Chapter 4
“Excuse me.”
A handsome man with a gentle appearance entered the room. What stood out most was the monocle hanging from a long silver chain.
Since he was speaking politely, he probably wasn’t the lord. Still, just in case, I stood up.
Without making a single sound, he walked up to me, slightly lifted his monocle, and looked me over.
His face looked kind, but his gaze was cold.
“You are Miss Aileen, correct?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Nice to meet you. I am Noah Roheim, aide to the lord.”
So he wasn’t the lord after all.
“I’ve heard that the hunters’ village survived this monsoon thanks to you. Is that true?”
So that was why I’d been summoned.
“The villagers worked very hard. I only suggested a possible method.”
“You’re quite humble. That’s very good.”
What exactly was “very good” about that?
“In a moment, the lord will enter. This is your first time meeting him, correct?”
“Yes. It is.”
“Then I will explain the proper etiquette and precautions. If you offend the lord and lose your head, it will become troublesome for me. So please listen carefully.”
…Did he just say I might lose my head?
Startled, I looked at him. Noah Roheim smiled, his eyes curving like crescents.
I couldn’t tell whether what he’d said was a joke or serious. Cold sweat ran down my back.
“First, when you see the lord, bow deeply enough that your head nearly touches the ground.”
Since my life depended on it, I memorized every word he said.
From how to greet him, how to answer questions, and even how to handle eye contact—it wasn’t difficult, but there was more to it than I expected.
And I absolutely couldn’t make a mistake, so I kept repeating the instructions in my head.
“Do you have any questions?”
“Please tell me the lord’s full name.”
His eyebrow lifted slightly.
“You were born and raised in Belheim, yet you don’t know the lord’s name?”
Actually, I wasn’t born here. I’d only been living here for two months.
I swallowed those words and gave an awkward smile.
“I just want to make sure I remember it correctly. I can’t afford to make a mistake.”
Thankfully, my excuse worked.
“His Grace Grand Duke Calix Kraubel.”
A Grand Duke—just below the imperial family in status.
“Forgetting the lord’s name is the greatest disrespect. Remember it well.”
“Yes. I will.”
Calix Kraubel.
I repeated the name several times so I wouldn’t forget it.
But the more I repeated it, the more it felt familiar.
Where had I heard it before? A novel? A movie?
As I was thinking, the door suddenly swung open without a knock.
“You’ve arrived, my lord.”
Noah Roheim bowed, so I quickly bent deeply at the waist as well.
Since I bowed immediately, I didn’t see who entered.
“You may raise your head.”
A low voice echoed above me.
I had been staring at the soft carpet beneath my feet. Slowly, I lifted my head.
The first thing I saw was a pair of polished black leather shoes, shiny enough to reflect my face.
Smooth trousers without a single wrinkle. A vest accented with silver buttons. The collar was buttoned tightly to the neck.
A jawline sharp as a blade.
And when my eyes met his grayish-blue eyes—
My breath stopped.
‘He’s terrifying.’
It felt like my chest tightened and my shoulders were being crushed under invisible pressure.
Even though it was midsummer, the air in the reception room felt freezing.
‘Run. Right now.’
Just as my instincts screamed at me to step back—
A sentence from a novel struck my mind like lightning.
“He was so handsome that people called him a masterpiece crafted by the gods. Yet more than his looks, it was his overwhelming presence that made others shrink in fear.”
Another line followed.
“People feared Calix Kraubel and avoided approaching him. All except Annabella Liseren, who walked toward him without hesitation.”
Until now, I hadn’t known which novel I’d transmigrated into.
Now I realize.
It was a typical romance fantasy titled The Light That Devoured the Imperial Palace.
The story was about the female lead, Annabella Liseren, who went out to subdue monsters and fell in love with the male lead, Crown Prince Cedric von Lucebel.
Calix Kraubel was the second male lead.
He loved Annabella hopelessly, became consumed by dark magic, and turned into the final boss.
He even committed the atrocity of turning his own citizens into monsters to fight Cedric when Cedric came to rescue the kidnapped Annabella.
Which meant—
If I stayed here long enough, I could end up as a monster too.
‘Absolutely not. I have to avoid that at all costs.’
Forget the quests. Survival came first.
In novels, people usually use their knowledge of the future to change fate.
I had no intention of doing that.
Why risk my life when I could simply leave the final boss’s territory?
“It is my first time meeting you. My name is Aileen. It is an honor to meet Your Grace, Grand Duke Calix Kraubel.”
Even while panicking internally, I greeted him properly, just as Noah had taught me.
It was pure survival instinct.
Calix Kraubel gave a brief nod and sat in the seat of honor.
After Noah whispered something to him, the lord looked at me with interest.
No wonder he was the final boss. His presence was overwhelming.
I had dealt with rough construction workers before without flinching, but just meeting his gaze made my heart tremble.
“Explain how you managed to survive the monsoon.”
I didn’t like the idea of sharing my techniques for free.
But defying the lord was dangerous.
And he wasn’t just any lord—he was the final boss of the original story.
If I offended him, I might lose my head.
“It may be easier to explain if I draw it. May I borrow paper and a pen?”
At my request, Noah quickly handed them to me.
“If you make the roof slanted, rainwater won’t pool—it will flow down…”
Wanting to leave this place as soon as possible, I began explaining immediately.
“…Then we created drainage paths along the land’s natural slope so the rainwater would flow out of the village.”
As soon as I finished and put down the pen, Calix took the paper.
He stared at it so seriously that I started wondering if I had done something wrong.
Noah did the same.
“Is… is there a problem?”
When I asked anxiously, Noah smiled gently.
“There’s no problem at all. I’m simply curious. Have you ever studied architecture or design?”
Studied it?
I’d studied it to death.
I followed my carpenter father to construction sites since childhood. I handled saws and hammers in middle school. I majored in architectural engineering. I even worked in urban planning.
But that was when I was Han Seon-ah.
“No.” I haven’t.”
Since Aileen had never studied such things, I denied it.
“Then how did you come up with this?”
“I was thinking about how to solve the problem of rainwater pooling… and this idea came to me. Is there something wrong?”
I asked with an innocent expression, pretending I didn’t know anything.
Calix alternated his gaze between me and the drawing, then quietly gave Noah instructions that I couldn’t hear.
“Yes. I will prepare it.”
Wait—what?
Don’t leave me alone with this terrifying boss!
I wanted to follow Noah out immediately, but I didn’t have the courage.
“Can this triangular roof be installed on every building in Belheim?”
After Noah left, Calix asked, holding up the drawing.
“The shape of each building is different, so adjustments would be necessary. But for most buildings, it should be possible.”
One of his eyebrows lifted slightly.
“And the drainage paths?”
“We would need to examine the ground conditions first. If the drainage is too close to the houses, it could cause dampness, so it should be placed at a distance—”
Wait.
Was I answering too professionally?
“You claim you’ve never studied architecture, yet your knowledge is impressive.”
