IWNRA C9

Chapter 9

Aevan sat lost in thought, staring blankly out the window.

‘So I’m leaving tomorrow.’

He could no longer afford to remain away from his duties. He had to return to the Imperial Palace.

It was a pity to leave this peaceful place behind, but it was time to return to his own battlefield.

“More than that…”

The fact that enemies were already active much closer than expected weighed on his mind even more than when he had first arrived here.

But what troubled Aevan the most was the unexpected existence of Beirin, whom he had met here by chance.

‘Yes. I already have everything memorized, so there’s no need to carry documents back and forth. I also won’t need to visit the Duke’s office often, so there’s no risk of being discovered. In truth, helping with the Duke’s work has been beneficial as well.’

For some reason, what she had said the previous night kept echoing in his mind.

On top of that, Haren—who was more rational and strict about work than anyone—had not spared his praise for her.

‘She understood that the jewel was fake and grasped the situation instantly. Just as Duke Haren said, she is no ordinary talent.’

And yet, Aevan still couldn’t be certain.

Whether the choice he was about to make was truly the right one.

After much hesitation, he left his room to find her—but strangely, she was nowhere to be seen.

Fortunately, he ran into one of her colleagues in the corridor.

“May I ask you something? Where is Beirin?”

“Beirin? I heard she finished her duties earlier, so she should be in the library.”

Since Beirin had been assisting Aevan all this time, En answered without suspicion.

“The library?”

“Yes. She often goes there to read after work.”

Aevan immediately headed toward the library En had mentioned.

When he arrived, the room was filled with books—but there was no sign of anyone.

Just as he wondered if she wasn’t there, he stopped after spotting someone.

Beirin was asleep, leaning against the wall beneath the window. She had even nodded off without noticing his presence.

Warm sunlight spilled over the book in her hands and her closed eyes.

Aevan quietly approached and carefully took the book that was about to slip from her grasp, then naturally sat down beside her.

He glanced at Beirin once before looking at the book she had been reading.

“How interesting.”

It was a thick, highly specialized volume, written in an ancient language long out of use.

Even Aevan, who had studied the ancient tongue, found parts of it unreadable.

As he examined it, Beirin let out a faint sleep murmur as if she were waking.

“…Mm.”

“Are you awake?”

Despite his words, Beirin only stared at him blankly, her eyes still heavy with sleep.

Just as he was about to say something, her voice came first.

“Are you in my dreams too often? You used to hate me so much.”

She mumbled something incoherent, then slowly closed her eyes again.

Before long, she leaned her head naturally onto Aevan’s shoulder and fell back asleep.

Aevan was briefly startled, but he did not wake her.

Perhaps because her voice in sleep had sounded far too fragile.

Just as Haren had said, there still seemed to be many hidden stories about her.

‘More importantly… who was she talking to?’

One thing was certain—those words were not meant for him.

After watching her for a moment, Aevan turned his attention back to the book and began reading.

After some time, Beirin’s eyes slowly opened.

“…Mm…”

Unaware of her situation, she lifted her head from where she had been leaning. She blinked a few times, then suddenly heard a voice beside her.

“It looks less like you come here to read and more like you come here to sleep.”

Startled, she turned her head—and met a pair of crimson eyes staring directly at her.

So shocked, she couldn’t even react.

Then the voice came again, pulling her back to awareness.

“Is it really that surprising?”

“W-Why are you here, Your Highness…?”

“I came because I was told you were here. Then I found you asleep—and leaning on my shoulder, no less.”

Realizing she had made a serious mistake in her sleep, Beirin shut her eyes tightly and hurriedly apologized.

“I’m sorry. I had no idea. You could have woken me immediately.”

“You seemed too deeply asleep. Besides, it’s my first time having someone use my shoulder as a pillow.”

“Are you here just to tease me?”

Hearing the faint amusement in his voice, Beirin frowned slightly, suspecting he was deliberately trying to fluster her.

Perhaps because of what had happened yesterday, despite his status as the Crown Prince, she found it easier to speak to him now than before.

“I wasn’t particularly bored. I was reading this book. Though I am curious—why are you reading something like this?”

From what Aevan had skimmed, the contents were not merely difficult—they were the kind of material most people would never touch in their lifetime.

So he asked.

“Do you already have all of this memorized?”

“Yes. But I still need more time until I fully understand it. Memorizing something without meaning is different from truly understanding it.”

At first, it had taken her a long time to comprehend such material, but as she encountered more knowledge, the time gradually shortened.

Since Aevan already knew her secret, Beirin answered honestly without hiding anything.

Still, she was curious why he showed no particular reaction.

“Your Highness… do you really believe everything I said yesterday?”

“There’s no other choice but to believe it in this situation.”

“Normally, people would think it sounds absurd. You’re actually the first person who’s ever seen me as I am.”

Aevan asked without much thought.

“Didn’t your family already know?”

“My family…”

At the mention of her family, Beirin fell silent.

Memories of their gazes toward her surfaced briefly in her mind.

It was ironic.

Her mind was filled with memories she could not escape—no matter how much she tried to forget, they remained, as if permanently etched into her.

“I didn’t tell them. As long as you don’t say anything, they won’t know.”

“I see.”

Once again, silence settled between them.

Beirin looked toward the setting sun before finally speaking again.

“…Did you come here to find me?”

“Yes.”

“Do you have another task for me?”

She assumed there would be no other reason for him to seek her out.

But Aevan had already made his decision.

Something far more unexpected than anything she could anticipate.

“Would you come with me?”

“…Pardon?”

For a moment, Beirin thought she had misheard. She raised her voice in disbelief.

“I need your help, given my current situation.”

“Wait, just—wait a moment. I don’t think I understand.”

Unlike her confusion, Aevan’s gaze did not waver.

Beirin, however, needed time to process it.

The Crown Prince of the Empire had just asked her to come with him.

That meant the Imperial Palace.

And the Imperial Palace was located in the Empire’s capital.

The moment she reached that conclusion, Beirin abruptly stood up so quickly that he didn’t even have time to stop her.

“I’m sorry, but I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”

“Wait—listen to me.”

“I… I will absolutely not go there.”

Leaving only a brief farewell, Beirin turned and left the library.

Left alone, Aevan was taken aback by her strong reaction. He had expected surprise—but not this.

‘She wasn’t just startled… she was afraid.’

Meanwhile, in the corridor outside, Beirin stopped and tried to steady her rapidly beating heart.

‘I will never go back.’

She placed a hand over her left eye—an eye that no longer felt pain—and repeated the same vow over and over.

That evening marked Haren and Aevan’s final dinner together as the day came to an end.

“So, you will be returning to the Imperial Palace tomorrow.”

“Yes. I cannot remain away for long.”

“I will prepare a carriage for your return to the capital.”

“It’s fine. I left the carriage I came with in another territory nearby.”

“I apologize that I could not be of more help.”

Haren felt nothing but regret. Although Aevan had come a long way, he had not been able to give him what he was looking for.

“Don’t think like that. Now that I think about it, I simply wanted to see your face after a long time.”

Aevan said this and continued eating before speaking again.

“Actually… I asked Beirin earlier if she would come with me.”

“Beirin?”

Haren was visibly shocked by the unexpected revelation.