“Walter!”
Walter halted mid-step in the courtyard at the sound of someone calling his name. He looked up to see someone running toward him from afar.
The young lady…?
He narrowed his eyes. Even from a distance, there was no mistaking it—Selenea.
“We meet again, my lady.”
Tucking the documents he was holding under his arm, he bowed politely.
“What brings you here?”
“Oh, I was wandering around the mansion and started feeling a bit stuffy…”
Walter nodded, glancing at Selenea with curiosity.
She was catching her breath while looking around at the flowers and trees in the garden.
She’s never been one to enjoy a walk…
Then Selenea spoke.
“It’s nothing big. I just had a question for you.”
“Yes, please ask.”
“When’s my next lesson?”
“Your lesson?”
Walter tilted his head. He thought for a moment, then his eyes lit up. “Ah,” he said, looking at Selenea.
“Are you referring to the priest’s upcoming visit?”
Selenea hesitated for a second, then her eyes sparkled.
“Yes!”
“I was actually about to inform you. Priest Meyer has scheduled his visit for three days from now.”
“Three days?”
“Yes. Do you have other plans that day?”
“Oh, no. I was just curious.”
Walter nodded. As he looked at her, he added, “You’ve always seemed to get along well with Priest Meyer.”
“…Have I?”
She mumbled and furrowed her brow slightly. Walter found her expression curious.
But she didn’t say anything else.
Instead, she simply said, “Anyway, got it. See you later!” and quickly turned to hurry off the way she came.
Walter tilted his head again.
For some reason, she seemed to be in a surprisingly good mood.
This is the same lady who used to throw a fit if a schedule was delayed even slightly…
He stared blankly after her as she disappeared.
Whenever he visited to relay the duke’s messages or lesson schedules, she would glare at him like he was an insect.
“Get out of my room now! I told you I’m not coming to the dinner table!”
Throwing things was a daily occurrence.
“Didn’t you hear me say keep it short and leave?! Get out right now!”
Her fierce eyes and angry shouting still lingered in his memory. But now…
What kind of wind had blown to make her change so suddenly?
She’d even calmly joined them for dinner earlier today—for the first time in two years.
And just earlier…
She had not only waved goodbye but smiled brightly and said “see you again.”
Walter frowned slightly as he gazed at the now-empty garden.
…Was it really such a simple wound to heal so quickly?
It had been a day of torrential rain pouring from the sky.
Inside a dark room, Selenea had collapsed in front of an open window, screaming.
Her white nightgown was soaked with rain, and blood—whose blood, it wasn’t clear—began to slowly spread.
The curtains whipped violently in the wind, thunder crashed through the air like a war drum, and lightning flashed.
Her tear-streaked face flickered with every burst of light.
That was already eight years ago.
“So, these here are dresses. Over here are the loungewear sets the tailor just finished, and these are for outings…”
Sitting on the bed, I watched Anna go through a colorful collection of clothing.
I knew it! Just how many outfits are there?
I could barely stay seated from excitement.
“These are the hats, gloves, and shoes—oh my!”
Anna paused, suddenly looking at me.
“Speaking of shoes—miss, how’s the blister on your heel? Is it healing?”
Stopping her fashion show, she hurried over to examine my foot. Embarrassed, I pulled my leg back.
“Huh? It’s fine. Nothing to worry about.”
“But the blister looked worse than I thought. Maybe we should call a doctor—”
“Oh, come on. It’s just a blister. If we have that kind of money to waste, buy yourself something tasty instead.”
Anna stopped mid-sentence and stared at me.
“My lady…”
Her green eyes shimmered with emotion. Flustered by her watery gaze, I mumbled,
“I mean, it’ll heal quickly anyway…”
Anna slowly nodded as if she understood. Then, with a proud smile, she said,
“You’ve changed lately, my lady. You know that?”
“M-me?”
“Yes! You’ve become… kinder somehow. You don’t get angry as much. Just today, you even agreed to dine with the master—it meant so much.”
I recalled the frosty expression on the Duke of Tigris’s face during the meal and nodded.
Well, after two years, it’s no surprise Anna would react that way.
“Yeah… You must’ve had a hard time because of me, Anna. I’m sorry.”
“Oh no! Not at all. I’m just grateful that you’re finally opening your heart to us!”
Opening my heart?
Anna dabbed her eyes with her sleeve and smiled. I tilted my head, then inwardly nodded.
Yeah, someone like me who used to cause trouble all the time suddenly acting so calm—it must be confusing.
As I looked at Anna, something popped into my mind, and I stood up from the bed.
“Right. I think I need to visit the study.”
“The study? You mean the library?”
“Hmm? Oh—yes! The library! There’s a book I wanted to read.”
“Oh, then let me come with you. I need to swing by the laundry room anyway. It’s probably time to bring out the winter clothes.”
I nodded quickly.
Besides that strange conversation I overheard in the hallway, there was something else I needed to look into ASAP.
…Thank goodness this house is big enough to have a proper library.
Oh. My. God.
I stared wide-eyed at the massive bookshelves, each easily three meters high.
There were so many lined up in a row, I couldn’t even see where they ended.
This place is enormous.
The Tigris estate’s library was even bigger than I imagined.
Then again, the whole mansion was grand, so it wasn’t that shocking—but I couldn’t help feeling excited.
“I’ll bring you a snack in a bit, then. You’ll be here until then, right?”
Nodding absentmindedly, I barely registered Anna saying “See you soon” before she left.
I approached the nearest bookshelf.
As I scanned the spines, my eyes landed on one.
<History of the Ervia Empire>
The bold title caught my eye.
I had never seen these letters before, but somehow, I could understand them as if they were in a language I already knew.
As expected. I can read the language of this world.
I had worried that I’d need to learn a whole new language, but that eased my mind.
With a sigh of relief, I pulled a book off the shelf—one with a brown leather cover.
<All About Manifestation Abilities>
I ran my fingers over the title written in gold ink.
This should do.
Why had I—someone without any powers—collapsed after drinking the “Tear of God”? And what was that nasty pain I felt then?
First, I needed to figure that out.
…Manifestation is the awakening of divine powers within humans.
Historically, it began with the “Primordial Humans” and was passed down through royal bloodlines.
Manifested powers vary widely, from the often-used offensive “elemental” types to mental abilities like “mind control” or “taming.”
Ancient records mention powers that could summon rain or stir the wind, manipulating nature itself.
Manifestation typically occurs between the ages of 10 and 15…
I slammed the book shut.
Stretching my stiff neck, my joints cracked from the strain.
This is ridiculous. It’s just full of useless information.
I tossed the book into a growing pile beside me and blinked my tired eyes.
I’d gone through several books already, but not a single one mentioned the “Tear of God” or its side effects.
“Seriously? Why isn’t it here?”
I clearly remembered it from the novel. Selenea had obtained the Tear of God somehow and used it to bring about Eriya’s death.
She wasn’t a genius, so she probably didn’t make it herself—most likely, someone helped her.
But how is it that not a single book in this massive library mentions such a dangerous substance?
I rubbed my sore eyes and sighed deeply. A strange thought crept into my mind.
It’s like no one even knows this drug exists.
And then I froze.
…Wait. That’s it.
I clapped my hands and jumped to my feet.
“They don’t know it exists!”
If none of the authors in all these books knew about the Tear of God, there was only one conclusion.
It was a substance that hadn’t been discovered in this world yet. But even that didn’t fully explain everything.
Then where did Selenea get it from?
Anna had clearly referred to the Tear of God as “the medicine you gave me, my lady.”
So Selenea must’ve obtained it from somewhere and passed it on to Anna.
“Who gave it to her?”
Something felt wrong.
The strange conversation I overheard in the hallway flashed through my mind again.
There’s something not mentioned in the novel.
And it was directly connected to Selenea.
I swallowed hard. Now that I thought about it, there were too many strange things.
Even if she was a villainess, Selenea was only seventeen.
Would she really plan to kill someone just because she didn’t like them? And by poisoning them?
I took a deep breath and shook my head.
“No way. Acting out and committing murder are two totally different things.”
I rubbed my palms together and muttered, “There’s something going on here…”
“What are you doing in here?”
A sudden voice made me jump—and I tripped on my skirt and fell flat on my back.
