CHAPTER 27
If it wasn’t a physical space, then where exactly was he trapped?
“Let’s think this through.”
Sitting upright in the bath, Roziana repeated the words Nox had said to her, trying to recall everything clearly.
“Nox said he was trapped.”
Somewhere in this palace.
“He asked me to release him.”
From wherever he was imprisoned.
“But I can hear him now.”
His telepathic voice.
What could that mean?
“……”
Not long after, Roziana suddenly stood up, speaking to herself.
“No way!”
Come to think of it, ever since her body had matured near adulthood, Nox had grown unusually quiet.
Quickly drying her wet body with a towel, Roziana changed into the indoor clothes prepared in the bathroom, murmuring under her breath.
“You’re trapped… somewhere in my body, aren’t you?”
[……]
Damn.
“I must’ve guessed right.”
Only now did she understand why they could never find him despite scouring the entire imperial palace.
Nox must be sealed somewhere in her body.
Nox is a being related to the power of dragons, right?
Then perhaps, it was connected to the symbol of the dragon’s bloodline she carried.
“The proof of the dragon blood I inherited…”
While drying her wet hair, Roziana pondered seriously about her unique traits.
Crossing her long, pale arms and tapping her fingers, she murmured:
“What do Father and I have in common?”
For starters, her blonde hair resembled that of Emperor Leodian.
“But my brothers inherited that too, didn’t they?”
Besides, hair wasn’t permanent—it could be cut or pulled out.
“Maybe there’s a symbol that only I, as the Emperor’s daughter, have?”
Then she remembered something Queen Ariana had whispered joyfully while cradling her newborn self:
“You resemble His Majesty here too—it’s so lovely.”
Her mother had stroked her forehead lovingly.
“That’s it!”
She vividly recalled searching her father’s handsome face to understand what her mother had meant.
“Twin dots!”
Barely noticeable, twin beauty marks near the end of her perfectly arched eyebrows.
Roziana leaned toward the large mirror in the bathroom—and froze.
From one of the dots, a black shimmer sparkled.
“There you are!”
At that moment—
A black aura began seeping out from between her temples and took on a shape.
“Thank you so much for freeing me, Erika.”
“Wh– Nox?!”
“Honestly, I didn’t think you’d figure it out this fast.”
A silver-haired, red-eyed man straightened his back, lifting his eyes with a calm intensity.
His neatly tailored black clothes, though the opposite color, exuded the same ascetic air as a cleric’s robes.
‘Pale skin, crimson eyes…’
Tight black clothes that revealed every line of his body.
Roziana found her mouth hanging open.
“Why?”
“It’s just… you look completely different from what I imagined.”
She was startled.
‘I thought he’d be some small, divine dragon beast… but this? This is way more dangerous!’
Her mind rapidly scanned through her knowledge.
‘Why does he look so…’
There was something dangerously alluring about his strange presence and seductive gaze.
He still felt unfamiliar, but the physical traits were unmistakable.
‘Damn it. No doubt about it.’
Now that she had drawn him out, it was time to confirm the truth.
Swallowing nervously, she asked:
“You… you said with your own mouth that you possess the power of a dragon.”
“I did.”
“Then why…”
Her lips parted after a pause.
“…do you look like a demon?”
Demons, too, had a hierarchy.
From lowly demons who fed on human desires to higher demons who manipulated minds and formed contracts to claim souls.
With his strange smile and red eyes—
And a form indistinguishable from a human, no—more beautiful than one—there was only one answer.
‘He’s clearly a high-ranking demon.’
“Heh. So you remember.”
When Nox smiled shamelessly, Roziana let out a horrified screech.
“You really were a demon?!”
“I was.”
“Ack! I made a deal with a demon?!”
Clutching her head, Roziana looked absolutely devastated.
“This is a disgrace to witches!”
With a shrug, Nox sat down on the couch in the bathroom, looking up at her in amusement.
“No need to be so excited. You’ll pay your price for freeing me.”
“Do I look like I’m excited?!”
“Just saying.”
He shrugged again, irritatingly.
“Anyway! How does a demon have the power of a dragon?”
Roziana had already seen Nox fold space and time.
She herself was the living proof.
But demons weren’t born of dragons—they were creatures of the Demon Realm, subordinates of the Demon King.
“A great dragon once swallowed me whole.”
“W-what?”
“Yeah, surprising, right? It was the first and only time something like that happened. But it’s true. Because of them, I became the darkness of that dragon.”
Darkness.
The ancient word for darkness: Nox.
“So that’s why your name is Nox?”
“Exactly. I remain the great darkness—and a part of them.”
The phrase “a dragon’s darkness” struck a nerve.
“Who do you mean by them?”
“My true master. You’ll learn more in time.”
‘In time?’
Suspicious. Could she really trust anything Nox said?
It was confusing, but contractually, demons couldn’t lie to their contractors.
Their contract was that binding—and terrifying.
Still, to think that the darkness of a dragon was trapped inside her—
And not just that, but a demon who could bend time and space?
Who the hell sealed Nox inside her—and why?
‘And to think a dragon powerful enough to swallow something like Nox even exists?’
Unable to suppress her curiosity, she asked:
“Why was it my body that you got trapped in?”
“I don’t know the details. It was simply my master’s will.”
“Your master sealed you inside me personally??”
Eyes wide, Roziana watched as Nox casually shrugged—and suddenly poof—transformed into a sleek black cat.
He slinked between her legs and rubbed against her.
“W-what are you doing?!”
“If I’m going to stay close to you, a pet form is best, no?”
“What?! I already freed you! Why do you still want to stick around?! That’s just creepy!”
Before she could argue more, he cut in:
“To turn back time and save your sisters using my power, we must wait for the day when my power is strongest. Until then, I must stay near you. The contract won’t be complete until both sides fulfill their terms.”
She already knew that.
Unless both Roziana and Nox fulfilled their conditions, neither would survive intact.
Still, she glared at him—annoyed at how he always avoided the important questions.
“There’s no need to glare. I’m merely a demon who keeps promises—and a servant of that one.”
“Ugh…”
Sighing, Roziana decided to focus on the contract for now.
“Fine. If a demon breaks a deal, they vanish. Same for witches like me.”
“Glad you remember.”
Now that she had released him, it was her turn—to go back in time and save her sisters.
“So… you’re saying you can send me back in time on the day your power peaks?”
“Yes. On the day when darkness is strongest.”
“The darkest night… the new moon?”
The black cat silently nodded.
Roziana stepped out of the bathroom and looked out at the dark sky.
“Luckily, we won’t have to wait long.”
The golden moon, now nearly devoured by shadow—
It was a thin crescent, about to vanish.
At the same time…
“A high alert is to be issued across the Imperial Palace. His Majesty has commanded full defensive preparations—an immensely powerful enemy may soon arrive.”
Southern, commander of the Gold Guardians and wielder of lightning, passed down the Emperor’s order to all knight commanders.
Sleepless nights awaited the palace.
Emperor Leodian, having delivered the command, now sat with Cedric in his study late into the night.
He had ended the lavish banquet early and excused himself because of one particular letter.
A message sent from the Magic Tower as soon as the grown princess returned.
Mulling over its contents, Leodian gave Cedric an order.
“Summon Duke Tenebres tomorrow morning. I shall bestow upon him the position of the princess’s personal knight.”
“I thought Your Majesty planned to decline the duke’s request.”
“I did, originally, but…”
Leodian furrowed his brows.
