Chapter 8 – The Road to the Imperial Family (Part 5)

Meanwhile, Ellerdin, who entered the Imperial Library, showed her library pass to the librarian and was searching for books.  

She expected people’s attention to be focused on her as an outsider, but the people in the library showed little interest in her.  

Inside, there were quite a few people, but they all rushed to the windows upon hearing that Fernan had come outside.  

They say the demon is here.  

She could hear people whispering.  

Without looking, she could tell what kind of situation he was in.  

‘Being treated like a spectacle…’  

Knowing very well how Fernan must be feeling, all she could do was quickly find the books and leave this place.  

As it was the Imperial Library, a vast amount of books were gathered.  

Fortunately, most of them were also in the Ducal territory, so she could save some time.  

‘Books about curses or demons would be deep inside.’  

Ellerdin moved toward the bookshelves that likely hadn’t been touched by people’s eyes.  

While searching for books for a long time, something caught her eye.  

She noticed that the bottom bookshelf was strangely lifted. Tilting her head, she pulled out a book from the raised shelf.

After removing all the books, there was an empty space large enough for two people to fit inside.  

The books placed outside seemed to be a mechanism to hide this space.

Such spaces usually meant one of two things.  

‘It’s either a place of memories or a secret place.’

Ellerdin hastily put the removed books back on the shelf.

After placing the books exactly as she first saw them, she meticulously checked the bookshelf one last time.

Confirming it was the same as the other bookshelves, Ellerdin sighed in relief and stood up. But as soon as she turned her body, she bumped into someone.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

Ellerdin immediately apologized. Worried that her actions here might have been discovered, she reflexively opened her eyes and saw a woman she had never seen before standing in front of her.

‘Wow…’

She couldn’t help but be amazed.

The woman’s hair was blonde like hers, but it shimmered, and her eyes were also a golden hue. Her beauty was on a different level.

While she was unconsciously staring, she noticed a clock behind the woman. Realizing the time, Ellerdin was startled and bowed her head.

“Well then.”

As she was about to leave, the woman grabbed Ellerdin’s wrist.

Startled, Ellerdin turned to look at her. The woman asked sharply, her eyes gleaming.

“What were you doing here?”

“Ah… I wasn’t doing anything.”

Could I have been caught? 

Her heart sank.

Ellerdin put on a friendly smile and feigned ignorance.

The woman looked at Ellerdin disapprovingly and said,

“Whatever it was, if you want to live, don’t speak a word of what you saw here. Got it?”

After finishing her words, the woman irritably pushed Ellerdin away.

Ellerdin’s body was pushed back helplessly. She looked at the woman in confusion.

The woman clicked her tongue, glaring at Ellerdin’s wide, surprised eyes, and then briskly left past her.

‘Ah… this space must belong to her.’

Surely, anyone would feel bad if their secret space was discovered by someone else.

Ellerdin nodded and turned around. Despite the rude behavior she encountered, she didn’t think much of it.

Right now, she didn’t have the luxury to care about such things. She needed to quickly find the book and get Fernan out of those people’s gazes.

Meanwhile, outside, the noisy commotion surrounding Fernan was still ongoing.

The fear they had felt under Fernan’s aura was short-lived, and seeing that he wasn’t easily attacking, people began to utter rude words.

“Don’t you know what happens when someone cursed by a demon enters this sacred place?”

“What is the guardian of the North doing if not protecting the North?”

“So how will you compensate? How will you heal the hearts of the parents whose children have disappeared?”

There was no one to stop the excited crowd. The Emperor, sensing the atmosphere heating up, had already left, claiming to be busy.

Fernan continued to gaze at the sky with an unchanged expression.

Suddenly, seeing the clouds reminded him of flying around with her in his arms all day yesterday. The thought of flying back with her in his arms made his heart tickle.

For the first time, he felt grateful to be a demon.

The noisy shouts of those around him gradually faded.

As he was about to dive back into his imagination with Ellerdin, he heard the sound of the Imperial Library door opening.

Turning around, he saw Ellerdin running toward him, her arms full of books.

Fernan grinned widely and took the books from her arms, putting them into his inventory.

Fernan started to act playfully, rubbing his cheek against Ellerdin’s hand.

“I missed you.”

Ellerdin quickly calmed him down and scanned the surroundings.

Though she pretended to be calm, she was quite taken aback by the crowd she saw when she first opened the library door.

‘I didn’t expect so many people.’

All eyes were on Ellerdin.

None of them held a friendly gaze. They were all filled with curiosity or contempt.

Fernan had been enduring these gazes alone.

Ellerdin unknowingly shrank her shoulders under the fierce stares.

Sensing her movement, Fernan growled fiercely and raised his arm.

His aura was such that it seemed he might sweep this place away with his power at any moment, and Ellerdin hurriedly grabbed his arm.

“……”

She shook her head, telling him not to.

“It hurts.”

She whispered in his ear. Fernan was startled and looked at her.

Ellerdin had already noticed that using his power caused him pain.

She could sense it because she was sensitive to others’ pain.

A gentle wave of emotion washed over him as he realized Ellerdin was concerned about him and watching over him closely.

“Let’s go now.”

Ellerdin took Fernan’s hand.

‘I need to keep my mind straight.’

Resolving firmly in her heart, she walked boldly through the crowd with Fernan.

As they approached, the people parted into two groups.

The nobles and priests who stepped aside shouted something, but it didn’t reach Fernan’s ears.

Like a child who had found treasure, he followed Ellerdin closely, his eyes sparkling.

As they disappeared, people began to whisper.

“Who is that woman?”

“I heard she’s the Duchess. Could it be true?”

“But to tame that demon, maybe we should be more wary of that woman.”

***

As they walked, avoiding people, they found themselves in a large garden.

“Where are you going in such a hurry?”

A clear voice, like that of a deity, echoed.

Ellerdin, who was leading, looked up to see the woman she had encountered in the library standing there.

“Oh, we met earlier…”

Ellerdin greeted her, but the woman looked at them with an inexplicable expression.

“Have we met before?”

‘Ah…’

She doesn’t want their encounter to be known. Ellerdin smiled and said,

“Sorry, I must have mistaken you for someone else. We have something urgent, so…”

Ellerdin tried to pull Fernan’s hand to leave the garden.

But instead, her body was pulled back. Puzzled, she turned around to see Fernan fixedly staring at the woman, not moving.

‘What is it?’

Meanwhile, Fernan was confused by the unfamiliar sensation.

He knew who the woman before him was.

The only Saintess of this country, possessing troublesome power.

He knew it in his head, but seeing her made him unable to move.

She hadn’t done anything. But something strange was swirling around his body.

As Fernan stared blankly at the woman, Ellerdin hesitated and looked at her.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Yurishien.”

Yurishien extended her hand to Ellerdin with a friendly smile.

“Oh, yes. Nice to meet you. I’m Ellerdin.”

Ellerdin took her hand. After a brief handshake, Yurishien withdrew her hand.

Earlier, she hadn’t had the presence of mind to look at her closely, but now she could clearly see what kind of person she was.

Yurishien’s eyes were filled with confidence and certainty.

‘Something I could never find…’

The hand that had been holding Yurishien’s slipped away. Ellerdin looked at Fernan with a sunken gaze.

Even though her hand slipped away, he didn’t move at all. Normally, he would have held her hand, but his hand remained silent.

“Could you step aside for a moment?”

Yurishien asked Ellerdin with a gentle smile.

She was subtly saying that her presence was an obstacle.

It was a rejection Ellerdin hadn’t felt in a long time.

“…Alright. Fernan, talk and come back.”

This time, he’ll hold my hand. He’ll tell me not to worry about that woman and hold my hand.

But her expectations were completely off the mark.

Fernan, without even answering, continued to look at Yurishien.

She walked away slowly, turning back several times to make sure he could follow, but he didn’t spare her a glance.

Though she didn’t doubt him, her eyes grew hot with upset. Covering her reddened eyes, Ellerdin hurriedly left the scene.

After Ellerdin left, Yurishien chuckled and fiddled with Fernan’s arm.

“Is it okay to send your wife away like that? It’s embarrassing to watch.”

Fernan snapped out of it at the sensation of his arm being burned and smacked her hand away.

“What are you?”

He growled fiercely. As soon as he saw her, it felt like time stopped.

Was it simply because she was the Saintess? Because he was within the realm of holy power?

It wasn’t just that. There was something else.

“……You’re still perceptive. But you won’t be able to know.”

Yurishien giggled as if she had seen something amusing.

‘Ellerdin…’

Only then did Ellerdin’s words from earlier begin to sink into his mind.

Realizing the cold, empty hand, Fernan hurriedly looked around.

He had an instinctive urge to quickly take Ellerdin and leave.

“Leaving already?”

Yurishien giggled and lightly waved her arm.

In an instant, a barrier of light formed around Fernan.

As soon as Fernan’s fingers touched the barrier, there was a sizzling sound, and smoke rose. His fingertips burned and were instantly injured.

“Ha… ridiculous…”

Fernan glared at Yurishien with cold eyes.

Dark magic writhed and coiled beneath his feet. A sinister aura quickly surrounded them.

Yurishien frowned at the creeping aura of magic.

“Tsk, how rude.”

She waved her hand dismissively, repelling the magic reaching for her.

“Due to causality, you can’t even use your power right now. Don’t waste it and let’s talk for a moment.”

Yurishien smiled, her eyes narrowing. The mask of the kind Saintess was already off.