Chapter 22
Blink. Blink.
Ashlyn opened her eyes.
There was a ceiling before her, familiar yet foreign.
“You’re finally awake?”
The dry voice was familiar. Ashlyn turned to face the pale-faced magician—Derion.
“Yes… I…”
She blinked slowly, trying to grasp the situation. Derion let out a deep, long sigh.
“You fainted while drinking tea. Thanks to my excellent magic, you seem fine now.”
She realized she was still in the drawing room.
Ashlyn was lying on a long couch in one corner of the room. Thankfully, it didn’t seem like she had been unconscious for long.
As she sat up, Derion withdrew his hand. She had felt warmth earlier—it must have been him channeling magic into her.
“Do you know how much you scared me?”
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
“I seriously thought I was going to have my gravestone put up in the North.”
Ashlyn sat up awkwardly.
Derion looked genuinely relieved—though accompanied by his typical grumbling.
“If you were that exhausted, you should have said something. You had so much fatigue built up… how much are you even working to collapse while drinking tea? Wait a second, isn’t this labor abuse? Want me to report Laperion when we go to the capital?”
“It’s not like that.”
She gently cut him off. Pouting slightly, Derion flopped to the ground.
“How are you feeling now?”
“Thanks to you, I’m fine now. Thank you for the healing.”
“Of course. I poured a massive amount of mana into you.”
Her body felt light, almost too light for someone who’d passed out. His words didn’t seem like a lie.
With a sigh, Derion stood up.
At the same time—
Knock knock. A light tapping came from the door.
“Come in.”
The one who cautiously opened the door was the head butler.
“It is late, sir. You should rest as well.”
She had come, perhaps, because the meeting had gone on unusually long tonight.
“Understood.”
Derion answered coolly. He rubbed his face, clearly tired.
“Go ahead. I need to tidy up the book I was reading.”
“Yes. Then, please rest well.”
Ashlyn stopped as she turned toward the door.
“Thank you for everything today.”
Derion merely shrugged without a word.
She left the room.
Click.
The door shut. It was late, and the house was quiet. Only Ashlyn and the head butler stood in the dark corridor.
“Then I’ll take my leave, ma’am.”
Ashlyn bowed politely and turned—when—
“Ashlyn.”
The butler’s calm voice stopped her.
“Yes, ma’am?”
Ashlyn turned slightly, bowing in response. Her attitude was clean and composed.
“A message came from the capital today.”
She looked up instinctively.
The butler’s eyes, veiled in darkness, made it hard to read her expression.
“A message?”
“Yes. A new monster habitat has been discovered.”
Her voice was very soft, but in the quiet hallway, Ashlyn heard it clearly.
A new monster habitat.
It could only mean one thing.
“The Lord will soon be heading off to war.”
“Last time, he was gone for eight months.”
Laperion’s family had long borne the duty of subjugating monsters.
These days, whether large or small, Duke Tevet Laperion joined every battle.
The Demon Duke bathed in blood and flesh.
“I understand.”
Ashlyn answered calmly.
“You… and the Duke…”
The butler hesitated for a long moment but did not finish.
“No, never mind. You may go.”
Ashlyn turned again. This time, the butler didn’t stop her.
She walked the long corridor, ignoring the weight of the butler’s lingering gaze.
Tevet is leaving the mansion.
That fact alone filled her mind.
The magician Derion Frey flinched as he opened his door.
His mood instantly plummeted.
“What brings you here? I was about to sleep. I’m tired.”
An unwelcome guest was standing in the middle of his room.
A man cloaked in shadow from head to toe silently looked at him—Tevet.
His gleaming crimson-black eyes were sharp.
Derion hurriedly lit the lamp, unsettled by the man’s aura.
“Can’t even complete a task properly, and all you do is rest,” Tevet sneered.
Derion snapped.
“Do you know how hard I worked today?”
But he swallowed his complaints and turned to grab his bag.
Tevet’s beastlike eyes tracked him.
“What’s the problem?”
“Why is there no progress in recovering her memories? It’s almost been a week.”
“I told you, memory magic must be handled delicately. The process is important.”
Tevet gave a cold smile.
“Are you sure you’ve even completed the memory spell?”
Derion froze.
“…What kind of thing is that to say?”
He muttered quietly. Tevet rested his chin on the table, watching him closely.
“Feels like you’re stalling, wasting my time.”
‘He’s sharp,’ Derion thought to himself.
Tevet curled one side of his mouth up.
Derion felt nervous—Tevet wore that expression before he tore people apart.
“Maybe you’re just mistaking her for your old master and selling nostalgia.”
“…”
Right on target.
“Does talking about the princess make you mad?”
“Say another word and I won’t sit quietly.”
Derion’s voice dropped to a growl. Tevet looked amused.
“Then do your job properly. Don’t think of fooling me.”
Derion silently stared at him.
“…Ah.”
“You’re feeling anxious, aren’t you, Your Grace?”
He slumped into the chair opposite Tevet, who rolled his eyes toward him without moving.
Derion leaned back in the chair and murmured,
“Come to think of it, I heard news from the capital earlier.”
“…”
“A new monster war is brewing. That’s why you’re so on edge.”
“Worried she might escape while you’re away?”
Though unnamed, both men knew who they meant.
Crack.
Tevet clenched his fist on the table.
“There are gaps in my memory.”
Ashlyn stopped walking.
“Why are there blank spots?”
She guessed only one thing:
When she possessed this body, the memories became distorted.
“Maybe Derion knows something?”
She turned from her path and headed toward Derion’s room.
At the end of the dark corridor, she noticed a faint light.
“Maybe he’s just reminiscing about his old master by mistake.”
She halted. It was Tevet’s voice.
“Why is the Duke in Derion’s room…?”
She instinctively looked around. The guest floor was quiet.
She hid behind a cabinet. Their voices carried easily.
“Come to think of it, there was an urgent message from the capital.”
“…”
“You’re going to war with the monsters soon. That’s why you’re anxious.”
“Afraid someone might escape while you’re gone.”
There was a brief silence.
Ashlyn gulped unconsciously.
They were talking about her.
“If you’re that worried, just stay in the manor for eternity.”
Tevet let out a short laugh.
“Foolish talk. The palace’s dogs have waited too long to find a new monster nest.”
“Hah. Of course.”
Derion sneered.
“Because the Holy Grail might be there.”
“What?”
Ashlyn covered her mouth.
She had nearly shouted.
“The Holy Grail?”
The one that vanished a hundred years ago—
Her eyes widened, heart pounding. She didn’t know if it was from shock… or anticipation.
