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Chapter 25
“Has Rowan not contacted you at all after leaving?”
“Ah… no.”
“Hm… I thought he might at least send a letter once. That’s rather unexpected.”
“He’s no longer someone related to me.”
Despite Joo-hee’s words, the grandfather only laughed heartily.
In the meantime, Shelley’s voice called out, signaling that the food was ready.
“Everyone, come and eat!”
At that moment, people stood up all at once and gathered in one direction.
There weren’t many dishes, but most of them were meat, and the portions were generous.
“Eat plenty, Airil.”
“You should eat a lot too, Grandpa.”
Joo-hee filled her plate with several pieces of sweetly seasoned meat, a roasted chicken leg, and some salad, then returned to her seat with a glass of wine.
- It looks so good! Joo-hee, can I eat this?
“Yes, eat as much as you want.”
- Hehe, thank you!
Mel giggled and took a big bite of meat.
Joo-hee also took a bite.
The sweet and salty sauce was delicious, and the meat was extremely tender.
When she took a sip of wine, just as the grandfather had said, warmth quickly spread through her body.
But it wasn’t strong enough to make her feel dizzy.
Taking another bite of meat, Joo-hee looked around.
Everyone was eating, laughing, and chatting.
It was a very peaceful atmosphere.
But that peace didn’t last long.
“Hey, what’s that?”
“What? What is it?”
A man who had been eating happily pointed toward something in the distance.
The man next to him followed his gaze and frowned.
“What is that?”
“Why? What’s going on?”
The confusion spread from person to person until everyone was staring in the same direction.
The noisy atmosphere quickly turned silent, and an unknown tension filled the air.
Joo-hee turned her head sharply.
In the distance, she saw faint glowing yellow eyes.
And heavy, thudding footsteps.
One by one, villagers stood up. Then a man shouted.
“A–a–a–a monster!”
“What? A monster? How is a monster down in the village!”
People threw down their plates and began to run.
The peaceful scene instantly turned into chaos, and the monster was already closing in.
“Grrrrrrr—”
A woman who made eye contact with the monster staggered and collapsed.
And in an instant, it happened.
The monster rushed forward, opened its mouth, and swallowed her whole. Screams erupted as everyone fled.
But that was the wrong choice.
The monster hunted them down like prey.
Joo-hee ran among the crowd.
People instinctively scattered into alleys, but the monster followed the group running with Joo-hee.
And the alley they entered was a dead end.
“W–we’re… we’re going to die… sob…”
Realizing they were doomed, people grabbed each other and trembled in tears.
Joo-hee’s heart pounded violently.
Then someone pushed her hard from behind.
Before she could even scream, Joo-hee stumbled forward and fell. The monster’s gaze locked onto her.
She turned her head slightly.
Shelley was trembling violently, glaring at her.
“It’s… it’s your fault! Because you’re here, the monster came down here! So… so you should take responsibility!”
It was essentially a demand for her to die.
Mel shouted in panic.
- No!!! Joo-hee, summon your spirit!!
But before Joo-hee could call her spirit, the monster lunged at her.
Thinking she was about to die, she instinctively shut her eyes and curled up.
But instead of pain, she heard a scream of agony from the monster.
Slowly, she opened her eyes.
The monster had been cleanly split in half.
A viscous liquid oozed from its body as it collapsed.
And behind it stood a man.
Joo-hee blinked in shock.
He stepped onto the melting remains and approached her.
As he got closer, his face became clearer.
Joo-hee’s eyes widened.
“Rowan…?”
The man knelt on one knee, took her hand, and spoke in a sweet voice.
“I’ve come to take you, Joo-hee.”
Joo-hee blinked several times, unsure if she was seeing correctly, but his face didn’t change.
Still uncertain, she asked cautiously.
“…Rowan?”
“Yes.”
Rowan smiled faintly.
He had expected her to be happy to see him, but her reaction was far from that.
Instead, she looked confused and pulled her hand away from his.
Rowan’s expression slowly hardened.
“Why… are you here? You shouldn’t be here.”
“I told you. I came to take you.”
Joo-hee’s eyes shook.
She stared at him in confusion, then suddenly stood up.
Everything was going in an odd direction.
She had been certain she would never see Rowan again after he left.
Because she was just an extra with no name, and he was the male lead.
And surely, by now, the heroine would have appeared and they would be living a romantic life together.
Joo-hee bowed slightly.
“Thank you for saving me. I’m late in saying this.”
Her polite distance made Rowan’s brow furrow slightly.
Looking him in the eye, she said firmly,
“If you came here just to repay a favor, you don’t have to worry about it. I’m sorry you made a wasted trip.”
Rowan looked at her in silence.
After a few seconds, she turned away.
She tried to walk past him, but he grabbed her wrist tightly.
“Joo-hee, where are you going?”
“…What?”
“You should come with me.”
His once-clear green eyes had deepened and darkened.
Before she could respond, a loud voice rang out.
“Your Majesty the Emperor!”
“Sorry we’re late!”
The surrounding people began whispering and glancing at Rowan.
The man who had lived in this village just months ago… the Emperor?
Rowan frowned in annoyance.
He should have controlled that better, but he had been too focused on finding Joo-hee.
He glanced at her expression.
Strangely, she didn’t look shocked.
That irritated him more than expected.
Rowan spoke quietly to the approaching knights.
“Keep your mouths shut.”
“Yes, yes! We’re sorry!”
The knights bowed deeply.
When Rowan’s grip on Joo-hee’s wrist loosened slightly, she pulled away.
But he immediately grabbed her again.
“Let’s go together. Don’t go alone.”
Joo-hee couldn’t understand why he kept insisting.
Rowan ordered the knights to stay and clean up the monster remains, then led her out of the alley.
“Where should we go?”
“…The herb shop.”
“Then this way.”
Rowan guided her as if it were second nature.
Even though months had passed, he remembered everything.
As they walked, he spoke.
“Oh right, Joo-hee. I’ve regained my memories.”
“Congratulations.”
“I also cleaned everything up properly so I could come get you.”
“Cleaned up?”
“Yes.”
Rowan smiled brightly at her.
It was a harmless smile, but something about it felt unsettling.
“More importantly, Joo-hee…”
“…?”
“You don’t seem surprised that I’m the Emperor. Almost like you already knew.”
“…I saw a notice on a board.”
She responded defensively without meaning to.
Rowan didn’t seem to care.
“I see. Good thing you already knew. I was worried you might run away in shock.”
Joo-hee vaguely thought she should have.
But she had overlooked one thing:
Even if she had run away in shock, Rowan would not have simply stood by and watched.
Sensing the monster had been defeated, villagers slowly came out and began cleaning the streets.
At the herb shop, the grandfather—who had been anxiously looking outside—broke into a relieved smile.
“You’re safe! I was so worried…”
“Are you okay too, Grandpa?”
“I’m fine. But more importantly…”
His gaze shifted to Rowan.
Rowan smiled and bowed politely.
“Hello, Grandpa. It’s been a long time.”
“Oh my, look who it is! Rowan, isn’t it?”
“Haha, you still remember me. Thank you.”
The grandfather happily grabbed his hands and shook them.
He still didn’t seem to know Rowan was the Emperor.
Then hurried footsteps approached from behind.
“Grandpa, did you hear the news?”
“What news?”
“About the one who killed the monster—he—!”
Rowan slowly turned his head toward the man.
The man who met his gaze froze, then turned pale in shock.
