Chapter 55 - Lies

“A business trip?” Lilith raised her eyebrows in concern. “Outside?”

Raymond nodded. “Yes, I have never had the chance and so it's been decided that I can finally go out and see the world. Reading about it is not enough. I need to see it, in order to fully grasp how fast everyone else is progressing compared to us.”

Lilith’s stomach was telling her that this was a bad idea. She just did not know why. Creona had better technology than everyone else on the planet. So Raymond would be safe no matter where he went. And yet, nervousness flooded her system.

“I can tell you that we are farther ahead than anyone else and will stay that way for a long long time.”

“Well, I want to see that for myself.” the King explained.

“I understand. I’m just not sure about this. It’s scary out there. And it’s big too. I don’t want you to get lost. Or hurt.”

Lilith had never been outside. She only knew from videos and pictures what it looked like. She wanted to. But that in the future when things were probably a lot safer and more controlled there.

“I will be fine Lilith. You should not worry. I am the King. So my protection will definitely be the best. Alright.” His hand was clasped in hers as he sat on the edge of her bed.

“How long will you be gone?”

“A few weeks probably.”

Lilith groaned. “That’s too long. I won’t be able to survive with you away from me for that long.”

The King smiled at her, his eyes glistening with affection. “I could say the same for myself.”

“Then you should let me come with you.”

Raymond instantly stilled. “Absolutely not. You are in no condition to be moving around. Don’t think that I’ve forgotten what you did when you woke up.”

Lilith snorted. “That’s old news.”

“It happened a couple of days ago.”

“Exactly. Old news.”

Raymond did not want to leave Lilith. Especially in the same place where his mother was. She could definitely take it upon herself to try and harass her. But Raymond made sure to have a long talk with her about him and Lilith. He just hoped she would stay away as he asked.

He made sure to leave guards with Lilith and organized that she eat three proper meals a day and constantly be checked up by the doctor. It would have been easier to have someone else go and get Lilith’s gift for him, but it would not be as meaningful. And besides, Raymond did want to see what the outside world looked like.

So when the end of the week came for him to leave, he had left a million orders for things to be done. The public would not know about it so no one would get any bright ideas. It would be as if he never left, to most people.

He had to travel to Naulis so that he could board one of the newest ships to get him there faster. To make sure that he was not made out, Raymond only traveled with a group of about ten people. And on their fastest boat, Raymond was able to get to Martease within fifteen days. During that time, he read up about the country in any encyclopedia he could find. There was nothing much to find, but he did not come across anything about the monarchy there, which he found very odd. Could it have been such a bad rule that it was eliminated from history?

The people of Martease spoke a different language to the people in Creona, but since their main language was the same as their mainland, Eubain, he was able to get a translation for the trip. Eubain was one of the main continents on the earth so the language was not a stranger to many. And it was customary for Crenese people to learn the languages of the outside world so that they could blend in when they went out.

When Raymond and his party entered the country. They were greeted by a land filled with fields of crops and produce. The people there were relatively pleasant and they tried their best to help Raymond with what he was looking for. But for some reason, nothing he was saying was getting through to them.

“Your Majesty, they are saying that no such person exists.” the translator told him.

The King narrowed his eyes at the confused group of people in front of him. How could that be right? Lilith said that the author was from this island, did she not?

“Are you sure that you translated it correctly?” he asked, beginning to get irritated.

“I am sure Your Majesty. I asked multiple times and they are saying the same thing.”

Raymond was getting concerned now. Maybe Lilith was confused about where the author was from. But even so, she had made it seem like the author was internationally popular, so even if they were not from Martease, they still should have been known.

“Maybe there has been a misunderstanding.” he smiled apologetically to the group. “Ok, well then, ask them about the castle here and where we can find it.”

Even if he could not find the author he wanted to see the castle where Lilith got her dress. It seemed a little unbelievable that she found such a valuable object in an abandoned place.

The translator thought for a few seconds and then relayed Raymond’s message to the group of people. And the way their expressions contorted told him that was not going to get the answer he desired.

The group spoke back to them and the translator took his time to translate it back to the King.

“Your Majesty, they are saying that there is a castle. But it’s on the mainland, and it’s not abandoned. They said that there has never been a castle in this country as it has always been under the rule of the mainland.”

Raymond’s head ached a bit with all this information he was getting. What was going on here? Were these people protecting something, something they were not allowed to tell foreigners, or did they really not have any clue what they were talking about?

“What now, Your Majesty?” the translator asked.

Raymond let out a deep sigh. He did not know what was next. What now? Did he just have to go back home? It seemed that all the information he got from Lilith was false. Did she lie to him? No. She would not. After all that time together and then the time they got into a relationship, would she really lie to him? Would she really have kept up the lie for all that time?

If she lied about that, then what else did she lie about? A chilling feeling settled over Raymond and his stomach sank. Goosebumps broke out over his skin. He was frozen for a couple of seconds. Trapped in disbelieving and intruding thoughts. Lilith had lied to him. She lied about who she was. If Lilith did not come from Martease, then where? There is no record of her anywhere in Creona, and yet she knows so much about the country.

She knew that he was a Prince.

“We are going home,” Raymond said with a tight voice. “There is something that I need to do.”

All this time she had deceived him. And he played right into her hands. How foolish of him. Shame flooded through him. Embarrassment and hurt. Everything she said was lies. If that was the case, then did she even like him. Or was she using him just like everyone else was?