Chapter 8
Haren honestly told Aivan everything he had felt while watching Beirin until now.
“When she said those things to me for the first time, it must have taken an incredible amount of courage. That is why I chose to believe her. In fact, it may sound embarrassing to admit, but ever since that day, I have received a great deal of help from Beirin. Her abilities are in no way inferior to those of any official in the Imperial Palace. Of course, she has kept all of it a secret.”
He had told him everything he could.
Now, the choice was entirely Aivan’s.
Whether he would believe what Haren had told him, or dismiss it as nothing more than an absurd story.
“I believe this is as far as I can go. I do not think I have the right to say anything beyond this.”
“That means there is still more left to the story.”
As Aivan said, after that, he had shared many conversations with Beirin. Even her past—things she had never been able to tell anyone else.
Seeing that he would not be able to get an answer from Haren, Aivan stood up from his seat.
“I have listened carefully to what the Duke had to say. But I will make my own judgment.”
Without being able to make a definite decision, Aivan left the Duke’s office.
Left alone, Haren let out a worried sigh.
All he could do was hope that the two people he cared about would not end up hurt.
After leaving Haren’s office, Beirin, unable to calm her worried heart, went outside and sat on a bench in one corner of the garden, staring blankly at the night sky.
She did not know how the conversation between Aivan and Haren had ended, but she only hoped that Haren would not suffer because of her.
At the same time, she could not help but regret what she had done.
“After everything that happened to you, you still stepped forward again. Are you crazy, Beirin?”
As Beirin lowered her head in regret and lightly kicked the ground for no reason, she felt someone sit down beside her in the empty seat.
Startled, she turned her head.
Aivan was looking at her.
So surprised that she immediately tried to stand up, but Aivan stopped her.
“It’s fine. Sit down. I have something to say.”
At his words, she sat down, keeping even more distance from him than before, unable to even look in his direction.
Seeing that, Aivan spoke first.
“I heard about you from the Duke. More precisely, I heard about what happened after you came to the Duke’s castle. As for anything beyond that, the Duke kept silent.”
Beirin understood that it was consideration for her.
So instead, she asked him.
“Your Highness, after hearing that story, what decision did you make?”
“I decided that I would hear it directly from you before making a final decision. I heard that you memorized the enormous amount of information written in those documents in a very short period of time.”
Beirin thought that the moment she had been expecting had finally arrived.
In order to prove her innocence to him, Haren would have had no choice but to explain what happened that day.
Since Aivan still had doubts, Beirin knew she had to convince him.
“Yes. Everything is true.”
Even from that short answer, Aivan could sense how tense she was.
For her, it was something she could not easily reveal to anyone.
“How is that possible?”
“If I see something once, I can remember all of it. It is as if the contents become engraved in my mind in an instant.”
Beirin could not fully explain the sensation with words.
To her, it was as natural as breathing.
“The reason you realized the jewel was fake.”
“I had read a book related to it before. By comparing the characteristics of the jewel with the real one in my mind, I was able to tell it was fake. Of course, if I had seen an actual real jewel, the judgment would have been more accurate.”
“So you truly remember everything you see?”
Aivan’s words were not completely wrong, but it was slightly different from that.
“Making the memories completely my own is something only I can do. If they remain as nothing more than memories, then they are just meaningless information.”
If remembering was all she could do, then it was nothing more than letters written on a page.
But when she turned those memories into information, and connected that information with other knowledge, they became a weapon unlike anything else for Beirin.
Especially information about places she frequently visited was much easier to recall, allowing her to answer her companions’ questions about finding objects immediately.
If he had only heard it from someone else, Aivan would never have believed it.
But now, he had no choice but to acknowledge it.
“When did you gain such an ability? Though I am not even sure if I should call it an ability.”
“Do you believe me?”
“In this situation, believing you is the only option I have.”
Aivan’s expression looked less like acceptance and more like surrender.
Even so, Beirin was simply happy that he believed her.
“Thank you. Truly.”
Aivan found her reaction strange.
Why was she so happy just because someone believed her?
“So, the answer is…”
“Ah, it has been like this since I was very young, from when I first had memories. Back then, I thought everyone was like me. But I was wrong.”
“I heard you have also been helping the Duke with his work.”
“Yes. Since everything is already in my head, there is no need to carry documents back and forth. I also do not have to visit the Duke’s office often, so there is no chance of being discovered. Actually, I liked helping the Duke.”
Aivan became curious about what her final words meant.
Most of Haren’s work involved managing the territory, which seemed like something that would only make her thoughts more complicated.
So what exactly did she like about it?
Beirin seemed to notice what he was thinking just from his expression.
“There were times when I thought the ability I had was useless. But after seeing with my own eyes that it could actually help someone, that thought changed a little.”
“It is a blessing that anyone would envy.”
Aivan said it as if it were obvious.
Anyone would think the same.
It was truly a talent everyone would desire.
Even he thought so.
But Beirin’s expression slightly hardened.
She repeated the word “blessing” several times under her breath before speaking quietly.
“If Your Highness had possessed it, perhaps it would have been a blessing. But for me, it was only a curse.”
A curse?
Aivan did not understand the true meaning behind her words.
Not yet.
“Why do you think that?”
“Hmm… At first, I thought the same way as Your Highness. When I read books, I could remember them clearly even after several nights passed. Learning new things was something that brought me so much joy.”
Beirin remembered her childhood, when she knew nothing.
But that happiness ended there.
Because she learned that being different from others could become poison.
Something that could take everything away from her.
“At that time, I was just a child who knew nothing.”
“Then you are saying something changed compared to back then?”
“Yes. Many things changed. Me, and everything surrounding me.”
Beirin stopped speaking there.
Only then did she realize she had revealed too much of her true feelings to him and closed her mouth.
This was the first time.
The first time she had shown this side of herself to someone who was not Haren.
At some point, she had become someone who built walls around herself and kept distance from others.
No. It is only because I was too shaken by what happened earlier.
Knowing it was rude, Beirin stood up before anything else.
“Then I will believe that all misunderstandings have been cleared up. I will take my leave.”
With a small bow, Beirin left the place.
Aivan did not stop her.
Instead, he turned his gaze back to the night sky that Beirin had been looking at earlier.
His mind was just as complicated.
Beirin’s matter had been resolved somehow.
But there was still something he needed to deal with.
“So they have already begun moving that close to me…”
It was a night when Aivan’s worries about what lay ahead only grew deeper.
The morning began as usual, making yesterday’s events feel distant.
Beirin started her routine like always.
Fortunately, she did not run into Aivan.
Since he showed no reaction, it seemed he intended to let things end there.
From Beirin’s perspective, that was a relief.
She did not want him to keep asking questions, nor did she want to be looked at with curiosity.
“I’m done with this for today.”
“You’re going to the library again? Come outside and have fun with us instead.”
“I’m fine. You guys go and enjoy yourselves.”
Beirin did not say anything, but En was certain she would go there.
“By the way, about the Duke’s mysterious guest.”
“Why?”
“I accidentally overheard the conversation between him and the butler. Apparently, he is leaving tomorrow.”
“I see.”
Beirin waited nervously to hear what En would say next.
Fortunately, it was nothing she needed to worry about.
If anything, it was good news.
Deep down, she had been hoping he would leave soon.
After parting ways with En, Beirin immediately headed toward the library.
The familiar scent of books the moment she entered made her feel at ease.
Since childhood, Beirin had especially loved reading.
Because during those moments, she could forget every unnecessary thought.
She took the book she had not finished last time and sat beneath her usual window seat, resting her back against the wall.
The Duke’s castle library already contained many books she had read before, and Haren had also brought in new books for her because he knew how much she loved them.
She was always grateful for his consideration.
As she opened the page she had marked and prepared to read, she suddenly remembered what En had said.
That Aivan would return to the capital tomorrow.
Of course. He cannot leave the Imperial Palace empty for too long.
“And it seems there are reasons he cannot stay away either.”
The Aivan who had sharply suspected the Empress was completely different from the person she had seen until now.
There seemed to be a special reason why he had reacted so sensitively.
Without a doubt, His Highness and the Empress…
As her thoughts about Aivan grew deeper, Beirin shook her head and erased the unnecessary thoughts.
If she dug any deeper, she would only end up hurting herself.
Worse, she might end up stepping back into the past she had barely escaped from.
I promised I would never get involved with those people again.
Before her curiosity could grow any further, she focused her attention on the book in her hands.
