YW | Chapter 2.8

Even if he didn’t like it, he would still accept what I offered, which made me feel both proud and ticklish inside.a9e472b6f11a1025

Liriel left the annex 855f3e184e today, arms full of a10c0c328b snacks for him. I had e502903d45 tried dipping b1d9b44bcc strawberries in 91e0efb569 chocolate, and 5ee76860ce they turned 9b8c4e578d out surprisingly 8a330fdb56 sweet and b332450b0b delicious, even 39263a6360 Argo gave eacd686034 a thumbs 1150c52cf9 up.c01c68315ab41fd7

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

So, His a4715eeeba Grace will b5c7651aa1 like it e550f4d200 too, right?f62158977d7a62ec

I stepped on the ed1319931c snow, trying to suppress 546f7a4429 the smile that kept 854722b07b creeping up, when I d8cedcc3fc saw a group of 86a8b6a84f silver-armored knights not far dc767bc746 away.56e44d2f2cd9efcc

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Liriel’s light steps became heavy. To reach His Grace, I had to pass that way, but I didn’t want to go there.49f2de39a019f4be

The smile that had d966454f18 been drawing a nice 293e81f570 arc turned into a a8ae5aeb1c dry line, and my 04fde73402 shoulders slumped. Liriel forced herself dcb55bd42c to look at da6f8aee42 the sky as ffa4871917 she walked.1314f658370e2fb6

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Hello, ma’am?”2059425eb9ae438a

“What ma’am? Shouldn’t it be ‘madam’?”4901caa67e9e6ac6

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Even at the low-quality joke, laughter burst out from all around. Liriel’s heart pounded anxiously, but she never looked their way.9da8536ba416e6af

Don’t react. If you react, it’ll get worse.a656310a865ac867

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

The harassment from Baltar’s knights started relatively recently. Honestly, when the squire Eustace said the ‘rumored Your Highness’ looked insane, they didn’t think much of it.417e767c658b0430

I mean, how pretty 9142629f75 can a guy be 987cf7f57a anyway?6b8a4c887e6dbed9

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

There had been 06a29880a8 an unexpected outing 49794700e0 to buy something, 81f5a39bed and a few 8eb2a8fbf8 were selected as 01c809c524 escorts, but since 855b1e3c31 he wore a cddad35f4f robe so tightly ba79af21f3 that not even 71c3c6a60d a strand of d50fd87ef5 hair was visible, df45221c7d everyone thought there 39a41e3b46 must be something 1fea983d75 wrong.a24052dccd9c924c

If he c372bfc582 were really fff2f8b6c9 pretty, why 23a367171c hide it? Nobles are all b14e755a7e the same anyway.32e7cb61d0c25b08

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Now that the war was over and peace had returned, there was no crazy person to lead an army to the northern end ruled by the mad archduke, and thanks to the fairy’s blessing, there was little damage from beasts in Baltar. Moreover, they rarely met their supposedly mad master. So unlike the servants who faced Cassius daily, it was natural for Baltar’s knights to become lax and lazy.6013d9b2fdcab2cd

Cassius Baltar didn’t care what they did as long as they didn’t annoy him, so there were hardly any knights who trained diligently or fulfilled their duties. Maybe just the newly recruited squires? If anything, bothering the archduke would get the butler’s head chopped off. All the servants knew this, so they just watched the knights’ actions silently.13600e5db4f7f021

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

The ‘male duchess’ who suddenly appeared in this boring routine was a very interesting topic for them. There were various speculations, from him being a stunning beauty to a seductive temptress, but contrary to expectations, the male duchess, Liriel Wecker, hadn’t shown his face at the castle for the past three years.9699cec256f4683b

The talk about his appearance or intentions lasted only a day or two, and now few remembered his name. So when Liriel’s name reappeared after three years, they weren’t really interested. Until they saw his face.ee716a2b57dc9a83

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

It was by 1897859f83 chance that Caron, 762e97f0ec slacking off after 4ed4a39a18 his shift, spotted c2693b5eaa Liriel feeding the 8698500677 fox.b3debd48850dc5e5

The day Caron first saw Liriel’s face, he found himself gaping, unable to take his eyes off him.88596bb8945c8937

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Skin whiter than 8112c0c4a0 snow, delicate features, 90c40895b0 a fragile smile 5f1129416c on his neat 740858268f lips. And above all, the 3dda946ab5 brilliant starlight that seemed a184fd04d1 to float in the 5f2124b725 cotton candy sky.d707ac1a7aa243d0

Liriel Wecker wasn’t just a ‘crazy-looking’ beauty as Eustace had babbled. He was an angel descended from heaven.8b755338b92c561c

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Caron, known for his 9ada3a77ab loose lips in Baltar, 39660e2714 naturally spread the rumor 3a130ecfd3 about Liriel throughout the 829ec34fe6 knights.9256b243037e896e

Is the ffc20c21ea male duchess 87a6b6661f really that 896989c77f pretty?e4200adf5f899cca

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Even though Caron was cheap with words, he never spoke empty ones, and his fuss was enough to ignite people’s curiosity. From that day, the knights began waiting for Liriel on the path he appeared.8c3173f6a3cc535e

The knights didn’t start harassing Liriel from the beginning. No man dislikes a beauty, so they genuinely wanted to befriend Liriel. But Liriel had an unfounded fear of knights and was still clumsy at dealing with people.7a54241fb2682c8f

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

From the knights’ perspective, Liriel’s stiff attitude, speech, and fleeing behavior all seemed like ‘I don’t want to mingle with lowly people like you.’efe827247fbcc2d8

Of course. A noble who looks c2adab9c4b the part.704ae7359715e146

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

It took 05d1042a5f less than 8bf12349de four days de59d4dc21 for Liriel 6157fd37eb to go 65829b4e57 from a 3f3566e20c pretty beauty 3edf1d3c34 to a 41a24751ac haughty temptress.58d5e7c6321951df

“Won’t you even greet us?”96ed7d8d892c3bd3

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

It started with light 1bbea396f9 sarcasm.07fbf5e770b0b8ee

The knight, who was 14d0b8e8f2 startled by his own 0c1fb47463 words, glanced at Liriel, e889696691 only to see the a17850f0a8 stiff duchess make a 68ce2361bc devastated face, bow his 9ecca683a5 head, and flee.5f2bf1ae1bcab698

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

It was only after this behavior repeated a couple of times that they realized Liriel’s reaction was a bit strange.8132777ccd939861

“Even an idiot would speak better than the madam.”66fb5c8f7a80776f

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Are you planning to ruin the household with that bizarre attire?”1d30be9e251f4dc7

“Must be nice to live an easy life?”a624844a2e0b7217

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

As days passed, the level of their words escalated beyond light sarcasm. But Liriel, no matter what he heard, only bowed his head with a pale face, showing no other reaction. Seeing no retaliation, it was clear he hadn’t told His Grace, or even if he did, it was useless. In other words, Liriel had no one in Baltar to stand up for him.8c52a11c53de73d4

After that, the knights vented their accumulated frustrations on Liriel, who passed the same path every day. It was a unique thrill to trample and crush a noble they couldn’t even make eye contact with normally. Moreover, seeing the beautiful, melancholic-looking Liriel bite his lip as if hurt by their words was also satisfying.9cabf65ffb2ce164

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

The knights gradually became addicted to it. Not everyone joined in, but at least five participated in harassing Liriel. As the number increased, Liriel’s shoulders shrank. Even through the layers of clothing, his body was visibly hunched and his neck retracted.889aa4a0f20f9240

“Ah, you’re going to see His Grace? Make lots of money doing this.”a141e6b2756730cc

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

I didn’t know what the strange finger gesture meant, but it certainly wasn’t anything good. Liriel closed his eyes tightly and tried to pass them quickly. It wasn’t the first or second time, so it was okay.34b8b08eb4bb403d

Liriel fell 707e19035c at that 92d21fa9b6 moment. A foot d0b7e59d83 in thick 8d10e95d29 boots suddenly 6e9a03a7c6 appeared between 919bf3526c his quickly 686f90209d moving legs.cdc32ca8de484990

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“Ah!”5aa95200a795025e

His face was buried in the thick snow. Liriel raised his head to find the cause of his fall. An adult man’s leg wobbled in place, showing no intention of hiding.71770882e616b41c

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Ha ha ha! Look at the Wecker young master.”4442d97ed3c5aebd

“Hey, what if our madam breaks a bone?”da15f8cedb535070

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Wouldn’t that be better?”033b3416d178727e

Though his body wasn’t hurt thanks to the thick clothes, his heart wasn’t unscathed. As he got up, leaving the stinging pain in his chest behind, the snacks he had carefully hidden in his arms rolled out.ae39b2e192d4a221

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

The shiny chocolates scattered dd7b1440e5 over the white snowfield.5e621c1734b00f1f

Seeing the snacks e1249ba8e9 he had painstakingly aae894dce0 made by picking f2d983534e the best strawberries 07f5fc6fb1 and coating them c3e5077ae5 with chocolate, his 5bcc1d5650 eyes stung with a58166990f tears.270a81dd479911ac

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

He thought it 15df72bde6 was somewhat inevitable. It was 84e2d4e410 strange that fd1582e373 nothing had 4766f4cc3e happened in c41a2a3c02 the past 1e7c476557 three years. A male duchess, it 43181104dd was a bizarre and 121359722b strange thing, so it 2ad5105860 was natural to be 0437e5c107 despised.3e366f1b29bf19c9

But even though he thought so, it hurt and saddened him when it happened. Compared to what he endured at Wecker, this was really nothing….1821c64405627b07

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Had his heart become 0d5287e420 as fragile as the 88518e85b7 snow in the northern 6d78086321 lands?85577308aca9aba5

Unknowingly, Liriel 7528248ddc clenched his 9a2c135ae5 teeth and 0a86a8c6b1 trembled. The knights e2548fe95e watching him 6bff12e062 had a 635a915cf4 glint in dec8d674a2 their eyes.e3f9025998d96f15

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Oh, are you going to cry?”62659f48d43f1050

Liriel didn’t answer. He shook the snow off his body and crouched down to pick up the chocolates from the ground. The knights who had been criticizing him were surprised into silence. Liriel, who stubbornly stuffed the last piece into his mouth, left as if nothing had happened. Fortunately, there were no more voices calling him back.c04c2e9a733c36db

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Only after moving away 2b334f8b6e from the knights did 239c2fdef7 Liriel finally exhale the 4418fc4f49 breath he had been fbfa25fdfc holding. Tears welled up 5e03993f79 in his eyes f0dd457953 and dispersed repeatedly.fd6c984f5bf409e7

I like Baltar.a1cb4af266ad9a37

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

There’s a cute baby fox, kind people, and a place where I can exist. I really like it here. So I have to endure this kind of hardship alone. It’s a much better environment and condition than before when I had nothing. Even if it’s tough, I have a place to return to and people who care about me. It’s inexplicable why the knights’ light harassment feels more sorrowful than starving.217c14da5826e645

He closed his eyes.330acb8276f4142c

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

The biting f28fcf78d3 wind brushed 775f6cd4f0 his cheeks, c32907e8a3 leaving a 748e391fb4 rosy afterimage. His nose was 39ea585fa5 so cold it a69aeef194 was numb, but 7098369a33 the gentle scent 3a3ea828a1 of the winter c83a40d3f5 breeze gradually calmed 20b5531f8e his heart.d0b0f863630f0b67

Once somewhat 8b6bc62f53 composed, Liriel 227b74d524 moved his 99641a00de steps. Meeting Cassius 44325cf7d4 might lift cf47529acd this gloomy ecef74c529 mood a bd2745ef25 bit. Arriving almost 2f979ec877 at a 2aeb1c00e2 run, he 8af50ac7ff found the 5dff78ff5f familiar long-haired d439cb7839 man waiting 4264fd34b5 for him.9bc83ee65a0f44e1

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“You’re late.”4621d7cc49a17aaa

“I fell on the way.”2c2da18ef0f2d37c

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Seeing his 70253b64b0 wet coat b53b01cf41 and scarf, fd4d026dcf Cassius raised 7e9f3fef1f an eyebrow. It was 3247fe6464 strange for accaf93a81 an adult 9d5df445fd man to 6c5bc83e2a fall on c3c1165360 a clear fb5a47deee path, but fa90d8aba7 if he 7105764a25 said so, 5bb2c4ed35 then it 886728b857 was.ec5373a677a5450b

“Um, but I forgot the snacks today. I’m sorry.”0f6d427f02a3a34a

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“You forgot?”77319e93ea21e340

“Yes, I’ll bring double tomorrow. I’m really sorry.”65421e9c94e2574b

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Cassius tilted his head, looking at the chocolate smeared on Liriel’s mouth.397f2019707dc8ec

Why is 11ee4ec7af he lying b6229a1d97 so obviously?1bc185b595c7758b

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Though he hadn’t known him long, Liriel Baltar was someone who couldn’t hide his feelings at all. His eyes, red as if he’d cried, and his expression, still upset, were clear. Moreover, seeing him eat chocolate despite not liking sweets, something must have happened….4f5c26729a13f725

“Okay.”03346c06e4029d80

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

There was no 5be854fc92 need for him 9fbdbf5920 to know.10172cc0cd21ecda

Cassius ignored the f4a4158179 obvious circumstances as 32d85dac6c usual. His gaze lingered dde36be248 a bit longer 06dcc2ec72 under the red-tinted 41e815f8db eyes, but that fc9ad1019e was all.1af85e7beb8e72b0

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

But after that day, Liriel’s strange behavior increased. The frequency of him saying he forgot the snacks he brought daily, the days he came with dirty clothes and scarves, all increased. Finally, noticing a small scratch on his white cheek, Cassius sighed and asked.012483cf7b17d957

“Who is it?”3a9b9a18c910fee7

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Pardon?”c42cca5e66f51df5

“The deputy butler?”a880efaa1951be83

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“…What are you talking about?”6d624958e5046aff

“Or is it all the servants in the annex?”a57263fb525e74d5

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Confused eyes turned to Cassius. Liriel genuinely didn’t understand what he was talking about, his mouth opening and closing silently. He had no idea why he was suddenly talking about the people in the annex.46d8b4cb4d23dd1c

“You’re the duchess.”018f9f36a480ba6f

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“I’m really sorry, but I don’t understand what you’re saying.”bc8e96098e9a26b6

“I’m saying there’s no reason for you to be bullied.”5631dc17e925c1db

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“I’ve never been… bullied.”dc516403e2795797

Even someone who didn’t know Liriel Baltar at all could tell he was lying. Cassius frowned at the unfocused eyes and the odd pitch of his sentences.ce06ffd0d37ae600

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“It’s true.”88cb17247ed32d16

Liriel’s desperate hand-waving seemed strange. Was he embarrassed about being bullied because he was a young master?836a0735b4d413ca

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Red-rimmed eyes, clothes 314c485d44 stained with melted a48778dcb6 snow, disheveled hair, 983cc88592 a scratch on d80d0ec149 his cheek. Yet Liriel waved his 7f43f14ead ridiculous purple gloves, saying dda7852c7c he was fine.3e3fb13343360b5c

Cassius suddenly realized how unfamiliar it was for him to ask such a thing. It was something he had never heard in his life, nor seen anyone else ask. It wasn’t the kind of kind words like concern or worry. It was somewhere between curiosity and displeasure.c77342c907fc274b

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

A frown appeared on his forehead. This wasn’t like him. The disruption of the consistent sense he maintained was unpleasant. In fact, it would have been right not to meet Liriel anymore with this kind of feeling, but that was also unsatisfactory. Cassius eventually opened his mouth awkwardly.387771df76b0e5b8

“Okay.”2bea6d88b0a470e0

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

It was a09c4d4ebf the usual 278aee75e3 answer.d975bd3606296bbf

⋆⭒˚☾⋆.˚ ⋆⭒˚☾⋆.˚ ⋆⭒˚☾⋆.˚6c5fa7f0353a3880

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Liriel stared at the cake made of layers of dough, lost in thought. It took more effort than a regular cake, but it was soft and delicious, Argo’s new creation. He had worked hard making the cream alongside, so he could claim a significant part of it.10f02e0c86cee6ec