# Chapter 3
I often wandered the streets torn by civil war under the pretext of volunteer service, but in the end I could not find my master.
Well, if it were that easy to find, Satan wouldn't have made me that offer in the first place.
I returned to the temple every day carrying an empty bread basket, walking tiredly.
As I was returning today, the Grand Priest also happened to be returning from the Imperial Palace, so we gathered together in the prayer hall.
“As of today, the civil war is over. The news will be officially announced soon.”
“Will His Majesty become Emperor?!”
My eyes widened, pretending to be surprised, but inside I exhaled a sigh.
It seems that the first chapter of the novel has officially begun.
“Yes. His Majesty will become Emperor.”
Kay Rayhart.
This man was the youngest prince of the empire. He loved and married a dancer from the Voglish people, and he is the father of the hero of this novel.
He was the lowest heir to the throne, but the nobles chose him as emperor to calm the anger of foreigners, taking advantage of his marriage to a Voglichia.
In the original novel, this emperor sincerely deplores discrimination against foreigners and commoners, and reforms many laws.
“Olivia, His New Majesty is known for his tolerance towards foreigners, so that boy will be showing up soon.”
"Yes! I hope we find him soon!"
I smiled brightly, and everyone looked at me contentedly.
When Kai becomes Emperor, commoners will also be able to work in the palace if they are qualified.
Of course, the more power one has, the easier it is to find people.
“Our High Priest, I have a request.”
"to request?"
“I want... to study!”
I said that with sparkling eyes.
“And I want to work in the Imperial Palace!”
“In the palace?”
“Since His New Majesty is going to launch policies favoring foreigners, that boy might show up too! Maybe he’ll work there as well!”
I flapped my arms with childish enthusiasm, and the high priest smiled and shook his head.
“This reminds me of one of the priests who was the first to graduate from the seminary...”
“…Do you mean Priest Rowan?”
Rowan? Isn't he the temple librarian?
“This girl has a soul born for language.”
I put my hand to my mouth in surprise.
As expected, the High Priest is not wrong with his intuition!
“She is a soul created to spend her life seeking knowledge. So let her study.”
God, this priest really knows how to read fate.
To study for life?!
I furrowed my eyebrows for a moment, but I corrected myself and reorganized my features in front of the priests.
So, a few days later, I was working in the temple library.
There I met Rawan for the first time.
He was the type of person who seemed to spend his life among books.
Thick glasses, a thin body, a back bent from a lot of reading, and pale skin like someone who has not seen the sun for a long time.
“…Are you the girl that the High Priest asked me to teach?”
"Yes!"
“But...how do I teach someone who doesn’t know the letters?”
Oh, what a shame! I, the valedictorian in Korea, don't know how to read here!
I was confident in my language, but I became illiterate in this world!
I hear the words well, but what I see are nothing but crooked lines! What a stupid person!
"I-I'm good at cleaning! And I have strength too!"
I did not want to be expelled on my first day, so I lifted the heavy books that Rawan was arranging, showing off my strength.
“So, Olivia.”
Rawan entrusted me with the task of cleaning the library.
But honestly, there wasn't much to clean, the priests were all very tidy, which gave me enough time to study.
***
“You learn incredibly fast.”
naturally! I have years of study experience!
I held the pen lightly, feeling proud.
Rowan was a kind and knowledgeable priest.
“I thought you would master the Imperial language quickly, but...”
Consider the books you've studied in a month and mutter in admiration.
From the ancient language to the language of Nikita, then the language of the Aryan...
Oh, what fun it is to learn languages!
When the high priest learned of this, he patted my head and then knelt down slightly to meet my gaze.
He has just returned from a tour across the empire repairing what was destroyed by the war.
I wanted to go with him to look for my master, but he said that my small body would not be able to travel, and he refused to take me.
“Were you okay while I was gone?”
"Yes!"
I carefully pushed my blue hair behind my ear and asked hesitantly, “Have you heard anything about that boy?”
“Unfortunately, no. We searched a lot, but we found no trace of him. Maybe not in the empire at all.”
He said that regretfully, and I lowered my gaze.
It seems that finding him won't be so easy after all.
***
When I was ten, I started really moving around the empire.
I used to visit temples and join the priests in serving foreigners, searching everywhere for my master.
But I did not find any stranger with a bullet wound on his hand.
Over time, everything changed.
My little limbs stretched out, and my plump cheeks disappeared.
I was twenty years old.
“Oh my God, Olivia. I’m so proud of you.”
“Oh, Rowan, don’t cry like that.”
I patted him on the shoulder as he snorted as he stared at my acceptance certificate.
“Who would have believed it? That little girl is now the first to graduate, and will work as an administrator in the office of the First Crown Prince!”
This novel was about the first Crown Prince Edmund, born to the alien empress, and the second Crown Prince Lucid, the son of the local xenophobic empress.
They both fall in love with the strange Eclea, the heroine.
Edmund, the protagonist, was a half-blood, so he was tolerant of foreigners and, unlike Lucid, enacted many policies in their favor.
So, maybe someone in his office knows something about my master.
That's why I studied hard to work there, and I finally succeeded.
***
But... where on earth am I now?
“I lost my way...”
What a disaster! My first day and I'm going to be late! It will definitely make a bad impression on me!
The imperial palace was unnecessarily spacious.
I complained as I looked for the road, then I saw a man.
His hair is dark chestnut, his skin is bright white, and his long eyelashes cast a soft shadow on his green eyes like a warm spring.
He was wearing a beige shirt that matched the color of his eyes and smart brown pants.
He does not look like an employee, nor does he look like a soldier, despite his strong build.
But that's okay, the important thing is that he can show me the way.
“Sorry!”
“Who's there?!”
Suddenly, a man jumped from the tree and stood in front of me!
“I-I'm human!”
“Huh!”
The chestnut man laughed and patted the guard who stopped me on the shoulder.
“Look at her dress, she seems to be the new employee.”
Then he looked at me from head to foot, and smiled with half-closed eyes.
“So, what's going on?”
Why is he talking to me like that? Is he a nobleman?
In the temple, caste has no meaning, so I am still not used to this system.
But the presence of a guard next to him indicates that his status is high.
“I am...Olivia, and from today I will be working in the office of the First Crown Prince.”
I bowed politely, as I had been taught.
“Oh, a new employee with an excellent grade then.”
I never liked that slanted look in his eyes.
I thought he would introduce himself in turn, but he had no intention of doing so.
Handsomeness does not correct lack of politeness!
“I apologize, but where can I find the First Crown Prince’s office?”
“Lost your way then?”
He smiled softly and gestured with his hand.
"there."
"Thank you very much!"
Without hesitation, I ran in the direction he pointed, but as soon as I arrived, I discovered that it was the exact opposite direction!
I secretly cursed the handsome, unknown man, and arrived a full hour late for the appointment.
“I-I'm so sorry I'm late!”
My messy hair was a mess from running, and my skin, once soft with makeup, now glistened with sweat.
“I came on time, but... I lost my way, and then someone directed me the wrong way!”
I gasped as I explained, but received no response.
Ah...it seems I really started my work with a bad impression.
"your name."
Only two words, but his voice carried a heavy dread.
Radiant brown skin, deep red eyes—the purer the Voglisch blood, the redder the eyes.
Black hair neatly slicked back, showing off his sharp jaw and rugged features.
Under the solid white shirt, his muscular body clearly moved with every movement.
He was definitely a half-blood, pure Imperials couldn't build a body like that no matter how much they trained.
“Your name. Should I repeat my question?”
I made a deep bow again.