Their romance storyline only begins on the second playthrough?

Lilith kept mustering her courage within herself.

She shouldn't just be like this, and she absolutely shouldn't be limited to this level.

The start of everything and the chaos had thrown her out of her normal state, but now she had to return to her true self.

She had to express her true feelings and love.

It is definitely possible, and absolutely possible...

She slightly tightened her grip on the light blue amulet from her pocket, then handed it to Rhodes.

"This is a talisman that can withstand an attack that has been upgraded four times or less. Consider it my apology for not fulfilling my duties yesterday, and... a small token of my appreciation."

With a calm tone and a relaxed demeanor, he simply extended his hand and handed the amulet to Rhodes.

Rhodes' pupils contracted, and he hesitated for a moment. "A protective... charm? This thing..."

He started to say something, but then the words caught in his throat.

He knew what Lilith's amulet represented.

For others, the amulet might simply be a friend's protection, but for Lilith, it was entirely different.

The amulet belonging to Lilith needs to be sewn by her own hands.

Or rather, this was a rule created by the former God of Starlight.

A century later, amulets have become tools for friendship. But for Lilith, who lived a century ago, it was different. In her time, amulets were tools made by wives to protect their husbands when they went to war.

Express your heart with sincerity, and interpret your true meaning with actions.

This is what the person who guided Lilith's growth taught her, and it is also the original and true meaning of the amulet.

Lilith has always adhered to this principle; she's a traditional, conservative old woman.

So, the amulet she gave me...

At least, Rod could understand that what she meant was not just the protection of a "friend".

Lilith revealed the whole story.

Or perhaps Lilith was unaware that she had inadvertently revealed the last vestige of the truth, still basking in the pleasure of successfully gifting away the talisman and her emotions.

Rhodes already had a guess about the truth of the story.

He's not stupid.

If Lilith's previous behavior was merely strange, then her current behavior is tantamount to openly flirting with him.

He lowered his eyes slightly, and his thoughts gradually became clear.

He could hardly imagine how fast his heart was beating at that moment.

By reassembling all the anomalies, the answer becomes quite plausible.

At the very beginning of the dungeon run, she looked up at him in a way she had never done in her previous life. After breaking through the dungeon, she suddenly called out to him, inexplicably gave him a mission, and tried to keep him by her side. Inexplicably, she grabbed him and cried in the house. And after she was injured, she sewed a talisman for the first time ever...

Upon careful consideration...

All these unusual things point to one fact.

If, if she is that [Lilith], then everything seems to make sense.

The reason she couldn't hold back today was simply because she saw him getting close to other girls and started trying to stop him again...

Yes, Ivina was in her room all night yesterday, there's no way she wouldn't know about this.

This definite guess surfaced in Rhodes's mind, but even so, he did not make a hasty decision.

He tentatively said in a deep voice:

"Why are you giving me this? This is something wives usually give to their husbands when they go to war. I don't think you should be giving me this."

"So you were that kind of old-fashioned, conventional person, with those boring stories?" Lilith said calmly. "Amulets and such have never been so noble."

After she finished speaking, she forcefully stuffed the blue amulet in her hand into Rhodes' palm.

"Hey, you're making people misunderstand..." Rod quickly interjected.

"It doesn't matter. Misunderstandings are the most foolish thing from the start, or rather, who would misunderstand?"

Lilith blurted out everything she had been holding back.

Satisfied, he released his emotions.

If you're unhappy seeing Rod with other women, you should speak up. You can say whatever you want if you don't care about misunderstandings.

Please please yourself first.

"You." Rod was stunned and couldn't utter a word.

He hated that Lilith always did her own thing.

But he also knew Lilith's principles; she clearly valued the folk customs left behind by the Star God.

At this moment, Lilith ignored Rhodes' reaction and turned away without looking back, disappearing from his sight.

Rhode watched Lilith disappear with light, graceful steps. He wanted to go forward and confront her to demand the truth, but...

But in the end, he stopped himself.

Because the bird outside the window was pecking at it frantically, making a lot of noise.

He picked up the amulet, examined it repeatedly, and murmured to himself,

"A talisman for me?"

He raised his head, remained silent, and looked at the bird by the window.

The whole story seems to have been revealed...

"This is so annoying, there's just too much to do... Once I've finished everything for today, I'll really test her tonight and see if my guess was right..."

……

...

Rhodes went downstairs and came to the central garden.

He put all the unpleasant things that had just happened behind him.

He arrived at the spot where he had killed the demon that had been upgraded three times the previous night and stepped into the flower bed.

In an instant, the scent of morning flowers and the cheerful laughter of nobles reached my ears.

Yesterday, the quiet, deserted pavilion in the middle of the garden was filled with a dozen or so nobles. Some of them were even sitting scattered on the grass, chatting with each other.

The Duke's gardens were undoubtedly vast, so even with a dozen or so people inside, it still felt incredibly empty.

"Lord, Your Majesty!" At that moment, the red-haired maid Juno hurriedly ran to Lord's side.

"Juno, quite a few people came today."

"Yes, yes, because His Excellency the Duke is coming back soon today, and there's a ball tonight, so we're giving these nobles a chance to discuss things beforehand."

So these are just the beginning... Once night falls, there will be even more people.

"Ah, I see."

Rod glanced slightly towards the center of the garden; no wonder it had been decorated today.

The garden had been divided up using special props, and crystal lanterns hung from the branches of the huge oak trees, sparkling brightly.

The silverware and wine glasses on the table, though not yet in use, were already arranged.

Rod said, "You can continue with your work. I'll just wander around by myself."

"Okay." Juno nodded obediently, then immediately picked up the scissors and continued pruning the potted plant.

Rod walked toward the group of people.

"Professor Merrick has given me another problem. Who knows who she's disguised herself as to sneak in here again..." He rubbed his forehead in exasperation.