Whether it was because Serelith's voice was too loud, or because her business there had already been finished, the person who had been sitting on top of Evander's bed immediately stood up and stepped back.
Serelith could not see clearly who that person was since the room was dark. It was normal for anyone to turn off the lights when they slept.
Unable to suppress her curiosity any longer, Serelith finally walked quickly to approach the figure.
"How dare they," muttered the girl in her heart, filled with emotion. "I was the first one assigned with the mission to kill Evander. I can't let my move be preceded by his enemies."
It was not without reason that Serelith thought that way. The problem was that Evander was the Crown Prince. It was not easy for an ordinary person to sneak in and enter his room.
Well, unless that person was not just anyone.
Serelith's hand reached for her waist, then pointed her dagger at the person's neck. "Who are you? How dare you come into the Crown Prince's room in the middle of the night! Tell me, what is your true purpose?"
The figure did not answer. Instead, the room that had been dark suddenly turned bright. Shocked, Serelith immediately looked around.
"Weird," muttered Serelith.
But the girl was even more surprised when she realized who the person in the room with her was. "Kathlyn?"
Yes, the person who had been in Evander's room all this time was none other than Kathlyn. A girl with an elegant appearance—though unfortunately, her attitude was far from it.
Realizing that, Serelith slowly began to lower her weapon, but still did not take her eyes off the girl. Her gaze dissected Kathlyn with thousands of questions and confusion.
Meanwhile, the girl with a more proportional body than Serelith's only looked at her flatly, giving a faint smile. As if she was not at all disturbed by Serelith's presence or stare.
"What is it? Do you want him too?" asked Kathlyn at last.
"What are you talking about? Who do you mean?"
Without answering, Kathlyn turned her face away while crossing her arms in front of her chest. "You don't need to know. My business here is done. Or rather, you made it end sooner, Serelith."
Ah, Serelith felt like taking back every word of praise she had ever given Kathlyn before. It turned out that the girl was not as good as her appearance. And now, Kathlyn simply walked past her without saying anything—without even looking back.
But Serelith was not stupid. She managed to grab Kathlyn's arm before the girl could walk too far.
Now, the air around them felt heated. Indeed, nothing good ever came when two people—especially two women—were at odds.
At that moment, Serelith shifted her gaze toward the bed, and she found no one there. So she gathered her courage to walk forward and stand right in front of Kathlyn. "I don't care what you're doing here. But if you're involved with the Crown Prince, then—"
"Then what?"
How dare that girl interrupt Serelith before she could even finish her sentence. But judging from Kathlyn's eyes, it was clear that she was provoked as well.
"From the very beginning, Prince Evander was mine. No one can take him away from me, including you," said Serelith.
Of course, what was in her mind was entirely different from what was in Kathlyn's. Serelith spoke of killing, while Kathlyn clearly thought of something else.
That misunderstanding slightly reduced the surge of anger in Kathlyn's heart. Now, the girl straightened her posture, turned her face away from Serelith, and gave a faint, thin smile.
But that playful look was something Serelith clearly could not ignore. "Why are you showing that face? Do you think I'm joking?"
"No one here thinks that way, Serelith. I'm only here because of some business. So while you still have time, you can continue your attempt to get close to Evander."
"But you came here when he wasn't around. How do you explain that to me, and how am I supposed not to be suspicious?"
"Did I forbid you from being suspicious? Or did I ever intend to explain everything to you?"
Alright, Serelith lost face now. Of course, everything Kathlyn said could not be refuted. So Serelith lowered her gaze and calmed her emotions—taking a deep breath.
A faintly satisfied smile formed on Kathlyn's face when she saw that. "Serelith, I don't care what your relationship with him is. But you should remember one thing. You're the newcomer, while I'm the old one."
"Do you mean to tell me where my real place is?"
"Not really. But if you want to take it that way, then let's just say one of my bullets has hit two targets at once."
Now Kathlyn truly disappeared from Serelith's sight. And the girl didn't intend to stop her anymore. But Serelith wouldn't lie if she said she still suspected Kathlyn's reason for coming here.
If that girl really didn't have any hidden motives, then why did she have to give such a roundabout answer? Yes, Serelith knew she had no right to force Kathlyn to talk.
Still, didn't this sound strange?
Then what did that last sentence she said mean?
While Serelith was still lost in her thoughts, the door of the room opened once again. This time, Serelith froze when she saw who had come. So did the figure who stood stunned in the doorway.
"Serelith? What are you doing in my room?"
And Serelith's heart almost jumped out of her chest when that question entered her ears.
"Oh my god, what should I do? What should I say now?!" Serelith screamed in her mind, her eyes fixed on Evander, who was now walking closer to her.
Hey, why was he doing that? Why was he coming closer in such an awkward situation? Was he deliberately trying to make Serelith disappear from the world? Or was he trying to make her lose every ounce of shame she had left?
So before the man could even say a single word, the girl immediately climbed onto the bed and began tidying it up haphazardly. She grabbed a pillow and patted it a few times. "Your Highness, it seems the maids here haven't been doing their job properly. There's so much dust on your pillow. If you sleep like this, you might catch a cold tomorrow morning."
"A cold?" Evander raised an eyebrow at Serelith's behavior.
He almost stepped closer, but Serelith quickly ran to the other side of the bed. She pulled up the blanket that lay across it and pressed it against her own nose.
A moment later, the nauseated expression on Serelith's face looked utterly convincing. "Have they never checked this? Your Highness, you won't be able to sleep with a blanket that smells like this, right? Don't worry, I'll spray some perfume for you."
"Perfume?"
At that moment, Serelith realized that Evander didn't understand the word she had just used. So she corrected herself with a smile. "Ah, I mean fragrance. 'Perfume' is how people in our region call fragrance."
Without any suspicion, Evander simply nodded while lowering himself to sit on the edge of the bed. "Your region, huh? Where exactly is that? I've been curious from the start—where did you actually come from?"
"Where did I come from?" Serelith smiled stiffly while scratching the bridge of her nose.
"I'm doomed! What should I say now? Should I tell him that I'm from the real world? What if he thinks I'm weird for believing that this world isn't real?
But I can't say that I'm the Holy Princess from the Assassin Guild either. The only identity I have is the one I must hide right now."
Serelith's train of thought was cut short when Evander waved his hand in front of her face. "Are you alright?"
"Ah, y–yes. I'm fine. But, well, Your Highness," the girl carelessly put down the blanket she had been holding. Then she moved to the other side of the bed and looked at Evander seriously. "My homeland isn't doing well right now. There's a war, and the government is in complete chaos. They're making the people suffer. I even had to be separated from my family. And because of that, I can't tell you anything. I'm sorry."
"A war? In this age? I mean, in this era, humans should live in harmony and help each other. Why would they go to war just to fulfill personal ambitions and sacrifice their people?"
Serelith blinked several times when she heard that response. She didn't expect that the man in front of her—the one she initially thought was just an arrogant and selfish prince—could actually think that deeply?
Oh god, why was Serelith suddenly growing a conscience?
Realizing how close she was to Evander, Serelith immediately decided to step back and put some distance between them. "Well then, Your Highness, I'll leave now. Please rest well."
Without waiting any longer, the girl turned around to leave the room. But even as she walked, her mind was far from calm. It kept clashing inside her.
"Should I kill him now? I think this is a good chance. There are no guards or servants standing by here."
"But if I do it now, I'll have to give up this luxurious life I've been enjoying these past few days."
"Ah, Serelith! What are you thinking? This is a mission. You didn't come here to live like a noble! Come on, be brave!"
At least, that was part of the chaos running inside Serelith's head. But this time, her hand slowly reached for the dagger hidden in her belt. "Yes, I have to be brave. I have to do this for my own future. If I fail, who's going to guarantee my life will be safe?"
After gathering all her courage, the girl finally made her decision with determination. But just as she turned around, she was the one who got startled—because somehow, Evander was already standing right behind her.
All the courage she had gathered moments ago instantly vanished. Suddenly, it all scattered and disappeared into thin air.
"Y–Your Highness, wh–why are you here?" Serelith stammered as she spoke.
The girl even hid the dagger behind her back when she realized how close she was to Evander—barely a few inches apart.
"You're sweating. What's wrong? Are you hiding something from me? Didn't I tell you that if something bothers you, you can always tell me?" said Evander.
Even though that man sometimes—well, most of the time—acted perverted, Serelith couldn't deny that he also had a certain aura of leadership. Faint, but still there.
"I must've just felt a little hot."
The awkwardness lingered for a while—Serelith kept trying to appear fine in her own version of "normal," while Evander continued to wear an expression of disbelief.
[Oh, come on. You're making things complicated, Miss.]
If this had been some time ago, Serelith would've definitely been startled—or even jumped—upon hearing the sudden voice of the system.
Luckily, after some time adapting here, the girl had managed to get used to it a little. She kept smiling at Evander while cursing in her heart.
"Damn system, can't you shut up? You never help me, but you always show up just to ruin my plans," Serelith grumbled inwardly.
"So why are you here?" Evander asked again. This time, his expression was far more serious, as if he refused to accept one of Serelith's usual jokes.
"Me?" Serelith blinked several times to steady her heartbeat, trying to find an answer she wouldn't regret. "Like I said, I was tidying your room."
"That's all? You don't want to tidy up something inside me as well?"