how I felt about you. I don’t engage in battles where my chances of success are slim to none."

"I feel so bad. I shouldn’t have..." Lilith pouted, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I think you’ve had enough." He gently pulled the tankard from her grip and set it on the table. "It’s time for us to leave." He rose from his chair and helped Lilith to her feet.

"Nooo. I don’t want to return to the palace," Lilith whined, reaching for the ale again, but Eldric quickly pushed it farther out of her reach.

"The prince will surely have my head if I don’t return you safely. Come on, let’s head out." He held her arm as they stepped out of the tavern, heading back toward the carriage—completely unaware of the figure cloaked in black, his face hidden, watching them from a distance with glowing purple eyes.