Chapter 10 : Damn! A Trip on Flat Ground!!!
Chapter 10: Damn! A Trip on Flat Ground!!!
The massive doors slid inward.
The sudden movement startled Lilia!
Her center of gravity instantly became unstable.
“Ah!”
She let out a short cry as her body uncontrollably pitched forward.
It’s over!
That was the last thought that flashed through her mind.
“Bang!”
A dull thud echoed.
Lilia fell flat on her face, crashing hard into the cold, solid obsidian floor.
The world seemed to spin at that very moment.
Stars filled her vision, and her head buzzed loudly.
She lay there, sprawled at the entrance of the bedroom.
Time seemed to freeze.
After an unknown amount of time, Lilia finally recovered from the intense dizziness.
She shook her heavy head and blinked with difficulty, trying to refocus.
The first thing that entered her vision was a pair of shoes.
A pair of exquisite black high-heeled combat boots.
Her gaze slowly moved upward.
Slender, straight legs wrapped in black silk, then higher— that familiar, luxurious long dress that seemed to merge with the darkness itself.
Finally, her eyes settled on a face.
A breathtakingly beautiful face, cold and expressionless like eternal ice.
Hera.
She stood there silently, looking down at Lilia who was sprawled on the ground.
Those golden eyes held no emotion.
Only a bottomless, icy void.
A chill shot from Lilia’s tailbone straight to the top of her head!
Her blood seemed to freeze in that instant.
She was dead.
This time, she was really going to die.
Tripping on flat ground at the Demon Queen’s door—this crime alone was enough to kill her ten thousand times!
Her survival instinct erupted with unprecedented force.
Ignoring the pain all over her body and the sting on her cheek, she scrambled to her feet in a panic. Her knee even knocked against the floor with a sharp sound.
“Hiss…”
“M-M-Master!”
Her voice trembled from extreme fear, unable to form complete words.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!!!”
Lilia bent deeply at the waist, lowering her head as far as possible, almost pressing it against her chest. She didn’t dare look at Hera’s face again.
Her whole body trembled like a helpless leaf in a raging storm, waiting for the final judgment.
One second.
Two seconds.
Ten seconds.
The expected thunderous rage did not descend.
The hand that could have snapped her neck never came down.
Around her, there was only silence.
Only her own frantic heartbeat echoed endlessly in the empty corridor.
What’s going on?
Her mind was in chaos.
Was this the calm before the storm?
Each passing second felt like torture.
Just as she was about to be crushed by the invisible pressure, a cold, clear voice devoid of any emotion sounded above her head.
“How did you know the time?”
!!!
Lilia’s body stiffened violently.
She froze completely, as if turned to stone.
What?
She’s asking… how I knew the time?
The thought exploded in her mind, instantly pushing aside the humiliation of her fall and the fear of death.
In its place came an even greater panic.
That’s right!
How did she know the time?!
That damn alarm from the System rang inside her head!
She had been in the Demon King’s Castle for less than a day—how could she possibly time things so precisely?
This wasn’t something that could be explained by “guessing” or “intuition”!
“I…”
Lilia opened her mouth, only to find her throat so dry that no sound came out.
Cold sweat instantly seeped from her forehead and back, soaking her newly changed clothes.
What do I do?
What do I do! What do I do! What do I do!
Her brain spun at unprecedented speed, every cell screaming.
Say it was the System?
What if they dissect her brain?!
Say she had some innate talent to predict time?
Who would believe that?!
Say she heard a bell?
There were no bells in this place! If there were, everyone would have heard it!
Say another servant told her?
That would be even worse!
Lilia could clearly feel that cold gaze above her, locked onto her like a scalpel, ready to dissect her inside and out.
Pressure.
Unprecedented pressure.
Just as her mental defenses were about to collapse, a word flashed through her mind like lightning.
【Absolute Senses】!
S-Rank talent!
Right! She still had this!
Forcibly suppressing the trembling in her heart, she slowly raised her head, forcing out a smile uglier than crying—timid and ingratiating.
Her voice still trembled, but she could barely form sentences now.
“R-Reporting to Master…”
“I… I didn’t dare to sleep.”
She lowered her gaze, her long lashes trembling slightly, looking like a frightened deer.
“I was afraid of oversleeping and… making you angry. So I didn’t dare close my eyes.”
Hera continued to look at her expressionlessly, saying nothing—like she was examining an interesting object.
Lilia’s heart climbed into her throat, but she had to continue the act.
She took a deep breath, as if gathering all her courage.
“I… I just sat in my room, trying to… feel…”
“Feel?”
Hera finally spoke again, her tone carrying the faintest trace of intrigue.
“Y-Yes! Yes, Master!”
Lilia nodded quickly, as if clutching a lifeline.
At that moment, she pushed 【Absolute Senses】 to its absolute limit.
She could feel Hera’s breathing rhythm, the subtle fluctuations of magic emanating from her body.
“I… I just felt some kind of change.”
After speaking, Lilia lowered her head deeply again, not daring to say another word.
Her body trembled even more.
Success or failure—this was it!
The corridor fell into silence once again.
Lilia felt as if her heart was about to leap out of her throat.
Finally—
“Is that so?”
Hera spoke calmly.
She stepped past the still-frozen Lilia and moved to her side.