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Lilith had no idea about the typical expectations that were required of actors in the industry.

She was nothing more than an amateur. An amateur playing the role of a manly man named Leonith.

No matter how wonderful, elegant, and impeccable her performance was, she was still an amateur at the end of the day. She could never measure up to top-notch actors who could blur the line between reality and their performances.

Even as an amateur, Lilith knew what it takes to be a great actor.

A great actor would be able adapt to any unforeseen circumstances by improvising and gracefully steering the play back on track without compromising the authenticity of the performance.

Lilith felt that she had done just that.

Truth be told, Kieran’s response caught her by total surprise. She never would have expected someone as serious as him to effortlessly come up with such a compelling family drama.

The intensity of Kieran’s emotions nearly convinced Lilith that it was based on a true story.

But how likely could it be? There was no way something as absurd as that would happen in real life.

Art thrives on the endless possibilities of human imagination. However, it has its limit at the end of the day. No one, save for a fool, would confuse it with reality.

After all, reality always takes precedence over art.

Take Lilith, for example, who went round and round in circles only to end up back at square one, back to the reality where she was about to create her ultimate art with the explosive scroll in her hand.

“So, you made all that commotion… only to play hardball in the end?”

Kieran’s face appeared deathly pale as he remained on the ground, moving slowly with difficulty like a frail woman who was trying to get away from a murderer. He was trying to get as far away as possible from the magic scroll that was giving him unpleasant vibes in Leonith’s hand.

Despite his efforts, he knew very well that his attempt was futile. The only difference his efforts would make was either for him to be vaporized or turned into a pile of ashes by that saint-level magic scroll.

In a life-or-death situation, survival instincts could overpower even the most confident man, making them kneel and beg for mercy, let alone a frail boy in a maid’s dress.

Most importantly, Kieran knew very well that this devil with an angelic face before him would definitely have the guts to activate the scroll without any hesitation!

“If you’re going to do that, then what was the point of doing all that?” Kieran asked, on the verge of tears.

Leonith casually waved the scroll with one hand while resting the other on his hip.

“There has to be a backstory to it, you know? Otherwise, how am I any different from a terrorist if I simply threaten to blow the boat up without a valid reason?” he said without even a shred of remorse.

“Well, you’re no different from a terrorist right now!”

“Really?”

Leonith cocked his head to the side and paused to think for a moment…

Shortly after that, he gave up on thinking with a clap of his hands.

“Never mind all that. Blame Lacey Guinevere for not sending her lackeys here despite our efforts in putting up a grand performance. She left me with no other choice.”

Their bitter drama had been playing out for over ten long minutes, with Leonith spending half of the time slapping the lights out of Kieran. The commotion attracted a large crowd of people and certainly disrupted the operations of the establishment.

Not even a staff member came to intervene, let alone the owner herself. It was almost as if they were intentionally allowing the show to continue.

Kieran’s mouth twitched slightly as he spoke through gritted teeth, “You could pick a less powerful scroll then! If you activate a saint-level scroll here, you’re going to launch the entire boat into the air!”

“I’m sorry, I don’t have any weaker scrolls. This is the weakest scroll I have. If I were to use the others, I’d end up launching more than just this boat into the air.”

Leonith raised his hands in defeat. Who wouldn’t want to play it safe at a time like this? Unfortunately, his family’s wealth did not allow him to do so.

Kieran was rendered speechless.

Damn it, all these evil rich people.

“Have you forgotten that you have friends on this boat too? Aren’t you worried that they’ll be in danger because of your actions?”
“Of course not.”

Leonith confidently gave Kieran a thumbs up.

“Lesiah and the other girls are smart. I’m sure they’ll be able to get away completely unscathed.”

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

Thea watched the drama in the lounge from the couple’s suite using her special skill. The corner of her mouth twitched when she saw Leonith finally taking out the scroll, just as she had predicted.

“Guys, do you think… Lilith will use that scroll?”

Standing beside her, Lesiah rolled her eyes and said, “Do you even need to ask? Of course she will.”

Durance nodded in agreement. “I think Lilith will use it without any hesitation.”

If it were someone else, he might have reconsidered his answer. But this was Lilith, the scroll fiend…

There was no need to wonder about it.

“Then why aren’t you guys panicking? Brea has already fainted from fear,” Thea said

Lesiah sat on the edge of the bed, casually filing her nails, while Durance occupied a nearby chair, tending to his longsword with great care.

Both of them appeared to be extremely calm.

Her question got Lesiah looking up at her with a contemptuous smile spreading across her face.

“It seems like Lilith hasn’t told you everything.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Never mind. You don’t have to worry about it. We’ll be just fine.”

With a cryptic expression on her face, Lesiah gently patted the small bump hidden beneath the blanket.

Thea frowned slightly.

Although Lesiah’s words weren’t that hurtful, her tone resembled that of a noble approaching a poor peasant who could not afford their own meals and announcing she would be having succulent roast meat for dinner.

It was not offensive but still, Thea was disgusted.

Her gaze fell on the little girl who was sleeping peacefully in the bed.

She never bothered to ask much about the little girl whom Lilith had brought back to the dorms out of the blue. She just thought that Cornelia was just another “odd child”.

Cornelia’s previous victory against the best student in the academy during the contest did not surprise her either. It was expected, as she was someone Lilith had brought along.

No matter how strange Lilith’s companions were, nothing could possibly faze Thea.

After all, Lilith herself was considered the “strangest” of them all.

Lesiah and Durance’s reaction also made it clear that this little girl was no ordinary child.

Since they had both been in the Ancient Ruins with Lilith, it was not surprising that they were aware of the little girl’s abilities, as Lilith had brought her out of the ruins.

In any case, the situation was not particularly concerning. Regardless of how special this little girl may be, it is highly unlikely that she would become an enemy or develop any harmful tendencies toward her.

It’s just that…

Thea was upset.

She simply could not shake off the lingering sense of inferiority whenever she was around this woman in front of her.