Chapter 4

Chapter 4

***

As soon as Helen opened her mouth, the man put the sword closer to her neck.

“You will only answer my questions.”

“My name is Edith Cordelia….”

“Is that your name?”

“Yes.”

The man who saw Helen behaving obediently put the sword away. However, he could have easily subdued her with one hand.

Carmun put the sword away, but he still stared at Helen with a suspicious look.

The gaze of the man was very burdensome.

‘No, it’s terrifying…..’

Helen was frightened by the huge size of the man. Her father was much smaller than this man, but when he hit her, it hurt a lot.

So if this man hit her, she might not be able to walk tomorrow.

“Why did you come here?”

“Ah…, I was looking for a book.”

“A book?”

The man frowned at Helen’s words.

“So you are from this country?”

“…Yes?”

“Answer me.”

Helen answered in a tearful voice to the man’s urging.

“No, I’m from a small country far away called Cordelia.”

“Why have you come?”

“Ah, I got married here.”

“Then why are you here, without your husband?”

“I haven’t seen my husband. He probably doesn’t even know I’m here. I’m just here to read a book. …. If you let me go…”

“Hey!”

The man said in a frightened tone.

Helen suddenly burst into tears.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

Her father told her that she shouldn’t cry in front of other people.

But she was so scared that she couldn’t help but cry.

“I’m sorry…”

The man stopped doubting Helen when he saw that she was constantly apologizing in tears.

He put the sword in the sheath and scratched his head in a panic.

“Don’t cry.”

The man’s words made Helen’s eyes widened. She looked up and the man spoke again.

“I thought you were here to kill me.”

“Ha….”

Helen blinked, forgetting that she was crying, because the man lightly wiped Helen’s tears with his thumb.

The hands of the man who swept under her eyes were rough, but his behavior was friendly.

Suddenly, Helen was embarrassed by the man who was acting like this and bumped into a bookcase as she stepped back.

The books poured down.

She squeezed her eyes shut in surprise. Instinctively, she wrapped herself with her hands.

However, even though she could hear the sound of the books dropping, it didn’t hurt one bit.

Besides, strangely enough, her body felt warm.

Huh…

When she gently opened her eyes, Helen hastily inhaled.

The man’s red eyes were visible in front of her.

Black hair and red eyes.

“Oh, does it hurt?”

The man covered Helen in his arms and got hit with books instead. And some of the books looked quite heavy.

“Oh, are you all right?”

Helen stammered in panic.

She was very worried about the man, precisely because he was injured because of her, and also because he might get angry and point his sword at her again.

“Why are you doing this? If you let me go, you would have been fine.”

The man frowned at Helen’s words.

“I’ve gone to a lot of trouble to help you.”

To him, Helen looked like a little chicken. Partly because of her blonde hair, but also because she sounded like one too.

If a chick was to get under that book, she would probably die.

He felt that way, and his body reacted voluntarily.

He had no problem with being hit by books.

“Never mind.”

Then the man quickly returned to his original position.

It seemed he had been sitting there since Helen walked in.

Only the place where the man sat had a chair sticking out at an angle.

She was happy seeing all the books that she didn’t notice the man was here all along.

The man’s dark hair must have played a role in the unexpected hiding.

‘I’m such an idiot…’

Helen blamed herself.

In the middle of it all, Helen saw the man bobbing his arms around and approached him carefully.

“Ah… Thank you for saving me.”

“You’re talking now? You’re a very quick one to say thank you.”

Sarcasm…?

The man sat back in his chair with a generous smile on his face.

She was grateful for his help, but he was the man with the sword on her neck earlier.

Suddenly, anger rose in her heart.

Concubines were next in line to the Empress, because they were treated as imperial ladies.

When she saw the man cheekily crossing his arms in front of her and acting all regal, she wondered why she was being treated like this.

“Don’t you have anything to say to me?”

Then the man slowly turns back around.

His steely eyes were a little wrinkled.

“What do you mean?”

“This is the emperor’s library, and it’s not a place where anyone can enter without permission.”

“This is the emperor’s library?”

“Aren’t you a knight?”

“I’m a knight?”

The conversation was spinning out of control.

The man tilted his head curiously.

“Do you know anything about me?”

“No.”

The man suddenly jumped up and approached Helen.

The sound of his trudging steps echoed through the spacious library.

‘Oh, no, he’s too fast…!’

Helen backed away quickly, but couldn’t take more than three steps before the man grabbed her.

“You can’t grab me without permission!”

“Oh, did you say you have a husband?”

The man answered casually. He still didn’t seem to be willing to let go.

Helen’s brow furrowed as her grabbed wrist throbbed with pain. She tried to twist her wrist to get out of his grasp, but the man held it with more force.

“Don’t even think about running away. I will not release you unless you answer my questions.”

“…Mmm, what are you talking about…?”

Helen stammered again.

Her face flushed with embarrassment, but the man didn’t care and stuck out his left arm.

It was an arm wrapped in hard muscles. And there were words written on it.

[Do not let others find you. Do not leave the library.]

“Who wrote this?”

“…Huh?”

‘How do I know that?’

Helen shook her head saying she didn’t know, but the man didn’t seem unwilling to let her go.

“Then I will ask you another question.”

“But first, please let go of my wrist. It hurts so much.”

“Ahh.”

The man let go of her wrist, looking as if he had forgotten about it.

Helen hastily covered her wrist with her sleeve, as the man’s hand had left a mark, exactly as it had been shaped.

“I’ve left a mark.”

“It’s okay.”

“I’m sorry. I think your husband would be upset if he saw it.”

“No, he’s not like that.”

“Do you trust your husband?”

‘Husband? How can I trust my husband if I don’t even know his face?’

“I never see him, so he can’t find out.”

“I see.”

The man chuckled in amusement.

He took Helen to the sofa.

“I’d like to talk to you.”

Talk? Did she deserve to sit on the couch and talk to him?

But if she didn’t comply, she would find herself grabbed by the wrist again.

Helen nodded quietly, too scared to do anything about it.

“You said you didn’t know who I was. Then do you know who wrote these words?”

“…I don’t know.”

“Then who is the person who brought you here?”

“How would I know? I’ve never been here before today.”

“Hmm.”

The man had been here for many years already. He always woke up at the same time and in the same place, but he knew nothing.

He even heard today through this woman that this was the emperor’s library.

“Who am I?”

“… You really are a strange person.”

“I agree.”

The man stroked his chin with a slightly darkened face.

The moonlight came in through the window and illuminated them both.

He was handsome, but he was strange.

The man’s dark hair shone, even though it was not bathed in light from the chandelier. His features were mesmerizing, with sharp eyes underneath, and a high nose and soft lips.

His skin was soft and moist, with many scars visible on his chest, due to the slightly open shirt.

And a little overall tanned skin, cold blade at the waist.

“You are a knight, aren’t you?”

It was a reasonable and appropriate deduction.

The man opened both eyes a little wider at Helen’s words.

“I see. So I’m a knight.”

He has read so many books over the years since he has been locked in this library.

He had seen some material on knights.

It was said that they were members of the noble families, who devoted their allegiance to the imperial family, participated in the wars, and were in charge of the imperial family and the security of the capital.

“That may be so…”

“Excuse me…”

“What’s wrong?”

“Can I leave now…?”

The man looked at Helen, who was sitting right in front of him.

He could barely make out her face in the moonlight and the small light she brought.

He wondered what scared her so much seeing her shaky body.

He felt sorry for her, but the words that came out of his mouth were firm.

“No.”

It was the first time he had seen a human being in years besides himself.

If he let her go, he didn’t know how many more years he would have to wait.

“I’m sorry, but you’ll have to stay with me a little longer.”

“…”

Helen’s shoulders shrunk. Even though It wasn’t a threat.

The bruises on her wrist were seen because of the thin fabric.

He thought it was a bit of a grip, but the woman’s wrist couldn’t handle it.

‘Was it made of clouds?’

“I’m sorry about your wrist. It won’t happen again. Besides, are you cold? Why are you shivering so much?”

It was because the man was suspicious, but Helen couldn’t say so.

When Helen didn’t speak, the man frowned in frustration and threw his jacket at Helen.

“Tell me if you’re cold. I know you’re here because of me, so I can help you, I’ll make fire using the books if you want.”

“Ah, burn the books?”

“Yes.”

“No, absolutely not!”

“Did you just yell?”

The man was a little surprised and taken aback. For the first time, the woman who had been sitting there as if she was dead screamed.

“Ah…, I’m sorry…But you can never burn books.”

“Why can’t I?”

The woman was cold. What’s the point of having books?

To him, the most important thing was the woman in front of him.

The woman looked quite frustrated.

“I thought you were really going to scream.”

“No, I’m not. I’m calm now.”

“Okay.”

The woman blushed a little, as if she was a little perplexed.

He rather liked the way she looked.

He thought their meeting wasn’t long, but a bright light was coming in from somewhere.

The sun will be up soon.

The woman felt it too.

“Do you have to go back?”

“Yes.”

“Then if you listen to me, I’ll let you go.”

“…Yes?”

“Come tomorrow. We will continue tomorrow night, and the night after that, and the night after that, and the night after that. That is, until my questions are answered.”

“…that’s not possible. If we get caught, it won’t end up being scolded.”

“Isn’t that right?”

“I’m sure you’re well aware of that.”

The red eyes of the knight gave Helen an illusion as if she had  seen them somewhere before.

‘I couldn’t have seen it.’

However, Helen was horrified at the sight of the man who looked very much like the appearance of the emperor she had heard so much about.

But the emperor did not have cousins who looked like him.

“You must know that no one is allowed to set foot in the Emperor’s library.”

“!”