A Rich Lady

Lilith's POV

The armor clung to me like a cage. Every step I took echoed louder in my ears, each clank of the metal reminding me how out of place I was. I wasn't meant to wear this. Not yet. Maybe not ever. It was heavy, and awkward, and every movement felt like a struggle.

I wasn't a warrior, no matter how much the armor tried to make me look like one. But there was no going back to who I was before.

I glanced at the boy out of the corner of my eye. The boy moved with an ease I couldn't match, his movements quick and efficient, even if he was still in ill-fitting clothes.

There was something about him—an edge, like he'd seen things, experienced things I couldn't even imagine. It made me uneasy, but what choice did I have? We were both captives, both survivors of Simon's twisted game. That was enough, for now.

The cave stretched out in front of us, dark and unforgiving, with no clear path or end in sight. I swallowed hard, trying to calm the nervousness gnawing at my insides. My heart raced with each step, not just from exhaustion but from the uncertainty of what was to come.

I was a princess, but that title meant nothing here. All my life, I'd been sheltered, protected. Now, it was just me and this strange boy, thrown together by circumstance.

"Thank you," I'd said earlier, the words slipping out before I could stop them. I wasn't even sure what I was thanking him for. Maybe it was for not leaving me behind. Maybe it was because he didn't seem as lost as I felt.

But trust? No. I couldn't trust him—not yet.

I could feel his eyes on me as we moved through the cave, like he was trying to figure me out, the same way I was with him. I didn't know what he wanted, what his story was, or what he'd do once we got out of this place—if we ever did.

But I couldn't let my guard down. Not now. Not ever.

The crystals on the walls glowed faintly, casting shadows that twisted and moved as we walked. For a second, I imagined they were eyes, watching us, waiting for us to fail. The pressure of the unknown hung in the air, thick and suffocating, and I could feel it pressing down on me. I clenched my fists, trying to steady myself. I couldn't afford to break. I wouldn't.

"I never knew Miss was a rich lady, may this mortal be graced with some clothes to wear as well?" The boy in front of me blurted out, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment at his own audacity.

Though his request dripped with shamelessness, I could understand what he meant. After all, who dared to wander in a dungeon clad only in this makeshift attire fashioned from leaves?

His sudden request was so shameless, so utterly unexpected, that I had to bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from laughing. The way he blurted it out, his cheeks flushing like he'd just committed some grave offence, made it even harder to keep a straight face.

The seriousness of our situation hadn't changed, but somehow, his ridiculousness lightened the weight on my shoulders, if only for a moment.

"Miss," he called me, as if I were some noblewoman from a grand tale, instead of a terrified girl barely holding it together. I should have been offended, but I wasn't. His tone was so filled with embarrassment that it was almost... endearing.

I sighed, rolling my eyes, but I couldn't help the small smile tugging at my lips. "Help yourself," I said, gesturing toward the pile of garments that appeared by the wall. He seemed genuinely relieved, and I caught him glancing at my hand.

I wondered if he was just realizing what the space ring could do. The way his eyes lit up for a brief moment made me wonder how long he'd been wandering around this place, making do with nothing but his makeshift leaves.

As he rummaged through the pile, I watched him out of the corner of my eye. He was quick, practical—there was no hesitation in the way he chose the clothes, no fuss about what they looked like. I could respect that. His situation was far from ideal, but he managed with what he had. There was something... resilient about him.

I leaned against the cave wall, the cold stone pressing through my armor, as I watched him slip into the clothes—a black tunic that didn't fit quite right and pants that seemed one step away from falling apart. But he made it work.

The white overcoat he pulled on last seemed almost too formal for him, but I didn't say anything. He wasn't wrong to want something more substantial to wear, and I had to admit, he looked a little more put-together now.

The boy turned to me with a nod of thanks, and for a split second, I saw something shift in his eyes. Determination. That strange, unsettling edge he always had about him, but now sharper, more focused. It was as if this small gesture, this silly exchange over clothes, had reminded him that we were still fighting to survive.

I caught his gaze for a moment longer than I intended. There was so much I didn't know about him, and yet we were bound together by this insane situation. The more I tried to keep my distance, the more I realized I couldn't afford to—not here.

"Well," I muttered, breaking the silence. "You look... presentable now."

He smirked, that audacity returning, but I turned away before he could say anything else. There were still too many unanswered questions, and the road ahead was anything but clear.

Seeing that I had no intention of listening, he changed the topic, "Come on, let's find an exit already."

I nodded, keeping my gaze ahead. He sounded so sure, but how could he be? We were still lost, still stuck in this maze with no idea what waited for us at the end. But his confidence, however reckless, was oddly reassuring. At least one of us wasn't afraid to keep moving forward.

The path ahead was long and winding, and I had no idea what was waiting for us. But I couldn't let that stop me. I had to survive. I had to prove, to myself and to him, that I wasn't just a princess in a pretty set of armor. I had to be more.

I had to become something else entirely.

***