She thought she was having a hallucination. Helos rubbed her eyes in disbelief and blinked hard, but the figure still did not vanish.
’No way…’ she wailed in her heart.
As the footsteps drew closer, until the person was only 12 meters away, she confirmed she had not mistaken her. She would have preferred to have been seeing things rather than running into this “devil” in such a place.
The figure came to a halt.
“Teacher Lilith?”
She whispered, her tone filled with unbelievable shock.
The woman turned around slowly, her impeccable, beautiful face looking somewhat surreal under the soft glow of the Magic Lamp.
Tonight, she did not have her signature, meticulously styled bun; her hair, as smooth as ebony, cascaded freely over her shoulders.
She was not wearing the stern black dress she wore at the duke’s mansion, but a more magnificent and elegant deep-purple velvet gown.
Dark purple patterns were embroidered with silver thread on the hem, flowing with a mysterious brilliance under the moonlight that made the surrounding night seem dull.
Under the moonlight, she possessed less of the severity and rigidity she displayed as a “teacher” and more of the allure belonging to a mature woman.
Lilith seemed somewhat surprised to see Helos. She stood there quietly, her poise and elegance enough to hold anyone’s gaze. A spark of perfectly measured delight rose within her deep, wine-red eyes.
“Miss Helos?”
“I truly did not expect us to meet again so soon.”
Her voice remained gentle and pleasant, carrying a hint of just the right amount of intimacy.
She smiled and walked slowly toward Helos, taking her hand with a familiar, intimate motion, as if they had been separated for a long time.
“Yes… I did not expect to run into you here either.”
Helos had yet to recover from the sudden reunion, so she only nodded and briefly explained her reason for coming to the Imperial Capital.
“My brother Christ is back, and he suggested that my sister and I attend the Royal magic academy together.”
“I see.”
“I have been studying at the Academy for a while now.”
Lilith nodded in understanding, her smile growing even warmer.
“That is truly good news. Life at the Academy is much more interesting than staying at the duke’s mansion.”
“And you, Teacher?”
Helos asked curiously, “Why are you here?”
“Haha.”
Lilith covered her mouth and chuckled.
“I have always resided in the Imperial Capital. Miss Helos, my home is here.”
She paused and said in a matter-of-fact tone:
“Also, you might not believe it, but I am actually a titular teacher at this Academy.”
“Eh?!”
Helos widened her eyes again.
This news shocked her even more than seeing the woman in person.
“That is correct.”
Lilith explained with a smile, “I am mainly responsible for teaching court etiquette and imperial history to the upperclassmen who are nobles. Because I was entrusted by the Duke to go to the duke’s mansion to tutor you, I requested a leave of absence from the Academy.”
“And here I am, having just returned to rest for a few days, intending to return to the Academy to report for duty. I never expected to run into my most prized student the moment I stepped inside.”
’Most prized student…’
Hearing this, the corner of Helos’s mouth twitched uncontrollably.
She could not forget the days she spent being tortured by those rigid formalities.
Helos felt incredibly complicated facing Lilith.
On one hand, this woman was the source of her greatest “nightmare” over the past 3 years. Her intrusive teaching methods and devilish, strict standards once made her doubt reality.
The fact that she could now perform a standard curtsy was entirely due to the muscle memory “tortured” into her by this teacher.
On the other hand, just as Lilith said, she had not been bad to her.
Not only had she transformed her from a “wild girl” into a qualified “lady,” but more importantly, the ring she gave her on her birthday had truly changed her life, allowing her to experience “freedom” from the curse for the very first time.
Therefore, although Helos was still in awe of her, she did not exactly hate her.
“T-that certainly is a coincidence.”
Helos laughed dryly.
The two exchanged a few more brief pleasantries.
Lilith asked if Helos was accustomed to life at the Academy, how her dormitory was, and if her roommate was easy to get along with.
Helos politely replied that everything was fine and that her roommate was an interesting alchemy “oddball.”
However, when the young girl mentioned Agatha, Lilith’s gaze flickered slightly, as if she were contemplating something.
This look vanished quickly, and she continued chatting with Helos as if nothing had happened.
“It is getting late.”
Lilith looked at the sky and took the initiative to say goodbye.
“You have just returned from shopping, and with Miss Gavi carrying so many things, you must be tired. Go back and rest early.”
“Yes, alright. You should get some rest too, Teacher.”
Helos nodded, secretly letting out a sigh of relief.
“Oh, right.”
Just as Lilith turned to leave, she seemed to remember something and looked back.
In the moonlight, a glimmer of mischief flashed in her wine-red eyes.
She winked at Helos playfully:
“Miss Helos, since we are not far from each other, if you ever need help with anything, feel free to come find me.”
Her voice dropped a little, carrying a trace of lingering temptation.
“I can help with all kinds of ‘problems.’ Even though I am a teacher of etiquette and history, I also know many alchemy masters.”
Helos looked at the “I understand you” expression on her face and only felt a headache coming on.
“I will～”
She could only respond with a similarly polite smile and waved to bid her farewell.
Not until Lilith’s elegant figure completely vanished at the end of the path did Helos let out a long sigh.
“Sigh…”
She turned around and looked at Gavi, who stood beside her like a loyal guard carrying bags and packages, her face twisted in an expression worse than crying.
This is a curse…
She had assumed that coming to the Imperial Capital and entering the magic academy would allow her to finally escape the shackles of etiquette and embrace the dream life of freedom she had always wanted.
She had even planned to set up a secret alchemy laboratory in her dorm room to properly study the ancient book Agatha gave her.
Yet, she never expected that, only a few days after enrolling, she would run right into Lilith’s hands!
Now, it was as if she had another “overseer” looming over her.
From now on, she would have to weigh every reckless action she wanted to take.
She wondered if this was luck or misfortune.
Helos looked up at the sky, feeling that her future was looking rather dim.