PDHTFV 37

~Chapter 37~

I jumped up in surprise at the deep voice echoing through the room.

I thought I was alone here, but there was a man with a wild look, leaning crookedly against the bookshelf and staring down at me.

He probably looked like a delinquent because his blond hair was so long it almost reached his waist, and his eyes were gold.

He was wearing a priest’s robe, but it was messy, and he didn’t act holy at all. His attitude was rough and careless.

But honestly, his hair looked even better taken care of than mine.

“You should be quiet in the library.”

While I was scanning this rude-looking guy, he spoke again, almost like a threat.

I looked around, wondering if there was anyone else here.

Of course, there was no one. I had picked a spot where no one would come.

“…Me?”

“Is there anyone here except you and me?”

When I pointed at myself and asked, the man acted annoyed, as if I was asking something obvious.

Aren’t we meeting for the first time? Why is he so rude and talking down to me?

And I hadn’t made any loud noise. All I did was sigh softly because I was frustrated.

Actually, his voice was much louder than mine. I was still speaking quietly, but he just talked in his normal, loud voice.

He was the one who should be quiet, not me.

“…Sorry if I was noisy.”

But I gave in. I didn’t know who he was, so it was better not to argue.

Besides, I was inside the central temple, not Luche. If I made trouble here, it would reflect badly on Aydin. I couldn’t let that happen.

Even though I didn’t mean the apology, the man seemed pleased and relaxed a little.

Then he came closer and asked,

“What’s your name?”

Even from a distance, I could tell he was tall, but as he came near, he seemed even taller. The pressure from him made me hide my book behind my back and get up slowly on stiff legs.

“What group are you from?”

This man didn’t even wait for an answer before asking another question.

Nervous, I answered,

“Luche group. I’m Letitia.”

“Luche?”

His face showed that he wondered why a Luche member was here. He didn’t bother to hide his thoughts.

He didn’t seem to care about other people’s opinions. Maybe he was someone high-ranking, or just didn’t need to worry about it.

Still, why was he looking at me like I wasn’t supposed to be here?

I didn’t avoid his stare and just looked back with a stubborn face.

The man snorted.

“Abrelshud.”

I thought he was mocking me, so I waited for more, but then I realized it was probably his name.

“…Sorry?”

“That’s my name.”

Okay, so that’s your name. But… why tell me?

Maybe it was a polite thing—since I said my name, he told me his.

Didn’t expect that from a guy like this.

“Does it make you think of anything?”

…Was I supposed to know something when I heard his name?

It sounded familiar, but I didn’t know why, so I just frowned and looked at him. Abrelshud laughed dryly.

What was he expecting? Was he flirting or something?

I mean, it’s not like there are celebrities in this world—I can’t know you just by your name.

Unless you’re the emperor or the pope…

—“Abrelshud!”—

Suddenly, a sentence flashed through my mind like lightning.

It wasn’t something I heard—it was like I saw the words written out: “Abrelshud.”

“…Cardinal?”

I spoke without thinking.

Abrelshud raised his eyebrows, looking satisfied. I realized then—I had guessed who he was.

Cardinal Abrelshud.

I went over his identity again in my head.

Suddenly, I remembered shocking details about him.

‘…This man is going to die soon.’

And not just any time—he would die at the Day of Prayer event coming up.

It hit me so suddenly that I staggered, but I managed to grab the shelf and not fall.

Was it luck or fate? Just from hearing his name, my forgotten memories returned.

There would be a murder at the Day of Prayer—a cardinal would die, and it would be obvious it was murder.

The victim was Abrelshud. The criminal was…

‘…Yushen’s brother, Conrad. But Yushen would be framed because he met the cardinal last.’

Why had I forgotten this? It’s the part where Idelia clears Yushen’s name and ends up making a slave contract with Henry. It’s very important!

I felt like someone—probably Leana—had been blocking my memory on purpose.

Still, it was clear: Conrad set this up to trap his brother Yushen.

Ah, I’ll think about the distant future later. I have more urgent problems right now.

This time, I need to stop Yushen from falling into Conrad’s trap. I know the future will stay the same if I don’t interfere with the original story.

But… this one thing, I have to stop. I can’t watch Idelia become Henry’s slave again!

‘I won’t let Idelia make the decision she regrets most, ever again!’

I looked up at Abrelshud with my fists clenched.

“Your Excellency.”

“So you finally recognize me—”

“You’re strong, right?”

“…Huh?”

Abrelshud looked confused, not understanding my question.

“Your Excellency, you’re strong, right?”

“…What kind of strength are you talking about?”

“Physical strength, of course!”

He blinked at me, surprised by my question.

He had been acting tough all this time, but he couldn’t answer such an easy question right away.

When I pushed a bit more, he finally said,

“Uh… I guess I’m pretty strong?”

“That’s good, then.”

“What are you trying to check?”

He finally realized something was off and asked what my real goal was, but I didn’t answer.

I wasn’t here to save the cardinal—I just wanted to keep Yushen from being involved in his death.

It would be nice if nobody died, but I didn’t have the power or time to save everyone.

Besides, if Abrelshud was just a regular citizen, maybe I’d try to help. But—

‘There are plenty of people besides me to protect a cardinal. I don’t need to get involved.’

Also, he had too many enemies. I was powerless against so many.

“I just wanted to know who’s stronger—you or my captain.”

I smiled as I gave a vague answer.

Abrelshud narrowed his eyes. As expected, he didn’t believe me.

He was already suspicious, even over a simple question.

‘How did Conrad manage to kill someone this suspicious and sensitive?’

Plus, Abrelshud was known as a tyrant in the temple—he always objected at meetings and messed up even perfect plans.

So, lots of high priests hated him, not just the nobles.

But I knew why he did it. The original novel said Conrad’s reason for killing him was that Abrelshud hated the royal family—really, he didn’t want the temple to be corrupted by royal politics.

Even though he looked like a delinquent, he was actually very moral. He made himself hated to stop the temple from rotting.

The only reason he still had his position was because he was so strong—physically and politically.

That’s why Conrad used his own brother as bait to get rid of Abrelshud.

‘Conrad always planned to get rid of Yushen too, so maybe he just took his chance early.’

In the original, Conrad met a bad end eventually, but before that, Yushen suffered a lot.

Even if Yushen gets through the Day of Prayer safely, Conrad will still try to hurt him later.

So after helping Yushen avoid danger, I have to get Idelia and Yushen together before something bigger happens.

I can’t give Henry any chance to interfere.