Chapter 8
Cairn’s head spun from Lilien’s detailed description—it was far more explicit than he expected.
“Wait, stop, stop. Where did you learn about this stuff?”
Cairn’s expression grew stern as he listened.
“From books.”
“Books?”
“Yes, I went to the library and read every book I could find about s*x.”
“Why on earth?”
“Because it’s also studying!”
“Burn those novels immediately.”
“No! Don’t interfere with my studies!”
Her earnest expression made Cairn take the matter seriously too.
“But… well… books have limits. So, Cairn, could you explain it to me in detail?”
“What?”
His mouth dropped open at the audacity of the request.
“You probably won’t want to tell me directly. Usually, the closer the relationship, the more people keep their s****l lives secret.”
Lilien hesitated.
“Then could I ask Sir Regid for help?”
“Sir Regid? You mean Victor Regid?”
“Yes. He’s in your riding club right? You know each other, right.”
She glanced around the inside of the glass greenhouse, turning her head this way and that to make sure no one was nearby.
“They say he’s the biggest playboy in the Klatt Empire. Having been through so many of those kinds of experiences himself, he must know quite a lot, right?”
She motioned for him to come closer, and he leaned in, bringing his ear near to hers.
“He’s been with over a hundred women. I overheard one of them say he’s very vigorous and skilled.”
As soon as the whisper ended, he let out a deep sigh and shot her a resentful glare.
* * *
“Absolutely not.”
Cairn replied coldly, warning her not to speak to Victor Regid. He seemed about to say more but quickly closed his mouth and strode angrily out of the greenhouse.
“Coward.”
Lilien was at the largest bookstore in Baltan’s Old Town. Her maid Matilda watched her anxiously as she climbed a ladder to search high shelves.
“I found it!”
The book she sought was the first edition of [The Theory of Love] by the famous author Ashburn. Out of print for years, it was a rare find.
“Please come down now, Miss. It’ll be dangerous if you fall.”
Matilda held the ladder firmly.
“Okay, I’m coming. Hold tight.”
With trembling legs, timid Lilien carefully climbed down.
“Let’s go. If you stay at the bookstore too long, your father will scold you.”
“Yes, let’s hurry. By the way, Miss, did you have a fight with Sir Headington?”
She stopped dusting off her crumpled dress hem.
“Hm?”
“He used to visit often but hasn’t been seen lately. You two used to be inseparable. Except when he was at the Archbishop’s inauguration a few days ago, it seemed you were together every day.”
“We should keep some distance now. We’re adults, and if we’re always together, people will think it strange. We’ll each have to marry soon.”
Though it wasn’t the reason for their growing apart, it was a convenient excuse. Lilien thought it was truly time to keep some distance from Cairn.
“Miss, just out of curiosity…”
Matilda hesitated. Surrounded by tall bookshelves, their conversation was private.
“Have you two ever felt romantic feelings for each other?”
“Hm?”
“Well… you two are so close…”
“Yes. We’re not like that. Just good friends.”
Lilien shook her head firmly.
“And Cairn should meet someone better than me.”
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
“Someone like Miss Eisen Frederick…”
The perfect Sir Cairn Etienne Headington suited a beautiful, kind, and sociable woman. Lilien pictured them happily riding and swimming together.
He was a man who didn’t fit with Lilien, who stayed shut away at home.
“I know it’s none of my business, but I truly think you two make a great pair. Of course, even as friends.”
It was a remark she had heard countless times.
“Above all, I love seeing you with Sir Cairn.”
“Hm?”
“You seem freer. You smile more, eat well, and play more pranks.”
“Well…”
Lost in thought, Lilien shifted her gaze to the highest shelf.
As Matilda said, when Cairn was nearby, Lilien didn’t stammer in public and could smile brightly.
“We’ve been together since childhood.”
Though she found some answer there, it felt incomplete—a conditional truth with something missing.
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