Chapter : 29
Sirinu listened to me and looked up at me as he spoke in a low voice.
“Are you sure about this?”
“Yes.”
I nodded firmly. I had only copied down exactly what was written, and I’d checked it several times just in case I’d made a mistake.
It can’t be wrong. It has to be… right?
Suddenly feeling anxious, I flipped through the book again for no real reason. Sirinu lowered his gaze, examining the paper I had handed him.
When I opened the page titled ‘Items Helpful for Sealing’, the contents I had transcribed were clearly written there.
“I’ve already heard about salt and red beans… but what’s with the peach tree branch?”
“It’s… a branch from a tree that grows peaches.”
“…I know that. I’m asking why it’s needed.”
Well, explaining that would take a while…
As Sirinu’s gaze moved down to the next lines, his expression grew even more puzzled.
“And what’s this?”
‘Do not sleep with your head facing north.’
‘The number four is unlucky.’
‘Do not write names in red.’
‘Lovers should not give shoes as gifts.’
I let out a small sigh.
Why on earth did the author include settings like this?
I didn’t really understand it, but… considering the fact that I’d ended up inside this world in the first place, it wasn’t like logic mattered much anymore.
While I was wondering how I should explain it, Sirinu pointed at a part of the paper with his long fingers and looked at me.
“What does this mean?”
‘Lovers should not give shoes as gifts.’
My eyes widened. I didn’t expect him to be interested in something like that.
“It means that if you give new shoes as a gift, your lover might run away from you.”
“……”
“Since shoes are something you wear when you move around, you know…”
“……”
“It’s not that it actually happens, but…”
Sirinu’s expression didn’t look pleased. With that crooked look still on his face, he lowered his gaze and continued reading.
“A good time to seal the Demon King.”
“It only said it’s the day when the moon appears the largest.”
“That’s easy enough to understand. You can see the moon every day.”
Feeling relieved by his reaction, I closed the book and tucked it under my arm. The bracelet on my wrist made a faint clinking sound as it brushed against the book.
“Huh?”
I glanced down at my arm and saw one of the beads on the bracelet glimmer. When I made a sound, Sirinu lifted his eyes from the paper.
“What is it?”
“Ah, well…”
As I stood there blankly, unsure how to explain that the bracelet had glowed, the light disappeared.
If I bring it up for no reason, won’t that just create more trouble?
Pretend not to know what I know, and pretend not to know what I don’t know. Repeating the golden rule of wise workplace survival to myself, I shook my head.
“It’s nothing.”
“…You really are strange, my lady.”
“Me?”
When I tilted my head, Sirinu placed the paper down on the desk and lazily leaned back in his chair.
Even just leaning back, he looked like a scene straight out of a pictorial spread. The angle of his slightly raised chin didn’t feel arrogant so much as innately dominant.
I stared at his face absentmindedly. Sunlight streamed in through the window behind the desk, backlighting him.
With a small snort of laughter, Sirinu rested a finger against his chin and said,
“Yes. You. Having strange abilities, sneaking into a room where a man is alone… walking into a training ground where the knights are all stripped down…”
“Wait!”
I cut him off, my face burning. Was he serious right now, or was he teasing me?
If he was serious, I had to clear up the misunderstanding somehow. If he was teasing me…
I carefully examined his expression. The corner of his mouth was faintly raised.
So he caught something to tease me with. I bit my lip.
I couldn’t just keep taking it forever. Lifting my chin on purpose, I spoke shamelessly.
“Weren’t you the one who wanted me to look?”
“What?”
“Well, think about it. You knew I was coming, yet you were sleeping in your room anyway—that was you, Your Grace. And you just happened to be training dressed like that during my walking hour—that was you too.”
“……”
“Doesn’t it seem like you did it on purpose… twice, even?”
“……”
“It’s not like you were trying to show off your body or anything… though it was nice…”
I stopped mid-sentence when I saw Sirinu’s face. The expression that was usually cold or only faintly amused was now… clearly flustered.
“What… are you even saying, my lady?”
Even in the dim backlight, I could clearly see the tips of his ears burning red.
“…Well, you were the one who started it…”
I’d expected him to fire back smoothly, but his completely different reaction left me flustered too.
“I didn’t… do it on purpose.”
“…I see.”
“My body is… nice?”
“Huh?”
“What exactly is ‘nice’?”
As I rolled my eyes briefly, I felt my thoughts getting tangled.
So they don’t use that expression here…
He had clearly taken it to mean that I liked his body.
When my eyes met his purple gaze staring straight at me, I quickly lowered my head. My mind spun at the fastest speed of my life as I searched for an excuse, and I finally managed to speak.
“Th-that reminds me! I heard there’s a prophet family hidden in the mountains!”
“…Is there?”
When I abruptly changed the subject, Sirinu raised an eyebrow slightly, then straightened up from the chair.
“It said that if you go there, you can obtain a paper imbued with magic that helps with sealing.”
At my words, Sirinu quickly composed himself and fell into thought.
“I’ve heard of them.”
Tapping the desk lightly with his fingers, he continued,
“They won’t be easy to find.”
“Why not?”
In response to my question, Sirinu stopped tapping and spoke in a low voice. His voice was so pleasant that I thought it would be amazing if he recorded ASMR or read books aloud.
He’d probably get a gold button immediately…
As I happily enjoyed his voice, Sirinu frowned and stopped speaking.
“Are you listening?”
“Um… could you tell me one more time?”
“……”
Of course I’d heard him—but good things are worth replaying.
According to Sirinu’s sweet explanation, the prophet family strongly avoided revealing themselves to the world. They frequently changed their place of residence, making them difficult to track down.
Their prophecies were nearly perfect, and whenever something important happened in the Empire, they would suddenly appear, leave a prophecy, and disappear again.
Everyone wanted to meet them and hear a prophecy, but without an introduction from someone they knew, it was impossible to find them. And because prophecy was a sacred act, they charged a great deal of money.
What is this, just a classic fortune-teller…
But “nearly perfect”? That was irresistible. Swallowing hard, I spoke.
“Are they really that accurate?”
Sirinu tilted his head.
“Accurate? What does that mean?”
No, not that kind of dragon.
“I mean… do their prophecies really come true?”
“The prophecy that the Demon King would appear also came from a member of that family who happened to be in the capital. And you…”
Just as I was listening intently, Sirinu abruptly stopped speaking. What? What about me?
“Me?”
“No. It’s nothing.”
“……”
“What is it? If I’m curious about something, I can’t sleep.”
“I was going to ask if you want to meet the prophet family.”
Obviously. I even check my daily fortune every day.
When I nodded, Sirinu rubbed his chin with his long fingers.
“To find someone who knows them, we’ll probably have to ask around…”
Trailing off, Sirinu stared at me as if gauging my reaction.
“Why?”
“……”
It was obvious he had something he wanted to say. Why did he keep stopping like this? I placed my hands on my hips and frowned.
“Why!”
Looking up at my expression, Sirinu spoke casually, as if it were nothing.
“If we find out, shall we go together? Just the two of us.”
“…Go in person?”
“Yes. There’s no benefit in bringing many people. And don’t tell the Crown Prince or Count Arcas.”
Honestly, I was a little disappointed. I thought nobles could just summon prophets to their mansions.
Having to search for people when you don’t even know where they live… As someone from a world where you can even get fortunes over the phone, the words “just the two of us” didn’t even register.
As I hesitated, Sirinu stood up from his chair and approached me.
They say demons appear in their most beautiful forms to tempt humans.
A great demon. A great demon is walking toward me…
“How about we say that the old texts haven’t been fully deciphered yet until we find the location?”
“……”
“And it might not be bad to send Count Wedon back and stay a bit longer.”
To be honest, I’d never even considered staying longer.
Is there some kind of hypnotic effect to purple?
Was I the one who’d been happily counting the days until I could dive back onto my bed before entering the study?
Staring at the purple eyes now right in front of me, I nodded as if enchanted.
If a face has this much narrative plausibility, what can you do…
Satisfied with my response, Sirinu lifted the corner of his mouth slightly.
“I’ll speak to Count Wedon.”
He opened the study door and gestured for me to go ahead. Just as I was about to step out, a butler walked down the hallway and bowed respectfully.
“Your Grace, a guest has arrived.”
“I didn’t invite anyone. Who is it?”
“…It is His Highness the Crown Prince.”
