Dear Contract Husband, I Didn't Know You Were Like This? - Chapter 98
Maya had accepted greetings from people she didn’t care for out of politeness, but now she was worried that her sudden disappearance would spark negative rumors.
‘I’ll have to check with Doshen later.’
As Maya mentally reviewed her tasks, she stared at the gemstone still tightly held in her hand. It was a dazzling gem, resembling a ruby.
‘What is this?’
Could it be something from the monster’s corpse?
Since it was late, she decided to store it safely and show it to Tristan the next day. If necessary, she would also consult Kendrick.
[You did really well today. The strength of House Bayarden was put to good use.]
As the surroundings grew quiet, White Dragon emerged and chattered beside Maya.
[I do feel like my consciousness grows stronger each time we defeat a powerful monster.]
“Did anything else come to mind?”
[Hmm, just that the Demon King had four beloved subordinates.]
This was new information as well.
[Subordinates with power that no ordinary person could defeat.]
“…Was the white snake one of them?”
[Yes.]
Maya let out a small laugh at the casual response.
“And the wolf we met today too?”
[Probably? The rest is too vague to remember. It came to mind when I killed the wolf.]
It was clear that as Maya’s strength grew from defeating the Demon King’s monsters, White Dragon’s memories were also returning. Unfortunately, this was all White Dragon could recall for now, but it was still valuable information.
Across both her past and current lives, Maya had now identified three of the Demon King’s most cherished subordinates among the monsters she had faced.
The white snake that had slumbered for a long time in the northern mountains.
The wolf that appeared in the southern capital, at the imperial palace.
And the blue butterfly illusion monster in the west that had killed Kendrick.
The white snake had been the easiest to deal with, and the wolf would have taken more time if it hadn’t suddenly surrendered.
Maya expected the illusion monster, which she would likely face next, to be just as difficult.
As she contemplated the locations where these monsters appeared, a thought struck her.
‘If you reverse north, south, east, and west….’
The white snake had appeared in the north, and then the wolf appeared in the south. If the butterfly appeared in the south in her past life, does that mean the next monster will appear in the east?
‘I don’t know anything about an eastern monster.’
It was unfortunate that, during the rebellion, she had died without learning the identity of the fourth monster.
“It’s just speculation, but…”
Her prediction was based on patterns from her past experiences, so it was likely correct.
‘Why did this gemstone appear…?’
As she moved forward, the path would likely become clearer.
After storing the gemstone carefully, Maya finished her bath.
***
After the commotion was settled, the banquet fizzled out without much fanfare.
The imperial knights, who had shown up late and drunk, were severely punished for their failure. Of course, Graham, who had aligned himself well with Reserfield, was spared.
Reserfield recalled what Serene Baker had told him earlier.
‘Supposedly, a man with black hair defeated the wolf and then disappeared.’
Indeed, Serene Baker was the queen of high society. She had spoken calmly and clearly, without showing any fear in front of the sharp-eyed Reserfield.
“Lady Maya couldn’t just let him go, so she chased after him. Thanks to her, I was spared, but I was left here alone. I’m sorry I don’t have more information to offer.”
Was that why it had been more difficult than usual to discern whether she was lying?
‘Is it a lie or the truth?’
Would she dare lie in front of the emperor?
It was possible that Serene Baker was trying to protect Maya Pendragon. But her story also had credibility—there had indeed been an intruder.
‘And they did enter the secret archive.’
The imperial library contained a secret archive accessible to only three families. The imperial family of Ortazen and the two dragon families who had made the greatest contributions to the founding of the empire—House Bayarden and House Pendragon.
However, with House Bayarden remaining in the north and House Pendragon losing their original spirit to vain ambition, the existence of the archive had been forgotten.
In the end, the space, which only imperial bloodlines could access, had become Reserfield’s personal domain, as he was the only one who regularly visited the library.
Later, when Reserfield entered the archive, he realized that one of the ledgers he had stored there was missing.
Who could have taken it?
‘It wasn’t Maya Pendragon.’
According to reports, Maya Pendragon had remained at the banquet the entire time.
‘So, who was it?’
