******
Hearing the second bang against the door, Lilith’s face turned even more ashen than before, her breathing quickening.
But knowing very well that she couldn’t afford any sort of mistakes at a moment like this, and that even the slightest slip would ruin their plan, she forced herself to stay composed and then rise to her feet, masking her fear with an icy glare.
"Who?"
Lilith called out, her voice suddenly sharp like a blade and brimming with anger, acting as though she was deeply furious by the unexpected disturbance.
For a moment following her question, no response came.
Instead, complete silence filled the air, making it seem as if the person who had been banging on the door had left. But then, all of a sudden...
"Great, she’s here too."
"This mission has just gotten several times easier."
Two hushed, relieved voices drifted through the door, and just then—
"Why don’t you open up and find out?" another playful, mischievous voice called.
The moment Lilith heard these voices, she inched toward the door, then, taking a steadying breath, once... twice... then...
Creak!
She slowly pried the door open.
But in the next moment, her expression shifted dramatically into shock, and confusion, and then finally, unspoken questions flashed across her face as she stared at the seven guards before her, each exuding menace and aggression.
"What’s going on? What are you searching for, and why are you disturbing the peace here?" she snapped, her voice dripping with indignation.
Hearing her, the seven guards, all of whom had been entirely fooled by her performance, instantly exchanged smug glances and smirked.
Then, all of a sudden, one guard stepped forward—and probably by coincidence or fate, it happened to be the same one who had caught Xylen and Lilith sneaking in the night before.
"We meet again," he sneered, an arrogant smirk twisting his lips.
Lilith’s heart pounded instantly, a wave of apprehension surging through her.
’Have they figured it out?’ she wondered, swallowing hard, almost losing her composure.
But just then...
"I see that the man you smuggled in before dawn today has already left. Hope you two had a ’great’ time together," the guard leader added.
Lilith froze, confusion flashing through her eyes.
’What’s he talking about?’ She wondered, and then it clicked.
’He thinks the young master was a man I snuck into the mansion to sleep with?’
With this realization, Xylen didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
On one hand, she was relieved the guard hadn’t guessed the truth, but on the other, she was furious at his disgusting assumption.
Ignoring his words, however, Lilith’s gaze turned icy. "I’ll ask again. What are you doing here? This area has never been part of your patrol zone if I recall correctly."
Immediately, the guards exchanged knowing glances, then their leader pointed toward the bed with a cruel grin.
"Our lord, his royal highness has ordered us to retrieve that sleeping little fool," he spat.
Although Lilith had already anticipated this, her chest still tightened. But she maintained her composure, her expression making it seem like she was genuinely taken aback.
The guards’ smirks widened.
"If you would, please step aside and let us do our job," the leader said, his voice dripping with arrogance.
Lilith instantly snapped back to her senses, and her face darkened dramatically, this time, genuinely. "What do you mean? What sleeping fool are you talking about?" she asked, her voice so cold it could freeze stone.
The guards, however, didn’t flinch. They had already expected Lilith to be furious.
"How many sleeping fools do you think are here?" the team leader sneered. "Of course, I’m talking about that useless and lazy lord of yours who has been sleeping for almost two decades!"
Lilith’s eyes darkened even more, filled with unfiltered rage.
"You dare?" she hissed, her jaw abruptly clenched tightly.
"Let me see you try to take my Lord, then!"
’This...’
The guards paused, suddenly blinking in surprise. Then, their leader laughed.
"You, you, and you," he said, pointing to three guards. "Why don’t you test her strength? She just dared us to come in."
Hearing this, the three guards grinned.
Then, without any hesitation, they stepped forward, flexing their arms as they did so.
Lilith fumed.
’How dare this group of retard bastards call my Lord useless?’ She growled in her mind. But just as she prepared to unleash her strength, Xylen’s warning echoed in her mind.
’Just put up an act of resistance and instead, try as much as you could to save your strength.’
In the next second, her unbearable rage simmered down. But that moment of hesitation was all the guards needed.
One of them shoved her hard, and she hit the floor with a thud.
"This..." The guards looked stunned, never expecting it to be this easy. Then, the leader chuckled.
"So, this is all you’ve got?" he mocked, waving his hand.
Without hesitation, the three guards rushed at Lilith and restrained her, binding her hands and legs with rope.
"Be careful not to injure her," the leader ordered, his tone serious and leaving no space for argument. The three nodded.
Lilith gave them some resistance, thrashing just enough to make it seem like she was genuinely struggling. But before long, she was completely subdued.
"Now, grab that useless weakling," the leader commanded the remaining three guards.
"You... don’t you dare! Don’t you dare lay your filthy hands on my lord!" Lilith screamed, her voice hoarse with rage.
However, the guards only laughed, with voices brimming with mockery. Then, they stormed into the chamber and, treating Xylen like discarded cargo, roughly lifted him.
The jolt sent a sharp pain through Xylen’s body, but he didn’t react — he remained limp, playing his role flawlessly.
Lilith was carried with surprising care, the guards seemingly afraid of harming her. As for Xylen... it was as if his life or death meant nothing to them.
They were both dragged out of the chamber, into the cold, uncertain fate awaiting them outside.