Why did he memorize all the titles? Merrien was about to go crazy.

“I’m fine, Merri. If you go to the library alone, I can ask the butler to read them to me later.”

“Why would you even read that.”

Merrien felt her whole body turn cold.

“If we go together, you can carry them yourself.”

His voice was so gentle while talking about his own things, completely ignoring Merrien’s words, which made him even more annoying.

In the end, there was only one choice.

“…Ah, fine. Let’s go together, then!”

“Really?”

Only then did Ariel grin broadly, like he got what he wanted.

‘Ah, he really is incredibly insane!’

Merrien could only secretly stamp her feet, unable to release the anger bubbling inside.

With tightly closed lips, she helped up the clearly insane Ariel, who was still lying there motionless, while glaring at him.

He was definitely the Tower Master’s younger brother.

According to the lower priests and nobles who visited the temple, the Tower Master was also quite insane!

***

‘I should have just come alone anyway.’

Merrien sighed with an almost defeated expression.

From somewhere unknown, Ariel immediately began reading two romance novels to tease her as soon as they arrived at the library.

“Merri. This is strange.”

“What is.”

After reading intently, he turned serious about something being strange.

“Calliste knelt before Aline. Then with a sticky touch, he slowly stroked her thigh.”

“……”

“Master, please tame me.”

“Stop.”

“The title is ‘How to Tame a Beast’ but why is the protagonist human? I think we’ve been scammed, Merri.”

“Stop reading, Ariel. Reading such things will stunt your growth.”

To hide her embarrassment, Merrien spoke in the gentlest voice she could manage.

After saying it, she realized the man across from her was already too tall to grow anymore.

Unable to bear it anymore, she reached out to snatch the book, but Ariel was surprisingly quick, dodging her hands while continuing to turn the pages.

‘Is he really sick? Why is he so fast?’

He continued to tease Merrien while reading like this.

And then whatever scene came next caused him to.

“Gasp.”

He opened his mouth wide and covered his eyes with his large hands.

Seriously.

“I can see you peeking through your fingers.”

She could almost hear his eyeballs rolling.

“You caught me.”

While he was distracted, Merrien finally snatched the book. She put it in her bosom to keep it safe, staying alert.

Ariel rested his chin on his hand crookedly, looking disappointed.

“Merri. Do you like this kind of thing? You’re more perverted than I thought.”

“…I didn’t know it had that kind of content! I just heard noble young ladies at the temple whispering about how interesting it was and got curious.”

‘Actually, I knew a little.’

But for the sake of her image, she had to pretend not to know. Merrien drooped her eyes and acted wronged.

“If I had known it was like that, I wouldn’t have bought it.”

Then she deliberately pushed the book far across the desk. Though her eyes kept trying to drift that way, showing lingering attachment.

Perhaps believing her act, Ariel’s interest quickly faded as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs.

“Merri, I’ve arranged all the books we talked about. Do you like it?”

Finally swallowing a sigh of relief, Merrien looked around.

She needed to quickly change the subject to avoid hearing his strange comments.

“Yes. Now it feels like a proper library. When I first came, it was emptier than I expected.”

Though not as shocking as the greenhouse garden, the library too had many empty spaces despite its enormous size.

While she couldn’t say it was perfectly to her liking since there were still empty spaces, it was satisfactory enough.

“Merri, you can decorate the mansion as you wish and buy whatever you want. If you need anything, tell the butler.”

When she suddenly turned her head, their eyes met.

Whenever she looked elsewhere or did something else and then looked at Ariel, their eyes would meet like he had been watching her the whole time.

And he would even smile brightly, seeming happy that she finally looked at him.

“Don’t think about asking for my permission.”

‘…Why, really?’

Even if she saved him when he was Whitey, even if he was a bit crazy, was this level necessary?

Though his actions and words had always been questionable, she couldn’t bring herself to actually ask.

‘Is it just because I’m the Saint who will save his life?’

…Is that all?

“But there’s one thing you need to do for me.”

The questions faded momentarily. As his usually languid voice turned serious, Merrien also tensed up.

“What is it?”

“Don’t go with strangers when they ask you to go somewhere.”

“…What kind of random thing is that?”

Soon her tension dissolved and she frowned.

What she heard sounded like something parents would say to their children.

However, strangely enough, Ariel’s eyes and voice weren’t joking.

The way he tapped the desk with his index finger even looked somewhat anxious.

“If they persistently ask, tell them you can’t go because you’re in a serious relationship with Duke Hartez.”

“What are you talking about? Speak so I can understand.”

“A Saint and a sickly Duke would be a serious relationship, right?”

“How is that serious at all.”

“Promise me, Merri. Promise you won’t go with them.”

“Fine, fine.”

She decided to give up since she only got incomprehensible answers no matter how many times she asked.

His pleading eyes overlapped with Whitey’s when he had collapsed and woken up, making her infinitely weak.

While organizing the books scattered on the desk, Merrien was completely unaware that Ariel was staring at her intently.

***

Just before six in the evening, when Merrien arrived at her room, her eyes nearly popped out seeing the book placed on her desk.

“!!!”

Though there was no one else in the room, she looked around nervously before rushing to pick up the book.

The cover was plastered with bright red roses full of desire.

[The Secret Circumstances of That Duke]

It was the romance novel she had been longing for.

‘…Since it’s in my room, I can’t not read it, right?’

Whoever gave it to her, it was good fortune for her.

“Heheh.”

The moment she stroked the cover, laughter involuntarily escaped between Merrien’s tightly closed lips.

She ended up staying up all night and could only fall asleep after finishing the book.

“Saint, it’s breakfast time.”

When morning came, the maids arrived promptly to announce wake-up time.

“Ah, yes…”

“You look especially tired today.”

When Merrien barely opened her mouth with a haggard appearance, the maids seemed quite surprised.

“A little.”

‘Well, I only got three hours of sleep?’

But rubbing her eyes full of sleep and eye discharge, she thought it was a choice she didn’t regret.

With this level of passion, she thought that perhaps, contrary to her prejudices, she might actually like obsessive men.

Today too, the same day started with meals, washing up, and getting dressed, without fail.

Some might shudder at the monotony, but she loved these peacefully repeating days so much.

‘I want to live like this forever!’

…But it would end when the healing gauge was full.

Despite how happy she had been just moments ago, there was a slight bitterness at the end of that thought.

But she couldn’t not heal Ariel either.

Since he could die from magical overload.

“Saint, I’ve brought the newspaper you asked for.”

Such thoughts were forgotten when the butler entered.

“Yes, thank you.”

Receiving the newspaper, Merrien felt her sleepiness finally fading.

There was a limit to hearing rumors from people at the temple, and it was even harder to get news from outside at the Hartez mansion.

Still, thinking it would be good to know at least how the country was doing, she had requested newspapers from the butler.

As she spread open the newspaper to focus, the butler took advantage of the closer distance to whisper.

“Did you like the gift?”

“Hmm?”

When she looked up at the butler in confusion, he even winked. As she rolled her eyes still not understanding, something suddenly crossed Merrien’s mind.

“No way…. Butler, the book?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

‘…Butler, you’re a good person!’

Merrien felt warm feelings rising from deep inside.

With reddening eyes, she glanced around and whispered quietly so it wouldn’t leak outside.

Even putting her index finger to her lips.

“…Butler. Ariel doesn’t know about this, right?”

“Of course not, Saint.”

“I’ll definitely keep the greenhouse garden secret.”

“Thank you, Saint. I will do my best.”

With this, the two became close quickly.

Humming a tune, Merrien crossed her legs and opened the newspaper.

“Let’s see.”

[Matters Approved by His Majesty the Emperor]

The front page headline was about the Emperor recognizing his illegitimate son as the Second Prince.