Chapter 04
“Wait a moment! I’ll be right back!”
Diana dashed back into the campus, leaving Jerome, who was startled and about to follow, behind.
The place she headed to was none other than the Elten Library.
Among the several libraries inside the royal university, the Elten Library was known as the largest in the capital.
Named after the beautiful Elten River that runs through the city, the library was open to any outsider who could verify their identity, and it was always crowded year-round.
Some people glanced at Diana as they recognized her. A few nobles who were acquainted with her quietly greeted her and passed by.
Diana, following her old habits, found a corner where she wouldn’t draw attention and took a seat.
She placed the thick history books she had brought on the table and began reading them one by one.
A little later, as she closed the last book, she came to a realization.
History hadn’t changed.
Why was it only the past related to Ian that had changed?
The long wars, the deaths of her parents, the seeds of division—none of it had changed.
“….”
She hesitated while trying to return the books to the shelves. Without realizing it, her hand had already picked up a book titled “Edgar Ahiel Erden.”
Flipping through a few pages, she saw her father’s portrait staring back at her coldly. It was much younger than the portrait in the dean’s office, which reminded her of her brother, Louis.
“…Father.”
The word “father” felt strange no matter how many times she said it aloud.
Her father had died 19 years ago, at the height of the Erden Civil War, during a sudden raid on the capital by the Ops tribe rebels.
Following the shooting incident, the royal government rushed into negotiations, and on the night they concluded the peace treaty, Diana’s mother exchanged her weakened body and spirit—already worn from a long illness—for Diana’s birth.
The night Diana was born was painted in chaotic shades by a pale moon, combining the joy of peace, the sorrow of loss, and the arrival of a new life.
To Diana, her parents existed like figures in a book, solemnly staring at her, while Louis, eight years her senior, had many memories with their father.
Louis, harboring a growing hatred for the Ops tribe along with his accumulating grief, had become a fervent supremacist like Lampton.
After the war, Queen Isabella, who had no children of her own, mourned Edgar’s death and adopted Diana and Louis as her own.
Louis had a relatively free childhood concerning succession. Diana, however, was born into royalty and raised as a princess from the very beginning.
Though they were fond of each other, there were aspects in which they understood each other the least.
“Ha…”
Diana let out a deep sigh and closed the book.
Her head throbbed as she tried to figure out what she should change first to prevent the foretold catastrophe.
She pressed her temples and looked up, intending to return the book to the shelf.
At that moment, her eyes met Ian’s through the empty gaps between the bookshelves.
The morning after the ball, the kingdom’s officials returned to their relentless schedules as if the event had never happened.
Ian had only managed to grab a brief rest in the morning.
He headed to the Elten Library to retrieve materials requested by Hofer.
Hofer, Ian’s superior, was an aide to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
He had a tedious way of testing Ian—requesting one document, only to say it’s the wrong one and demand another.
But Ian barely paid him any attention. He had more important matters to worry about than insignificant people like Hofer.
As Ian entered the library lobby, the noblewomen quietly chatting there immediately turned their attention to him.
However, he passed them by indifferently and called over a librarian.
“I’m from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I need to get a new pass to access the archives…”
But the librarian, upon seeing Ian, accidentally dropped a stack of books, making him unable to finish his sentence.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes, yes…”
As he accepted the books with a gentle smile, the librarian’s face flushed even more brightly than before.
“Here’s the pass… and also…”
The librarian seemed about to say something, but stopped short, intimidated by Ian’s expression.
But this was Ian’s usual demeanor. He wasn’t naturally kind or gentle with others.
Seeing the frightened librarian, he finally relaxed his expression. Smiling was not difficult for him.
Capturing people’s attention was easy.
He could set traps, enchant, and captivate—people were simultaneously afraid of him and drawn to him.
“….”
Yet, his smile quickly faded as Diana came to mind.
Her cold gaze that silently said “don’t come any closer,” the voice that drew a clear boundary between them…
Since their encounter the previous day, thoughts of her invaded his mind, making him unaware of how his expressions unconsciously changed.
After a while, he had found the materials he was looking for, but he continued wandering the library.
He knew that if he wanted to meet the princess, he should go through the palace, but wandering inside the palace unnecessarily would arouse suspicion.
Any hint of suspicion could jeopardize not only his Ministry access but even his graduation. He needed to graduate from the royal university and establish a solid connection with the royal family first.
I have to seize the right opportunity.
As he pondered how to approach the princess, two young ladies walked past him.
“I heard there’s a shop by the Elten River that makes dresses just like the ones the princess wears. Do you want to go?”
“Sure. But we have to sneak—my parents would flip if they knew. You know how strict they are.”
The two young women seemed to be discussing the latest fashion trends in the kingdom.
Hearing the word “princess,” Ian quietly listened in.
“My mom would definitely flip if she knew I came here. And if she hears that the princess was seen here, it’d be chaos.”
“They said the princess doesn’t come out much, and the crown prince isn’t here either. We’d never get a chance to meet the king.”
Ian listened quietly as they walked away and then turned in the direction they had come.
He continued climbing the spiral staircase, designed to resemble the grand staircase of the palace’s ballroom.
After climbing several floors, he finally spotted Diana. She was seated in a corner by the sunlit window.
“…Interesting.”
It turned out she had chosen the same spot he often took as a student—a quiet corner where he could focus.
He deliberately made his footsteps audible as he approached her. But Diana remained deeply focused on her books.
Seeing no reaction, Ian stepped behind a bookshelf.
“…Why am I hiding?”
There was no need to hide behind the bookshelf. He frowned at his own uncharacteristic behavior.
Glancing around her, he noticed that Jerome, her clingy aide, was not nearby. This was his chance to approach her.
Yet, despite his plans, his body refused to move. His eyes remained fixed on Diana.
He saw her hair catching the warm afternoon sunlight, shimmering beautifully.
Her blue eyes were as calm as the deep sea.
Watching her, he could almost hear the beautiful melody from the ball still lingering in his ears.
In that golden spiral staircase, it was as if only the two of them were dancing once more…
“….”
Something felt strange.
What was this déjà vu? It was as if they had shared a secret moment like this in the library before.
Ian observed her various expressions and unconsciously smiled.
At that moment, she finally looked up and noticed him.
Caught off guard by her sudden gaze, he flinched, looking like someone caught spying.
Diana narrowed her eyes suspiciously, and he wore an expression of helplessness.
“No, I mean, I’ve been…”
Before he could finish, Diana pushed the bookshelf between them.
“What are you? Why are you watching me?”
“Haha, watching? No… that’s not it… Please, just hear me out.”
Backing away from her approach, he pressed against the wall.
Who sent you to spy on me?
Diana swallowed the question rising in her throat, reminding herself to stay calm. Ian was a spy—catch the head, not the tail.
“Why are you here?”
“I… had a strange dream… that’s all.”
Hearing his absurd answer, Diana’s suspicion didn’t ease.
“A dream?”
When she asked again, so close that their bodies almost touched, Ian’s pupils flickered, but he quickly returned to his composed expression.
His expression remained unreadable.
Was he embarrassed at being caught, or tense because of the proximity? Normally, the latter wouldn’t apply to him.
Ian was always a man whose thoughts were impossible to read.
“You appeared in this dream…”
He laughed lightly, pretending it was just a dream, which made Diana’s anger rise.
Right. He has no way of knowing the kind of relationship we had.
She let out a short, powerless laugh.
A dream, huh? Fine.
He was nothing more than a memory to forget now. She wouldn’t let herself be swayed.
“Could it be… I was in that dream?”
Diana leaned in close, almost whispering into his ear. She felt a thrill as his composed facade slipped slightly.
“Yes… no. No, I mean, no.”
He swallowed dryly and corrected himself.
“Really? Then…”
He was making a big mistake. Temptation was…
Ian, you’re not the only one who can do this.
If the game was to be lost by the one who falls into temptation, this time she would gladly take the lead.
“…!”
Sliding her hand across his broad chest, she felt his startled intake of breath.
Through her palm, she felt the heat of his heart, just like the crossing of their eyes.
