What is all this?

Clearly, as far as I remembered, this place was an empty, bleak gray room—but now it was decorated extravagantly enough to be called vibrant.

The white panels covering the walls were designed with ornate patterns, and beneath the sparkling, large chandelier sat a plush sky-blue sofa and table, finished with golden trim.

The bed, fitted with a semi-transparent white canopy, was brand new too, and opposite it stood a large wardrobe.

Feeling as if I had entered a different space, I stepped backward out of the room for a moment.

I scanned the hallway, wondering if I had somehow ended up somewhere other than Goseong—but no, it was unmistakably my familiar workplace.

I reentered the room with a dazed expression. The atmosphere remained utterly different from outside.

“Is this really my room?”

“The items inside the wardrobe all belong to Latieana Merigold—you may examine them freely.”

I flung open the large wardrobe doors one after another.

Inside hung dazzling dresses I had never seen in my life.

Tucked in the corner were my humble original pajamas, maid uniforms, and outdoor clothes.

I had carefully chosen those from the village’s best fabrics, spending a bit of money on them.

But squeezed into the corner by these extravagantly luxurious garments, they looked as if someone had fished them out of a trash heap.

“Take a look over here too.”

Ruben calmly guided me toward the console beside the door.

In this moment, he seemed less like a knight and more like a butler.

He opened the first drawer of the large console, which featured a long, two-tiered drawer unit.

Inside, dazzling jewels and accessories of every kind were neatly arranged—some extravagantly ornate, others elegantly simple, each uniquely different.

“I wasn’t sure what you’d prefer, so I filled it with expensive pieces.”

Yes. They looked expensive at first glance. At this point, I couldn’t help but ask.

“Did the master do this?”

“Yes. It was Duke’s command.”

“Why?”

Ruben looked down at me curiously, as if wondering why I’d even ask such a question.

“Obviously, it was done to make Latieana Merigold feel better.”

Ah, right. Of course. For me.

But what could have happened within a week? Was this even possible to accomplish in just seven days?

“I’ve discreetly stationed knights near the castle. There won’t be any surprises like when Hillstain Mathias suddenly stormed in. So please rest without worry.”

“Wait a moment.”

“I’ll take my leave now.”

I grabbed Ruben’s arm as he turned to leave. I asked, half-hoping against hope.

“Was the master’s recent absence during daytime… because of this?”

I gestured around the room with my finger.

“Yes.”

“Surely he didn’t personally select and purchase everything himself?”

“He did. Is there a problem? Ah—if these don’t suit your taste, we can easily change them. Such things are simple to……”

“No. It’s fine.”

What could I possibly say to Edan’s right-hand man? Ruben would do anything Edan told him to.

Ruben, tilting his head slightly in puzzlement, finally left, and I stood there blankly staring at the wardrobe.

I had thought Edan’s face had been rarely visible around the ducal castle lately—but was he busy doing this?

The same man who, not long ago, dragged me to a restaurant without caring at all about what I was wearing—was doing this?

Was he occupied with this? For me?

Before I knew it, I burst out laughing.

Edan, who used to run around killing monsters with a bloodstained sword—shopping? It was oddly cute and refreshing.

But then, just as suddenly, my laughter stopped.

“Sigh.”

From afar, I must have looked like a strange woman—but this wasn’t the time to laugh. Not now.

I hurried toward the library.

There was something I absolutely had to confirm before Edan returned.

I sat at the study desk in the library and opened the drawer, pulling out a book with a pitch-black cover.

It was the book on black magic I’d hastily hidden last time, when Hillstain Mathias had unexpectedly shown up.

“Hoo-.”

I exhaled a tense breath and carefully opened the book.

During the days I’d spent lying in bed, I’d obsessed over how Ivy Violet could have drained my power.

“It was definitely here somewhere… Found it!”

Flipping through the front pages, I rediscovered the section I’d read before—the part stating that using this black magic causes the skin to rot away.

I thought carefully back to Ivy’s appearance.

The black veins that had surged upward at terrifying speed had clearly originated from below her sternum, rising from her chest hollow.

And the hand that had grabbed me had unmistakably turned pitch black.

Back then, I’d been so shocked by my own hand turning into a mummy that I assumed Ivy’s hand only looked black due to the veins…

No. It was brief, but unmistakably rotting skin.

Even in the panorama I’d seen in my dream, the change had been clear.

At first, her skin had been entirely normal in color, then gray.

By the time I saw her in the temple, it was fully black. Ivy’s skin was rotting away due to black magic.

‘But how does she hide it normally?’

There hadn’t been any visible signs at all. Perhaps she concealed it using healing magic.

Or maybe, once she fully absorbed my power, even the fact that she’d used black magic would be nullified.

“But the more I think about it, the angrier I get.”

Is Ivy Violet insane? How could she kill her friend? She was nothing but lies from start to finish!

Fueled by boiling rage, I rapidly flipped through the pages.

Since stronger spells were written toward the back, I flipped as far as I could.

After flipping for a while, around page 120, I found a similar black spell.

Wow… The name alone didn’t sound frightening, but the page itself gave me chills.

Around the densely written black text, this page alone bore multiple bloodstains.

Actual dried, dark-red blood marks had stiffened the paper even further.

At this point, I couldn’t help but grow even more suspicious about why this book existed here at all.

Who exactly was the original owner of this ancient castle?

“Ugh.”

I carefully gripped the edge of the book with my fingertips and began reading with my eyes.

“A secret spell passed down from ancient witches. It forcibly drains life force. A method once used by dying black magicians to prolong their lives. The spell……”

I read straight down the page, then turned to the next.

And—Eeek!

I nearly threw the book away in horror. Compared to the previous page, this one was smeared thickly with bloodstains—entirely covered in fingerprints and palm prints.

Frowning deeply, I pulled back from the book for a moment, then mustered the courage to examine it again.

It was filled with bizarre script—unreadable, impossible to even tell if it was proper writing.

And beneath it lay an important phrase.

A chilling sentence.

“Witch… witch’s blood…”

Simply put, it meant only descendants of witches could decipher this unreadable script.

“Witch…”

Witches had been briefly mentioned even in the original story.

Around the time the Empire was first founded, there was a great witch who lured monsters into the Empire.

They said even now, the Empire’s gifted individuals fought monsters because of that witch. That was all I knew.

I hurriedly closed the book, returned it to the drawer, and headed toward the bookshelves.

One entire wall of this spacious room was filled floor-to-ceiling with books—though that was only one wall; the opposite side of the wide hall held dozens of layered bookshelves.

I needed to find books about witches.

Most were ordinary books you’d find in any bookstore, but since this place also held books on black magic, perhaps it might contain books on witches too.

I began meticulously searching the library.

The sheer overwhelming volume of books struck me anew. I had no idea where to begin, so I started examining the most secluded corners first.

I don’t know how long I’d been at it.

“Just a little… just a tiny bit more… ugh.”

The moment I stretched my arm toward a spot just barely beyond my height—

“This one?”

Suddenly, I felt a firm, solid weight against my back.

While I stood on tiptoe, stretching as far as I could, a large hand effortlessly plucked out the book I wanted. I turned swiftly and looked up—it was Edan.

“Master?”

“Yeah. I’m here.”

Edan, lips curling slightly upward, held the book out toward me.

I widened my eyes and glanced around.

I hadn’t sensed any portal opening anywhere in the library.

“How did you get in?”

“What were you doing, so focused on the book you didn’t even notice a portal opening?”

It was true. Hidden behind the bookshelf, I hadn’t noticed the portal’s light opening at all.

Looking toward the desk where the portal had opened, I saw the blue glow fading away.

“I guess I just got absorbed. Hand me the book……”

Whoosh.

As I reached to take it, Edan lifted the hand holding the book high above my head.

I narrowed my eyes and frowned.

This felt familiar—hadn’t this happened before?

“Give it to me.”

Edan, as if dismissing the idea entirely, pressed my head down firmly with his free hand while examining the book.

Then, suddenly, he let out a hollow chuckle.

“You’re planning to read this book?”

“Of course.”

“This?”

“Why not? It’s my choice what I read.”

“You’re seriously going to read this?”

“There’s no limit to studying, you know.”

I scowled up at Edan, who was gazing down at me with supremely arrogant lowered eyelids, and stretched my arm out stubbornly.

“Hand it over.”

Just as I thought Edan was moving his hand away from above my head, he swiftly spun the book around to face me, displaying the cover.

“‘50 Skills for a Burning Night,’ huh?”