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“I’m not sure what you mean, but….”

[How did you get here? Who brought you here? Apsaras? Happelae?]

These were names I’d never heard before. I asked sincerely, as if I really didn’t understand.

“I’m here to represent the Everdeen of Nirvan.”

At that, the thing that looked so much like Hernan frowned deeply, its face full of irritation.

[That’s not what I’m asking! The body is indeed of this place, but there’s a deeply foreign scent clinging to you.]

The creature suddenly leaned in close to me, sniffing with an odd expression. The way it acted gave off an unsettling vibe, like a bizarre mix between a human and a dog.

It had a human form, but even a fool could tell it wasn’t human.

[Hmm…. I’d like to split open your heart to see how what’s inside ended up here.]

As it extended its long, sharp claws and slashed through the air, I felt a shiver run down my spine. And when I collapsed to the floor again, it wrinkled its nose and scoffed.

[Tch. That guy must be interfering because he thinks I’ll torment you. Fine, I’ll let you go for now.]

With a tone that suggested it was doing me a favor, I woke up with a splitting headache.

“Ugh….”

Was it because I overslept and didn’t wake up in time this morning?

My head felt groggy, as if it had been stirred around. Still, work had to be done.

There was no time to waste, especially since I needed to quickly wrap up this awkward partnership with the Duke.

As soon as I opened my eyes, a servant knocked softly and entered the room.

“Are you awake, Young Viscount? I am Hawthorn. I’ll be assisting you with your daily needs from now on.”

With the help of the cheerful yet unassuming servant, I quickly washed my face and filled my stomach with a light meal.

The sun was already high in the sky.

Hernan was out inspecting the territory, and the office was finally prepared, creating the perfect environment for me to focus solely on work.

Forget about that strange dream from last night. I was so tired that I must have had a random, fantastical dream (though, in fact, this world is fantasy).

I yawned widely, covering my mouth with my hand as I organized the documents I hadn’t finished reviewing yesterday. Hawthorn entered and brought in some new materials.

“This is a book on the geography and climate of Velon. It may not be directly related to what you’re working on, but I thought it might be useful to reference if you have the time.”

He looked about eighteen, probably around a high school junior or senior in Korean age.

Now that my head was clear, I noticed that Hawthorn’s light amber eyes brightened with a smile as our gazes met, and he shyly brushed back his light brown hair.

“Thank you. I’ll be sure to refer to it.”

As I took the book from the boy, I noticed that its leather cover was embossed with a silver dragon. A silver dragon…

Could it be the guardian deity of Velon?

The thought was a natural reflex, but it immediately brought to mind the events of my dream.

No way, right? I tried to dismiss the strange sense of déjà vu and asked Hawthorn,

“Do you happen to know what Apsaras and Happelae are?”

The boy’s light amber eyes widened in surprise.

“Do you know those names, Young Viscount?”

What’s the big deal? I still didn’t know what was going on, so I responded vaguely.

“Oh… I think I might have overheard the servants talking about them on the way.”

The boy’s face fell into a slight frown again. Whatever it was, it seemed I hadn’t given the reaction he was expecting.

“I see. Then you probably heard the names of places. Apsaras and Happelae are major cities in the north.”

City names? But the way they were referred to made them sound like people’s names….

My face must have still shown confusion, as the boy laughed cheerfully and added an explanation.

“Apsaras and Happelae are the names of the second and sixth dragons among the twelve dragons of the Beginning. You know that Velon used to be a kingdom before it was integrated into the Empire, right? The details are in the book I just gave you, so you might want to check it out.”

Hawthorn left after offering this short piece of advice, and I obediently began reading the book he recommended.

The book, which covered the general geography and history of Velon, was incredibly thick, but the sections on the individual regions and the time when Velon was a kingdom weren’t that long.

The part about the twelve dragons of the Beginning was condensed into almost a single page.

Long ago, twelve dragons awoke from the primordial ice. Each found a land to rule and created creatures in their own image. T

he dragons established their own cities, and the twelve cities of the Beginning seemed to prosper, but eventually, due to the greed of their creatures, they fell, giving way to the current age of humans.

‘It sounds like a typical founding myth….’

Though they were called the dragons of the Beginning, from a modern perspective, it’s like how the Dangun myth describes Ungnyeo as the bear tribe and Hwanung as the tribe that worshipped the heavens, whose union gave rise to the founding myth of Korea.

This also seemed like a myth where different regions revered different sacred animals, and those tribes came together to form the kingdom of Velon.

‘If not for that strange dream….’

I was particularly bothered by the resemblance of the Guardian God of the Twelve Dragons, Yudenet, who was described as a massive dragon with amber eyes and silver scales that could block out the sky with one wing, to the strange girl—or boy—in my dream.

Was Hernan some sort of descendant of Yudenet? Given that he used a dragon’s name as his surname, that seemed like the most plausible explanation from a mythological standpoint.

Why did I have such a strange dream?

As I was mulling this over, Hawthorn returned to the office to bring me more documents, and I suddenly remembered something I had forgotten.

“There’s… one thing I’d like to ask about the Duke.”

If I didn’t feel guilty about seeing his exhausted face yesterday, I’d be no better than a beast.

I knew it was just for my own peace of mind, but I secretly hoped that the Duke was just a regular drunk who drained bottles daily as part of his routine.

“Yes, what is it?”

As Hawthorn’s innocent face beamed at me, I felt a sharp, prickling sensation in my heart.

“Is the Duke usually a heavy drinker?”

My abrupt question made Hawthorn tilt his head in thought for a moment before answering,

“I wouldn’t say he particularly enjoys drinking. The Yudenet family receives fewer tributes than other cities, and most of what they do collect is sent to the capital. The Duke drinks less than five bottles a year at the estate.”

Ugh… So, in other words, the Duke downing several bottles a day like that isn’t normal. I nodded, feeling my heart grow heavier.

“I see, thank you.”

With an even heavier heart, I started reviewing the tax records, but my eyes were sore.

When I took off my glasses and pressed my eyelids, Hawthorn tactfully brightened the lights, but it didn’t help at all.

This was fatigue born from psychological stress. An undefined sense of anxiety gnawed at me, starting from my toes.

This was not a good sign.

Like many others, when I was anxious, I often made mistakes I wouldn’t normally make.

‘Stop overthinking and get a grip. He’s trying to pull himself together without saying anything to me, so what good would it do if I meddled?’

Snap, snap, I slapped my cheeks as I temporarily set two locations as candidates for the survey.

By the time I finished, it was already late at night.

I had eaten the meals Hawthorn had brought, so I wasn’t hungry, but from sitting and working all day, I felt like I hadn’t digested properly.

‘Maybe I should take a walk?’

The castle of Yudenet was located in a very cold region buried deep in the snowy mountains.

However, the entire castle was protected by warming magic, so it wasn’t too cold inside, even if one wandered through the garden.

The journey here had been freezing, though.

Anyway, walking to aid digestion was manageable.

I stretched up towards the ceiling and got out of bed.

And at that moment, I heard a familiar yet faint sound of footsteps from beyond the corridor.

“This little rascal!”

As I flung open the door, I saw the squirrel that had stolen my fruit yesterday, clinging to a pillar and shaking its short, fluffy tail as if to tease me.

“You must have bitten me yesterday!”

Determined to make the squirrel run around the entire castle again today, it scampered and leapt down the hall towards the entrance.

Although there was little I could do to catch it, I was resolved to at least pat it and dry it off once.

Stepping outside after the squirrel, I saw the snow-covered ice garden through the walkway. But that wasn’t what was important right now.

(TL: Ungnyeo (웅녀) is a character from Korean mythology. In Korean folklore, Ungnyeo is a female bear who, after living in a cave for 21 days while eating only garlic and mugwort, transforms into a woman. She then marries the god Hwanung and gives birth to Dangun, the founder of Gojoseon, the first Korean kingdom. The story of Ungnyeo is part of the Dangun myth, which is a significant legend in Korean culture.
Hwanung (환웅) is a deity in Korean mythology, particularly in the Dangun legend. According to the myth, Hwanung is the son of the Heavenly King Hwanin (환인) and descends to earth to live among humans. He descends to a sacred mountain, where he meets and marries Ungnyeo, a bear-turned-woman. Their union results in the birth of Dangun Wanggeom, who is said to be the founder of Gojoseon, the first Korean kingdom. Hwanung is often associated with the establishment of human civilization and the bringing of laws, culture, and agriculture to the world.)

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