Chapter 16: The Golden-Eyed Beast

At the crack of dawn, Huiyeon summoned Maeng-so and headed for the Royal Library.

Maeng-so had claimed it was a short walk—about the time it takes to drink a single cup of tea—so Huiyeon had boldly declined a palanquin. She realized too late that Maeng-so’s definition of a “tea-length walk” involved the brisk, tireless pace of a young servant. By the time they had walked for nearly an hour, the urge to beg for a rest was thick in her throat.

“Maeng-so…”

She called out, hoping to stop, but the girl interpreted her call differently. She raised a hand, pointing toward a structure in the distance.

“Lady Huiyeon, that two-story building over there is the library.”

Following Maeng-so’s finger, Huiyeon saw a tall building rising above the surrounding low-roofed structures. The sight of her destination gave her leaden legs a sudden burst of strength. I’ll need to build up my stamina if I plan to frequent this place, she thought, quickening her pace.

The Royal Library was as ancient as the history of Hoye. Though aged, the building was meticulously maintained. Most striking were the paintings of tigers on either side of the red double doors. The colors were so vivid they seemed to defy the passage of time. Looking at them, Huiyeon felt a strange sensation—as if a golden tiger might leap from the wood and tear the throat out of anyone who dared enter without permission.

“Lady Huiyeon, I will return to fetch you in four hours,” Maeng-so said.

“You aren’t coming inside with me?” Huiyeon turned to her, puzzled.

The girl who had been so excited to visit the library was now shrinking back. The sparkle in her eyes had faded, replaced by a paleness that bordered on sickly.

“Are you unwell? You look quite pale.”

“No, I am not sick.”

“Then why?”

“I… I just remembered I have an errand to run.”

“Truly?” Huiyeon narrowed her eyes. What could be more important than her duties at the detached palace?

“The truth is, I was given a task when I visited the main palace yesterday, and I completely forgot until now.”

If she had forgotten an errand for the main palace, it stood to reason she would be pale with fright. Huiyeon dismissed her suspicions. Maeng-so was so competent that Huiyeon often forgot she was still just a child. Seeing her so tense with the fear of being scolded made Huiyeon feel pity.

“If anyone scolds you for being late, put the blame on me. They won’t dare speak harshly to a guest.”

“Thank you, Lady Huiyeon. I should be inside attending to you… I am truly sorry.”

Huiyeon waved off the girl’s offer to find a replacement. “There’s no need for that. Go and finish your task. Four hours will be plenty.”

“Are you sure you’ll be alright alone? Or perhaps we should return together tomorrow?” Maeng-so asked, her face still tight with worry.

“The library is off-limits to those without permission; I’ll be fine.”

Besides, she knew she wasn’t truly alone. Her guards were likely hidden nearby, watching her every move. She didn’t fully trust them yet, but she doubted they would try anything inside the King’s own palace. If they were to act, it would be after their deal with Hwang Mu-gyeong was finalized. Until then, they would perform their roles.

With a final nudge from Huiyeon, Maeng-so finally hurried away.

Watching her go, Huiyeon reached for the door handle. A sudden chill traveled from her palm up her spine. She tilted her head in confusion for a moment, then pushed the doors open and stepped inside.

To protect the books from sunlight, the library was kept dim. A few scattered lanterns offered light, but it wasn’t enough to banish the shadows. Huiyeon lit the hand lantern Maeng-so had provided and walked deeper into the hall.

The scent of old paper and thick ink grew stronger with every step. The building was even more immense than it appeared from the outside.

“Is there no librarian?” she whispered.

Even if general cleaning was done by rotating servants, one would expect a scholar or a guard to be stationed here. Yet, despite the sound of her footsteps, no one emerged. The fact that the lanterns were lit suggested someone had been here recently, perhaps just stepping away.

Finding what she needed among tens of thousands of volumes would be impossible without help.

“I suppose I’ll look around on my own first.”

She wandered through the rows, occasionally stopping to pull a book that caught her eye. She found one volume that was bound differently from the rest—its paper texture was strange, and the pages were filled with a script she had never seen before. It likely came from the Western Continent across the sea.

Huiyeon touched the foreign characters. She had always dreamed of traveling the world once she was free. The Western Continent was one of the places she longed to see.

“If I have the chance… I’d like to learn this language. Though it looks difficult.”

She replaced the book and continued her search, but she found nothing regarding the ancient history of Hoye.

“Is it on the second floor?”

She looked up at the staircase. It was swallowed in pitch-black darkness, radiating a heavy, unsettling atmosphere. The thought of climbing those stairs filled her with a sudden, inexplicable dread. Her instincts screamed at her to turn back.

“Don’t be foolish,” she chided herself.

She had no time to waste. Every day without finding the Dragon was a day closer to death. Whether it was through legends, scrolls, or history books, she would find a lead.

Gripping the lantern handle tightly, she began to climb. The ceiling was high, making the stairs steep and grueling. With every step, a formless pressure seemed to grow heavier around her.

Unlike the first floor, the second floor was a void of absolute darkness. Her lantern could only illuminate a single step in front of her. Relying on that small circle of light, she moved cautiously.

Recalling the category plaques she had seen downstairs, she began checking the sides of the bookshelves. Not here… not here either.

Suddenly, her footsteps stopped.

The lantern’s glow fell upon something unexpected.

‘A person?’

There was someone there.

Heart racing, she tilted her light toward the figure slumped against the wall. For a terrifying second, she thought it might be a corpse, but there was no scent of decay or blood. Perhaps someone had collapsed.

She approached cautiously and crouched down, reaching out a hand to check if the man was breathing.

“E-excuse me…”

In that instant, the motionless figure blurred. A hand clamped around her wrist.

Clatter!

The lantern fell to the floor with a loud crash, and the world was plunged into darkness.

It happened in the blink of an eye. When Huiyeon’s senses returned, she realized she was pinned to the floor. The man’s heavy frame was pressing down on her.

“Mph! Mmmmph!”

Her wrists were pinned, and a hand was clamped over her mouth. She struggled, but she couldn’t budge the man an inch. She couldn’t breathe—not because of the hand over her mouth, but because of the sheer, primal terror strangling her throat.

It felt as though she had been caught by a massive predator.

The air around her had turned ice-cold, but the man touching her was colder still. In the absolute darkness, his eyes began to glow—a piercing, molten gold, as if he had swallowed embers.

Huiyeon thought she must be losing her mind. A human’s eyes could not be gold.

Those eyes, which seemed to belong to something altogether unhuman, brought a single name to the forefront of her mind.

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