The Butterfly That Swallowed the Fog
Tilia continued speaking to her father with calm composure. “From what I’ve heard in the investigation, there’s never been any gold mined in that mine or anywhere nearby. No matter how I think about it, that investment… it’s one of those new scams everyone’s talking about these days.”
She was about to continue listing the evidence she had prepared when—
Whisk, something brushed past her hair and shot away. At the exact same moment, a sharp crack echoed from behind her back, as if solid glass had shattered.
“……”
Tilia slowly turned her head and looked back.
Below the spot on the wall where something had struck, a crystal ashtray lay scattered in pieces.
“Tilia.”
The man who had thrown the ashtray at her, his father, called out to his daughter in a soft, gentle voice.
“Are you still meeting Judy Wells tomorrow?”
Tilia fell silent for a moment at her father’s warning tone, then answered slowly. “Yes, Father. I am.”
***
This house was ruined.
The moment she stepped into her room at the top of the mansion, the first thought that crossed Tilia’s mind was that.
There was no future here.
Tilia walked quickly and dropped into the chair at her desk. She then searched the bookshelf and pulled out the thickest book tucked deepest inside, opening it.
Just in case someone gives me the opportunity to help, at least I’ll get one thing out of it.
Her father had wasted the family’s money like it was pouring down a sewer all his life. The same would be true for the rest of her life.
So she had to leave this house before she was dragged down with it.
Tilia’s expression grew grave as she opened the thick book to the middle.
Inside the pages, hidden from view, was a hiring notice from the Foreign Ministry.
Specifically, the recruitment announcement for the second secretary position at Ontaroth.
Tilia felt her heart race as she studied the announcement carefully, memorizing every line.
Exams would be held every November. The process was outlined in detail.
First stage: written test related to diplomacy.
Second stage: interview conducted entirely in the Ontaroth language.
And at the very end, the points that would give her an advantage were clearly stated…
Graduates or students about to graduate from the Archasis Royal Academy.
Tilia stared at those words as if engraving them into her eyes. She glanced warily toward the door, as though someone might steal her advantage, then carefully closed the book and returned it to the shelf.
There was only one reason Tilia had chosen the diplomatic position among all the tracks—its requirement for overseas service.
Ontaroth was the country with the highest passport status on the western continent.
She planned to live a real life there.
‘Yes… a real life.’
Tilia’s gaze changed as she recalled her own thoughts.
‘There’s no time to waste.’
Smack, she lightly slapped her own cheek. She turned and pulled an old book from the nearest shelf, opening it.
It was, as expected, a self-study conversational guide for the Ontaroth language.
***
At noon under the bright sunlight, the commercial district of Archasis was alive with vibrant voices.
Yet a few blocks away, at the edge of the new residential area, the old bookstore stood quiet and empty.
Tilia savored the peace as she slowly browsed the foreign-language sections.
The scholarship stipend from the academy was modest.
But it was only generous by the standards of other nobles—enough for her to buy a few books during the holidays if she saved carefully.
‘I’ve already memorized all the examples in the book I have now, so I want to study something new.’
Tilia carefully scanned the old spines, looking for something worth buying.
It was fortunate that the store had a dedicated section for Ontaroth learning books, but the books were all ancient, which posed a problem.
‘No, before that, I need to practice speaking for the interview…’
Tilia sighed as she climbed the little ladder to reach the top shelf for a decent book.
The second stage of the Ontaroth interview carried forty percent weight. Even if she scored perfectly on the written test, one big mistake in the interview would make recovery impossible.
Is there no one here who speaks Ontaroth well?
Just as Tilia was about to take the book she’d deemed usable, with a loud bang the shop door slammed open and urgent footsteps echoed through the narrow space.
Those hurried footsteps rushed past the display tables and straight toward the corner where Tilia stood.
They stopped right beside her, as if the person had been following her.
The entire scene happened in the blink of an eye.
Tilia watched with wide eyes as a strong, neatly structured hand snatched the book she had been reaching for.
p>‘What? My book.’
Realizing too late, Tilia turned her head with a displeased look.
But the moment she did, she blinked in confusion once more.
It was Elex Davenport.
The man she had thought she would never see again was right in front of her, spreading open the very book she had been reaching for.
The old bookstore was packed floor-to-ceiling with books, leaving only the minimum space between shelves. Even more books were piled on the floor.
Surrounded by books on all sides, Tilia stared at the man who should have looked completely out of place.
His chest was still heaving slightly, as though he had run here in a hurry. Every time he breathed in and out, the thin shirt brushed against his firm chest.
Her gaze had lingered on the long, elegant line of his eyebrows, the smooth bridge of his nose, and the strong jawline. Only now, as the pages of the book rustled, did she snap back to reality.
She finally registered how dangerously close he was.
Feeling her heart race faster just because he was near, she tried to take a step back.
But Elex’s head turned toward her.
Tilia met his gaze with eyes full of caution and suspicion.
Yet in those grey-blue eyes, the deception she had expected to see was nowhere to be found.
They widened in surprise, narrowed in confusion, then narrowed again until they fixed directly on her.
She felt as though she had seen something she shouldn’t have in those eyes that sparkled with something she couldn’t name.
At that exact moment, a warning bell rang in her head to look away.
Disorderly voices flooded in from the busy street outside, invading the quiet shop.
Tilia’s attention snapped to the commotion.
‘What is it?’
She was about to peek around the bookshelf when a shadow fell over her head, as if an umbrella had been placed there.
She looked up in surprise and saw Elex leaning over her, his face unmistakably that of a Davenport.
The shadow he cast was like the shade of a tree.
Behind him, his light grey-blue eyes were like a star hidden behind clouds, looking down at her.
Only she existed inside his gaze.
p>‘Even now, with the tension still lingering at the corner of his lips, I’m the only one he’s looking at.’
For a split second, a sense of crisis disguised as displeasure brushed past her back.
‘What are you doing?’
She was just about to shove him away when a rough voice commanded from outside the shop.
“Don’t let him get far! Find him now! If we capture him immediately and drag him back to the palace, we’ll be on time for…”
Elex’s brows furrowed in obvious agitation.
‘……Wait.’
Tilia’s eyes narrowed, capturing the situation at once.
The knight’s order to search for the fugitive, even though he sounded panicked, yet still addressed him with honorifics.
And…
Elex Davenport’s face, which he clearly wanted to hide.
Quickly understanding the situation, Tilia smirked and lifted one corner of her mouth as if mocking the absurdity.
‘So that’s what this was about.’
Her Highness has come out to play tag.
Tilia had no intention of playing along with the young master’s game. She raised her hand, as if to signal that the person they were desperately looking for was right here.
Before she could finish, Elex quickly grabbed her wrist and whispered into her ear.
“Ten gold.”
Even through the light sleeve of her white blouse, Tilia could feel the heat radiating from his hand—unnaturally hot.
“If you hide me for a while, I’ll give you ten gold.”
At those words, Tilia’s eyebrows shot upward.
Ten gold was enough to buy more than fifty brand-new books, not the worn-out volumes in this dusty old shop.
But she didn’t need fifty books. And besides, she would never accept anything from Elex Davenport.
Even if he was the one giving the innocent-looking expression as he was dragged away by the knights.
She pulled her hand free from his without a trace of reluctance and was about to call out to the knights when he spoke again, voice low and urgent.
“No… what if I promise not to say a word to anyone?”
He tugged her thin wrist back toward him, whispering desperately.
“Then I won’t tell anyone about that time.”
She understood exactly what he meant, even without proper context.
Between the narrow shelves and the books, with his hand still gripping her wrist, Tilia stared at the man looming over her with a fierce, predatory gaze.