The first rays of sunlight peered through the window and hit Lilith's face. The Amazon Princess opened her eyes and slowly propped herself up from the bed.
She then walked towards the window and opened it to admire the City of Alabaster, which was hailed as the biggest trade city in the western part of the continent.
"I wonder if he's still asleep," Lilith thought as she extended her senses to the room next to her.
Although it was barely audible, she heard the sound of a sleeper's breathing in William's room. Clearly, the Half-Elf was still asleep, and it made Lilith shake her head helplessly.
"The two of them only stopped at dawn," Lilith muttered. "It is understandable why they are still both asleep. I guess they will wake up around noon."
Lilith then washed her face before leaving her room to eat at the inn's tavern. She had visited the City of Alabaster once in the past, but it had been a few years since then. That time, her Mother assigned her to go in her place to supervise the building of the Amazon embassy in the port city.
Although it was called an Embassy, it was more of a warehouse used by the Amazons to store the products that they had bought from the merchant ships that frequented the city. Also, the City of Alabaster was a place where the different races mingled together.
It was a good place to find strong individuals that they could invite to the Ares Empire in order to strengthen their bloodline.
The Amazons were granted by a special blessing of their Goddess, Astarte, that allowed them to give birth to children with the special bloodline characteristics of their father. Naturally, Amazons that were born with this strong bloodline, could also pass their ability to their daughters.
This was why the Amazons liked to invite the talented prodigies of the influential Clans who had special bloodline talents, exclusive to their families.
Lilith and her two sisters were born from such a union.
She was the middle child, and held far more freedom compared to her sisters. This allowed her to travel the land whenever she wanted, and only return home when she missed her family.
The Amazon Princess was about to order her breakfast, when she saw a pretty Half-Elf with blonde hair and green eyes enter the tavern.
The moment Haleth entered, she immediately saw Lilith and approached her with a smile.
"Good morning," Haleth greeted.
Lilith smiled and gave her a brief nod. "Good morning. Have you had breakfast yet?"
"No. I came here early because I thought that all of you would already be awake… is Sir William still sleeping?"
"He is."
A look of disappointment flashed in Haleth's eyes, but it only lasted for a brief moment.
"Why don't you join me for breakfast?" Lilith proposed.
"I'll take you up on your offer then," Haleth replied with a smile.
After ordering their food, the two ladies chose a table in the corner of the tavern. Since it would take a while before their food was served, Lilith decided to ask the army officer a few personal questions about herself.
It was quite easy for her to tell that the Half-Elf was very interested in William, so she decided to tease her a bit.
"Do you like William?" Lilith asked as she propped her chin over her open palm.
"W-Was it that obvious?" Haleth stuttered. "Oh, no! Did Sir William notice it as well?!"
Haleth covered her face in embarrassment. She thought that she did a good job hiding her feelings, but looking at the confident smile on Lilith's face, she knew that her cover was blown.
"I think he did," Lilith replied. "Between you and me, I think he has the mindset that all girls will fall in love with him because of his good looks."
Haleth blinked once then twice before the meaning of Lilith's words dawned upon her.
"Sir William is like that?" Haleth inquired in a hushed tone. "Is he some kind of narcissist or something?"
Lilith smirked. "A bit. Fortunately, he's not the type that would look in the mirror and say 'I'm so good looking. I guess I'll just marry myself!'"
The two girls stared at each other for a few seconds before chuckling at the same time. A minute later, both of them managed to reign in their laughter and continue their chat, while they waited for their food.
"I didn't know that Sir William has this side to him," Haleth said. "For me, he's someone unreachable. But, after hearing your words today, it made me realize that despite his legendary status, he's still Human."
"Half-Elf," Lilith corrected. "He's only half Human. Just like you."
Haleth smiled as she eyed Lilith. "You're an Amazon, right?"
"Yes," Lilith replied.
"Then, are you interested in Sir William?"
"I'm only interested in his seed. We prefer to give birth to the children of strong men."
Haleth's expression was tinged with curiosity as she pressed on with more questions.
"Do Amazons know the meaning of love?" Haleth inquired. "I mean, you are a matriarchal society, so men didn't have much power in your domain. I've heard stories that Amazons treat the men like slaves. Is this true?"
"Nonsense. Although women hold the power in our Empire, we don't mistreat men," Lilith answered. "They are treated with respect because Amazons only give birth to the child of the strong. This has been our tradition since ancient times, and will remain the same in the future.
"As for love… There are Amazons who also fall in love. We're not that strict when it comes to these things, but they are a small minority. "
Haleth smiled. "Have you ever fallen in love, Lilith?"
"No."
"Not even once?"
Lilith shook her head. "I've seen many men, but for some reason, I don't feel any strong attraction to them."
Haleth nodded. "Then what about Sir William? Do you not feel attracted to him?"
Lilith was about to say no, but suddenly remembered the time when William confronted her because she stole the Collar of Wister from Princess Sidonie.
Back then, William's eyes looked so cold and the pressure that he had given her made her unable to breathe. Because of this, she returned the collar to him, without putting up a fight.
She could still remember that incident like it was only yesterday. William's light-green eyes, which looked so warm and tender whenever he looked at his wives, had been as cold as a blade that was sharp enough to pierce her soul.
That was the first time someone looked at her in that way, and it left a lasting impression on the Amazon Princess.
"I guess he's not half bad," Lilith answered. "Still, don't get the wrong idea. I'm only after his seed, and have no intention of falling in love with him. I'm just doing my duty as an Amazon."
Haleth sighed after hearing Lilith's words. She knew that this was part of Lilith's heritage, and the culture had been ingrained deeply in her bones. Even so, she felt that it was such a shame for someone as strong-willed as Lilith to not experience what love was.
"I wish with all my heart that you experience what love is like, Lilith," Haleth said.
"What are you? Some kind of hopeless romantic?" Lilith smirked. She had seen many girls like Haleth. Girls who dreamed that they would find their prince charming and live happily ever after.
Unlike the Half-Elf, Lilith didn't believe in happy endings. Although she was a Princess, she wasn't looking for a Prince.
'Love only makes people weak.' Lilith thought.
"Then, what if you fall in love?"
"Like I said, that's not happening."
Haleth shook her head as she lightly tapped the table using her fingertip.
"Just humor me," Haleth stated.
She was very curious about what kind of answer Lilith would give her after she had asked the Amazon a question.
"What if you fall in love, and the man you love already has a lover?" Haleth inquired. "What will you do if that happens?"
The Amazon Princess gave Haleth a mischievous smile before answering her question.
"If I really fall in love with someone, and they are already taken, then there's only one thing that I can do and that is to steal them." Lilith replied. "Silly girl. There is nothing in this world that I can't take."
The Amazon glanced in the direction of the staircase and saw William walking down the stairs, while holding Chiffons' hand. The two chatted with each other, and the tender gaze that he gave the pink-haired girl was vastly different from that cold, and indifferent look that he had given her back then.
The smile on Lilith's face widened as she looked at the two lovers, who were still unaware that she was looking at them from the corner of the tavern.
'Yes. There is nothing I can't steal,' Lilith mused as she looked at the Half-Elf who only had eyes for his wives.. 'Not even your heart is safe from me.'
