Fendrick had initially had no intention of buying the convent.

All he wanted was for Katarina to be able to see the books she loved so much again.

He knew it wouldn’t be easy to remove the ancient language records from the convent. Ideally, he had hoped to purchase them outright, but if that wasn’t possible, he was prepared to borrow them temporarily.

However, the convent proved far more unyielding than he had expected.

They refused him outright.

They would neither sell the records nor allow them to be borrowed.

And so—

His pride was stirred.

‘A gift for my wife—and they dare refuse?’

He made them an offer they couldn’t refuse.

He purchased land adjacent to a sacred site revered by their order and constructed a brand new convent for them.

Unlike the old convent, which occupied a centuries-old noble estate, the new building had been designed specifically for its intended use. In every sense, it was on an entirely different scale.

By all accounts, it was a losing deal.

But he attached one condition.

They could take everything else, but anything inside the annexe, which had once been used as a storage building, had to be left untouched.

Compared to that neglected storage space, which no one but Katarina had ever cared about, the value of a brand-new convent built beside a sacred site was immeasurable.

Ultimately, the abbess agreed to abandon the annexe entirely and move the convent to the new site.

“That’s how it happened. So now… this place belongs to you.”

Standing confidently within the walls of the former Shaieren Convent—once a place forbidden to men until just yesterday—Fendrick flashed a grin.

“…My goodness.”

What could she say when he had provided them with a better location and building?

Shaking her head, Katarina stepped inside the convent where she had spent her childhood.

The annexe, which was once used for storage, was small. Although dust had settled on everything, there was still an air of organization about it.

“I was the only one who ever came in here… so whenever I had the chance, I’d clean a little.”

Her gaze swept over the room, filled with quiet nostalgia.

“Nothing’s changed.”

Scattered near the entrance were piles of worn clothing, rusted swords and broken candlesticks — things that had long since been abandoned. Anything of real value had been sold off long ago, before the building was converted into a convent. Only what was considered worthless had been left behind.

Without hesitation, Katarina walked deeper inside.

The books were what mattered to her.

Hardly any were written in the imperial language. These could be read and understood, so they had been cleared out early on when the convent was first established.

What remained were texts written in ancient languages.

There were enough to fill an entire room.

“So this is where little Rina grew up.”

Unbothered by the dust, Fendrick looked around with a pleased smile.

“Where’s that story about Isolde and Leomar? The one with those vivid illustrations—the one that captivated you so much you taught yourself ancient languages.”

“Ah… that one.”

Katarina’s cheeks flushed faintly as she reached out with familiar ease, pulling out a single book and opening it.

The pages were worn and almost fragile, yet the illustration inside remained breathtakingly beautiful.

Fendrick’s eyes softened as he smiled.

“I can see why it captured a young girl’s heart. I might fall for it too.”

“I thought… once I left the convent as an adult, I would never see it again.”

Katarina gently brushed her fingers over the illustration before lifting her gaze.

“I can take my time looking through everything here later, right? There’s actually something else I want to see first.”

“Ah… you said there was a hidden room?”

“When I was little, I would come here to hide whenever I had done something wrong and was afraid of being told off. One day, I leaned against the wardrobe and heard a strange noise coming from inside it. When I opened it, I found an entrance to another room. That’s where the wardrobe is.”

Katarina opened it and showed him the inside.

It was empty—there was no visible door leading anywhere.

“I must have pressed some kind of switch while leaning against the wall.”

“The problem is… I don’t remember where exactly I leaned.”

“How old were you?”

“I couldn’t read ancient texts well yet, so… at most, I must have been nine.”

“Then you would’ve only been about this tall.”

Fendrick gestured roughly around his waist.

“I wasn’t that small… no, wait.”

Katarina muttered under her breath. Fendrick let out a soft laugh and turned his attention to the wall.

After a while, they found a section where one of the bricks was sticking out slightly.

When he pressed it firmly, a heavy scraping sound echoed from inside the wardrobe, as if something thick had been pushed aside.

“It opened!”

Katarina hurried over to the wardrobe.

What had once seemed like a solid wall had moved, revealing a narrow gap just big enough for one person to squeeze through.

Inside, it was almost exactly as she remembered.

The space was small, like a hidden second wardrobe. It seemed to have been designed as an emergency hiding place. Though there were no visible windows, the air wasn’t stale — there must be some kind of hidden ventilation system.

Inside, there was only a small desk and a single chair.

On the desk, there was a candlestick with a half-burned candle, a dried-up inkwell, and a quill scattered carelessly about.

Most importantly of all, there was an unfinished book.

There was an unfinished book.

Katarina gently brushed away the dust, then quickly scanned the open page.

“The handwriting is the same… It really might be Waldemar I.”

“Incredible… was this truly once the first emperor’s villa?”

Fendrick glanced around the annex once more, viewing it as if for the first time.

Meanwhile, Katarina carefully gathered the records left behind by the first emperor.

After returning to the seaside villa, she gathered everything she needed for translation and opened the manuscript.

It read less like a diary and more like a brief memoir and more like a brief memoir.

[Reed. I can still vividly remember the first day I saw her.

I, too, came to be called the Red Lion, for I swept across the battlefield with blood-stained red hair streaming like a mane—but if one were to name the true force behind the unification of the Empire, it would have to be Astrid.

She was as though the god of war had descended upon the battlefield.]

She was as though the god of war had descended upon the battlefield.

“Wow…”

Without realizing it, Katarina let out a soft breath of awe.

For a moment, she forgot all about translating and found herself completely absorbed in the memoir.

***

At the time, Waldemar’s following was still small, so encountering the leader of the Nachtjäger was such an extraordinary stroke of fortune that he could scarcely believe it himself.

From the outset, the great silver wolf seemed to take a liking to him.

Perhaps it was when he offered his prey to the wolf or when, despite facing a creature larger than himself, he showed no fear, meeting it with a steady, unwavering gaze.

The wolf’s golden eyes glimmered softly as it moved silently across the snow, staying close to Waldemar’s side.

Their bond was put to the test when the forces pursuing Waldemar suddenly attacked, turning the snow-covered mountains into a battlefield.

They fought back-to-back, shielding one another from the enemy’s blades.

And at last—

Before Waldemar’s very eyes, the Nachtjäger transformed into a human woman.

“My name is Astrid. I wish to remain by your side.”

Her skin was as white as mountain snow.

Her brilliant silver hair resembled a wolf’s pelt.

Her golden eyes were filled with warmth and quiet kindness.

Waldemar fell in love with her at first sight.

Astrid was not only beautiful, but also strong.

A warrior by nature, she was unmatched on the battlefield. Wherever she stood, victory followed.

Soon, he entrusted her with the banner of his command and his back in battle.

He granted her a title and gave her the surname Lorhast.

With Astrid at his side, Waldemar could defeat any enemy wherever he went.

So it was perhaps inevitable that he would propose, seeking to bind her to him completely.

“Let us unite the continent, build an empire, and rule the human world together as emperor and empress.”

That was his proposal.

Without hesitation, Astrid took the hand he offered, her smile radiant and almost divine.

Waldemar loved Astrid. But love and the matter of an heir were not the same thing.

Nor were love and desire. He loved Astrid as his partner, yet as a man, he felt that he still needed a human wife.

Less than a year had passed since he had crowned himself emperor and formally named Astrid empress.

Already, countless women, regardless of status, were throwing themselves at the feet of the young emperor.

Hiding from Astrid’s gaze, Waldemar brought one of them into his chambers.

Why had he ever believed that he wouldn’t be found out?

A wolf’s keen sense of smell would certainly detect the lingering scent of another woman on its mate.

In the end Astrid found him.

Found him… with his mistress.