CH 183

“They say she’s got a heck of a personality, but her beauty is out of this world.”

“Personality aside, she supposedly subdued a dragon. That’s reason enough for me to praise Her Majesty!”

“I hear she summoned the beast as a personal ride?”

“Who cares? Aluna is full of people again thanks to that dragon.”

That woman’s name was on everyone’s lips all over town. The people spoke in awe of how the empress used a dragon as her steed; even those who feared the emperor expressed curiosity towards the empress. When she recalled the people’s mindless chatter, Yuliana clenched her fists so hard her nails dug into her palms.

‘I’ll make her pay,’ Yuliana fumed. That woman was enjoying everything that she’d lost. Yuliana would kill her if it was the last thing she did, come what may and at any cost.

Thud. Just as Yuliana firmed her resolve, she heard something fall from the side of the bed. Had there been something on the bed? She glanced towards the floor and caught sight of an old, worn book lying on the ground. She was about to shrug it off, having no intention to read it, but suddenly found herself picking it up and flipping it open. The former princess’s eyes began to scan the page, and soon a trembling voice clipped from her mouth.

“What the… ‘The way to kill Cecile’?”

What in the world was this book, and where had it come from?

* * *

“Wow! One, two, three… thirty shelves?” Cecile exclaimed, as her head tilted back to take in the bookshelf. It scaled the entire wall and was filled to the brim with books. Was this a bookshelf or a warehouse?

Kneading her sore neck from leaning her head back so far, Cecile eyed the iron ladder at one end of the bookshelf. It was mounted on rails with wheels, and when she pushed it as a test, she was delighted to find it rolled easily even with her strength. Quickly deciding it was best to make use of what was available, she moved the ladder in front of the bookshelf and began climbing up excitedly. A library with a huge ladder like this was something she’d always dreamed of ever since she saw a picture of one in her childhood.

“Heave-ho. Let’s see… Dospier’s ‘Why Man Should Live,’ Hermann’s ‘Complex, Absolute, Great and Beautiful Scientific Knowledge,’ Juliet Moore’s ‘Theory of Domination’… No, these aren’t the kind of books I wanted…”

Sweat began to replace the excitement on her face—weren’t these books too difficult? Cecile searched to see if there were any of her favorite romance novels, but there wasn’t a trace of them among the thirty shelves, no matter how many times she went back and forth to look.

“The previous owners didn’t understand the charm of love,” she pouted. Would she have to fill the shelves with her own purchases? Cupping her chin with her hands, she perched on the ladder and looked at the bookshelf again.

‘Books…’ It’d been twice that a book had saved her life now. No, not just hers, but Estian’s too. What in the world could it be? Who could’ve written those books, and how did they appear where they did? Cecile had a serious talk regarding the mysterious books with Estian as well, and thankfully, he did not make light of her words.

“Could you tell me a little more about what you remember? If it’s difficult, you can tell me later,” Estian said. He listened carefully, which Cecile thought was more than enough. She’d been worried he’d dismiss her story as nonsense, but Estian hadn’t displayed the slightest hint of doubt.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Cecile reached out to grab any random book. Naturally, it was only filled with ordinary content. “The protagonist’s name isn’t even Cecile.” In those mysterious but helpful books, Cecile had always appeared as a character. Would it be better to find all the books that mentioned her name? Perhaps she could gain some new clues?