Rita couldn’t even remember how she ended up back at the Lord of the City’s mansion.
But she did remember the dead look in Kros’s eyes when she opened the heavy warehouse door.
So much so that when the soldiers who had rushed over at the noise took her away, Kros didn’t utter a single complaint.
Maybe Kros had already resigned himself to his fate.
Maybe Valphise had done something to him.
But at that moment, Rita had no energy to think about any of it.
She only remembered returning to the city lord’s mansion in a daze and going straight to visit Cecilia first.
The soldiers and maids at the mansion were all shocked to see Rita.
The reports and escorts were incredibly swift, and before she knew it, Rita was standing before Cecilia.
Cecilia immediately told Rita not to say anything for now.
She sent a maid to fetch a doctor to tend to Rita’s wounds on the spot.
With bandages and gauze tied around various places on her body, and after making sure her record stone was safely placed back in her room, Cecilia finally allowed Rita to recount the night’s ordeal.
Thanks to Valphise’s cover, Rita was able to tell her story without exposing herself—she only spoke of being tricked and nearly attacked by a nightmare demon, and how Valphise had suddenly appeared to save her.
Cecilia listened quietly for a long while, not uttering a word.
She just stared at Rita’s face, as if trying to find some subtle clue in her expression.
Rita forced the muscles in her face to stay taut.
Although she knew she probably didn’t look good, showing fear seemed even worse.
At the same time, Rita felt her heart pounding harder and harder, as if her ears were filled only with the booming sound of drums.
Her vision blurred slightly.
It wasn’t as intense as it had been back in the warehouse, but she couldn’t act fearless just because she had seen hell once.
After a while, Cecilia shifted her gaze away and spoke with concern.
“Rita?”
Rita was so tense that she didn’t even register the unmistakable worry in Cecilia’s voice.
“Lady Cecilia?”
“Rita.” Cecilia said again softly, as if afraid to break a fragile vase.
“Lady Cecilia, I’m here.” Rita replied.
“Rita!” Cecilia’s tone suddenly hardened, startling Rita.
When had Cecilia ever shown such emotional swings? It was strange.
As she thought this, Cecilia stood from her seat and took a few quick steps to Rita’s side, opening her arms to pull her into an embrace.
The motion was clumsy and urgent, and the strange scene left Rita unable to believe her eyes or that this was really happening.
But the softness was undeniable—the warmth, Cecilia’s breath, everything was exactly as Rita remembered.
Yet Cecilia seemed to be trembling, her expression full of fear.
“Lady Cecili…”
“Don’t say anything more. Facing a demon lord… you did very well… better than I expected. Truly, you’ve done an amazing job!” Cecilia cut her off stubbornly, lifting her head.
Something was wrong.
Cecilia’s behavior tonight was very unusual.
Rita raised her hand, intending to hold Cecilia tightly, but her fingers trembled uncontrollably.
Through the reflection in the glass, Rita saw her own image in the window.
Her face was pale, lips quivering, and even her outstretched arms shook violently.
She looked like a walking corpse.
It was herself who was abnormal—trembling all over.
Facing an enemy stronger than herself, flirting with death, then encountering a foe beyond her comprehension…
Rita was no superhuman.
Before crossing over, she was just an ordinary person—no drastic changes in life, no firsthand experience with death, no big decisions forced upon her.
Before tonight, she had thought of everything as some cruel joke by the game’s creator.
But that wasn’t the case.
This was her reality now.
She could get hurt.
She could die.
She should have realized this long ago—after walking the edge of death in the warehouse, witnessing an enemy she couldn’t defeat die so easily.
But her body’s defense mechanisms tricked her brain, pushing those terrifying thoughts away and letting her keep functioning.
Now she realized it clearly—without any doubt.
It felt like the last thread holding her together had snapped, and her knees gave out as she collapsed into Cecilia’s arms.
She didn’t want to cry or complain.
She just felt so tired.
Tired enough to close her eyes.
“Lady Cecili… I’m sorry…”
Rita didn’t know why those words suddenly slipped out, or what exactly she was apologizing for.
Cecilia stroked Rita’s hair gently, using her frail body to support her.
“Don’t say anything more. Rest well. That’s an order, understood?”
So, that meant she could rest now, right?
Rita thought as she closed her eyes.
When she woke the next day, Rita found herself lying in her own bed, dressed in fresh clothes she didn’t remember changing into.
Her record stone sat on the bedside table.
“Rita! You’re awake!” The girl by her bed exclaimed, eyes wide with joy.
Rita turned her head on the pillow and saw the maid sitting beside her.
Too bad it wasn’t Cecilia.
Of course—it was impossible for the princess to wait by her bedside.
No use feeling disappointed.
Rita struggled to sit up.
The pain in her body had lessened considerably, but the exhaustion lingered like a shadow.
Looking out the window at the bright daylight, Rita rubbed her head.
Last night’s events still felt vivid.
But her complexion reflected in the glass was much better than the night before, and her trembling had stopped.
She could even joke with herself now—her spirit was almost back.
She had thought she might develop PTSD.
“How long did I sleep?” Rita asked casually.
“A day and a half. Princess came by a few times, telling us to report as soon as you woke up, but you kept sleeping. We were so worried!” The maid covered her mouth suddenly. “Ah! I forgot to report just now!”
Watching the maid scramble off the chair, about to rush out, Rita sighed and called after her.
“Wait.”
“Lady Rita, what can I do for you?”
“I’m coming with you.” Rita moved her body, and her bones crackled loudly.
The pain was sharp, but it was followed by a strange relief.
Having lain down for more than thirty hours, it was normal to be tired of resting.
She definitely needed to move around.
“But, your injuries—are they really alright? Princess wants you to rest properly.”
“Tsk.” Rita clicked her tongue. “Don’t you know me yet? When have I ever been polite?”
The maid half-joked, “Well, if the princess complains, Lady Rita, you’ll have to take responsibility!”
From the maid’s tone, no one else knew what Rita had said to Cecilia that night.
Otherwise, no one would dare joke like that.
“Alright, alright, I never cause trouble for you.”
Rita changed clothes and followed the maid to the office Cecilia had recently been using.
Cecilia looked up briefly when they entered and said, “Come in.”
Then, Cecilia glanced again as if to confirm she hadn’t mistaken who it was.
Seeing Rita able to get out of bed and her improved complexion, Cecilia knew she was probably fine, but it wasn’t appropriate to ask about her condition here, to spare her feelings.
So Cecilia lowered her gaze back to the documents on her desk.
“Rita, what you need most now is rest. A tired knight cannot protect her lord. I will personally check on your condition later.”
“But I’m fine now,” Rita insisted.
“That is an order. Maid, take her back. Prepare food and water—no need for anything fancy, but nutritious enough to help her recover quickly.” Cecilia’s tone left no room for argument.
Rita was indeed a little hungry, mostly because she hadn’t eaten enough before and had burned a lot of energy over the past two days.
But her hunger wasn’t something ordinary food could satisfy.
She knew Cecilia was doing all this for her own good.
Just remembering Cecilia’s reaction when she came back from the warehouse made that clear.
She hadn’t been frightened by Rita’s dazed state; she had genuinely been worried.
Rita had once thought Cecilia was a cold, untrusting person.
But that desperate look she showed then was so human.
Well, “human” might not be the perfect word, but Rita truly felt it.
“Maid, did you hear me?” The scratch of Cecilia’s pen suddenly stopped, replaced by a prompt.
“Lady Rita, let’s go.” The maid whispered close to her ear.
“Lady Cecilia, I really am fine now,” Rita insisted.
The sound of the pen on paper ceased again.
Cecilia raised her head once more, but this time her gaze was sharp and serious, as if trying to see right through Rita from head to toe.
Rita stood there quietly, letting Cecilia’s scrutiny wash over her.
Not fearing Cecilia’s inspection was something completely new for her.
After a long moment, Cecilia exhaled—though it wasn’t quite a sigh, it showed some helplessness.
“If that’s the case, Maid, prepare a chair for her. Until I finish my work, let her sit nearby and guard my safety well.”