PB 02

Chapter 02

When Seren opened her eyes next, it was the middle of the night.
It was already dark everywhere, and the only light came faintly through the canopy from the moon outside. The cool night breeze seeped in as well, and Seren suddenly felt that the air on the bed was suffocating.

It seemed her fever had already broken. Her condition had improved enough that she realized, with some surprise, just how sick she had been. Her body felt stiff and sore. Thinking a sip of water and washing her face would make her feel better, Seren tried to sit up on her own.

“Ah…”

Her left ankle wouldn’t move. Had it been injured during the attack as well? Panic gripped her chest, but when she wiggled her toes, they moved fine without any pain. Seren decided to believe it would be fine soon.

She crawled out of the wide bed and lifted the canopy—and froze in surprise.

“Ah!”

A beautiful man, as if reality had been made tangible, stood there. From his forehead, illuminated by moonlight, down the bridge of his nose, his features were divinely noble, and his eyes held a sharp golden glow. His soft lips were pale, yet looked as if sculpted from marble.

He seemed like an ideal person who had walked out from the darkness itself. Seren couldn’t speak for a moment, staring at him in a daze. She even thought, could he be the god of death?

“Are you feeling any better?”

The question startled her. She had vaguely felt that she was seeing something a human shouldn’t. But his voice was unmistakably alive, unmistakably human.

“Yes… much better now.”

Seren replied belatedly, unsure of what to do, her mouth dry with tension.

The man asked again,
“Do you need a doctor?”

“No, it’s fine. I just got up because I wanted some water.”

“I see.”

He replied silently, then stood and walked toward the table. Only then did Seren notice a water bottle on it.

The man poured water into a glass and approached her. Seren flinched unconsciously. He handed her the glass and stepped back.

“Are you afraid of me?”

“…No. Just nervous.”

She said that and laughed. She was surprised that she could laugh like that at a stranger in a strange place in the middle of the night, but oddly, she didn’t feel he would harm her. Perhaps it was because he was too unreal, and the situation too surreal.

After Seren finished the water, the man flicked his fingers, and the glass disappeared. She thought this might also be a dream.

“Are you a Guardian?”

He carried a sword, so Seren asked.

The age of gunpowder had begun quite some time ago. But firearms could not hold the power of life. Those who carried swords were usually Guardians or Guardian trainees.

“…You could say that.”

“Why are you here?”

As if protecting her.

The man didn’t answer. But when Seren widened her eyes and stared at him, he lowered his gaze and asked in a low voice,
“Don’t you think it’s because of you?”

“Because of me? I’m hardly someone who needs guarding. I heard I was saved by His Majesty the Emperor.”

“……”

“Oh, is that it? I guess once someone is saved, they are thoroughly protected, His Majesty must be very strict about that.”

“You don’t know much about the Emperor.”

“Of course not. I only know he’s the great successor of the Dragonblood and the guardian in the heavens.”

“You’re a noble too, aren’t you?”

“I used to be… but for five generations, we haven’t produced a Guardian. People would laugh if they heard that and called it nobility.”

Seren’s words trailed off, and she blushed, feeling embarrassed for no reason. She didn’t know why she was telling these things. Perhaps just thinking of the palace made her want to justify herself.

“I’m from a place called Estdel, in the southern frontier. Honestly, I don’t even remember why I came to the capital. I had never been here before.”

She had never imagined she would enter the palace in her life. This was her first time meeting a real Guardian.

She felt a sense of dissonance and tilted her head. She remembered being caught up in the chaos at the train station, but she had no memory of that or anything before it. Why had she come to the capital? Her family had no relatives there, and she certainly wasn’t sent for the social season.

The Lubav family once had glory, but they had long ceased to be influential nobles. They had a small estate and could live comfortably, but there was no chance for further prestige. Estdel had no real social circle, so her father had… what did he say? She couldn’t remember.

“Why did I even come to the capital? And without my father?”

Seren muttered to herself, lost in thought. She might have been excited to go, or maybe not. Something felt off. Her thoughts kept breaking, as if parts of her memory were cut out, leaving a dark void. A tingling sensation crept into her left ankle.

The man looked at her quietly and spoke in a low voice,
“Don’t think too deeply. You were hurt and shocked, so your memories might be incomplete.”

“That… could be true.”

Seren murmured, her head aching.

“Lie down for now.”

The man commanded. His tone felt so natural that Seren felt no resistance and obediently followed.

Then she realized the dress she wore was so sheer that it revealed everything, and she gasped, pulling the sheet over herself up to her nose.

The canopy fell softly. It seemed impossible to sleep in the same room with such a man, yet her body was so exhausted that she fell asleep the moment she closed her eyes.

Seren could move properly only two days later. But that didn’t mean she was fully healed. The fever had subsided, but muscle pain remained severe, and she discovered bruises and contusions she hadn’t noticed.

Even her uninjured left ankle still couldn’t move.

“I must have been really badly hurt.”

“It’s a miracle you’re alive.”

Emily wiped her tears and repeated this several times.

“I don’t remember anything.”

Seren muttered to herself. Perhaps it was a blessing she couldn’t remember, given how severely she had been injured.

“But why did I even come to the capital?”

“When your body heals, your memories will naturally return.”

Every time Seren asked, Lady Maybeck replied with a pitying expression.

Regardless of memory, many things didn’t make sense. Why was she in the palace and not a hospital? Why did Lady Sonz, head of palace maids, check on her daily for comfort and necessities?

“Tell me if anything is uncomfortable, Miss Lubav.”
“No, you’re taking such good care of me. I was just thinking it might be better to move to a hospital now that I’m okay…”

“You’re still very weak. How could you move already? Stay as long as you need. Also, the palace doctors are more skilled than those at the general hospital.”

Lady Sonz smiled kindly and firmly, making it even harder to understand. Even if the Emperor believed those he personally saved must leave the palace healthy on their own feet, having the head maid take care of her was unusual.

The man asked calmly,
“Is the palace uncomfortable?”

“You’re saying the same thing as Lady Sonz. It’s not about comfort or discomfort—it’s just… strange.”

Seren said in a relaxed tone.

“Actually, it’s strange that you, the Guardian, are here too.”

Over the past few days, she had grown quite close to him.

He had guarded her bedroom every night. Unlike the first day, he now sat in a chair close to her bed. With the thick layer of the canopy pulled aside, she could see him faintly through the thin chiffon curtain.

“By the way, why do you guard me every night?”

“Let’s just say it’s the Emperor’s will.”

“The palace isn’t that dangerous.”

“It’s not entirely for you either.”

“Well, that leaves me nothing to say.”

After Seren’s reply, silence fell. Tears unexpectedly welled up, and she swallowed her emotions with several gulps. She wasn’t sensitive or emotional, but in recent days, this happened often. It felt as if inexplicable sadness filled her body completely. Surely it was because she was still in pain.

Trying not to drown in that sadness, she forced herself to smile brightly.