After thinking for a while, I smiled.

"Actually, it's because I want to know if we win or lose. Go and watch the match and tell me a little bit about how it went and who won."

It was only then that the two of them rejoiced.

The two ladies quickly left with the younger maids. Even though I was not certain, it would take a few hours for them to get back.

Then, I hurriedly asked Cisen.

"Is the temple's paladin still in the separate palace?"

She nodded her head with a complicated expression at my question.

"That's right."

"Don't make that face."

Surprised by my words, Cisen touched her cheeks.

"It'll be fine. I trust you."

Her eyes hardened a little at the word of 'trust.' I nodded my head slightly and pulled Cisen's shawl over to hide the color of my hair.

And so, I quickly left the Empress's palace.

As expected, the Palace was as quiet as a dead mouse.

All those who could freely walk around the palace would have gone to see the friendly match. It was because the people of Actilus were the ones who were unable to use their four limbs when it came to fighting*.

[ T/N: It's an idiom which means, 'To be fascinated by or attracted to something and lose one's senses.' ]

Meanwhile, the commoner servants who were not qualified to visit the sparring because of the aristocratic circles could only go through the secret passages allowed by them, so no one was worried about me going outside.

I headed to the separate palace used by the paladins of the Temple of Tunia as their lodgings.

After a while, I got close and hid behind the bushes.

It seemed that the paladins were leaving the palace and getting farther away, so I waited a little longer. After about ten minutes, Eden appeared in simple clothes. He glanced around and teased his feet. As Cisen had predicted, he was heading to the library.

I followed him in a hurry.

After chasing him, almost as if running, the distance between us finally narrowed. When I reached the distance that I could talk without raising my voice, I called out to him.

"There aren't many books that are available for visitors."

He stopped his steps.

At the same time, sweat seeped into my palms, and I gripped Cisen's shawl as I added.

"...I don't know what you're looking for, but you probably won't find it."

Eden turned around.

Deep dark eyes gazed down at me. While he seemed a little startled, he soon calmed down.

"I don't want anything. I'm just going to look around."

"Do you like books?"

"It's kind of like that."

A polite and gentle way of speaking with a well-groomed voice. I would have been surprised if someone jumped out of nowhere without going to see the friendly match. However, he was quite calm.

Rather, it was me who was not calm.

It was because he was taller than I thought and had a cool impression when I saw him up close.

Above all, I was going to sound crazy at him from now on. Of course, I would not want to be considered a real crazy woman, so I would take a detour as much as possible, in a direction where I could get away with it in case of an emergency.

Glup.

Dry saliva passed my throat.

"Tell me what your name is."

He politely bowed his head.

"Eden. I'm Eden. Because I dedicated my body and mind to the God Tunia, so there is no earthly surname."

Yes, the name of Eden was also given as a gift from the world.

My heart was beating to the point of pain now.

"Any other name?"

I asked, holding back my excitement and tension as much as I could. Meanwhile, Eden responded without a sign of displeasure.

"No. I've vowed to become a paladin and burn down all existing enemies—even my parents who gave birth to me are now strangers to me."

...Yes, it is definitely strange.

If it was Eden in the original novel, he should have given a bad tantrum when asked about the name of the world. No matter how much it was in front of the empress of a foreign country. It was because he was such a person as he devoted his whole body and mind to the God Tunia and his doctrine.

"I'm not asking you that."

My voice finally trembled.

At my sudden polite tone, Eden's calm expression finally collapsed a little. He looked down at me with a slight frown. While it was a very slight change in expression, the tension was felt up to this point.

The sweat from my hands made Cisen's shawl slightly damp.

"You have a name other than the name given to you by the one who gave birth to that body, other than the name that the God Tunia had given to you. Isn't that right?"

Eden was silent for a moment.

I gave strength to my voice and persisted.

"Can you say there's no such thing? If you really don't have one, I'll walk away from here."

The blistering summer sunlight pouring down the top of my head was stinging. As I stood still, I felt dizzy, as if I had motion sickness. I chewed my lips with my front teeth, waiting for his answer.

Soon, his lips were parted.

"...It's Cha Soo-hyun."

Ah, I knew this would happen...

Even though I had already guessed it, my whole body became numb. I gazed up at him, not knowing whether to be afraid or relieved.

I am sure he feels the same way.