...In the end, I still wasted quite a bit of time in Baron Hurst's territory.
After giving the old man his massage, he was so moved that he absolutely refused to accept my money. However, I still secretly placed the denarii for the fabric under his pillow.
When I left, that adventurer player had already departed, but the consequence was that many players had taken advantage of this time to rush to Baron Hurst's territory. I had to deal with the adventurers while buying the items on my list.
By the time I finished all my shopping, it was nearly noon. Drawing all the players here wasn't necessarily a bad thing—at least it created a quiet environment for Rothschild, allowing Lily to rest better.
After using [Spatial Transfer] twice more to return to the familiar mansion in Rothschild, my shopping mission was successfully completed.
"I should prepare lunch first..."
Lily is still in a [Hungry] state, so I can make lunch a bit more lavish.
Speaking of which, I bought much more food than what was listed on my shopping list. Whenever I see any ingredient, my mind immediately conjures up how that ingredient should be paired, what kinds of dishes can be made with it, and what type of people it's suitable for.
After all, my [Cooking] level is Lv. Max—as expected of me.
That said, I'm still surprised by my current state. While I wasn't completely unable to cook before, at best, it was only to the extent of satisfying the Young Miss's whimsical demands. I've heard that the continent of Lemoria fosters innovation, so conducting further research might enable me to create new dishes.
I'm unexpectedly interested in these things, though now isn't the time for research.
There's no baking oven in the mansion, but in my storage space, I have a portable baking oven stored to let my currently non-existent master eat freshly baked bread anytime, anywhere—perfect for use right now.
My storage space contains many similar tools. If I didn't have the memories of knowing what's stored in my storage space, just looking through everything in there without sleeping would be enough research for over a week. I even feel like I have the potential to be Dora-Anna. (TN: Doraemon reference.)
I pulled out a thick, large portable baking oven from under my skirt, then took out wheat flour. Since I was delayed quite a bit in Baron Hurst's territory, using quick cooking would be more efficient.
"Hmm?"
Upstairs, there's a sound.
I won't miss any suspicious movements in the house. Has Lily awakened? I temporarily put down the wheat flour in my hands and went back to the second floor to check.
The sound was indeed coming from Lily's bedroom on the second floor. I quietly pushed open a crack in the door—if it was just my imagination, I could avoid disturbing Lily.
This was the one time I hoped I was wrong. Still, through the door crack, I saw Lily curled up in a ball, huddled in a corner at the head of the bed, trembling, with the bandages on her arms even showing faint signs of tearing from large movements.
She wasn't asleep?
"...Lily?"
"Sister Anna—!!!"
Like a child who had been separated from all her relatives in an unfamiliar environment, wandering and displaced, finally seeing a familiar face again, Lily almost forgot she was on the bed and came crying and lunging toward me.
I quickly rushed forward and caught Lily just as she was about to fall off the bed. She was already severely injured and couldn't withstand any more impacts.
Held in my arms, Lily could no longer contain her tears and immediately began wailing in my embrace.
"Li... Lily..."
I was completely flustered.
For the first time in my life, I felt my tongue was so clumsy that I couldn't even speak a proper word of comfort.
"Sister Anna... *sob*... Sister Anna..."
"Sister is... ah no! I... I'm here, I won't go anywhere."
Lily was sobbing and trying to say something, which was like a lifeline for my helpless self. I responded to Lily incoherently.
"It hurts... it hurts so much... am I going to die... *sob*..."
"No! I won't let that happen."
But Lily shook her head as if acting spoiled.
"You're lying... he's going to kill us... everyone was deceived by him... me too...!"
I had no idea who Lily was talking about.
I could only comfort Lily like coaxing a child, over and over again, telling her that Rothschild was safe, that no bad people would hurt Lily, but even I felt those words were pale and powerless.
Lily cried and repeated words I couldn't understand. She was definitely afraid of something.
I finally realized what a foolish mistake I had made.
[Severe Fatigue]—this negative status forces one into sleep the moment willpower relaxes even slightly. Sleep under [Severe Fatigue] severely reduces vigilance, precisely to create a good sleeping environment.
I shouldn't have left Lily alone at home to rest.
Though I don't know what she experienced... it was a terrible nightmare that continued to torment Lily even while she was in a state of [Severe Fatigue].
Nightmares are a type of mental negative status. With me by Lily's side, she wouldn't have nightmares, but once I failed to provide this positive correction for Lily, the nightmares would return to her side again.
Without me accompanying Lily, how many times did she wake up from nightmares? Why didn't I notice this earlier?
"...I'm sorry, Lily."
Still trapped in a [Hungry] state, it wasn't long before Lily's heart-wrenching sobs gradually weakened. She couldn't hear my shameful apology, having fallen unconscious from exhaustion before that.
My chest was completely soaked by Lily's tears, the full, abundant contours clearly visible.
Even while sleeping drowsily, her small hands still tightly gripped the corner of my clothes, as if she never wanted me to leave her side again.