It was a strange sound.
It was not the voice of a perfect, proud knight, but the voice of a young boy confused by strange feelings.
Carlex, who lost his father in a brutal attack seven years ago, became the head of the Duke Reinhardt family at the age of eighteen.
He volunteered for battle to protect his family, fought the war against monsters risking his life, took care of his little brother and managed the feudal lands.
He didn't trust anyone, and was always lonely and cruel.
Wherever he was, he had to forever fight against monsters on battlefields blazing with war.
Perhaps exorcising the monsters was the only way to avenge his father and wash away his guilt.
Freesia was the one who saved him from his endless nightmares.
Perfect love and eternal rest.
Things I could never give him.
The man in front of me now looked like that trembling boy hiding in the greenhouse, rolling his shoulders.
Seeing him like this made my mind go cold.
It was my fault, my fault.
I accepted it under the pretext that I was emotional, and felt lonely and difficult.
Because I wanted solace in his tender looks, his soft voice, and the warm touches of his hands.
I'm really selfish. I'm taking advantage of his feelings.
The intense feelings dissipated and the coldness of logic returned.
She smiled politely.
“Of course. Of course, Miss Freesia is as beautiful as an angel. Not only in her appearance, but in her heart as well.”
The words flowed from my mouth smoothly, as if someone was teaching me the lines.
“She is able to heal any wound. She will know, Your Highness, true love.”
“Enough, Erica!”
Carlex's large hand cupped my face.
My image appeared in his eyes like a star.
“Why are you looking with those eyes?”
“Please leave me. I don’t understand what you are saying.”
“Why are you talking like that, when you have such a tortured expression on your face?”
“I missed the view. The sun was just burning.”
She shook his hand harshly, stood up and took a step back.
“Erica, I…”
The moment he tried to catch me again, the leader of the Shadow Knights, Captain Lloyd, appeared.
He hurriedly knelt down in front of Carlex.
“Excuse me, Your Highness. I know you have been denied entry here, but it is an urgent matter...”
Noticing the strange atmosphere, Lloyd's facial expression hardened.
“Sorry, I'll report back later...”
“I'm the one who should apologize for disturbing you while you were working. I will withdraw now.”
Before he could catch me, I grabbed the hem of my dress and ran away in panic.
The dress got stuck on the rose hedge and I tripped over the heels of my shoes, but I didn't stop.
I moved forward without looking back.
Because that's what I have to do.
I entered the foyer of the ducal palace, and caught my intermittent breaths.
I arranged my messy clothes and combed my messy hair.
Only then did I realize that a red rose was still blooming at my ear.
The enchanting rose-like scent stuck to me stubbornly.
Carlex said to watch out for the thorns, but I was already hurt.
However, I did not fall in love.
She removed the rose and placed it in the vase on the side table.
It was a vase filled with freshly picked roses from the rose garden.
The perfect place to hide the red fleeting feelings of love.
Feelings of love as sweet as the scent of roses.
A heart like a bud about to blossom.
That thing that looks like a blooming and withering flower, was not mine to begin with.
***
“My brother will never have dinner with us again.”
That night, Carlex did not attend dinner.
According to the butler, he went to the palace for some urgent matters.
"This is bad. If he continues to work excessively without rest, it will not be good for his health."
Michael sighed as he stabbed the plate in front of him with just his fork.
Did he lose his appetite because his brother was not with him? I felt admiration and compassion for Michael's feelings for Carlex.
“We will all be able to have breakfast together tomorrow, Mr. Michael, please have some of this meat. It is delicious.”
I tried to look cheerful to relieve Michael's depression, and put some meat on his plate.
“By the way, did I tell you about how His Highness the Crown Prince discovered my hiding place in the library?”
“Really? Did His Highness come to the library?”
Michael perked up.
“Yes, he started coming every day to take a nap in my hideout and having tea parties there, which got me in trouble.”
“Oh, no! That must have been hard for you, sister.”
"I couldn't give in to his tyranny, so I planned an assassination attempt by throwing heavy books at him. Even a worm moves if you step on it, hehehe."
I let out an evil smile and blinked.
“Ah! Sister, this… but it is His Highness the Crown Prince nonetheless.”
Michael's surprised eyes widened like a rabbit's and he covered his mouth.
Oh my God, how cute!
“Thanks to the failed assassination attempt, I am having dinner with you, Mr. Michael. Now, please eat.”
I smiled sweetly and took care of Michael eating his food.
As for my food, it did not go smoothly.
I could barely swallow some soup and a few pieces of bread.
***
After dinner, I went into my room on the pretext of reading a book.
Alone in the empty room, my real worries that I had forgotten came upon me like a storm.
It has been several days since the monsters appeared on the racetrack.
By now, rumors must have spread through the capital, covering the people with terror and confusion.
I was curious and worried about how Crown Prince Ludfeng would soothe people's feelings.
Did Director William discover why the monsters appeared?
Although I am here in the Duke's Palace under the pretext of rest, but because no one tells me what is happening outside, I feel upset.
The Shadow Knights only saw Lloyd whom I met that day, and the servants of the Duke's Palace remained silent about outside events.
Even little Michael, who must have been traumatized by seeing the monsters, seemed fine to my surprise.
Rather, he was smiling so brightly that for a moment I doubted whether the appearance of the monsters was just a dream.
It was more evident because of Carlex.
He was obviously dealing with monster stuff, but he didn't say anything to me.
But, what is this strange feeling that I get from his looks at me?
Life in the ducal palace was so peaceful that I felt strangely detached.
Why do I feel like someone is trying so hard to cover my eyes?
I feel like a bird in a safe cage.
But they won't know.
There's something that won't do any good no matter how hard they try to cover my eyes.
Because when I'm alone, those looks always float clearly in my mind.
Intermittent breaths and brutal moans coming out from between sharp teeth.
The monster's yellow eyes sparkled in the darkness.
I felt as if a real monster was in front of me, so much so that I don't know how many times I held back my screams.
I grabbed the knife I used to keep next to my bed.
It was a knife I obtained shortly after my arrival at the Duke's Palace, after asking Knight Gilbert.
I needed it as a self-defense tool in emergency situations.
When Gilbert gave me the knife, he taught me some basic movements.
Surprisingly, I learned it after watching it only a few times.
Gilbert was impressed and said I had talent, but in reality I was intimidated.
Recently I have clearly noticed that Erica's physical abilities have increased.
Agility, endurance, and strength.
Originally, Erica was frail from birth.
When I first took hold of her body, I would gasp for breath to hit my chin as soon as I ran a little.
But now, I feel as if my entire body's capabilities have developed.
Like an animal that has reached the top of the food chain.
Even while sleeping, I can make out the slightest movement, the sound of an insect, the whisper of the wind, and the scent of flowers far beyond the garden.
Even now, just by hearing the servants' footsteps outside the door, I can tell who they are.
To suppress the anxiety rising from deep within, I placed my hand on the knife.
Because touching the bone-chilling cold blade made my mind clear.
While I was touching the blade as usual, I cut the tip of my finger slightly.
“Ouch.”
A drop of blood formed with a thin scratch on the tip of my finger.
While I was wiping the blood without thinking.
“What…what is this…?”
The trace of the wound on the blade was gradually fading.
My body...what happened to me?
At that moment, I felt a slight disturbance at the entry door that was very far from the Duke's Palace.
I raised the curtain slightly and looked out the window.
I saw the light of the entrance gate guard in a place far from the rose garden.
The huge iron door opened with a heavy sound.
Through the open door, a horse entered at high speed.
It is etiquette after passing the main door to get off the horse or slow down, but the rider did not slow down.
“Is this...”
Despite the distance, I saw him clearly for a short moment.
The manager, “William,” was wearing a brown robe.
William's visit in the middle of the night without prior notice, has there been a big problem?
I quickly dressed as a librarian, tied my hair into a ponytail, and got ready to go out.
As I was about to walk out the door, I heard a knocking sound before me.
“Miss Erica, I apologize for disturbing you while you were resting.”
Gilbert's voice was tense.
When I immediately opened the door, Gilbert looked at me with a stunned face.
“Ah, Miss Erica. When did you finish your preparations?”
“I saw the manager coming on the horse. He has arrived, right?”
“Ah, yes. That's true. But...”
Gilbert hesitated for a moment, then clenched his jaw.
His eyes, like those of a naive young man, changed into the eyes of an experienced knight with sharp senses.
“The distance from the Duke’s Palace to the entrance door is long, how could you see it? Even I, who can see well, found it difficult to distinguish.”
Wow, I'm overly relaxed.
I should have feigned ignorance.
What if he suspects me?
Cold sweat trickled down my back.
While I was thinking about how to deal with the situation...
“Really, Miss Erica, you look like an amazing war lady!”
Gilbert said with childish admiration.
What? Lady of War?
“His Highness the Duke and the Director are waiting for you. I will accompany you.”
Before I could say anything else, Gilbert beat me to it and went.
Only then did I understand the meaning of what Knight Lloyd always said sarcastically: “That boy Gilbert, his senses are animal but he lacks intuition.”
***
When I opened the door, the interior of the drawing-room was dark, the fireplace fire the only light.
Carlex and William were standing, leaning against the fireplace wall, talking in low voices.
Their facial expressions, illuminated by the fireplace fire, looked heavy and dangerous.
I noticed that William's shoes and pants were dirty with mud.
Where did he go in the middle of the night to come back with this mud on his clothes?
When she entered, they both turned around at the same time.
William apologized to me with remorse.
“Librarian Erica, are you okay? First, I apologize for disturbing you while you were resting. The situation is very urgent.”
“It's okay, Director. Did something happen?”
I felt Carlex's gaze, but I avoided looking into his eyes and asked quietly.
William's brow deepened.
“One of the Five Great Books of Magic has been stolen from the archives of the Summer Royal Palace. It is the Book of
, the Bearer of the Power of Light.”
The moment I heard that, I felt like my heart suddenly dropped.
I heard that if the five magic books were brought together to form a magic circle, they would release a massive destructive force capable of destroying a country.
“Exactly when, and who…stole it?”
My voice constantly shook as I asked.
William nodded with a sad expression.
“We suspect it was stolen during the monsters’ appearance at a horsefighting match.”
"…What?"
What did you just hear?
It felt like the missing puzzle pieces were starting to come together one by one.
William let out a deep sigh and took out the bookmark from his pocket.
“We don't have time for a long explanation. Please find the magic book first.”
It was the compass of books that I touch after a long time.
I took it with my trembling hand.
To relieve my throat, which was dry from tension, I coughed dryly, then said the name of the book.
“
.”
A light entered the compass, the needle made a full turn and then stopped.
The meaning was clear.
Someone has destroyed the magic tracking device again.
“I expected this to happen. It's been a day since the robbery.”
William's voice was calm as usual, but his face was immersed in a deep sense of defeat.
Carlex also grabbed the hilt of his sword so hard that he almost crushed it.
As I looked at their deeply troubled facial expressions, I realized.
The monsters that appeared in the racing arena that day were no coincidence.
Everything was just a tight game.
We are just pieces playing with our lives on this game board.
So who is the owner of the game?
“Aren't you wondering where the missing magic book is?”
Why does that crazy man with a beautiful face come to my mind now?
I screamed internally as I gritted my teeth.
Duke Franz, is this your doing too?
“To be continued in the next chapter”
Loving translation