Chapter 27

Chapter 27

After she stopped thinking about what had happened at Countess Elkelli’s mansion, Juliana, completely refreshed, set foot in the Duke’s library for the first time.

The library, which has been handed down from generation to generation, had many books that were hard to find even in the Imperial Palace Library. There were many magic books that Juliana, the magician, saw for the first time.

Thanks to a large number of Dukes that freely handled swords and magic, the library had a huge amount of books and a variety of books in different fields at the same time.

Looking up at the high ceiling, Juliana marveled.

‘I’ve lived here for two years and never came. I’m not a big fan of myself from the past.’

Of course, there were many reasons why she wasn’t familiar with the library.

Although she was a magician, Juliana was frankly the type of person who put no effort to become one. As soon as she was born, she was able to walk, talk, and run, and for her pulling mana in the air was easier than walking and talking. Therefore, she was different from many others who became magicians through hard work.

“……I was born with a golden spoon in my mouth as a magician.”

Juliana, muttering to herself, reached out to a nearby bookshelf and roughly pulled out one book.

It was a magic book that she saw when she was five years old. She heard that some hard-working adepts study at the magic academies in other countries, but for young Juliana, this book-level theory was very cheap.

Juliana put the book she was looking at lightly in its place.

“Where is it?”

Leaving thoughts about her childhood behind, she left the bookcase, where magic books were placed to find the ‘history book’ section.

Fortunately, there was a book called ‘The History and Adventures of the Empire’ in her field of vision. Juliana, who studied with a tutor at home without attending the academy, was also familiar with this book.

Unfortunately, Juliana was not interested in studying anything other than magic, so she neglected other studies, and was ignorant in other fields.

“Cough cough!”

As soon as she took out the heavy book from the bookshelf, the dust rose up. Juliana sat down in a corner with the book in her hands.

Even in the corner of the room, the sun was shining brightly because on the opposite side of Juliana’s spot was a wide and large window. Juliana, who had laid out the cushions to improve the comfort of her back, hardened her mind and opened the book.

“Okay. Let’s get started.”

As soon as she made up her mind, she quickly began to read carefully to get into the contents of the book. What she didn’t know was that she was unconsciously reading out loud.

“There was no owner in the land of the original Empire-.”

The Ariakne Empire was a country that invaded and settled in the land of other peoples. Their people had reached this land far to the north beyond the mountains and fields. There were only a few tribes living in a disorderly manner in the land where the four seasons were clear and abundant……

‘In a disorderly manner?’

Juliana frowned her brows.

‘This is too much-.’

Gains and losses-.

Juliana, who was comfortably stretching her legs and snoring in the book, stood up when she saw the tightly closed door open.

It was the hottest time in the afternoon. In other words, it was not time for her husband to return from the Knights of the Imperial Palace.

Nevertheless, it was Evan Hilcheon who appeared among the bookcases. Juliana closed the book and covered it.

It was an exaggerated attitude. Even with that attitude of hers, Evan came up unabashedly. And said, leaning his back against the thick wall of the bookcase.

“I heard that you were in the library.”

“Are you surprised that I’m here?”

Juliana said bluntly.

On the other hand, however, he looked as if he were a puppy who by constantly looking at her eyes was trying to learn about her low intentions.

Evan, who was standing in a place where he could clearly see the rounded kiln, stepped slightly.

Juliana, who became wary of her husband approaching, hid her stretched legs under her skirt by bending them. She looked as if she wanted to reduce the volume of her body as much as possible.

‘Cute.’

He grinned, trying to stifle his usual thoughts.

“Am I interrupting your studies?”

“Of course. Why are you here now? Don’t you think the Knights of the Imperial Palace give you too many holidays?”

“It’s been less than a few months since I returned home after the fights with the barbarians ended. It means that the effect of cutting the head of the Yazan tribe chieftain still remains. Our young Emperor is so militant, moreover, he also likes to show his appreciation.”

“Well then, why don’t you go somewhere to play?”

“That’s why I’m here. To play with you.”

Evan, who spoke sweetly like a rolling candy in the mouth, sat within Juliana’s range.

It was far enough not to have a conversation, and close enough to make eye contact.

Evan, who, like Juliana, sat with his back on the cushion, gently overlapped his legs, pretending not to notice his wife’s gaze.

His black hair shook in the breeze due to the half-open window. Sitting among the antique bookshelves whose tree lines were exposed as they were, Evan was really picturesque.

Juliana’s secret gaze dropped a hundred million times. It was good to cover up the book on purpose, but her head was spinning thinking about how to run away. Holding her trembling breath, Juliana retorted quite a bit.

“Then I’ll go back to my room. I’m actually here to get a book. I’ve got something to look into.”

“Then you’ll have to get permission from the library owner.”

“Who is it?”

‘Isn’t it me?’ said Evan, looking softly at Juliana with a smile.

“Of course it’s me. All the books in the Duke’s library were collected by the ancestors of house Hilcheon.”

Juliana laughed dumbfounded. And said, putting the book down between the cushions.

“Then do you allow the book to be taken out of the library? Master of the library?”

“Of course, it works in principle. Because everything I own is in your hands. However, it takes some time.”

“What is it?”

“I’d like you to retract your words, ‘I’m going to divorce you.’”

“That can’t be done.”

Juliana, who raised her hands, grabbed her skirt firmly and gave him a ridiculous greeting.

“Then I will leave you alone. Master of the library.”

But as soon as she turned back, she heard a voice that stopped Juliana’s step.

“I’ve heard that you’ve been trying to find out about the jousting contest all day long.”

“!”

Juliana stiffened her shoulders. Then she glanced over her shoulder at Evan.

‘How did you know?’

Evan, who noticed her wonder, closed his eyes and whispered with a smile.

“You’ve always been honest. I was a fortune-teller whenever you were up to something or hiding things.”

“My, are you getting a report of what I’m doing?!”

“Think about this morning.”

‘…..this morning?’

Juliana and Evan, who are having breakfast together, sat at the same table today. Juliana shook her head because she couldn’t think of anything other than that.

‘What did I do?’

No matter how much she looked through her memories, no one could notice that she was secretly plotting things.

Juliana proudly boosted her self-esteem, praising herself for her shrewdness. And said, babbling.

“I don’t know what you mean, but we only had breakfast today, right? What did I say? What did it have to do with a jousting contest? Oh, you’re not mistaken, are you? Unfortunately, no. I don’t care about the contest-.”

“Then why did you ask these questions to everyone in your sight? In particular, what order did you give to your youngest maid? Why was she collecting the information from all the people she met? Her face was so pale as if she were out of her mind. Poor thing.”

“Huh…….”

Juliana closed her eyes.

However, she didn’t seem so scared after she opened her mouth and inhaled. She answered, trying hard to gather her thoughts that were passing through her mind.

“I don’t need to know what the servants are doing and why they’re collecting information, do I? It’s a jousting contest, which is very popular with the common people, so she was probably just asking out of curiosity.”

“I don’t think the commoners would have wondered how the people who participated in the past jousting contests died, who were the knights that survived, with what probability, and so on. They are the commoners. They just cheer whenever they see the nobles die and kill each other. Because it’s a contest of idiots.”

“Well, I know it’s a competition like that.”

“Do you want to know the history of the contest?”

Evan, who glanced at the book Juliana was looking at, picked up the book that had been thrown between the cushions.

He frowned his brows and turned his head.

“This is an academy freshman book.”

“!”

I’m a freshman? I didn’t study that much?! Juliana hesitated and raised her head in a sense of injustice.

“I studied before, but I can’t remember. No. I don’t know why I couldn’t remember. I’m a very hard-working student. I’m sure the tutor who taught me was terrible.”

Evan froze in confusion, leaving Juliana speaking gibberish in embarrassment beyond his sight. Looking back on his memory of her for a moment, he was smiling faintly.

“That’s right. You didn’t go to the academy, did you?”

Juliana finally crossed her arms, feeling happy that the subject had changed.

“….I hate crowded places. There’s always a lot of germs in crowded places, and my physical strength wasn’t good enough to endure it.”

“I know. Every time you came to our mansion, you were wrapped up tightly. You wore a long coat every time no matter if it was hot or cold.”

Evan Hilcheon, the male lead who recalled the past, had a smile on his face.

With a fond smile full of memories on his face, Juliana’s warning light flashed on in her head.

It was time for a straight-forward armoring without backing up! But unfortunately, Juliana Auburn was still not immune to his flirting.

“Okay, that’s enough. Honestly, I don’t even remember that. Stop saying suspicious things and decide whether you want to lend me the book-, or sit here and pretend to be a Duke who overheard what the servants were saying.”

“Hmm. Can’t you choose something else?”

“What?”

Juliana grumbled inside.

‘You bulldozer-like male lead….’

Even though Juliana was still crossing her arms, Evan suggested this solution.

“You sit here, read the book, and I’ll answer your questions. I bet I’m the one who knows the best about the blue rose jousting contest. Because the ancestors of the Hilcheon family conceived the bloody contest.”

Curiosity killed cats, too. Eventually, Juliana sat in her seat awkwardly.

Early this morning, as soon as she got up from bed, she heard that Evan Hilcheon had applied for a jousting contest in two weeks.

There were a few knights who sent the blue roses to Juliana last year, but frankly, Juliana Auburn received the roses and put them in the back room without even giving them a single look.

This was because she was not interested in the jousting contest in which there were more than ten dead knights every year. Like numerous letters that they sent to admire her beauty, blue roses were a trivial matter only.

But why? The reason why she couldn’t resist him was that he firmly declared that he was going to compete in the jousting contest.

‘I don’t know why. But I can’t wait to see-.’

Juliana opened the book.

She remembered that since the beginning of the Empire, the jousting contest has continued from generation to generation. Even in the days when the turmoil was raging, and in today’s era when the invasion ended and the period of stability began.

Juliana, who was struggling to read the unreadable text, raised her head.

“Are you sure you don’t want to just stay there and watch?”

“I don’t know why you’re looking for the origin of the contest. Be honest, you just want to find out what are the chances for me to go out there and die, right?”

“…..”

As Juliana turned the pages, her throat tightened and she spoke silently.

“…..yes, I was wondering if you were going to die and go after me as a ghost.”

“I haven’t thought about it. That’s a good idea.”

“Don’t joke around! I don’t believe in those sayings of yours that you’re ready to die because of me, nor do I like it. No matter how much I think about it, it would be too much for you to go to such a risky contest without checking my followers. I asked people today, and I heard that people are dying even in the tournament qualifiers. Well, what if you go out there and the hero of the empire dies?”

Juliana fired quite roughly.

‘Of course, it’s going to be like in the novel, so you might not die. But the fact that I remember my past life was also not mentioned in the novel. If you get maimed or killed-.’

Juliana continued, emphasizing, without avoiding Evan’s gaze looking at her.

“I don’t want to create a misunderstanding of encouraging you.”

‘Rather, I’ll be hurt. And that would be too, too much for me.’

Evan felt strange self-discipline when he saw the fear in her shaking bronze eyes.

The recent days in which she showed even the slightest interest in him had been truly dreamlike to him.

Evan said, afraid of being unable to swallow up his wife’s fears.

“You’re misunderstanding me.”

“Me? There’s no way one can misunderstand the intentions of someone who looks as obvious as you.”

Juliana said clearly.

Evan said, looking into Juliana’s eyes, who placed her hands on the cover of the book and looked at herself.

“I’ve always wanted to kill those around you, legally.”

“…..”

Juliana didn’t avoid looking.

However, the white hands on the cover trembled a little. The tremor, which began at the fingertips, covered the entire hand and eventually captivated the entire body.

Juliana felt a chill.

Evan Hilcheon’s eyes were blue and cold.

He was already a hero of the Empire and a knight who slaughtered the barbarians without blinking an eye. Could this be the feeling of a man who was trampled under a giant black horse or whose neck was cut off by Evan’s sword? Juliana knew the true nature of her emotions.

He doesn’t forgive anyone who will betray him. Even though she knew it because she had already seen the story, Juliana was sometimes surprised and heartbroken by the fact.

A husband who was looking for the opportunity to kill her followers. But at the same time, a soft and foolish husband who couldn’t kill them easily without her permission.

That was you.

“Why shiver?”

Evan reached out his hand over her feet and shoulder and touched her stiff cheek.

A little sweaty Juliana Auburn’s face looked white and smooth. Evan muttered as he looked at his beautiful wife, who looked rather moist.

“It makes me feel good to imagine how to kill the idiots who jump at you like a fire moth. But I like your way of worrying about me in an unexpected way.”

“…..”

Juliana moved her stiff fingers slightly. And she followed the letter with her finger as if reading the title with a bold inscription on the cover.

[The History and Adventures of the Empire]

From the first chapter, she knew why she couldn’t remember any of the words in the book.

Because this book was a lie. Evan, who lowered his head at the sight of her moving finger, smiled brightly.

“Do you know? This book is all a lie. It’s a fairy tale to teach children the pride of the Empire.”

“It seems obvious that it’s a boring fairy tale.”

While looking at her finger moving along with the title of the book, Evan said affectionately like a kind teacher.

“It was the savages that occupied the land of today’s empire. No, in the first place they were not unordered barbarians, but people who lived with their own system and culture, but our raiding ancestors took away their land.”

“They wanted the land, right?”

“That’s right. They wanted the ground.”

“We won.”

“Yes. Those who were at the vanguard of that low-quality war were my forefathers.”

“…..”

Juliana suddenly felt heavy with the book on her lap.

She shoved the book she had on her lap next to Evan. Evan, who was looking at each of her movements, raised his eyes.

When he found out that Juliana was waiting for him to speak, Evan said.

“Finally, our ancestors, who had driven out the original owners of the land, had a hard time controlling the violence that occurred inside when they entered a stable phase. They wore, ate, and drank stolen things here and there as they were just plundering robbers. Nobles were just commoners back then. Previously, we were scammers who did quite a bit before the beginning of the glorious history of the Empire.”

“So this contest is a vile robbery with a romantic element?”

“That’s right.”

“You mean you’ll rob me. That’s romantic.”

Juliana was sarcastic.

Nevertheless, his bluish eyes glistened only to blame her for his affection for Juliana. As she faced his eyes, Juliana became ashamed.

If you work on him at this moment, the work will be a masterpiece. Suddenly, the thought faded Juliana’s smile.

Evan, glistening with unfavorable beauty, still whispered with a smile.

“Now you know, so let me. I’ll kill the things you find annoying, and bring you peace. You have to use someone who’s good at robbing people so there’s no trouble.”

Juliana shook her head.

And said with a soaring sense of defiance. However, the words that had flowed out of the mouth were not able to contain even half of her heart, and the power of the fuss was lost.

“….don’t be silly.”

Evan calmly said, looking at his wife, who turned her head to herself, avoiding eye contact.

“I’m sure there will be a lot of people who will dedicate roses to you again in this tournament. What’s clear is that you don’t like those interests anymore.”

Evan noticed the realistic worries that had passed by Juliana’s face.

Without missing the moment, Evan kissed the back of her hand like a tournament-winning knight.

“Let me help you. Please.”

His entreaties felt bitter. His love for both insults and death might disappear like a sheet of paper, but she couldn’t hold him.

‘I don’t know. Evan, I-.’

Juliana stood up from her seat and stepped back, neither accepting nor declining his offer. As she was leaving her husband behind she looked as beautiful as a genius’s masterpiece.

* * *

Translator –