Episode 17: The Villainess Makes a Deal with an Angel? (2)
“What? Nothing like this happened before I came here? Ha! That’s ridiculous!”
Standing alone in her bedroom, Belaxina had sent all the servants away and now stomped around in frustration.
It wasn’t just Natasha anymore—no one with a name ending in “-sha” could be trusted, whether it was Alicia or Patricia.
‘Someone from that group must’ve spilled what happened,’ she thought.
Belaxina had learned to suspect those closest to her. It hadn’t always been that way, but after being betrayed by her close friend Irisril, who stole her fiancé, she’d changed. That same betrayal was what made her so sensitive to theft, too.
“People who take what isn’t theirs should just die.”
She muttered bitterly and bit her finger out of habit, then quickly stopped herself. Biting her finger when upset was a bad habit she hadn’t shaken.
‘Maybe I overreacted…’
Thinking it over, it seemed unlikely that Natasha was actually the thief. It didn’t make sense that a thief would bring back the empty coin pouch so openly. Plus, there had been an expensive-looking book next to it—why would someone steal just a little money and leave the valuable item?
“Right, the book.”
Belaxina recalled the strange book that kept coming to mind.
‘Maybe it’s connected to all this… Maybe it’s cursed, or someone wants me to think it is.’
Still, none of that mattered to her. Belaxina didn’t believe in curses, magic, or any kind of superstition.
She suspected it was a setup, maybe someone trying to scare her into leaving Yeshken. As she reached for the book Natasha had given her—
“Hm.”
Something felt off.
She couldn’t explain it exactly, but the book looked… different. Like it had changed since she last saw it.
“Did it always have these fancy decorations?”
She ran her fingers over the gold vine-shaped metal edges wrapping the corners of the book, trying to recall what it looked like yesterday. Then, she opened it and saw—
“24 GOLD”
—neatly written on the first page.
“…A warning?”
24 gold.
Exactly the same amount that had gone missing yesterday. That couldn’t be a coincidence.
“Even Ingrid, the head maid, didn’t know I’d be sleeping in the West Tower last night…”
Whoever placed the book there had terrifying knowledge and access. If they wanted to, they could probably make her disappear without a trace.
‘Should I analyze the handwriting? No, what if I provoke them and speed up my death?’
Her mind spinning, Belaxina reached out and touched the words.
“…!”
She was forced to rethink everything she thought she knew about the world.
“So, you finally read me.”
The ink on the page shifted and changed into new words.
“Kyaa!”
She screamed and threw the book, which fell open on the floor. Backing away as far as she could, Belaxina clasped her hands tightly.
‘What is this? What is going on?’
She had no idea how to deal with a situation like this.
“I should call that man… No, wait.”
She almost called for Avalkin but stopped herself—what if he thought she was a witch?
People already whispered she’d made a pact with a demon to win back Emperor Rudiger’s favor from Irisril. That she’d performed some dark ritual…
‘No sane person would believe that… right?’
Still, she wasn’t fully confident. After all, she no longer trusted her own judgment about people.
‘If even he turns against me… then I’ll have nowhere left.’
Gulp.
Belaxina swallowed hard and steadied herself. She’d always been alone during the hardest times of her life—this was no different.
“I won’t be scared by something like this.”
Putting on a defiant face, she carefully approached the book again.
Rustle!
“Ahhh!”
The pages flipped on their own, and she jumped back, heart pounding.
‘It really is a magic book!’
She wanted to smack her past self for laughing at people who believed in magic.
But soon, Belaxina calmed herself. She couldn’t change the past, but she could deal with the present.
“He who sits on the throne of light in heaven…”
She began to recite a prayer like a protective spell as she moved closer to the book.
A new line had appeared:
“Why are you so scared, daughter of Mirinae?”
“…Mirinae’s daughter?”
What a ridiculous thing to say.
Belaxina was sure the book had the wrong person.
‘My mother’s name is Cecilia.’
The moment she thought that, the page turned again.
“Ah, right. It’s ‘Mirrline’ in your language.”
“Mirrline…?”
She knew that name.
Suddenly, images flashed through her mind: the family tomb, the hidden chamber, and the twin coffins—one of them marked with the name of their ancestor.
“The Star Maiden, Mirrline?!”
She gasped and grabbed the book, practically shaking it.
A burst of light exploded from the book, fading only after she winced and turned her head.
[Phew. Now we can finally talk properly.]
She heard a voice—and opened her eyes to see something unbelievable.
Perched on the spine of the book was a tiny child, no taller than a hand’s length. The child wore a leafy green pointed hat and matching pointy boots, cheeks puffed like a chipmunk full of acorns, with a mischievous grin.
“Eek!”
Belaxina screamed, flung the book away, and dove for the nightstand beside her bed.
Inside was a talisman that could sense magical beasts and demons—the one she got from the guard, Jan Barak.
“Oh Lord of the Throne of Light, shine your mercy…”
Shaking, she held up the talisman and recited a prayer. The green-hatted child shook his head.
[That won’t work. I’m not a demon.]
“You’re… not?”
[Yeah. See? No reaction.]
The tiny figure floated over and casually kicked the talisman off her lap.
[I’m a guide sent to help lost souls from other worlds adjust here. I handle romance fantasy cases. Mirinae used to call me ‘System,’ ‘Status Window,’ or just ‘Status.’ Not my real name, though.]
Romance fantasy? Reincarnation? System?
‘What is he even talking about?’
Belaxina couldn’t follow half of what the green kid was saying.
Still, she picked up on one important thing—this creature called Mirinae the “Star Maiden,” someone she already knew from her family history.
“So you’re saying the Star Maiden Mirinae was a witch who used a magical book and made a deal with a demon…”
[No! I’m not a demon, for the last time!]
He stomped his tiny feet in frustration.
[I’m a divine agent sent by the Creator! I’m basically a public servant!]
‘A divine agent…?’
Belaxina thought for a moment, then cautiously asked:
“So… you’re an angel?”
[What?!]
His mint-colored eyes went wide.
[An angel? Pfft! Hahaha!]
He burst into laughter, rolling around as he cackled.
“Is it yes or no?!” Belaxina demanded, blushing from embarrassment.
[Haha! Okay, sure. Call me an angel if you want. Close enough!]
‘Ugh. That’s insulting,’ the child thought.
But Belaxina was already starting to calm down. If he was an angel, then at least he wasn’t evil.
‘And the talisman didn’t react, either…’
She’d just listen for now—and if anything went wrong, she’d sprint to the chapel and throw holy water on him.
[What are you thinking?]
“Eep!”
She jumped, startled that he’d read her mind.
“Uh, I was just… thinking about that magic book… I mean, the book you came from.”
[Oh, you mean the Necronomicon?]
Necronomicon? That sounded terrifyingly demonic.
[It lets outsiders use powers from another world. Only people like Mirinae could use it. Since you’re her bloodline, you probably can too.]
“I see…”
The little creature skipped over and looked up at her with a sly grin.
[So, surprised to learn Mirinae was from another world?]
Belaxina stayed quiet, then shook her head.
“No, not really…”
[Huh? Really?]
He blinked in surprise.
“Well, her name literally means ‘Star Maiden,’ right? It makes sense she came from another star.”
Sure, she didn’t expect the myth to be true—but it kind of added up.
“But I think there’s a mistake. Mirinae wasn’t my mom. She was an ancestor, like 200 years ago.”
[What?!]
The little one fell over in shock.
[No way! That can’t be true!]
He was so upset that Belaxina had to explain 200 years of the empire’s history to him.
[So that’s what happened… No wonder you didn’t know anything about me.]
The green child sighed deeply, looking deflated.
‘Mirinae must have really wanted to blend in,’ he thought.
She never wanted her descendants to be treated like characters in a story. She must’ve kept his existence hidden on purpose.
‘But fate always finds a way.’
Looking at Belaxina—who looked so much like Mirinae with her black curls and sharp eyes—he felt that fate had brought them together.
[Alright. You’re not Mirinae’s daughter—but you’re still her descendant. What’s your name?]
“Belaxina Outbayan…”
She sighed, remembering she no longer held the title “de Odiverti.”
Luckily, the little one didn’t seem to care about that part.
[Did I write it right?]
He bounced across the blank page, and her name appeared where he stepped.
“No, you spelled it Belaxshuna. It’s Belaxina. Like this.”
She corrected it without much thought.
The green child grinned.
[Contract complete.]
