YSR – 77

“This isn’t a dream, is it? Oh my gosh!”

Sam was clearly moved, holding both hands clasped together like a girl in awe. Lillian felt burdened by the sparkle in her eyes from unshed tears. Lillian looked away and casually replied,

“Why are you so impressed with a garden like this? I haven’t even received a sponsorship yet.”

“Still, miss! I’ve always loved the gardens of noble families. I always thought Rosetti’s garden would be pretty if it was fixed up a little bit.… But the funds were always insufficient. So I could only daydream about it—but I never imagined this day would actually come!”

Sam, very excited, clapped her hands as she looked out the window while the garden was being worked on. She was especially excited about the many varieties of colorful roses that were being planted. She was so happy that Sam even had a runny nose.

‘Eww. Gross.’

Lillian quickly sidestepped and evaded Sam. Still, she had to admit that she was proud to see Sam so happy. So she coughed and nonchalantly added:

“As I have been newly promoted to a new order of knights, my salary has gone up a lot. So in the future, you can be rest assured I’ll never allow this house to go into foreclosure again.”

The truth was that Lillian hadn’t received her knight’s salary yet. The money she was using to overhaul the garden was earned through illegal means, from the fighting arena.

Billions surprisingly kept their promises well. The salamander they pitted her against had not been very strong, so she had won without much trouble. Nevertheless, the amount of money she received wasn’t small. It was the money she had earned even after deducting her late father, Herbert’s, debts.

So Lillian decided to compete in a few more games in the future. Coming from a thorough capitalist society, she knew how important money was. At least she planned to continue to play until she had enough foundation to start her own business. After all, her hands had already been stained with blood anyway.

Of course, these facts were a secret from Sam because she didn’t know how to keep a secret.

“Miss.……! How are you so noble and brave!”

Sam was swooning, deeply moved by Lillian’s promotion to the Templar Knights and hugged her miss with her nose still running.

Lillian’s face wrinkled with disgust and thought she had divulged too much. Well, she hadn’t been lying.

With Enrique’s consent, she had retaken the knight placement test and demonstrated her overpowering abilities there. Thanks to this, he was promoted from the 4th Order of Knights to the 1st Order of Knights, an unprecedented event. She could also say good-bye to Flanders, who was the Commander of the 4th Order and sexually harassed her.

‘I’m sure I’ll be bullied.’

Lillian’s forehead slightly wrinkled with a frown. When a woman suddenly got promoted, there were always going to be disgruntled people gossiping, spreading rumors that women used their bodies to gain the favor of their superiors or receive preferential treatment because of their gender.

Lillian expected a painful beginning when she arrived to work with the 1st order. Although no one would explicitly bully her, wary of Enrique, the General Commander, she knew they would secretly jab Lillian with a thorn while showing off a smile.

Well, it didn’t really matter. It would be enough to beat the bullies until they could no longer speak.

‘If you’re a woman, you need to know how to speak with your fists.’

Lillian clenched her fists, determined.

* * *

It was Lillian’s long-anticipated first day of work for the 1st Order of Knights. Lillian built up her resolve, and studied her reflection in the mirror.

“Good. Perfect.”

She donned the royal knight’s uniform that was silver and black like she had had before. But the crest of her Knight’s Order and family seal had changed. It was no longer a snail, but a rose. The 1st Order’s crest that had replaced the 4th Order’s, was noticeably flashier.

After studying herself for the last time, Lillian walked lightly to work, her feet as nimble as a cat exploring a new space. She wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination but the guards at the front gate of the Royal Knights headquarters seemed more polite.

‘As expected, humans need to be successful,’

thought Chea-yeon, who was an exemplary snobby soul from an era of materialism. She merrily headed to the 1st Knights and wondered,

‘How can I leave a strong first impression?’

She would definitely spark interest. Lillian wanted to push the main character away off stage and take the spotlight. Her goal was to be recognized and respected by everyone. Therefore, her first appearance needed to leave a lasting impression.

While Lillian was pondering and imagining various senariors, and thoroughly absent-minded, she almost didn’t see anyone coming from around the corner.

‘Ekkk!’

Fortunately, Lillian’s body, enhanced with heightened abilities, swiftly and elegantly evaded the person on autopilot. As she executed a dazzling action automatically the startled person stepped back and hit the wall.

“Ugh!!”

It was a familiar voice that groaned. Lillian tilted her head and scrutinized her opponent. Lillian’s expression twisted when she recognized him:

‘Prince Elseed!’

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