Chapter 4 – Encounter with a Demon (Part 1)

The Duke’s estate began bustling from the morning. All the maids were moving busily, and Mollek was often absent. 

Ellerdin’s office was calm, but somehow she could tell that it was noisy outside. 

“Is something happening at the castle?” 

“Oh, I heard the Duke gave some task to the commoner who came yesterday. It’s probably because of that.” 

“I see, thank you.” 

When Celine answered as if it was nothing, Ellerdin quietly looked down at her documents again. 

However, the words that had been easy to read just moments ago now refused to enter her mind. 

Liam had been at the castle all day yesterday, so did Fernan come to meet him separately? 

Was he so busy that he couldn’t even show his face to me? 

All sorts of thoughts began to swirl in her mind. Unconsciously, she gripped the document tightly. 

“Madam?” 

Celine called out to her with a worried face. At her voice, Ellerdin snapped out of it and put the document down. 

‘Let’s take a break for a moment.’ 

Ellerdin sighed lightly and headed to the balcony. 

‘When will I be able to see Fernan?’ 

Ellerdin sat quietly on the balcony, looking outside the castle. Below the balcony, she saw workers moving stones and wood. They were all heading towards the forest behind the castle. 

‘…They must be doing something in the forest.’ 

Ellerdin watched the procession of workers absentmindedly. Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind. 

‘If I go there, won’t I be able to see Fernan?’ 

Ellerdin stood up abruptly. The thought of meeting him made her heart flutter. 

“What’s the matter?” 

Celine approached with a surprised expression. It was unusual for her to leave the balcony so soon, as she usually spent at least an hour or two there. 

“I’m going to the forest. Can you help me get dressed?” 

“What?” 

Celine looked at Ellerdin in surprise. 

Her gentle eyes were sparkling brightly. It seemed that the small and precious Madam had something to do. 

Celine laughed and guided her to the wardrobe. 

The wardrobe was filled with clothes that Fernan had bought for her. Most of them were light clothes, a result of Mollek’s absurd comment about how she might get crushed under heavy clothes. 

Ellerdin had always said it was fine and that she didn’t need them, but Fernan had silently nodded and bought enough clothes to fill the wardrobe just a few days after she arrived at the Duke’s estate. 

She hadn’t had a chance to wear them all this time, and she thought she couldn’t dare to wear them, but now she felt it would be okay. 

It was the warmest season in the north, so it was enough to wear the clothes he had bought. Moreover, they had the warmth magic he had cast on them. 

“This one, please.” 

Ellerdin pointed to a white dress. 

“Yes!” 

Celine smiled brightly. 

*** 

Even though it was fine to wear light clothes, Ellerdin wore a thick fur coat over them, feeling empty inside from not seeing Fernan for a long time. 

It was the coat Fernan had gifted her when she first arrived here, shivering from the cold. 

“Madam, you look so cute.” 

Celine squealed and jumped around her. Ellerdin laughed and waved her hand shyly. 

As they left the castle and headed to the back path, she saw people gathered in the distance. 

Thinking that Fernan might be there, she felt excited. Ellerdin hurriedly walked towards them. 

The demons, sensitive to the presence of others, turned their eyes sharply towards the entrance of the garden. 

In the distance, they saw a white fur ball running towards them. Their fierce expressions softened as they watched her adorably. 

“Ah.” 

Ellerdin tripped over a stone sticking out of the path and stumbled. The hidden demons, startled, instantly transformed into maids and rushed to her. 

“Are you alright?” 

“We will dig up this place!” 

“You won’t trip here again!” 

Ellerdin laughed awkwardly, feeling embarrassed by the fuss. She straightened herself and looked around with an excited face. 

In the distance, she saw Liam and Mollek. 

‘Where is Fernan?’ 

Ellerdin looked around quickly, but she couldn’t see him anywhere. 

Did he go somewhere for a moment? 

Ellerdin approached Mollek and Liam. They were standing in a wide field, talking seriously while looking at her. 

‘It’s hot…’ 

Ellerdin fiddled with the fur coat she was wearing. She thought it would be cold, but it seemed this place had a heating function. 

As she thought, the place was heated with magic because Liam, who had no immunity to the northern cold, was present. 

‘It should be fine to take it off a bit.’ 

As Ellerdin took off her coat, Celine, who was following her, quickly took it. 

Meanwhile, Liam, watching her, said to Mollek. 

“She was a cute rabbit earlier, but now she’s an angel.” 

“I agree. It’s a pity Master can’t see this here. Haha!” 

Mollek laughed, bending his waist. 

Ellerdin, who had approached them, greeted Liam and asked Mollek. 

“Where is Fernan?” 

Mollek chuckled as he answered. 

“Well? Master isn’t here.” 

“Then when will he come back?” 

“He won’t come back. He wasn’t here from the start.” 

Right? Mollek looked into the air. 

“Oh… I see… Thank you for letting me know.” 

Her excited heart sank. She felt foolish for coming here. 

Even though she thought she should keep her distance, she ran here without thinking. Ellerdin suppressed her bitter feelings and smiled brightly. 

“By the way, what are you doing here?” 

“Oh, we’re making a gift for the angel!” 

Liam answered suddenly. 

“An angel?” 

Ellerdin tilted her head. 

Was Fernan a believer? He never mentioned it. 

But it didn’t matter. It was his taste. 

“Master said she is the most beautiful and strong person in this world. Everyone calls her an angel.” 

Oh, it was a metaphor. 

Ellerdin nodded, saying.

“I see.” 

‘A person Fernan thinks of like that… I’m a little jealous.’ 

Don’t be jealous. It will only make you more miserable. 

“I see. Well, then, keep up the good work. I’ll be going now.” 

“Wait, wait a moment.” 

Liam, flustered, grabbed Ellerdin. 

“Yes?” 

Ellerdin looked at him curiously. 

“If you have time, could you lend us your wisdom for a moment?” 

Liam smiled kindly. 

*** 

“I think white would be good.” 

“White? Excellent choice. Then what about the shape of the stairs?” 

“Just a simple one would be fine, right?” 

“Simple, yes, indeed.” 

Liam quickly wrote down Ellerdin’s answers. He didn’t stop there and asked her all sorts of questions for almost an hour. 

From the length of the grass to the appropriate temperature, he asked everything. 

Even after asking so many questions, he still had a mountain of things to ask, so he begged Ellerdin to spare him more time next time as she tried to leave. 

‘Is the person they call an angel a woman?’ 

She didn’t trust her judgment that much. She worried if it was okay to answer so freely. 

But it would be rude to refuse a request made in front of her, so Ellerdin reluctantly nodded and left. 

After she left, the air distorted, and Fernan appeared. Unlike last night, he was half-demon, half-human. 

Fernan had been standing beside Ellerdin in an invisible state the whole time. 

When he first saw Ellerdin running from afar, he felt like his heart would stop. 

Suppressing his still pounding heart, Fernan sighed deeply. 

‘I really want to go back today.’ 

Watching Ellerdin’s disappearing figure, Fernan pressed his heart. 

‘How can a person be so radiant?’ 

He loved everything about her. 

From her serious expression to her curious face with wide eyes and her slight smile, everything shone. 

Every action was so lovely that it made his heart swell. 

He had decided not to approach Ellerdin until he returned to his human form, but he couldn’t resist. 

In the end, Fernan, still invisible, picked a flower and followed Ellerdin. 

“Hmm?” 

As she walked back the way she came, a flower suddenly fell from the sky. 

Startled, Ellerdin caught the flower and looked around in confusion. But there was no flower bed or anything else around. 

From yesterday, strange things kept happening. Feathers disappearing, flowers falling from the sky. Unlike the confused Ellerdin, Celine beside her just smiled quietly. 

“Hmm…” 

Ellerdin smiled awkwardly. 

‘Am I being bullied?’ 

Usually, such inexplicable things were not good signs. 

Ellerdin stared at the flower. It was so beautiful that it erased the suspicion of bullying. 

‘It’s pretty.’ 

The sparkling red rose resembled Fernan’s eye color. 

“Could you put this in a vase?” 

Ellerdin handed the flower to Celine. 

Since the vase was placed right next to the bed, it meant she liked it quite a bit. 

“It would be nice to see it before I sleep.”

“Of course!”

Celine pounded her chest confidently, as if to say, “Just trust me.”

After they left, Fernan couldn’t move from his spot, as if nailed down.

‘She said she would put the flower I gave her next to the bed….’

A pleasant throb spread through his chest.

Fernan glanced up at where Ellerdin’s room was and hurried towards the forest. He wanted to give her a gift as soon as possible.