Chapter 2 – A New Beginning (Part 5)

They were things she had never seen before, neither at the Baron’s house nor the Earl’s house.  

There were many things she had never seen before, so she didn’t know how to eat them.  

She wanted to show him that she was eating quickly, but she couldn’t easily reach out because she didn’t know how to eat them.  

Noticing Ellerdin’s hesitation, Fernan picked up a small cookie.  

“Ahem, I heard that couples can feed each other…”  

Fernan said with a small cough.  

She had never heard such a thing.  

She had learned that ladies and nobles should always eat with a fork or knife.  

‘Was it different for desserts?’  

Ellerdin had never learned, so she couldn’t tell if he was telling the truth or not.  

“I’m sure it’s delicious. Nisroch worked hard on it.”  

Nisroch was the castle’s head chef.  

Though she hadn’t eaten much of his food, what she had tasted was delicious, so Ellerdin hesitantly looked at Fernan.  

Fernan still held the cookie in his hand.  

It was the first time someone else was feeding her, so she felt embarrassed.  

Ellerdin couldn’t easily respond and just looked at him.  

Taking her silence as acceptance, Fernan brought his hand closer.  

Startled by the unexpected touch, Ellerdin closed her eyes tightly.  

Then, something lightly touched her cheek.  

‘…Huh?’  

Ellerdin opened her eyes in surprise.  

“Ah… I might have just… made a mistake… I can’t see well in front of me…”  

Fernan hastily reached out with the hand not holding the dessert.  

His fingertips felt a soft texture.  

“Oh…”  

Ellerdin looked at Fernan with a bewildered expression.  

Realizing that it was Ellerdin’s lips he had touched, Fernan let out a short scream and withdrew his hand.  

Fernan’s face turned bright red.  

That sight was so different from anyone Ellerdin had ever met that she couldn’t help but laugh.  

Ellerdin took the Duke’s hand and put the dessert in her mouth.  

“Ah.”  

As soon as the cookie touched her tongue, it melted. She had never tasted anything like it in her life. It wasn’t greasy like meat or fresh like vegetables.  

It was the first time she had truly tasted something sweet.  

When Ellerdin didn’t say anything after eating the cookie, Fernan scratched his cheek in embarrassment.  

“Does it not suit your taste…?”  

Realizing she had stiffened, Ellerdin hurriedly exclaimed,  

“No, it’s just… it’s so delicious… I was surprised.”  

Ellerdin’s cheeks flushed as she mumbled.  

For some reason, she wanted to keep eating.  

Ellerdin glanced at the dessert she had just eaten.  

‘If that small one was this delicious, how good would the big one taste?’  

She swallowed involuntarily.  

“Please, eat comfortably. It’s all yours.”  

Ellerdin hesitated for a moment before carefully picking up another cookie.  

As she took a bite of the fist-sized cookie, soft whipped cream filled her mouth.  

‘Delicious!’  

Ellerdin began to nibble on the cookie.  

Her cute movements beyond his blurred vision were endearing.  

‘…I want to see her.’  

As he closed his eyes, the face he had seen that night came to mind.  

If possible, he wanted to lift this curse and look at her all day long.  

Maybe it was fortunate that he was cursed.  

Because of it, he would never forget her face.  

As Ellerdin ate in silence, she hesitantly asked him,  

“Aren’t your eyes uncomfortable?”  

“I’m fine… I just want to see you.”  

Fernan answered with a gentle smile.  

Startled, Ellerdin dropped the cookie she was holding.  

Whenever he smiled like that, her neck inexplicably itched.  

Ellerdin rubbed her neck and asked,  

“So… is your vision still the same as you mentioned before?”  

Since she had received so much, she wanted to help him quickly.  

Fernan nodded slightly.  

“It’s still all black, and I see objects and people with red stripes.”  

Black vision and red stripes.  

Ellerdin pondered his words.  

She had read many books at the Earl’s and Baron’s houses, but she had never come across such a phenomenon.  

Of course, it was natural that there were no records, as they were not people connected to curses.  

Despite her desire to help Fernan quickly, the only thing she knew was that in her previous life, Fernan’s curse was lifted when he met a saint.  

Since she didn’t have the saint’s power, she had to find another way to lift his curse.  

The demon’s curse had been rooted in Fernan’s body for a long time, so to find a concrete way to lift it, she needed to start by investigating Duke Keallad’s library.  

Maybe she could find a clue to lift Fernan’s curse by investigating.  

“Could I use the library? I might be able to find a way to lift the curse.”

“Of course. Shall we go together?”  

Fernan smiled and extended his hand to her.  

Ellerdin tilted her head and placed her white hand in his.  

Her thin and dry hand looked shabby compared to his large and rough one.  

Feeling embarrassed, she tried to pull her hand away, but he pulled it towards his cheek.  

“Huh?”  

A surprised exclamation escaped Ellerdin’s lips.  

“Use anything you want. Everything, including the library, is yours.”  

Fernan felt Ellerdin’s cold and rough skin against his cheek. Unlike that night, he couldn’t see her face, as his vision remained dark.  

‘Was it possible back then because of Girtin’s power?’  

As Fernan got lost in thought, Ellerdin, embarrassed, withdrew her hand.  

Realizing what he had done, Fernan cleared his throat awkwardly.  

“Please, feel free. I’m sorry for touching you so suddenly.”  

“Oh, no. It’s okay.”  

Her face grew hot.  

While she was fanning her face to cool down, Mollek knocked on the door.  

“Master, it’s time to process the documents!”  

Ellerdin, feeling very embarrassed, hurriedly stood up.  

“I’ll be going now. Take care!”  

Before he could say anything, Ellerdin quickly left his office as if fleeing.  

Fernan sighed shortly as he looked at the open door she had left through without giving him a chance to stop her.  

“You still lack awareness.”  

“Me? Where can you find a demon as perceptive as I am?”  

Mollek furrowed his brows.  

Meanwhile, Ellerdin, who was running down the hallway, remembered something and stopped.  

‘I should have asked Mollek about the duties of the mistress!’  

It was a mistake to flee because the atmosphere was awkward. She glanced at the closed office door.  

Anyway, she would come to greet him every day from now on, so she could ask then.  

She went downstairs and asked Celine where the library was.  

***  

“Wow.”  

She thought the library would be a mess since the castle was in such disarray.  

But the library, built separately behind the dilapidated castle, was spotless without a single scratch. In fact, it was shining.  

When she carefully pushed the door, it opened smoothly.  

Inside the library, soft lights were on, and several plush sofas were placed around a fireplace. Books were scattered all over the floor around them.  

‘…It’s like time has stopped.’  

It looked like a scene preserved as if someone had just been there.  

The fascinating thing was that there were several black feather-like scales scattered around the library.  

She really liked this place, which had an inexplicable cozy atmosphere.  

Ellerdin began to slowly walk around the spacious library.  

Since she was young, Ellerdin had particularly loved books. She had even begged the Earl to take away all her freedoms as long as she could read books.  

Ellerdin ran her fingers over the cover of a book.  

It was clear that Fernan cherished this place. Despite the many books, each one bore signs of being frequently handled.  

‘Did the Duke also long for freedom?’  

Ellerdin caressed the well-worn book.  

She loved books. They contained things she had never experienced and told stories of the entire world.  

However, reading books had also been forbidden when the Earl demanded she prove her usefulness through serious study.  

Despite that, she continuously yearned for the freedom found within books.  

Ellerdin envied the protagonist who abandoned everything to chase rainbows.  

Jumping into a pond to cool off because it was hot, grabbing street food because of hunger while walking, dancing suddenly out of excitement, and naturally mingling with strangers to chat. She envied it all.  

‘But now, maybe I’m a bit freer.’  

Ellerdin naturally thought of Fernan, who had pulled her out of hell.  

He, who had loved books so much, couldn’t even read documents properly without Mollek now.  

‘He’s a kind person…’  

It was sad that he was shunned because people didn’t know that he was warmer than any noble, despite being cursed by a demon.  

‘It must feel like being imprisoned.’  

Just like she had felt in the basement of the Earl’s house.  

Her chest ached, throbbing with pain. She couldn’t even imagine what kind of heart Fernan had while reading books here as a child.  

‘But… still, Fernan has become a wonderful person who can show kindness to others.’  

‘How could he do that?’

‘I’m still so weak.’  

She wanted to be like Fernan. She wanted to be someone strong like him.  

Ellerdin raised her head and scanned the bookshelf.  

Forgetting her goal of finding clues about the curse, she began searching for books that were particularly well-worn.  

She hoped that reading those books might help her become a bit more like Fernan.  

“Huh?”  

Ellerdin looked at a book placed slightly above her eye level. It was noticeably more worn than the others.  

She reached out and took the book.  

The title of the book was “The Child Who Chased the Stars,” and it was so well-read that parts of it were reinforced with paper to prevent tearing.  

‘Was this the Duke’s favorite book?’