Chapter 45
On the day she received her second salary, Shanelika bid farewell to the Kaizel Knights’ headquarters. Just as Eleusis had suggested, she moved her office to the Royal Library.
There were five people working in the Royal Library—two women and three men. Though smaller than the official state library, it was far larger than the private office she had used at the Knights’ building.
Workspaces had been set up throughout the library. Shanelika was the only translator there. In some ways, she missed the privacy of her former office, but she found herself quite fond of working in the spacious library filled with the scent of old books.
On top of that, the people she worked with were all pleasant. They each had different tasks, but they often gathered for tea and conversation, so time seemed to pass quickly.
“Shanel.”
At the sound of that familiar voice, everyone in the library turned toward her. Shanelika sighed, setting down her pen and rising from her desk. She had been in the middle of translating a book Eleusis had personally requested.
She walked toward the entrance, where she immediately spotted long silver hair tied neatly back. Outside the doorway stood Stern, smiling brightly.
“You come out as soon as I call now, huh?”
“What choice do I have? I don’t have the power not to.”
Stern chuckled, irritatingly amused. Even after she had moved offices, he still came to visit her whenever he could. Though not as often as before—since the Royal Library was quite a distance from the Knights’ building, and he himself was extremely busy—he still managed to show up at least twice a week.
The first time he appeared had been only two days after her transfer. That day, Shanelika had flatly told him never to come again.
Yet the very next day, there he was. When she refused to come out, Stern had barged right into the library and shouted at the top of his lungs:
“Shanel! Should I tell everyone about our first meeting?”
The library guards were powerless against the Commander of the Knights.
At first, Shanelika tried to ignore him. But Stern refused to back down, his booming voice echoing throughout the library and disturbing everyone. In the end, she had no choice but to agree to lunch with him—if only to keep him quiet.
She had considered reporting this to King Eleusis, but only considered it. Even if she exposed Stern’s past lie about his guarantor, he would surely just find another creative excuse to bother her again.
“Today, Cain brought freshly baked bread. Looked delicious….”
As they left the palace grounds, Shanelika muttered irritably. Stern smirked.
“Wow, Shanel. You don’t even try to hide how much you dislike me.”
“But the bread really did look good.”
“Then why didn’t you ask them to save you some?”
“They’re always short on food. Big eaters, all of them.”
“I’ll buy you bread even better than that. Let’s go to a famous bakery today.”
Already seated in the carriage, Shanelika let out a sigh.
“Do you really think that if you keep dragging me out like this, I’ll eventually fall for you? Honestly?”
She still couldn’t understand him. He already had a fiancée. He claimed to like Derwin. So why chase her this persistently?
What baffled her even more was Stern’s constant composure.
“Why not? People’s hearts change easily. Even if you never fall for me, at least you might grant me one proper date, don’t you think?”
He was always suggesting they go somewhere together. Sometimes she wondered if he wanted her, or just the thrill of a date.
For a fleeting moment she thought—maybe if she went with him once, he would stop coming around. But she quickly dismissed the idea. The way he was acting lately, one date would only give him more reason to pester her, not less.
“Be honest, Commander. You find this amusing, don’t you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Teasing me like this, just to see my reaction.”
Her voice was laced with annoyance. Stern burst out laughing.
“Haha! You really are an entertaining character, Shanel.”
Not a toy, she grumbled inwardly.
“I heard your type isn’t even someone like me.”
“Yeah? And?”
“You like the complete opposite.”
“Exactly. That’s why I’m drawn to you—you’re different.”
She had tried to throw him off, but of course it didn’t work. She realized she had never once seen him flustered. No matter the attack, he always brushed it aside with ease, as if everything was “all right.”
So she kept her mouth shut. Talking further would only frustrate her.
“But Shanel, aren’t you more bothered about the princess? Derwin is still always by her side.”
The question hit a sore spot. Of course she was bothered.
Lydia had withdrawn from society for a time, but recently she had returned to her usual life. Derwin resumed his role as her escort knight, just as before.
Derwin had told Shanelika that he had confessed their relationship to Lydia and was ready to accept losing his chance at becoming vice-commander. But Lydia had made her stance clear: she would keep him as her escort and never allow him to join the Knights.
Derwin had even told Shanelika that if being near Lydia made her uncomfortable, he would quit immediately.
But Shanelika couldn’t ask that of him. Even after she ascended as the Sacred Dragon, Derwin would need to keep his life, his role, his “play” in the human world. She couldn’t take that away for her own sake.
What if Lord Regains his memories later, and blames me for ruining everything…?
She had already crossed the line far enough by announcing their engagement.
Besides, Derwin wasn’t the type to sit idle. Shanelika herself still translated books for money—partly because she had grown addicted to working after centuries of boredom in her lair. Derwin, who had always been busy, would hardly thrive in idleness.
So his being with Lydia was inevitable.
“It doesn’t bother me.”
She lied smoothly.
“That answer was awfully slow,” Stern said knowingly.
“Have you even seen the princess since? You used to be friends. Must be awkward now, after hiding your relationship.”
“That’s none of your business.”
“True enough. But what about me? Isn’t it awkward with me? You lied too, remember? Said you couldn’t enter the palace because you had no acquaintances.”
He always had a way of poking at her conscience.
And yet, despite his pushiness, Shanelika didn’t truly dislike Stern. She hated what he had done in the past to Derwin, yes—but that had been before she was involved. With her, Stern had never been cruel. From their first meeting, he had readily helped her in difficult times, and within the unfamiliar Knights’ order, he had always looked out for her like an older brother.
“…Which is why I’m here, eating lunch with you now,” she muttered.
If only he didn’t openly claim to like her, she wouldn’t be so prickly.
Soon, they arrived outside the palace at a large bakery she had never visited before.
“They say the cream bread here is the best.”
True enough—her eyes widened at the sheer variety of breads. She couldn’t help smiling, tempted to try every kind.
“Is it that good?” Stern asked warmly, watching her nibble happily on several kinds at once. Her smile faltered—she had let her expression slip.
“Don’t force your face back into a frown. It hurts my feelings,” he teased.
Feelings, my foot.
“Still, you’re pretty no matter what face you make.”
“…”
“But I bet you smile even more for Derwin. Lucky bastard.”
“…”
“But really—I want to know. What does he have that I don’t? There’s nothing he can do better than me.”
She just wanted to enjoy the bread, but he wouldn’t stop.
“People don’t fall in love because of who’s ‘better’ or ‘worse,’” she finally said, chewing.
“Is there ever really a reason to love someone?”
“No reason, huh? Ha!” Stern chuckled, sipping his coffee.
“What’s so funny?”
“There’s nothing funny about that,” she protested.
“Just the way you said it. Everything you say makes me laugh, Shanel.”
What nonsense. She ignored him and focused on the last of her butter cream bread.
“So, where did you first meet Derwin?” he pressed.
“Why do you care?”
“Because I’m curious. Where did you two meet?”
He set down his empty cup, smiling.
“You said you got engaged overseas. But from what I know of Derwin’s past, I can’t see how he would have had the time. I know his history well.”
“Anyone listening would think you were glued to him day and night,” she shot back.
“The truth is, your engagement story is a lie. Isn’t it? I know.”
Ridiculous.
When she and Derwin had fabricated their story, she had checked carefully—there had been a blank stretch in his past when he had kept entirely to himself. They had chosen that gap to place their “engagement.”
“You look like you know it’s true. Who’s mistaken here, I wonder?”
His sly smile was starting to grate on her nerves.
“I was curious anyway—did he ever tell you about his past?”
“Generally.”
“He told you everything? Where he was born, where he grew up, how he lived? I doubt it.”
He pounced on her vague answer.
Of course she had never heard those details. How could she? He was the Dragon Lord, endlessly repeating cycles of play in the human world. A past like that shouldn’t exist. But—
Wait… when did he lose his memories?
The question froze her thoughts. She had never wondered about Derwin’s past. She had simply accepted that he had forgotten. But hadn’t he been living among humans for nearly two hundred years? Humans didn’t live that long. He must have taken measures—changing his appearance, his identity.
But to do that, he would have had to know he was a dragon. He would have had to use magic.
So he must have been living as “Derwin” when, at some point, his memories disappeared. But how could a dragon lose his memories?
Her doubts branched out endlessly.
“As I thought, he’s never told you,” Stern said, watching her face.
Snapping back to herself, Shanelika answered quickly.
“I just never asked. I’ll ask him today.”
“Good. Ask him. And then tell me what he says. I’m curious too.”
The words lingered, unsettling. With a sour taste in her mouth, Shanelika finished the last of her cream bread.
