Chapter 3

“Hey! You—”

The girl lowered her gaze, looking at him.

Carl had accidentally leaned in too close. For a brief moment, his mind went blank, forgetting the accusations he was about to voice.

Before him were violet irises, delicate features, and pale pink lips pressed together.

“…”

She opened her mouth.

“Have you seen enough?”

He knew better than to expect anything gentle or pleasant from her.

“Move.”

She said.

Carl stiffened.

She had such an innocent and adorable face, yet she always carried that aloof expression. And when she spoke, it was as if each word cost her money—so few, so precise.

Only now did Carl finally recall the reason he had come.

“What did you say to Father? He actually allowed you to move to the third floor.”

“If you’re that curious, why don’t you ask him yourself?”

“You—!”

“More importantly, don’t you think standing here blocking my door might cause misunderstandings among the passing servants?”

“…”

Footsteps echoed from the far end of the corridor, growing closer. Although unwilling, Carl gritted his teeth and let go of his arm.

Just as Talli was about to leave, something suddenly caught his eye, making him jolt. “Wait!!”

He grabbed her shoulder and pressed her against the wall, his voice filled with disbelief. “What is this!?”

“…”

The brooch on Talli’s chest bore the Fred family’s owl emblem. But Carl knew very well that this was no ordinary family crest.

This was a magic stone brooch, a rare defensive artifact that only direct bloodline heirs of the family received from their father at their fifteenth birthday ceremony.

“This is a precious magic stone brooch!” Carl reached for it. “Why is it on you!?”

Before he could finish his sentence, a sharp pain shot through his fingertips, twisting his expression in agony.

“Intense neurogenic pain—it won’t cause actual harm unless physical contact is made.”

Talli reached out her right hand and gently rested it on Carl’s wrist, the one gripping her shoulder.

“You know how this brooch works, don’t you?”

Cold sweat dripped down Carl’s temple.

The approaching footsteps suddenly stopped, followed by a shriek. The servants rushed over in a panic, shouting:

“Young Master!”

“Are you alright? What happened?”

“Did she do something to you?!”

—

“From the looks of it, shouldn’t you be asking what he did to me?”

Despite the searing pain, the coolness of the girl’s palm was distinct against the pulse beating under his wrist.

“…”

“Get lost!”

Carl growled under his breath.

Most of the servants flinched in shock and instinctively took a step back.

Talli released him.

As if nothing had happened, she turned and walked away, leaving behind a scene of utter chaos.

Neurogenic pain came and went quickly.

She wasn’t worried about the family head giving her trouble. The brooch had been something she specifically requested—it was her basic means of self-defense. Its primary function was to ward off the Undying Knight.

However, each use consumed magic.

Compared to Kristen, Carl—young as he was—was just a child playing pretend.

Maybe given a few more years, he would grow into a swordsman on par with Kristen.

But for now, at least, he wasn’t a threat to her.

Her real threat was the knight who couldn’t die.

—

The “Undying Knight,” Kristen—one of the male leads of the novel.

As the heroine’s unwaveringly loyal knight, Kristen initially knew nothing of love—he was merely a killing machine. At a family banquet, he was bestowed upon Theresa by the family head, becoming her personal knight and swearing a lifelong oath of loyalty to her.

Back when Talli read the novel, she had thought she was quite similar to Kristen.

There was a particular scene in the story…

When Theresa wept in sorrow and anxiety over the imminent return of a sister she had never met, the silver-haired knight knelt by her bedside, unable to comprehend her distress.

Believing that the one who made his master cry was the culprit, he took it upon himself to kill her, hoping to present her head as a token of comfort.

But after failing time and time again, and ultimately being exposed, all he received in return was Theresa’s reprimand.

“I never ordered you to kill her! What have you done…? You nearly killed my sister!”

“But you cried because of her.”

“…That wasn’t out of hatred for her.”

“Then why did you shed tears?”

“…Kristen, you wouldn’t understand. It is both a blessing and a misfortune.”

The knight lowered his head in confusion.

This novel, spanning over two hundred chapters, only allowed the original protagonist to exist within the first thirty. From her return to the imperial capital to her eventual death as a sacrificial offering, this insecure and sensitive girl withered away in a bleak and tragic life.

The book barely described her—so little that Talli had almost no impression of her at all.

But after spending a few days in this world, the image of this pitiful girl gradually became clearer before Talli’s eyes.

The traces of her existence, the scars on her body, the tragedy of her origins—everything was laid bare.

Even if Talli couldn’t truly empathize, now that she was inhabiting this body, she was forced to partake in this life.

In order to escape a fate where she would either be killed by the knight or sacrificed, Talli knew her goal with absolute clarity.

—And that was to leave this place and return to her own world.

Talli took a deep breath and lifted her gaze.

A towering library loomed among the shade of lush green trees.

Before her, the vast Rhine Lake shimmered under the sunlight, and a massive iron-thorn fence enclosed the ancient tower.

The Fred family’s Library Tower—the oldest structure in the entire imperial capital. Even the grand and luxurious royal palace had been torn down and rebuilt multiple times, yet this tower had never once undergone renovation. For centuries, it had remained the one unbroken witness to history.

Holding her umbrella, Talli circled the lake. As expected, she was stopped when she approached the towering iron-thorn walls.

She presented her pass.

—“Secondly, I want the right to access the Library Tower. But I will abide by its rules.”

The guards hesitated.

Even their own young mistress rarely visited this place, yet this unfamiliar girl was here for the first time—and she even carried a pass personally approved by the family head…

After some deliberation, they still allowed Talli through.

One of them cautioned her, “Even with a pass, the Library Tower is only open from two to four in the afternoon. Please leave before the time limit is up. Otherwise…”

Talli nodded, closed her umbrella, and stepped into the first floor of the Library Tower.

According to the book, the records of the “Undying Knight” lineage were stored on the third floor of the Library Tower.

Talli knew the Library Tower was large, but she hadn’t expected it to be this vast.

Centuries’ worth of the nation’s literature, astronomy, geography, agronomy, history, medicine, magic—

All of it was housed within this ancient high tower of an old manor.

It took her nearly an hour and a half to find the historical records of the Kristen family. She skimmed through the text quickly until she found the section she needed and read it carefully.

Only when she returned the book to the shelf did she feel the tension in her body finally ease.

Talli absentmindedly picked up another book to organize when her movements suddenly halted.

Her fingertips brushed against the rough, uneven cover.

“…”

It was a book about the Supreme Ruler of the Continent—the Arrogant Monarch, Deritz.

As if compelled by some unseen force, she opened it.

On the title page, a portrait of Deritz was displayed.

—It was the same figure she had seen that day in the temple. The wicked entity that bore witness to her sin.

—

When Talli left the Library Tower, the elderly white-haired man at the front desk didn’t even lift his head.

The owl perched on his shoulder flapped its wings twice before taking off, grasping the string of a bronze bell with its sharp beak and tugging at it twice.

“Ding-dong—ding-dong—”

Talli’s heart clenched slightly.

Fortunately, nothing seemed amiss.

She walked out of the iron-thorn walls without issue, opened her umbrella, and glanced back under the evening glow.

For a moment, the refraction of light made it seem as though the tower was tilting.

But when she focused, it remained steadfast—ancient and resplendent.

The grass by Rhine Lake was lush, and the hardcover book pressed against her chest was burning hot.

She had secretly smuggled it out.

Even though books from the Library Tower weren’t allowed to be borrowed.

Hurrying back to the main hall, she suddenly heard a commotion from the other side of the lake.

One by one, servants rushed past her toward the source of the uproar.

Talli quickly grabbed a young maid by the arm. “What’s happening?”

The girl had been eager to gossip, but the moment she saw who was asking, her expression twisted into one of slight disdain mixed with arrogance. “The High Priest is here… But that has nothing to do with you anyway. Let go of me! I want to see what he looks like!”

Talli released her grip.

Memories from the book about the High Priest suddenly surfaced in her mind.

Ryan, one of the male leads, was the designated successor to the Grand High Priest of the Central Cathedral in the imperial capital—a man with extraordinary magical talent.

In the original storyline, the female lead, Theresa, formed an unbreakable bond with Ryan during a period of secluded training at the temple. Over time, as they spent more moments together, their emotions deepened—so much so that this devoted priest, who had lived a life of discipline for decades, was willing to abandon his faith and break his sacred vows for her.

But now…

Because of Talli’s presence, Theresa had been forced to extend her time of “seclusion” at the temple. Yet why had the High Priest suddenly come here?

Before she could make sense of it, the temple’s entourage had already approached.

Talli only cast a distant glance at the priest.

He was a tall young man with short hair. The tips of his pale gray locks curled slightly, resting quietly at the sides of his ears, giving him an air of tranquility and scholarly grace.

He was turned slightly, speaking to someone. His profile was sharp and refined, his nose straight and well-defined, his words measured and unhurried—exuding an impeccable sense of composure.

Then, he suddenly paused, as if sensing someone’s gaze, and looked in her direction.

Their eyes met.

The young priest froze for a brief moment.

Then, without hesitation, he turned his head back.

“High Priest, who were you looking at?” someone asked, following his gaze. But by then, there was no one left standing there.

“No one,”

Ryan replied. “I didn’t see anyone.”