Boredom was unfamiliar.
In the laboratories, time had been filled with pain or anticipation of it. Here, time simply… passed. No screaming. No orders. No experiments.
So Lilith walked.
The palace was vast—marble floors polished to a mirror shine, high arches, banners embroidered with symbols she didn't recognize and didn't care to learn. Knights stood at intervals, their gazes lingering just a second too long whenever she passed. She ignored them.
She was looking for someone else.
The girl who had spoken to her before.
The maid.
Lilith found her sitting on a stone bench in one of the inner courtyards, sunlight filtering through tall trees. The girl looked around Lilith's age—seventeen, maybe. Brown hair tied loosely, simple maid attire, posture relaxed. She hummed softly to herself, swinging her feet slightly.
Cheerful.
That was the word.
Lilith stopped.
Her feet froze against the marble as realization struck her a second too late.
She had only thought as far as finding her.
Not what came after.
Her mind went blank.
Run?
Kill?
Stare?
Before she could decide, the maid looked up.
"Oh—hi?" the girl said, blinking in surprise.
Lilith's heart skipped. Her throat tightened.
"H—He—Hello," she managed, the word stumbling out like it had forgotten how to exist.
The maid tilted her head, then smiled—soft, patient. Not afraid.
Encouraging.
"That's okay," she said gently. "I'm Rin. What's your name?"
Lilith swallowed.
She had a name now. She had chosen it. But saying it aloud felt… heavier than she expected. Like giving someone a weapon.
"M—Me name is… Li—Lil… lilith."
Rin's eyes lit up.
"Lilith," she repeated, like it was something beautiful. "That's a really nice name."
Lilith stiffened.
No one had ever said that about anything related to her before.
She didn't know how to respond, so she just nodded once—small, precise.
Rin patted the empty space beside her on the bench.
"Do you want to sit?"
Lilith hesitated.
Then, slowly, she moved and sat down, leaving a careful gap between them.
It wasn't much.
But it was the first step she had taken toward something that wasn't pain.