Chapter 39: The sorcerers
Lilith was in the marble garden gazebo, which was illuminated with lanterns. She was reading
the book while eating the berries.
"What is Her Majesty reading?" Zoey asked with curiosity.
"Something important," Lilith replied, refraining from telling her the truth. "You should eat the
berries too," she opined.
"How can I eat from the same bowl as Her Majesty's?" Zoey politely refused to eat.
Lilith took several berries in her hand and handed them to Zoey. "Eat them. You and I are of the
same status," she asserted and smiled at her.
Lilith was again immersed in reading while Zoey enjoyed the berries. "Your Majesty, I have to
check the dinner meals. I will be back shortly," Zoey informed Lilith before leaving the gazebo.
"Good evening, Your Majesty," Karin voiced, making her lift her head.
"Good evening," Lilith replied and saw two servants holding the old notebooks in their hands.
"Your Majesty, these I retrieved from your family home. I decided to bring them here and ask
Her Majesty once if she needed them," Karin affirmed. Lilith left her seat and checked them.
"These belonged to my father," Lilith said with immense gratitude. She nearly forgot to bring
them to the palace and thanked Karin for his thoughtfulness. Karin then arranged for the
servants to place the books and notebooks in the study room.
Lilith gathered the book she was reading earlier and the bowl of berries, leading the way to the
study room with Karin and the two servants following closely. Once inside, the servants
respectfully stepped back and left the room after placing the books on the desk. Karin bowed
and departed as well, leaving Lilith alone to peruse the contents.
A smile was carved on her lips seeing the handwriting of her father. She stroked her hand above
those pages, reminiscing the time when she would draw while her father would be writing.
"Such a beautiful time it was!" Lilith mumbled. Her eyes landed on the journal of her father which
she was unaware about.
She picked it up and dusted off its cover. As Lilith opened it, her eyes widened. It wasn't a
journal of personal matters, but it consisted of the knowledge of the magical elements which she
read in the sorcery book.
Puzzled, Lilith wondered, "How did Father know about this?" She continued flipping the pages
until she reached a section where a drawing of the black flower was accompanied by the
description "An evil flower." Lilith recalled that she had asked Oliver about it, and he had
mentioned that it was a flower of evil.
Curiosity piqued, Lilith delved deeper into the journal, seeking answers about why the flower
was considered evil.
"If plucked out, a series of catastrophic events will begin. Darkness will surround the earth. The
person who plucks it will lose everyone around him before embracing death," Lilith's heart sank
as she read the ominous words in her father's journal.
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she realized it was her who killed her father. She knew that
if the black flower was indeed evil, her connection with Apollyon would put him at risk too.
She sat on the chair and cried profusely for a while while putting her head down on the desk.
"Lilith, why are you crying?" Apollyon voiced as he entered the room in his night robes.
Lilith shook her head and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Nothing," she tried hiding the truth
from him.
Apollyon pulled her up and lifted her chin. "Look at me!" he asked her humbly. He looked at the
desk, piled with some old books and notebooks.
"Father mentioned the black flower. It is evil, Apollyon. I believe I caused his death when I
plucked it. And now, more people around me will suffer the same fate before I die," Lilith
confessed between sniffles.
"What are you babbling about?" Apollyon didn't believe her words and tried to reassure her, but
Lilith was overwhelmed with guilt and regret.
"I read in the journal. I created trouble for everyone. The sorcerers are the dark creatures, I
think. My father died because of me. Everyone around me will die," Lilith repeated the same
words.
In an attempt to comfort her, Apollyon cupped her face and asked her to look into his eyes. He
reminded her of something she had said when she was younger. "No flower is evil. You said
this," he proclaimed, hoping to help her see that the situation might not be as dire as she
believed.
"I was naive," Lilith said, tears on the verge of falling from her eyes.
"It's not evil. Your father might not have the proper knowledge about it. Humans consider black
an ominous color. However, for us, it's not ominous. I told you earlier as well that immortals can't
be killed. Also, your father's death has another reason. I will soon give you the answer,"
Apollyon said as he attempted to calm her down.
"Are you sure? Father would not have written this in the journal," Lilith stated. "I will become the
reason for everyone's demise around me," she muttered.
"Don't you trust me?" Apollyon asked. "If you don't, then keep your faith in me. If it were an evil
flower, it would not have protected you. I used it on you because it chose you. Your father wasn't
fully aware of this flower. I won't lie to you," he asserted, his hand finding its way to her hair as
he caressed it.
"You won't lose me nor anyone else with whom you have made bonds till now," Apollyon said,
smiling at her.
Lilith believed him and rested her forehead on his chest.
"I am scared," Lilith whispered.
Apollyon placed his hand on the top of her head. "You need not be scared," he said and stroked
her head.
After a few minutes, Lilith pulled away and told Apollyon she would like to take a bath before
dinner.
"Sure. I am here only," Apollyon said. He leaned in and planted a soft kiss on the middle of her
forehead. "Your father had limited knowledge regarding this. Keep your trust in me," he said
softly. Lilith hummed and left the room.
Apollyon looked for the journal and finally found it. He read it thoroughly and realized Lilith's
father was gathering information about mythical creatures, supernatural beings, and dark
elements.
"Why was he looking into these things?" Apollyon muttered and knitted his brows together.