An Unlikely Anchor

Beatrix Eisen appeared in the classroom promptly that afternoon.

She had changed into a clean uniform, the strong scent of sweat on her body now replaced by a faint, pleasant fragrance of soap.

Her hands, which usually trembled slightly from over-training, rested steadily on the desk.

What pleased me most was her gaze.

It was no longer the wild, untamed look of someone ready to pounce and bite, nor the bewildered panic of before.

When our eyes briefly met, she simply bowed her head to me, quietly and deeply.

It was a settled silence, like a sheathed blade.

It seemed the manuscript and the potion had worked; this lone wolf had finally learned the meaning of restraint and balance.

Excellent. With the surrounding troubles temporarily quelled, I could finally return to my true calling.

The moment the dismissal bell rang, I swiftly packed my bag.

Without even acknowledging the noble young ladies who tried to approach me, I headed directly for the library.

The library was even more deserted today than yesterday.

Perhaps it was the rumors of Alexis von Lumiere’s pale-faced escape last night, coupled with the magical pressure I unintentionally created for comfortable reading.

Now, among the students, the library had transformed into…

A forbidden land, cursed by the Night Witch.

It was said that anyone who dared to set foot on the third floor would experience difficulty breathing, their soul feeling as if gripped by an invisible hand.

I was deeply gratified by this development.

Such a free security system was truly a godsend for the socially anxious.

I made my way to the secluded corner on the third floor, a path I now knew well, and once again released the chaotic magic within me.

Dark, shadowy mist flowed like mercury, quickly covering the entire corner, isolating the surrounding bookshelves, the carpet, and all external noise.

I slipped off my shoes, stretched my body, and prepared to open The Book of the Nameless to continue the research I had left unfinished last night.

Suddenly, my movements halted.

My senses, abnormally sensitive to magical currents, told me…

Someone had intruded.

However, unlike the reckless and impolite prince from last night, this intruder was different.

This time, the trespasser moved cautiously, fearfully, yet with an unwavering resolve, as if they would press on even if a thousand stood against them.

It was a warm and pure light-attributed magic, originally quite out of place in this realm of darkness.

I sighed, closed my book, and peered through the layers of black mist towards the entrance.

“…Come out.”

After a rustle of fabric, a petite figure emerged from the shadows of the bookshelves.

Ella Smith.

She clutched ‘Orlando’s Ancestral Travelogue’, the book I had lent her, her face pale and fine beads of sweat trickling down her forehead.

Clearly, for someone with light-attributed magic, stepping into this area saturated with high-concentration dark magical pressure was a tremendous physical burden.

“M-Miss Eckhart…”

Her voice trembled slightly, but her emerald eyes glowed brightly in the darkness, fixed intently on me.

“What are you doing here?”

I pushed up my glasses, my tone tinged with helplessness.

“Do you also wish to experience the sensation of difficulty breathing? Or have you finished the book?”

“No, it’s not that!”

Ella quickly shook her head, taking a deep breath as if trying to adjust to the air here.

“I heard… I heard there have been some strange rumors recently. And… I also heard about His Highness the Prince last night.”

She took a small step forward, even though the movement made her legs feel weak.

“I was very worried about you! Although I know you are very powerful… but staying alone in such a dark, oppressive place… I thought, at least…”

Her voice grew softer and softer, eventually becoming barely more than a whisper.

“At least, I wanted to be by your side.”

I paused.

By my side?

In this chaotic domain where even Alexis von Lumiere, with his royal blood, couldn’t last five minutes?

I looked at her face, slightly pale from the magical pressure, and her eyes, filled with unwavering determination.

What a fool.

“This place isn’t suitable for you.”

I stated coldly.

“Your light magic is repelling this environment. If you stay too long, you’ll become dizzy, nauseous, or even faint.”

“I’m not afraid!”

Ella immediately retorted, even taking another step forward, directly entering the densest edge of the black mist.

“And… and I don’t feel uncomfortable here!”

She lifted her head, her eyes revealing not pain, but a strange, almost intoxicated fascination.

“This feeling… though it’s heavy, and profound, still…”

She extended a hand, as if to touch the flowing black mist in the air.

“But this is Lady Lilliana’s magic… it’s your essence.”

“To be enveloped by such an essence… I feel… very safe.”

‘Safe?’

‘To feel safe while enveloped by a power that symbolizes consumption and destruction?’

‘Is the female protagonist’s sensory nervous system short-circuiting somewhere?’

Nevertheless, since she had said as much…

I couldn’t be bothered to send her away again.

After all, dismissing someone required effort.

And if she were to fall on her way downstairs due to weak legs, I would be the one troubled in the end.

“…Do as you please.”

I settled back onto the carpet, opened my book, and averted my gaze from her.

“Stay if you wish. But no noise, and no disturbing my reading.”

Granted permission, Ella’s eyes instantly lit up like two hundred-watt bulbs.

“Yes! I’ll be as quiet as air!”

She carefully, almost reverently, stepped into the center of my domain.

What I hadn’t expected, however, was that she didn’t find a chair to sit on, nor did she keep her distance from me.

She chose to…

Kneel beside me, less than half a meter away.

This proximity had invaded my personal space.

Yet, I felt no discomfort.

Perhaps it was because her light-attributed magic, in this cold darkness, acted like a small, warm stove, neutralizing the excessive stillness.

We sat there quietly.

I was reading, and she was… watching me.

I could distinctly feel her gaze.

That gaze wasn’t aggressive like Elinor von Windermere’s, nor did it carry the heavy reverence of Beatrix Eisen’s.

Ella’s gaze was moist and tentative.

As time passed, the high-concentration chaotic magic around us began to gradually permeate her body.

For a light-attributed constitution, this should have been an erosion.

But Ella’s reaction was peculiar.

Her breathing became somewhat rapid, and an abnormal flush spread across her previously pale cheeks.

Her fingers, clasped around her knees, trembled slightly, and occasionally, a tiny, suppressed gasp escaped her lips, like someone drowning longing for air.

“…If you’re uncomfortable, go outside.”

I turned a page, reminding her without lifting my head.

“No… I’m not uncomfortable…”

Ella’s voice was terribly hoarse, with a sweet, nasal undertone.

“It’s just… I feel… warm… inside…”

She stole a glance at me.

From her perspective, Lady Lilliana at this moment was breathtakingly beautiful.

Her dark hair blended with the surrounding black mist, and her pale skin glowed like jade in the faint light.

The cold, domineering magic emanating from Lady Lilliana was seeping through Ella’s pores, intertwining and clashing with her own light magic.

The feeling was as if Lady Lilliana was… embracing her from the inside out.

Even…

Filling her.

This realization brought Ella an unprecedented sense of shame, but even more, a tremor and satisfaction deep within her soul.

She unconsciously shifted closer to me, until the hem of her skirt brushed my knee.

“Lady Lilliana…”

She called out softly.

“What is it now?”

I turned my head, a hint of impatience in my tone.

“Um…”

She bit her lower lip, her wet eyes looking at me like a small animal pleading for a caress.

“The words here… I can’t quite see them clearly. Could I… move a little closer to you? Borrow some of the light from your book…”

‘Borrow light?’

‘The Book of the Nameless in my hand emits black light; how could that illuminate anything?’

But the excuse was so clumsy, so utterly transparent, that I couldn’t bring myself to expose it.

“…Just a tiny bit closer.”

“Yes, yes!”

Ella immediately wriggled closer like a caterpillar.

This time, her shoulder was practically touching my arm.

“…!”

In that instant, I felt an astonishing heat.

Her body temperature was alarmingly high, and she exuded a pleasant scent, like vanilla after being sun-drenched.

And beneath that scent, there seemed to be a subtle hint of…

Faint sweat, secreted from excessive excitement.

In this cold, dark domain, she was like a burning heart, pulsating fiercely beside the vessel that was Lilliana.

I didn’t push her away.

Because I was surprised to discover that with her by my side…

The spiritual chill and loneliness I usually felt while reading The Book of the Nameless had… significantly lessened.

‘Is this an anchor point?’

‘Using another’s body heat to neutralize the cold of chaos.’

I lowered my head and continued reading.

Ella, meanwhile, rested her chin gently on her knees, turning her face to gaze adoringly at my fingertips as I turned the pages.

In the deserted depths of this library, within this darkness that struck fear into ordinary people.

The villainess and the saintess sat shoulder to shoulder, sharing this… peculiar yet strangely intimate tranquility.

But what I didn’t know was…

Beneath Ella’s seemingly docile exterior, a seed of possessiveness was wildly taking root and sprouting, nourished by the darkness of this place.

‘Only I…’

Ella thought silently, her eyes gradually becoming hazy.

‘Only I can stay in this place.’

‘Only I can withstand Lady’s magic.’

‘Only I… can be this close to her.’

‘Even the Prince…’

‘Even that knight…’

‘I will absolutely, absolutely not give them up.’