As the shower water poured from Lilith's hair down to her skull, the thoughts of the boy she had met earlier outside her door kept swirling in her mind.
Something about him was just… odd, but she couldn't pinpoint what it was. She considered mentioning him to Andreas but quickly dismissed the idea, feeling it wasn't relevant. Besides, she had other more reasonable things to discuss with him.
She didn't rush her bath, scrubbing her skin slowly, taking a deep breath with every motion. She didn't know why, but a serene calmness had settled within her, and all she wanted now was to leave the shower and slip into a long, restful nap.
Still lost in the fantasy of how soothing and endless that nap would be, a strange bird suddenly flew into her bathroom through the open window.
Startled at first, she quickly realized it was just a bird and that she had nothing to fear. She caught it gently on her palm and decided to show it the way out before its feathers got wet. But then she noticed — it wasn't an ordinary bird. A rolled-up note was tied to its claws.
Curious, she carefully removed the note, then released the bird outside. Unrolling the paper, she read the message. Her eyes widened at the content, and she froze, stunned, for several seconds.
Setting the paper aside, she rinsed her body and hair quickly, then dried herself with the towel hanging nearby. Once dry, she pulled on the clothes she had brought into the bathroom: a purple crop top with long sleeves and matching purple trousers. She tied her hair up with the band on her wrist, not bothering to comb it.
Opening the window wide, she drew the curtains aside and tested if she could fit through. She could. Looking down, she saw it was quite a height to the ground, but she was confident she could manage to get out without trouble.
*
"She liked him?" Andreas thought, hate boiling inside him. "What did she mean by that? Who was this sensei anyway? What's so special about him that Lilith would confess liking him? He's really overstepping his boundaries by making her like him. I'll make sure he regrets it. She's mine, and no one should try to change that."
Then, a flicker of doubt crept in. "Wait… what exactly is wrong with him?" he wondered. To Andreas, Lilith had been nothing more than a tool to restore light to his world, to win his father's favor, and to rule Gorgor. What was all this sudden attraction about, he pondered.
"It's definitely nothing serious," he dismissed the thought, "I'm not falling for Lilith. I'm only worried because she likes her sensei, and if he hurts her, my whole plan will be ruined."
So lost in his ocean of thoughts, he didn't notice how long Lilith had been in the bathroom. It had been thirty minutes since she entered, and she still hadn't come out. Normally, that wouldn't be suspicious if it were a bath—at least one could say she had fallen asleep—but this was just a shower. She should have been out already.
He stood there, still wondering what Lilith's sensei might look like: was he handsome, young, strong, or maybe very sensible?
Whatever he was, Andreas was sure one thing — he was no better than him. No way was he going to let this sensei hurt her or ruin any part of his plan.
With that conclusion, Andreas finally relaxed enough to realize Lilith had stayed far longer than she ought to. She had consumed an unusual amount of time in the bathroom, and he wondered what could be keeping her there.
He decided to wait a little longer — five minutes — to see if she would come out. But no, the door remained firmly shut.
That was it. He pulled himself up from the bed where he had been lying and walked to the bathroom door. He knocked softly, calling her name.
"Lilith. Lilith, are you in there? What's going on? You've been in there so long," he said, his voice thick with concern. But there was no answer.
"Lilith, please talk to me," he persisted. "What is it? What are you doing in there? Talk now, or I'll break down this door in two minutes," he threatened, hoping to coax her to open it. Still, silence.
"Lilith, I'm breaking this door down in ten seconds if you don't open up. Open the door and tell me what's wrong with you!" Nothing.
His patience snapped. With a hard kick, he broke down the door, which fell immediately. He rushed inside, eyes scanning anxiously for Lilith—but she was nowhere to be found. The clothes she had taken into the bathroom were gone, and the whole place looked as if she had left in a rush: her towel was carelessly hanging, and her former clothes lay damp on the floor. The bathroom window was wide open, curtains drawn aside — she had escaped through the window.
"Where could she have gone?" he thought, frustration gnawing at him, not having the slightest clue.
Or maybe he did.
The sensei...