The Loyalist is the Abandoned Princess - Chapter 8

Scorpio Annex.

It had been a week since I arrived at the Scorpio Annex.

My days here were simple and repetitive.

Walks, meals, and reading—that was all.

Walks to build basic stamina, meals to replenish nutrients, and reading to understand what had happened since my death.

It felt like I was in a long, seemingly endless rehabilitation.

My stamina was at rock bottom, my health was the worst it had ever been after years of heavy drinking, and my general knowledge was below average.

‘Looks like this life won’t be easy either.’

It was one of those ordinary days—after sweating through a walk and finishing a bath—that I headed to the royal library with Catherine.

Today, I planned to delve into history books to improve my education.

I turned to Catherine, who was humming a tune next to me, and asked casually, “Catherine, what book are you borrowing today?”

Catherine’s voice was filled with excitement as she replied, “The next volume of Sir Gilliard’s novel has arrived, so I’m going to borrow that.”

Sir Gilliard was someone even ‘Agnes’ knew.

He was a famous pen name of a romance novel writer, and whenever his new book came out, all the ladies of the capital locked themselves in their rooms to read it.

It seemed ‘Agnes’ liked his work quite a lot too.

As for me, I preferred war or history books over novels.

“Is that kind of thing fun?”

“You should try reading it too, Your Highness. Sir Gilliard is a gift from the heavens to the Mern Empire.”

“Alright, I’ll give it a try if I have time.”

Maybe it was because we had been going to the library together for a week, but my relationship with Catherine wasn’t too bad.

She was a much simpler person than I had expected.

If she liked something, she showed it, and if she disliked something, that was clear too.

Perhaps it was because of that straightforward personality that she had been sent to this place, but for me, it was actually a blessing.

‘I’d rather deal with someone like Catherine, who shows her emotions openly, than someone like Kayneth, whose thoughts are impossible to read.’

While we were talking, the carriage quickly arrived at the library.

The imperial library had the largest collection of books in the Mern Empire.

As soon as the heavy door opened, the smell of ink and paper filled the air.

Inside, the only sounds were of pages turning and people whispering softly.

No one paid any attention to us as we walked in.

Thanks to that, I could leisurely stroll through the library and pick out the books I wanted.

Catherine, who had followed me in, dashed off to the novels section to borrow Sir Gilliard’s new release, her small figure bustling about.

Before I knew it, I had arrived at the section filled with history books.

“……”

I ran my fingertips along the spines of the books, moving forward until I came to a stop in front of one.

[Leonardt Herzog: The Ender of Chaos]

Seeing my name made my heart sink.

‘I shouldn’t be surprised.’

After all, my name was always mentioned in history books.

Though it felt awkward to say it myself, the evaluations of me by future generations were quite generous.

The Ender of Wars, Advisor to Three Emperors, The Unyielding Loyalist—all sorts of grand and embarrassing titles were attached to my name.

Usually, I consciously avoided books or passages about myself, skimming over them, but for some reason, I felt curious today.

“…It won’t hurt to skim through it.”

After hesitating in front of the bookshelf for a while, I eventually reached out and slipped my fingers between the spines.

Just as I was about to pull the book out, a long shadow fell across me.

The sudden dimming of my sight made me turn my head, and I found someone blocking the library lights—Caspian.

He stood next to me, arms crossed, wearing a blank expression.

I remembered the harsh words he’d thrown at me right after the divorce signing, and my body stiffened instinctively.

Would he think I was being leisurely, reading books on the brink of divorce?

But it was too late to regret now, so I reluctantly greeted him.

“…Hello, Your Highness.”

The man’s blue eyes slowly swept over me, from head to toe.

The sharp gaze made goosebumps rise on my skin.

***

Standing there like a towering watchtower, Caspian remained silent for a long time.

Just when his steady gaze was starting to make me uncomfortable, he tugged at the corner of his mouth in a faint smile.

The shock was only momentary—I quickly realized he was just being polite.

Though his lips curved, his eyes were still cold.

Caspian greeted me in a flat, indifferent voice. “Agnes, it’s truly a pleasure to meet you here. I’m glad to see you are doing well.”

At first, I thought I misheard him. After all, hadn’t he thrown all sorts of insults at me during the signing?

But on second thought, his reaction wasn’t all that strange.

‘He always was like that.’

Recalling Agnes’s memories of Caspian, I understood.

Caspian was a cold and hypocritical man—a man who always kept an invisible boundary.

He treated Agnes with polite courtesy in front of others, but when they were alone, he couldn’t be colder.

Perhaps it was Caspian’s fault that Agnes became so obsessed with Parsifal.

Parsifal had at least truly hated her, while Caspian was indifferent even in his hatred.

Even now, it was because people were around that he spoke like this. If we had been alone, he would have ignored me outright.

After exchanging greetings, an awkward silence settled between us.

I wondered if I should move aside first, when suddenly, the man pointed at my arm, smiling again.

“That book.”

“…Yes?”

“I had reserved that book.”

“Ah.”

The tension drained from me, leaving me feeling foolish.

I handed the book over to him without hesitation.

Caspian took it in his steady hands and immediately began flipping through the pages. His eyes showed a rare glimmer of emotion—as if he were looking at an old friend.

“……”

Feeling like I’d witnessed something too personal, I instinctively looked away.

‘Is that book really that interesting?’

Surely, he couldn’t be admiring me from my past life?

The more I overthought, the more I realized that reading today was a lost cause.

He was probably just interested in history.

The best course of action was to leave before I made a mistake.

Pretending to be meek, I whispered, “Then, I’ll head back to the annex now.”

“……”

Caspian, who had been absorbed in the book, looked up at me.

For a moment, it seemed like he had forgotten I was even there. A hint of annoyance crossed his handsome face.

But it disappeared quickly. He nodded curtly, barely acknowledging me.

“…Take care.”

His voice lacked any warmth—the tone one might use with a stranger.

Seeing Caspian being so meticulously polite, I felt a sense of relief.

‘At least he didn’t outright insult or humiliate me.’

I quickly moved away, pretending to search for Catherine.

As I headed toward the novels section, my neck itched as if someone were staring at me. Probably just my imagination.

“Catherine?”

“Your Highness, the new novel hasn’t arrived yet… Oh.”

Catherine covered her mouth with one hand, glancing over my shoulder.

It must have been Caspian.

I whispered to her, “Let’s go back.”

“But—”

“There’s no need to fuss.”

“…Yes.”

I pulled along Catherine, who wore a regretful expression, and left the library.

Even as we passed through the heavy door and exited, I could still feel a gaze boring into my back.