Behind the Saintess's Smile
"Perhaps... did I interrupt something?"
Lilliana's voice was endlessly soft and kind as she said it.
But a chill sweat trickled down my spine.
This situation is the worst.
There I was, lying in bed with my patient gown slightly unbuttoned. And Aria, hovering right over me, our noses practically touching. It was the perfect pose for anyone to misunderstand—no room for excuses whatsoever.
What do I do? What the hell do I do?
An alarm blared wildly in my head.
"H-Hiiik...!"
Aria, who had been gazing at me with a dazed expression from above, finally grasped the situation and sprang back like a coiled spring. Her face was flushed beet red all the way to her neck.
"N-No! It's not like that! I was just... just checking your bandages...!"
Aria flailed her hands around, stammering out excuses. Her voice trembled so much that anyone would find it suspicious.
But Lilliana, standing at the door, didn't respond to her words.
The hem of her white dress rustled as she took a step into the room. Then, with slow, graceful movements, she closed the hospital room door behind her.
-Click.
The sound of the door shutting echoed unnaturally loud.
And that wasn't the end of it.
Lilliana reached back, locking the door with a decisive turn.
-Clunk.
The metallic click sealed off any escape. Still smiling faintly, she approached us lightly on her toes.
...Should I make a break for it?
I seriously started calculating whether to smash the window and jump.
How many floors up was this VIP ward again? Second or third floor, probably. If I broke the window and leaped, I could probably survive somehow.
Hell, I'd fallen from about ten stories once before.
No, but what about Aria? She was small and light, so maybe I could scoop her up in one arm and absorb the impact on the way down.
As I pedaled through these ridiculous thoughts, Lilliana had already stopped beside my bed.
I waited, sweat pouring down, for her lips to part. I braced for her to yell or coldly kick me out.
But.
"Hee-hee."
A soft curve formed on Lilliana's lips. Her once-empty eyes sparkled with life, blooming into a smile as warm as spring sunlight.
"I'm sorry for startling you."
She turned to Aria, who was frozen stiff, and gave her a look full of maternal kindness.
"It's proper etiquette to knock first, but when I heard the lady had been badly hurt, I rushed over without thinking and was rude."
"N-No! If anything, I was the one doing something that could cause a weird misunderstanding...!"
Aria bowed her head in a fluster, apologizing profusely.
Lilliana approached her and gently grasped her shoulders.
Aria flinched rigid, but Lilliana continued softly, unperturbed.
"You're the lady's roommate, right? Miss Aria Winter."
"...Huh? H-How do you know my name...?"
Aria's eyes went wide as she asked.
"The lady told me." Lilliana turned her gaze to me.
Unlike the crinkles of laughter at her eyes, a terrifying glint flickered in her pupils.
Like staring at a bomb about to blow.
But contrary to my fears, Lilliana carried on a smooth conversation with Aria.
"Oh, I haven't introduced myself properly. My name is Lilliana."
"Uh, uh?"
Aria must have heard the rumors, because she gasped sharply.
"L-Lilliana... you mean...?"
"Yes. That's right. I've been blessed—undeservedly—with the role of saintess."
Aria's reaction was just like mine when we first met.
"H-Hieeek...! S-Saintess...!"
"Please treat me casually. We're both students, after all."
Lilliana embodied the very image of a benevolent saintess.
Her uniquely gentle tone melted away all wariness.
"To be honest, I wanted to meet you someday, Miss Aria."
"M-Me? Why would a saintess want to meet someone like me...?"
"The lady praised you so much—said you have amazing handiwork and a kind heart. I just had to see you."
"Ah..."
Aria's cheeks flushed red again.
Uncomfortable with such direct compliments, she fidgeted with her fingers.
"I-I didn't know she'd praised me like that... I was just doing what needed to be done."
"And so humble, too."
Lilliana covered her mouth and chuckled softly.
"Still, it's such a relief that the lady woke up safely. I heard you waited outside all night? You must be exhausted."
"No, it's because the lady got hurt protecting me... I should be the one apologizing."
Aria's fear of Lilliana had vanished; she chattered on freely now.
Oh no. I squeezed my eyes shut at her innocent reply.
I could predict what would happen next.
She got hurt protecting me.
How would that sound in Lilliana's ears? It was as obvious as daylight.
She showed inexplicable jealousy over a mere bracelet—this was basically a provocation.
This is a real emergency. I braced for the worst, tensing my lower body to snatch Aria and hurl her out the window if her eyes rolled back in rage.
But.
"Oh my."
Lilliana clasped her hands with a small gasp.
"So the lady protected you?"
There was no anger or killing intent in her voice.
If anything, she sounded moved.
"As expected, the lady has such a warm heart. Willingly sacrificing for her roommate."
...Huh?
I cracked my eyes open to peer at her.
She wasn't mad. She seemed genuinely impressed, wearing that soft smile.
"It's truly a relief that you're safe, Miss Aria. The lady must have pushed herself for that reason. Don't blame yourself too much."
"Ah..."
Aria's eyes welled up again at Lilliana's comfort.
"Sniff... Y-Yes..."
She sniffled as Lilliana patted her soothingly.
And I just stared blankly at the scene.
What the...?
She's... not mad?
It was prime time for her to snap. Maybe I'd been viewing Lilliana through too twisted a lens lately.
She was just purely concerned for me, and I'd overreacted because of her recent attitude.
Yeah. She's a saintess, after all.
Our sweet Lilliana wouldn't do that.
"Miss Aria."
Lilliana called to her in that gentle voice.
"Yes, Saintess?"
"You must not have slept a wink all night. Why don't you go rest now?" She eyed Aria's weary face as she spoke.
"I'll take care of the lady now. If you collapsed, she'd only worry more."
"Ah..."
Aria hesitated, glancing at me.
But Lilliana was right—there were no flaws in her words.
Dark circles ringed Aria's eyes from exhaustion.
"Y-Yeah, that might be best...?"
"Yes. Go rest comfortably. You have class prep too, don't you?"
"Lady."
She looked at me with teary eyes.
"I-I'll head out first. I'll come back later."
"Yeah. You did great, Aria. Go sleep."
I waved lightly, and she smiled in relief. Lilliana kindly escorted her to the door, unlocking it and holding it open.
"Take care, Miss Aria."
"Yes. Thank you, Saintess. Please take good care of the lady."
Aria bowed a deep 90 degrees and scurried down the hall.
-Click.
The door closed again.
And once more, clunk—the lock turned.
Now, only Lilliana and I remained in the room.
Guess it really was my imagination.
Seeing how she treated Aria, I let out a deep internal sigh of relief.
She seemed back to the original story's Lilliana.
Sorry for misunderstanding you all this time, Lilliana!
She really was kind and gentle.
Her demeanor even made me feel bold enough to relax.
After all, I was the injured one, and she was just visiting.
"Lilliana, sorry for worrying you."
"..."
I straightened my gown collar and leaned back comfortably against the headboard.
"But luckily, it's not a serious injury. Esilla did a great job with the emergency treatment, so I should recover qui—"
My voice trailed off as I spoke.
Lilliana, standing by the door, slowly turned around.
"..." She wasn't smiling anymore.
Without a word, she advanced toward my bed, step by step.
-Step, step.
...Huh?
Something was wrong.
The warm atmosphere from before was gone, replaced by a choking killing intent that pricked my skin.
This is it—the moment to actually jump out the window. I tried to sit up.
"Sit."
My body reacted before my brain.
"Yes, ma'am."
When she says sit, you sit.