Chapter 41
The day felt endlessly long.
At the palace, Shanelica’s routine was no different than usual. Stern stopped by during lunch, and in the afternoon she went to speak with Eleusis. Since her engagement to Derwin hadn’t been officially announced yet, there was nothing particularly new.
Did you have a good talk with Lydia?
Are you thinking of me?
Do you miss me too?
On the surface, everything seemed the same, but in truth, her thoughts revolved around Derwin all day.
When she left work early, it was only to wait for him. Her heart fluttered with the hope that perhaps they could have dinner together tonight.
Tick, tock, tick, tock.
Shanelica stared endlessly at the clock. Each movement of the second hand felt like the sluggish drag of the hour hand. How could time pass this slowly?
When will you come?
She focused so intently on the clock that her vision blurred, and she felt as though she were being sucked into the sweep of the second hand itself.
And still, there was no message saying he’d be late.
Suddenly, she remembered overhearing Lydia mention earlier that afternoon that Derwin had an external engagement.
Hmm, maybe it’s running long?
Shanelica understood. After all, the role of a knight was always dictated by the schedule of the one they guarded. For a princess especially, external engagements required heightened attention and care.
But reason didn’t ease her heart. The anticipation she’d carried all day was slowly shrinking. She had wanted so badly for him to come back early.
This won’t do!
She had to do something. To make time pass more quickly, she needed to focus on something else. With that thought, Shanelica headed toward the mansion’s library.
The Cartel mansion’s library was where Shanelica had spent much of her time when she had first come to the human world. It was nowhere near the scale of the royal library, which was a building unto itself, but still, it was more than ten times larger than her own chambers and spanned two floors.
Even if I read only the books here for a whole year, I’d never finish them all.
She marveled once again at the library’s size, wandering slowly between the shelves. Back then, she had absorbed much knowledge of the human world here—but only from the books on the first floor. That alone had been overwhelming in number.
Maybe today I’ll borrow some from the second floor?
The thought of choosing books from a new section felt refreshing. She stepped lightly onto the staircase tucked away in a corner and ascended to the second-floor balcony.
Just then—
“What the hell, talk about bad luck.”
Someone was already there. A tall young man with deep navy hair—Pherdin. He looked at Shanelica as though she were something unpleasant stuck to his shoe.
“How have you been?”
While Pherdin radiated pure disgust, Shanelica felt oddly glad to see him. He would at least be a distraction from thinking only of Derwin. A living, breathing person was better than the stillness of books, and if that person responded so strongly to her presence, all the better.
“When did we ever get friendly enough for greetings?”
“Wow, you must read a lot.”
Ignoring his jab, she let her eyes drift to the books piled in his arms—five volumes of moderate thickness, neither too heavy nor too light.
“What are you reading? Is it interesting? Will you recommend some to me?”
She leaned closer, craning her neck to peek.
Huh? What’s that?
On the cover of the outermost book was a title in Lartian, which instantly translated in her vision.
Tracing the Footprints of Dragons?
Her curiosity stirred—not because it was about dragons, but because he was holding such a book.
“Are you interested in dragons?”
Pherdin openly loathed her. She’d never wronged him, yet he seemed to despise her very existence. Still, if he was interested in dragons, perhaps they could ease their hostile dynamic—even if not friends, maybe at least less uncomfortable.
“Not your business.”
Oh? But he didn’t deny it.
Shanelica’s lips curved. From what she’d seen of his temper, if the answer were “no,” he would’ve barked it outright.
“I’m really interested in dragons too!”
“So what?”
“Are all those books about dragons? Are you planning to read them all?”
“Mind your own business.”
He scowled and gestured at the stack. Following his motion, Shanelica glanced at the shelves. A few spaces were empty, clearly where he had taken books. Sure enough, their spines bore titles like:
Did Dragons Really Exist?
Turns Out My Husband Was a Dragon
Only Those Who’ve Eaten Dragon Meat Know the Truth
“…”
The outrageous titles made her blink. She knew humans regarded dragons as mysterious, fascinating beings, but she hadn’t expected such… imaginative nonsense.
“Looks like this section is all about dragons.”
Scanning further, she saw not just dragons but elves, dwarves, and other races. Clearly, this was where books on nonhuman species were gathered.
Her fingers itched to pick one out—especially Turns Out My Husband Was a Dragon. She absolutely had to read that one.
No, later. First, I should work on this guy.
“Move aside, will you?”
“Why are you interested in dragons?” she countered.
“What’s it to you?”
“If you are, I could share some things I know.”
She smiled confidently. Pherdin only scoffed.
“Do you really want to get close to me that badly?”
His words hit home, making her flinch. Still, since he’d already caught on, she didn’t bother to hide it.
“Maybe so. I do want to get along. Even if you’re not the duke’s real brother, you’re still his brother.”
“Why bother making up stuff? Did my brother tell you to cozy up to me?”
“I’m not making it up. I really do know a lot about dragons! Way more than you.”
“You? More than me? Don’t make me laugh. You can’t even pretend you’ve read half these books.”
He sneered. Shanelica barely held back a laugh.
As if reading those ridiculous scraps makes you an expert. I am a dragon, boy.
If she could, she’d reveal her true form just to flatten his arrogance—but as a hatchling, that was impossible. And even if she weren’t, transforming here in the human world was absolutely forbidden.
“How long do you think dragons live?” she asked lightly.
“How should I know? I’ve never seen one.”
“Oh? The books don’t say?”
“When no one even knows if they exist, what kind of nonsense is that?”
“Then why read those books?”
“Because I’m bored. I want to see what kind of fantasy idiots spin about dragons.”
Well… that would be amusing.
“Dragons really do exist,” she whispered as if sharing a great secret.
He stepped back, frowning. “Don’t try to scam me. Isn’t it enough you mess with my brother? Now you’re pulling tricks on me?”
“I’m serious. My grandmother told me she saw one.”
“Hah. And you’re not embarrassed using your grandmother for such tall tales?”
“She’d be happy, actually. She loved dragon stories.”
The lie grew with every word.
My very being here is a lie anyway. What’s one more, if it helps?
“She wanted to tell her granddaughter stories as vividly as possible, I guess.”
“She even told me she visited a dragon’s lair.”
Of course, that was completely false.
“Are you an idiot? Humans can’t get into dragon lairs.”
“She said the dragon took her there.”
“Moron. Dragons eat humans. Do you have a brain at all?”
“Why would dragons eat humans? Don’t be ridiculous.”
The truth slipped out before she realized it. In dragon society, eating humans was taboo—an iron law to preserve their playful freedom. Without it, dragon feasts on human flesh would’ve been commonplace.
“They’re carnivores. Like lions—if they’re hungry, of course they’d eat humans.”
“Dragons aren’t lions! They’re intelligent. They’re a higher lifeform than humans.”
“And how would you know? Have you ever seen one?”
His voice rose. Shanelica, amused by the argument itself rather than its content, laughed softly.
“Here’s a fun fact—sometimes dragons disguise themselves as humans and wander the world. If they can transform, that means they’re intelligent, and they use magic too.”
“Ha.”
“Look at that book—Turns Out My Husband Was a Dragon. That means she didn’t even know he was a dragon until later. He must’ve been human enough to marry her.”
“I already knew you were insane, but I didn’t realize you were on par with whatever fool wrote that title.”
“I’m telling you the truth.”
“What’s next, that you are a dragon?”
Good guess. I already told your brother that.
Smirking, she leaned closer.
“If I were a dragon, you’d better watch out. I’d take revenge for all the rude things you’ve said to me.”
“Sure, whatever. Keep living in your happy delusions.”
“Anyway, since I heard plenty from my grandmother, if you get stuck while reading, ask me. I’ll tell you what I know.”
Her gaze flicked to one of his books.
“At the very least, I know more than that Dragon Encyclopedia you’re carrying.”
Sharing knowledge—real knowledge—always felt delightful. Shanelica’s bright smile seemed unbearable to Pherdin, who turned on his heel and hurried away.
Maybe getting closer won’t be so hard after all.
That night, Shanelica stayed up until dawn in the library, devouring every dragon-related book she could find.
Because Derwin never returned home.
