Beast in the Woods, Deep in the Night - Chapter 27.2

Chapter 27.2

“This is a chimera’s tear. You don’t know that stealing items or information related to chimeras is prohibited?” Decius interrogated in a low voice.

When the jewel he had never seen in his life came out of his pocket, Ein stuttered in confusion.

“What is that… No. I don’t know why I had a chimera’s tear in my pocket.”

Decius had already heard that Ein was leaking information related to the chimeras to some outside source. He was going to wait until there was solid evidence and deal with it, but he couldn’t believe this kind of evidence had emerged.

“Ein, did you go to the chimeras’ hideout today?”

“Th-that’s true. Ah, one of those kids was talking loudly to me. Maybe he put that in my pocket without me noticing it.”

“I need to hear first what you did to the children.”

“…”

Ein’s lips moved, but he couldn’t say anything. The more he tried to explain himself as if he had been caught in a trap set by someone, the more the suspicions towards him deepened.

“Take him away.”

“Mr. Decius!”

Ein was taken away, feeling wronged.

Christine, who was sniffling while she watched the scene, thought his reaction was natural.

‘He must feel wronged. I was the one who put the chimera’s tear in there.’

So why was he picking a fight with the docile chimera children and creating an excuse for me to take advantage of him?

His insincere apology was the second reason why she came to the library.

She wanted to find out Edgar’s identity and how someone other than a chimera was caught in possession of the chimera’s tears would be treated.

After achieving her purpose as intended, she shrugged inwardly and thought, ‘So that’s what happens. I should never get caught.’

Now that she had all the information she wanted, she thought it would be a good idea to start planning how to get out of there. Of course, she had made preparations as an elite guild member.

Christine looked at Decius with a face messed up from crying. A tearful voice was heard.

“Excuse me… Hello. We met briefly last time, right?”

Decius received her greeting.

“Ah, I’m Decius. I work as a secretary for the guild master. You’re Christine, Edgar’s guest, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. But… do I have to undergo a body search as well?” Christine said in a naive voice as if she didn’t know anything.

Normally, it would have been right to thoroughly investigate, including doing a body search, since someone who was not part of the guild had intruded into a place where there were records that Edgar had specifically ordered to be managed.

But Decius couldn’t do that because he noticed whose cloak she was wearing.

‘I never thought I would see a woman wearing Edgar’s clothes with my own eyes. It’s something unbelievable.’

It didn’t mean that Edgar was obsessed with his things and wouldn’t lend them to anyone.

Decius had just thought that no one, old or young, would dare to borrow anything from him. Most of them were people who couldn’t even speak properly in front of him, so how could they borrow anything?

Moreover, Edgar had never had a woman close to him because he had no interest in having an heir.

When he reached that point in his thoughts, he felt even more impressed with Christine for borrowing Edgar’s things.

“There will be no body search.”

As long as what she was wearing was Edgar’s cloak, Decius could not treat her carelessly.

Moreover, as someone who had studied Grand Duke Richard’s abilities for a long time, he knew how attentive they were to their imprinted companion. He did not know whether the woman in front of him was imprinted or not, but he needed to give her special treatment just because she was the first woman he had ever brought in.

There was no way Edgar wouldn’t know if Christine was planning something. Considering the Richards’ deep possessiveness toward their companion, he had even less right to interfere with her actions.

“You must be startled, but let’s go back for now. I’ll guide you.”

“Oh my, thank you.”

Christine left the library tightly fastening Edgar’s cloak, which she had brought for this purpose.

***

At a similar time, Edgar was feeling emptiness for the first time in his life.

Emptiness. It was an unfamiliar expression to him who had never lacked anything since birth, and it took him several hours to define the unsatisfactory feeling he was feeling as ’emptiness’.

He began to calmly reflect on why he had become this way.