☀ Chapter 7 ☀
The place Ivan showed me was Marine Palace, located not far from the Ruby Palace, where he lived.
Originally, it was a residence granted only to the official Crown Princess.
It was far too luxurious for someone like me.
…But it was simply too good to refuse.
When I saw the winter herbs growing abundantly in one corner of the garden—
Research materials…
No.
Winter herbs.
—I decided to shamelessly accept it.
Well… it would be rude to refuse something he’s offering so generously.
The bedroom was perfect.
Sunlight poured in through the windows, and everything was decorated in an elegant white color scheme.
Ivan had also said he would personally choose trustworthy guards and maids for me.
Knock. Knock.
They should be here by now.
Just as I thought that, someone knocked on the door.
When I told them to come in, two people with striking appearances entered.
Both had bright red hair like the sun and dark eyes that looked almost black.
They resembled each other so much that anyone could immediately tell they were siblings.
“The children of the Villoze family greet the future Crown Princess.”
“It is an honor to serve the one who will become the Moon of the Empire.”
The two introduced themselves as Khan and Sis.
They were members of the famous Villoze family, a family that had served the Imperial Family for generations.
My eyes widened in surprise.
I thought Ivan would just assign me a few people from the Crown Prince’s Palace…
But these two…
They’re the guards Ivan assigned to Shana in the original story!
Khan, with his long red hair tied tightly behind him, had been assigned as my personal knight.
Sis, whose red hair was cut neatly into a short bob that reached her chin, would serve as my personal maid.
“Wow… I already feel so safe.”
“It’s nice to meet both of you.”
“I swear to protect your safety with everything I have.”
Khan placed his right hand over his chest and pledged his loyalty with flawless manners.
Having members of the Villoze family protect me is honestly a bit excessive…
…But they’re too reliable to refuse.
I knew very well why the Imperial Family trusted them so much.
They were simply too capable.
“Lady Rine!”
“I’ll serve you with all my heart!”
Sis also smiled gently and bowed.
Although she was officially a maid, the Villoze family specialized in swordsmanship.
Her skills with a sword were exceptional.
Well…
At least I probably wouldn’t be assassinated now.
Actually… that’s great.
“Thank you.”
“I’ll only be staying here for a short while, but I look forward to working with both of you.”
“For… a short while?”
Khan and Sis exchanged glances.
It was only for a brief moment…
But both of them looked confused.
Did no one tell them I’ll leave once the trust issue is settled?
I tilted my head.
Honestly…
Proving my trust wouldn’t be difficult.
Magic wasn’t called magic for nothing.
There were plenty of spells that punished people if they revealed secrets.
Once I learned the spell, I could cast it easily.
At most, it would take two weeks.
Maybe a month.
Either way, both of them immediately got to work.
“We’ll do our best while you’re staying here.”
Khan left to begin guarding the Palace.
Sis excused herself to prepare my bath.
Several other maids had also been assigned to me.
It looked like I wouldn’t be lacking anything during my stay.
Now it finally feels like I’ve really transmigrated into this novel…
I had lived completely separate from the original story for so many years.
Now I was suddenly surrounded by major characters.
It all felt strangely unreal.
Where exactly are we in the original story?
Since I’d be staying close to Ivan for a while…
I needed to remember how the story unfolded.
Knowing the future was one of the greatest advantages a transmigrator had.
“Sis.”
“Could you bring me today’s newspaper?”
“Yes, Lady Rine! Right away!”
After taking a bath, I looked through the newspaper Sis brought me.
As expected…
The front page was still dominated by news about the Butcher.
Who is the unprecedented “Butcher”?
Sixty-six victims in the past month… The Imperial Police once again fail to find any clues.
Headless corpses—how much longer will the people of the Empire live in fear?
The newspaper also reported that the Emperor’s conquest army had captured a key stronghold in the war against the Kingdom of Tarant, bringing the war to an end.
“Wow…”
I carefully reviewed all the important events happening in the Empire.
Then…
I finally realized something.
“I don’t remember anything…!”
Absolutely nothing.
I had hoped I might remember.
But no matter how much of a transmigrator I was…
It was impossible to remember every detail of a novel I’d only read once.
Even the author probably couldn’t do that.
Besides…
I’ve already lived in this world for over ten years.
How do all those other transmigrators remember everything so perfectly?
They always recognized every event immediately.
I thought transmigrators had some kind of special memory.
Turns out…
Not at all.
I couldn’t remember a thing.
Judging from the number of victims, this seemed to be the beginning of the story.
But that was all I could figure out.
Well…
It’s not like I don’t have any options.
There was still a way.
After all…
I was a magician.
If something seemed impossible…
Magic could make it possible.
I think I once read about a magical potion that restores forgotten memories…
I slowly stood up from the sofa.
If I wanted to live like a proper transmigrator…
I needed to recover my fading memories.
At least that much was possible.
“Sis.”
“I’m going to the Imperial Library.”
“Yes, Lady Rine!”
“I’ll guide you there.”
Before leaving, I searched inside my sleeve.
There it was.
The small ruby ring Ivan had given me.
He had said showing it to the librarian would grant me permission to enter.
After changing into a simpler outfit, I followed Sis to the library.
Since she didn’t have permission, only I was allowed inside.
“Wow…”
“It’s enormous.”
“As expected of the Imperial Library…”
It was such a wonderful place that I wanted to spend the entire day there.
Forbidden books…
Ancient magic texts…
Books from every imaginable genre…
Everything was perfectly organized.
“Mmm…”
While searching for books about memory magic…
I suddenly heard a quiet groan.
Huh?
I thought I was alone.
Who’s here?
The Emperor is still away after the war…
And Ivan is busy acting as the Emperor’s representative…
Curious, I followed the sound.
Then I spotted someone standing on a small silver ladder, stretching to reach a book.
Black hair.
Blue eyes as clear as water.
A tiny body that looked much smaller than his age.
…I know that child.
Ate Pell Erzet.
The unfortunate Imperial Prince who suffered from an unknown illness and died at a young age in the original story.
Shana tried to save him with her holy power…
But it was already too late.
Because of that…
People began doubting whether Shana truly deserved to be called a Saint.
Then the male lead appeared and saved her from that crisis.
Ate had been nothing more than a tragic character used to develop the romance between Shana and the male lead.
Even if my memories were blurry…
I still remembered him because he was the Empire’s only prince.
Is he trying to reach that book?
Should I help him?
The shelf was too high for me too.
So I simply used magic to float the book down into Ate’s arms.
But…
“What are you?”
Instead of thanking me…
The little boy glared at me with a displeased expression.
It wasn’t the look of someone who was merely shy.
It was obvious hostility.
“Haha…”
“I’m—”
“Why are you smiling like that?”
“It’s annoying.”
…I only smiled because you’re Ivan’s younger brother.
I wanted to make a good first impression…
That clearly didn’t work.
“Since you managed to get into this place, I guess you charmed Father or my brother.”
“Once you’re done, leave.”
“And don’t wander around sticking your nose into other people’s business.”
Ate impatiently waved his hand, telling me to get lost.
…Is he a demon too?
He talks exactly like a little demon.
Actually…
Maybe he really is one.
“That book is really interesting.”
Ignoring his complaints, I smiled and pointed at the book he was hugging.
Honestly…
I didn’t expect this to work.
But Ate’s blue eyes suddenly widened.
“You know this book?”
“Yes.”
“All of the chapters are fascinating.”
“But my favorite is Chapter Three.”
“The story about the curse on the ancient holy relic left the biggest impression on me.”
“You mean the part where Goddess Arnosil purified the corrupted holy relic?”
The moment I mentioned the contents of the book…
Ate immediately became excited.
Wait…
Did he actually read the whole thing?
Even adults struggled to read that difficult magic book.
“Yes.”
“I especially liked how it challenged the belief that a holy relic couldn’t contain demonic power.”
“Exactly!”
“Holy power and demonic power only become complete when they exist together.”
“But those stupid people at the temple don’t understand that—”
Ate suddenly covered his own mouth.
His ears turned bright red.
He looked completely shocked that he had become so excited while talking.
“You…”
“Who are you?”
Only now did he finally become curious about me.
Just as I was about to answer…
His brows suddenly knitted together.
“Wait.”
“Hold on.”
“Your face looks familiar.”
“I’ve definitely seen you somewhere before…”
He counted on his fingers for a moment.
Then his large blue eyes suddenly lit up.
“Ah! I remember!”
“You’re that heartless woman who shamelessly ignored the marriage proposal from our angelic Crown Prince!”
Maybe I should start fixing my public image soon…
