Chapter 8 – The Road to the Imperial Family (Part 1)

To access the Imperial Library, one needed a pass directly from the Emperor.  

Ellerdin had never been to the Imperial Family before, so the idea of meeting the Emperor was a great burden. 

She had never appeared before people as the daughter of an Earl, nor as a Duchess, so she feared she would face hostility at the Imperial Palace. 

Above all, not only the Emperor but also other nobles and even commoners did not know Ellerdin’s face.  

They were people who treated even a Duke like herself rudely, so it was obvious they would treat a woman whose face they didn’t know even worse.  

“I must announce it grandly.”  

Fernan said, sitting in the office chair.  

“What?”  

Mollek, who was dusting the office, asked.  

“About Ellerdin’s existence.”  

“Hmm… Yes… Do as you please.”  

Mollek answered with an uninterested attitude.  

Ever since Ellerdin knew that the members of the Ducal House were demons, he had openly started floating around.  

Moreover, the working demons also started working comfortably with their horns and tails out.  

At first, Ellerdin was a little surprised to see them like that, but later on, she showed curiosity by subtly touching their horns or tails.  

“Tell them the Duke and Duchess are entering the palace. So tell them to welcome us splendidly.”  

“What? Me?”  

Mollek drooped his eyebrows, annoyed.  

Mollek frowned, looking annoyed. Fernan’s gaze turned fierce for a moment, and Mollek sulked as he hooked his foot on the window.

***  

“So this time, I saw the sea for the first time.”

Ellerdin sat on the grass and began to tell her story in a pleasant, gentle voice.  

Various races had gathered around her, their eyes sparkling.  

Behind her stood the large dragon, Parin, firmly, and on either side of her were Phil and Pearl, now grown to adult size.  

“So? So? What happened next?”  

“How does it feel to go into the sea? Is it cold?”  

Phil and Pearl started to act cute, nudging their heads against Ellerdin’s shoulders.  

“Ahaha, it tickles.”  

Ellerdin burst into laughter.  

At that moment, a black shadow loomed over them.  

Parin squinted up at the sky.  

“Demons roam freely here, huh.”  

“A demon? Oh, it’s Mollek.”  

Ellerdin said, seeing something flying far away.  

Following Ellerdin’s gaze, Phil and Pearl watched Mollek.  

Phil spoke in a curious voice as he watched the disappearing shadow.  

“Ellerdin sees far things well. Is it because she’s not an ordinary human?”  

“Of course! Ellerdin has mermaid blood flowing in her!”  

Pearl shouted, frustrated.  

Ellerdin blinked her large eyes at their words.  

Though she hadn’t realized it until now, she somehow felt they might be right.  

In fact, Ellerdin could see objects from afar.  

“Mermaid blood has special powers, so it’s only natural.”  

Parin said as he lay down.  

‘I thought it was just good eyesight…’  

Ellerdin blinked in wonder at Parin’s words.  

Since she had no one to interact with, she never had the chance to know she was different from others.  

She felt anew how much had changed from the past.  

Once, sitting unable to walk in a cold room was a daily routine, but now she could stand on the ground with her two feet.  

She had a warm home and friends to talk to now.  

Ellerdin giggled and leaned against Parin’s body.  

Phil and Pearl also followed her and leaned against Parin’s body.  

The wind blew pleasantly, and warm sunlight shone down as a peaceful and comfortable time passed by.  

***  

“Are you here to torment me?”  

Dylan covered his face at the cheerful appearance of Mollek.  

There was already a mountain of things to handle, and the Duke and Duchess entering the capital in this situation was the worst scenario.  

“Can’t they come later…?”  

Dylan groaned and mumbled.  

“Haha, of course not!”  

Mollek laughed heartily and answered.  

Dylan looked at the piled-up documents with troubled eyes.  

Due to the incident at the black market last time, numerous petitions were coming up about how to manage the landowners who had lost their masters, what to do with families that had lost important family members, and how the investigation was proceeding.  

Especially because the Saintess had spoken about the incident, the situation was worsening.  

‘There is a demon involved. The Duke, cursed by the demon, must be held accountable.’

The image of the Saintess, standing on the altar painted white, covered in white cloth, speaking in a pitiful voice, still lingered in his mind.  

Dylan held his head.  

It had been weeks since the incident occurred, yet the investigation was not progressing easily.  

Above all, Dylan couldn’t understand why the Saintess had said such a thing.  

If only there was actually some of the Duke’s magic left, they could somehow hold him accountable. It’s ridiculous to accuse a demon.  

The Saintess was the only one who sensed the Duke’s magic.

‘But I can’t hold him accountable just based on the Saintess’s words… Ha, these mages are just…’  

Dylan ruffled his hair irritably.  

To end this troublesome situation, he had called various mages to conduct a search, but none of them could sense the Duke’s magic.  

Feeling disillusioned by the mages’ incompetence, Dylan forced himself to compose his expression.  

He couldn’t let the demon in front of him see his true feelings.  

Dylan wiped his face and asked Mollek.  

“Let me ask just one thing, are you really not involved in that incident?”  

Mollek smiled quietly at Dylan’s question.  

“Well… does it really matter what the truth is?”  

Mollek smirked.  

“Haa…”  

Dylan’s deep sigh filled the audience chamber.  

Meanwhile, beyond the audience chamber, a commotion was already brewing.  

The factions that disliked the Imperial Family and Fernan, who were eavesdropping with their ears pressed to the door, were buzzing.  

“The Duke is coming?”  

“The Duchess is coming too?”  

“His Highness just received a message!”  

“Why is that demon coming here?”  

Since Fernan had never come to the capital after marrying Ellerdin, the word quickly spread within the capital.  

Hearing the murmurs of the people, a priest hurriedly ran to the temple.  

***  

“Saintess! Saintess! It’s a big deal!”  

A priest, panting for breath, opened the door of the chapel.  

In the chapel, several high-ranking priests and the Saintess were praying.  

The high-ranking priests frowned and brought their index fingers to their lips.  

The priest who brought the urgent news was flustered and closed his mouth with a gasp.  

Silence quickly descended.  

After a brief moment of stillness, the woman who had been kneeling on the floor in prayer slowly rose.  

A white cloth fell from her head.  

“What is the matter?”  

Her voice was calm yet somehow alluring.  

The priest blushed and spoke.  

“Ah, uh, the Duke and Duchess are coming to the capital.”  

As soon as the priest’s words ended, the chapel buzzed.  

“That demon?”  

“What is he scheming?”  

The high-ranking priests whispered in surprise.  

Hearing their words, the Saintess, Yurishien, blinked her eyes tinted with gold.  

She clasped her hands neatly and spoke.  

“It seems the will of the gods has been conveyed.”  

At her words, the high-ranking priests exclaimed joyfully.  

“Oh, finally. We can deal with that demon.”  

“Because of that demon, so many people lost their lives, it’s natural for the gods to be angry.”  

Watching them, Yurishien smiled faintly.  

She couldn’t visit Fernan because he hadn’t committed any crimes, but she couldn’t help but smile at the situation where she could finally visit him.  

***  

“Ellerdin, we’re planning to depart for the capital in three days. Is that okay with you?”  

Fernan asked.  

Ellerdin, nestled in his arms, nodded slightly.  

“I told them to prepare grandly. All eyes will be on me, so you can go comfortably.”  

“But won’t that be hard on you?”  

Ellerdin looked up at him with a worried expression.  

She knew well how it felt to become a spectacle.  

She was worried about the attention and interest Fernan would receive. He wasn’t someone who deserved such treatment.  

‘Of course, he’s not human…’  

Ellerdin gazed at Fernan.  

Whenever she felt the fact that he was a demon, a small sense of kinship stirred in her heart. 

It felt like she wasn’t the only outsider.

‘…I want to hug him…’  

Ellerdin hesitated, staring at Fernan’s broad chest.  

‘If I suddenly hug him, he’ll be surprised. But I can’t ask either.’  

Ellerdin frowned, lost in serious thought.  

However, the more she thought about it, the stronger her longing grew.  

In the end, the conclusion she reached was to just go for it.  

“Ellerdin?”  

Fernan wrapped his arms around Ellerdin’s back, puzzled by her sudden movement into his embrace.  

“Are you cold?”  

Far from being cold, she was actually on the warmer side, but thinking it was a perfect opportunity, she nodded slightly.  

She didn’t feel good about lying to someone as kind as him, but thinking she could legally be in his arms, it wasn’t a difficult thing to do.  

She felt her heart pounding through the warmth they shared. 

‘What do I do… I like it so much.’  

Ellerdin blushed. She could feel the muscles moving subtly through the thin fabric.  

Watching Ellerdin, Fernan gritted his teeth.  

‘Ha… I’m going crazy.’  

He could smell her unique scent from the body wrapped in his embrace.  

Fernan looked down at Ellerdin with a loving gaze.  

‘She seems to like it because it’s warm.’

Mermaids emit a unique pheromone when they feel good.  

As a demon who drinks blood, his body had evolved to react very sensitively to scents, and because of that, Fernan felt like he was going to die right now.  

Even if he was in agony, he wished for Ellerdin to be happy for the rest of her life.  

Sharing the same feelings, they slowly fell for each other.