As the morning sunlight streamed through the gaps in the wooden shutters—casting a shimmer across the rumpled sheets—a gentle warmth beside me stirred.
It was Lilia, her long silver hair spilling wildly across my hands as her deep blue eyes slowly fluttered open. For a brief, serene second, she blinked against the light, still half-trapped in sleep.
Then her eyes met mine—and memory hit her like a physical blow.
"A-Ah!?"
A sharp, breathless gasp escaped her lips. The moment she realized where she was—naked, flushed, and clinging to me in the aftermath of our intense, chaotic night—a vivid crimson blush exploded across her face, rushing all the way to the tips of her delicate ears.
Frantically letting go of my numb arm as if it were a burning iron, she snatched the edge of the blanket and pulled it over her head, burying herself completely in a cocoon of fabric.
Beneath the heavy linen, her small frame trembled with sheer embarrassment, her frantic, shallow breaths echoing softly in the quiet room.
"I'll head downstairs first. After you're finished changing, meet me in the lobby," I said, breaking the silence.
I turned away, threw my traveling cloak over my shoulders, and exited the room.
[Analyzing the current conditions]
[Analyze completed]
[Master, it seems Princess Lilia has finally accepted you]
[Then she should become stronger as fast as possible]
'The fuck!? I completely forgot you are there!'
'Hey Chrono, don't tell me you watched everything last night!?'
[Answering Master questions]
[Master doesn't need to worry]
[Before the intimate action started, I already turned off all the functions of the system and set it so that I automatically come back when morning arrives]
"...". I was left speechless after hearing Chrono say that. I couldn't even decide whether to be grateful or annoyed.
After waiting downstairs for a short while, Lilia finally descended into the rustic lobby, fully dressed in the casual commoner clothes I had prepared for her.
Even though the garments were cheap and ordinary, her natural royal beauty and striking figure made the simple fabric look extraordinary, drawing a few passing glances from the patrons.
I rose from my chair and studied her new look. "You're ready? Good. Sit down and have something to eat first. We need to head to the local supply shop soon to round out our gear before crossing the final border."
Lilia nodded quietly, her eyes still holding a trace of apprehension from our earlier encounter.
She followed me to a nearby wooden table, her movements remaining graceful despite the turmoil she had endured.
"Yes, I'm ready," Lilia said softly, her blue eyes meeting mine as she sat across from me. "Thank you for the meal and... for the clothes, Master."
She gently smoothed the coarse fabric of her tunic—a far cry from the exquisite silks of the capital, but clean and whole nonetheless.
As she sat at the table, she only picked at her bread; her appetite may have been severely diminished by the weight of recent traumatic events and the complicated nature of our intimate night together.
A sorrowful, conflicted expression lingered on her face.
She fully understood what had happened to her the previous night, a realization that left her feeling both sad and confused.
She felt sadness because her first experience had occurred under circumstances where she was no longer a princess, yet she also understood that had her master been a cruel person, she might have suffered far more than she currently was.
At the same time, she was confused because, contrary to expectations, she did not feel shattered after the encounter—quite the opposite.
Lilia felt she had gained a better understanding of who her master truly was.
She watched me cautiously through her long eyelashes, trying to gauge my mood.
Despite her lingering regret and the intensity of what had transpired upstairs, she couldn't help but feel a strange, paradoxical sense of absolute safety in my presence.
I was the only lifeline she desperately clung to amidst the chaos that had upended her life.
Seeing her like this was going to sour my mood if I didn't do anything with it.
"Don't just pick at the bread—eat everything on the table," I instructed. "When we go to the armory, we'll find something to cover that collar so others won't easily notice you're a slave."
I fell silent for a moment before looking her directly in the eyes.
"And once my younger sister and mother are found, that collar will come off on its own in accordance with the contract."
Lilia looked up in surprise, as if a spark of hope she thought was lost forever had suddenly reignited.
"And when that time comes, I'll help you take down that bastard Hendrix," I added firmly.
Lilia could no longer hold back the tears she had been suppressing. They finally spilled over, trailing down her flushed cheeks.
If others were to get a glimpse at our situation, they surely would think that the couple eating at this table is fighting or something.
After a moment, she managed to regain her composure. However, when I brought up visiting the local arms vendor again, she hesitated, her hands freezing over her food.
"Do you truly think it's wise for us to be seen in public right now, Master?" she asked, her tone laced with anxiety. "Won't Hendrix's scouts be actively searching for us around the border checkpoints?"
"They won't recognize you dressed like that, and I need better equipment if we're going to survive the eastern roads ahead," I stated flatly, giving her an unyielding look.
"Besides, if I remember correctly, all members of the royal family receive basic military training, don't they? Even the princesses. Which weapon did you train with under the palace instructors?"
I already knew the answer from the game's official databases back in my past life.
In the original timeline, Lilia wasn't just a helpless background NPC—she was actually a major companion character players could recruit.
Once the main heroes rescued her from her tragic storyline of enslavement by the evil noble and Hendrix's scheme.
She then would join the heroes' party, fighting alongside them against the cataclysmic Demon Lord who had awakened after a thousand-year seal.
Together, they would ultimately march back to reclaim her kingdom and defeat the traitorous Hendrix.