Seeing him ignore her, Lily reached out and patted his shoulder. “Why aren’t you saying anything? You don’t believe me, do you? Julian, I’m telling you, everything I said is true. Let me go now, and I can still help you.”

Julian had intended to ignore her, but the more she spoke, the more insistent she became. With no choice, he finally replied, “Alright, alright, I believe you. Now help me pack.”

With that, he went back to gathering things. He knew every extra minute they stayed in Ravenshore meant more danger. It wasn’t just his parents chasing them anymore—there was also the police, and Grace. Under pressure from all sides, he had no idea how long he could keep hiding.

The only option now was to leave this place as quickly as possible and put as much distance behind them as they could. The rest could only be figured out later.

Lily, who had been holding herself together, flared up at his dismissive attitude. And with her memories of her background returning, so too did some of her old, spoiled temper. Her tone turned sharp. “I’m not packing. If you want it done, do it yourself.”

Folding her arms, she added, “I’ve told you so many times already. Can’t you believe me just once? If you really don’t believe me, you can check online yourself—see if Westford lost a heiress a few years ago.”

At that, Julian’s hands stilled. He looked at her serious expression, and the balance in his mind began to shift. Could she actually be telling the truth? If so, should he believe her?

Hesitating, he set down the bag, pulled out his phone, and searched for news of Westford’s missing heiress. Sure enough, there it was. Julian’s eyes widened as he read every single word on the screen with care.

Even after going through it all, the shock on his face remained. He never imagined that the woman he had rescued by chance would turn out to be a royal princess.

Seeing that he finally believed her, Lily’s expression softened. “See? I told you, but you just wouldn’t believe me.” She lifted her chin proudly, giving him a look that all but said, “You really are clueless.” A strange sense of satisfaction stirred in her chest as she took in his current state. Who would have thought that the man who had tormented her before could end up looking so pitiful now?

Clearly, Julian had thought of the same thing. Silently pocketing his phone, he spoke. “After the way I treated you before, would you really still be willing to help me? Or is it that you just want to use me to get out of here, and once you’re free, you’ll turn your back on me?” His eyes narrowed, his mind starting to churn. The surge of excitement from earlier cooled in an instant. He studied the woman in front of him, and the more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. If Lily truly was a princess, how could she possibly accept the way he had treated her? She had surely been raised in luxury, spoiled and adored. There was no way she could endure such humiliation.

Lily froze for a moment, not expecting Julian to be sharp enough to see through that so quickly.