The battle between Carl and Lily had truly dragged on endlessly. Naturally, those outside—like Lucia and the others—couldn't wait around forever. As the sky gradually darkened, and with Lucia's nod of approval, the group of women finally returned to the royal bedchamber.
Upon entering, the sounds they'd imagined—ones that might make a person blush—were conspicuously absent. Instead, the room was eerily quiet. Sugar couldn't help but comment:
"Did Young Master and Lily-sama already leave?"
Lucia glanced around, then looked toward Lily's bedroom. When she noticed the faint purplish-black barrier shimmering in the air, realization dawned in her eyes.
"That's probably Lily-sama's ability again. She's blocked out all sound. Most likely, she and Young Master are still inside the room."
Hearing this, Monet spoke up:
"It's nearly time for dinner. Should we go and..."
Before she could finish, Sugar cut her off:
"Silly sister! Young Master clearly doesn't want to be disturbed at a time like this!"
Lucia nodded slightly.
"Mm. Better not interrupt them. Monet, go have someone prepare dinner for Sharlia-sama first."
Sharlia quickly waved her hands in protest.
"No need, no need! Let's all eat together."
After spending so much time here, most of Sharlia's Celestial Dragon air had worn off—at least in this place. Outside, though, she would no doubt revert to the haughty Celestial Dragon she once was.
...
Even as night fell and the group retired for rest, Carl and Lily still hadn't come out of the room.
By the time dawn broke the next day, and the women began filing out of their respective rooms, they finally caught sight of Carl and Lily.
Carl was seated calmly on the sofa, with Lily nestled against him. Seeing this scene, the women exchanged glances, then slowly gathered around.
Up close, Lily still had a faint blush on her cheeks, as if she hadn't been awake for long. Compared to the day before, the sharpness between her brows had noticeably softened, and she seemed far less cold and aggressive.
Carl turned to the women and smiled.
"Monet, go have breakfast arranged. Lily's quite worn out."
Monet quickly responded and went off to give instructions to the staff.
Lily tugged at Carl's sleeve and huffed.
"Who says I'm tired? If anything, you're the one who's worn out!"
Carl scoffed.
"Still so stubborn? I really shouldn't have let you put up that soundproof barrier last night. Who was it that kept yelling—"
Before he could finish, Lily shot up and slapped a hand over his mouth, eyes wide.
"I suddenly do feel a little tired, actually!"
Carl peeled her hand away, smiling slyly.
"That's better. Honesty suits you. I don't like women who say one thing and mean another."
Lily rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath.
"As if I care whether you like me or not..."
...
Just then, a pair of maids entered in orderly fashion under Monet's guidance, respectfully placing an exquisite breakfast spread on the dining table. At a nod from Monet, they quietly withdrew from the room.
Monet and the others joined Carl at the table. Lily chose not to sit beside him, opting instead for the seat directly across. Lucia and Ginny took the spots on either side of Carl.
Lily was the first to pick up a cherry about the size of a ping pong ball and popped it into her mouth. She glanced across the table toward Carl.
On his left, Lucia waited attentively with a glass of milk. On his right, Ginny was feeding Carl a slice of delicate cake.
Seeing this, Lily quietly pursed her lips and began chewing harder, grinding that poor cherry like it was bone.
Carl enjoyed the pampering from Lucia and Ginny, though he didn't miss Lily's subtle reactions.
Ginny offered him another piece of cake and leaned in to whisper,
"Carl, Lily-sama looks kind of upset."
Carl smiled faintly.
"Really? She's eating with such appetite—I doubt she's upset."
Lucia covered her mouth with a light laugh. Normally, Carl didn't have them serve him during breakfast, so it was obvious he was doing it just to get a rise out of Lily.
Young Master seems to really enjoy seeing Lily-sama flustered... Lucia mused.
...
After a while, Carl motioned for Lucia and Ginny to stop, then began feeding them in return. It wasn't the first time he'd done this, but today his actions were noticeably gentler—so much so that little stars sparkled in Sugar's eyes.
She glanced at the grapes on her plate and abandoned her usual slow, dainty method of eating them one at a time. Instead, she devoured the entire bunch like a whirlwind, then turned to Carl with a pout.
"Young Master, I'm out of grapes~ I want more grapes~"
Carl chuckled, raised his hand slightly, and beckoned her over. Sugar instantly scampered to his side like a kitten, blinking her deep blue eyes up at him.
With a flick of his finger, several plump grapes separated from the bunch on the table and floated into his hand, guided by an unseen force.
He lifted one grape on his fingertip. Sugar opened her mouth wide like a baby bird and let out a long "Ahhh~"
Carl gently fed her the grape. As she closed her lips around his finger, her face lit up with bliss.
Pop!
Carl pulled his finger free as Sugar cupped her cheeks, swallowed the grape, and beamed.
"Grapes from Young Master are the sweetest~"
Carl playfully tapped her little nose.
"No, I think the sweetest thing here... is our Sugar."
Sugar blinked innocently and said with childlike earnestness,
"Then does Young Master want to try a taste~?"
Crack!
A sudden, sharp sound rang out. Everyone turned toward the source—only to find Lily with her head bowed slightly, eyebrows twitching, and the silver fork in her hand snapped clean in two.
Carl blinked in surprise.
"Eh? Lily, what happened to your fork?"
Lily daintily picked up a white handkerchief and dabbed the corner of her mouth, replying in a calm voice,
"Just a slip of the hand. Nothing worth mentioning."
With that, she stood and headed back toward her bedroom.
...
After she left, Ginny stuck out her tongue and murmured,
"Carl, weren't we maybe a bit... mean to her? Why provoke her so much?"
Carl reached over and tapped her forehead, smiling.
"I want her to start facing her own feelings—to actually feel things like a normal person. She spent 800 years locked up. If she keeps acting all cold and emotionless... how can you girls even stand her?"
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+140 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg