Chapter 11
The next day, Sienna went to the library while holding her aching stomach.
She lay face-down on the table and recalled what had happened the night before.
She had collapsed forward after just three glasses of wine.
“I can’t believe I’m this bad with alcohol. An alcohol trash…”
Because of that, her hangover was terrible.
Her stomach burned, her head hurt, and her face was pale.
Anna had prepared medicine that was supposed to help with hangovers, but it didn’t work at all.
“Sienna.”
But the moment their eyes met, she forgot about the hangover—if only for a second.
Pain was easily forgotten when replaced by a bigger shock.
How could he look that handsome in the morning, without even a bit of swelling?
Dandelion was shining brightly in the morning sunlight.
“Are you okay?”
Dandelion asked with concern when he saw her face.
“I think I’m feeling better.”
“…Pardon?”
A question mark practically appeared above his head.
Sienna quickly changed the subject.
“Ah! Did you finish that book? Was it helpful?”
The one titled Fifty Ways to Avoid Stepping on Your Partner’s Feet While Dancing.
“Not yet…”
“Do you really not need my help?”
“I think I can manage on my own… probably.”
His voice trailed off.
There was no confidence left in his tone.
Even so, he focused back on his book.
Sienna also opened hers.
Today, she was supposed to read The History of the Khan Empire, Volume 2.
The Khan Empire was one of the places on Sienna’s list of possible escape destinations.
But today, she couldn’t concentrate at all.
So she decided to read something more interesting and walked over to the bookshelf.
As she casually scanned the books, her eyes kept drifting toward Dandelion.
No matter her will, her gaze followed him.
Pretending to browse, Sienna secretly glanced at him while he was deeply focused on reading.
A man concentrating on something was sexy.
‘Ah—!’
Suddenly, he lifted his head, and their eyes met.
Startled, she covered her mouth with one hand.
Dandelion’s eyes widened slightly, and he pointed at himself.
“No, it’s not that.”
She blurted it out without thinking.
“I wasn’t looking at you. Absolutely not. No, I wasn’t.”
Feeling embarrassed for no reason, she grabbed a random book and quickly sat down.
‘How embarrassing…’
She buried her face in the book, missing the slight smile that curved his lips.
‘The Spirit and Me?’
After calming down and looking at the cover, she was surprised.
Spirits?
They were beings long forgotten in Stern.
‘I heard there were spirit users until the previous king’s generation…’
But no one had ever actually seen one—only rumors existed.
She wasn’t interested in spirits, but since she had already picked it up, she opened the book.
It was written in the form of the author’s diary, and the preface contained words that felt like a warning.
“Humans have been abandoned by the spirits.
The spirits no longer love humans.
Those who can hear the voices of spirits are steadily disappearing.
And in the end…”
“Completely disappear?”
Sienna closed the book.
This was not something she needed right now.
She returned the book to the shelf, but when she came back—
Dandelion was gone.
“Dan?”
She called out, but no answer came back.
