Javien let his rough hands continue to gently pat Olivia’s shoulder, trying to soothe the girl’s crying until her sobs slowly subsided.

The interior of the cave fell silent again, aided only by the rhythm of the heavy rain that still loyally trapped them inside their own little world.

Olivia wiped the remaining tears from her cheeks with the hem of Javien’s cloak. For some reason, the warmth of Javien’s embrace tonight made the defensive walls in her soul feel incredibly fragile.

A great secret she had kept to herself a secret that made no sense to the people of this world suddenly felt like it was going to spill out from her throat.

"Javien..." Olivia called out softly, her eyes staring blankly at the dark cave floor.

"Hmm?"

"Do... do you believe me if I told you that I’m not actually from this world?" Olivia whispered.

She gathered the courage to look up slightly, wanting to see Javien’s reaction.

"I mean... where I come from, the atmosphere is completely different. There are no castles, no elite knights, and no horse-drawn carriages. My home is filled with tall buildings reaching toward the sky, and the streets are always brightly lit with man-made lights, even in the middle of a dark night..."

Olivia gave a bitter smile, ready for Javien to think she had gone crazy or was rambling from the effects of the sleeping medicine.

However, Javien didn’t flinch at all. His expression behind the dim night remained calm, as if what had just come out of Olivia’s mouth was just a common fairy tale he was already bored of hearing.

Javien’s violet eyes just stared straight out of the cave, but his grip on Olivia’s fingers tightened slightly.

"I believe you," Javien answered shortly, his voice sounding incredibly deep and calm.

Olivia was stunned.

"Huh? You believe me? You don’t think I’m rambling?"

Javien didn’t answer the question directly. He only let out a small sigh that sounded incredibly mysterious, full of the burden of the past he kept neatly tucked inside his own heart.

"This world is vast, Olivia. Many things that don’t make sense can happen," Javien muttered slowly.

He didn’t mention his previous life at all, but there was a tone in his voice that made Olivia feel like Javien wasn’t a stranger to her confession.

It was as if words about ’tall buildings’ and ’man-made lights’ had already reached Javien’s ears over and over again before, somewhere very far away that Olivia’s ordinary human memory couldn’t recall at this moment.

Seeing Javien completely unfazed, Olivia’s mind which had been filled with memories of the modern era suddenly shifted to a mysterious question that had been bothering her for a while.

Olivia straightened her position, staring intently at the side of Javien’s face with a serious gaze.

"Javien, since you said you believe in things that don’t make sense... I have one thing I want to ask you. I’ve been keeping this for a long time," Olivia said, making those violet eyes glance back at her.

"What is it?"

"The other day, when we were in your room. That creature living in your room..." Olivia held her breath for a second, recalling the mysterious words that came out of that entity.

"What did he actually mean when he said... my fate lies in my own hands? Why did that creature say that, Javien?"

The atmosphere inside the cave instantly turned incredibly tense.

That drastic question from Olivia about the meaning of the prophecy caused Javien’s muscular body behind her to stiffen completely.

The elite knight’s violet eyes stared straight into the darkness of the cave, as if the creature’s words were striking his own heart as well.

Hearing Olivia’s incredibly serious question, the tension in Javien’s shoulders slowly eased.

Behind the dim darkness of the cave, a flat, very faint smile curved on his lips.

He deliberately let out a small scoff, as if he thought Olivia’s question was funny.

"Maybe that creature just likes to mess with you," Javien replied casually, his tone sounding so calm as if there was nothing to worry about

. "Don’t think too much about what he said."

Olivia instantly frowned. She really wasn’t satisfied with that half-hearted,

"too lazy to care" answer from Javien.

"It’s not... he wasn’t joking," Olivia grumbled softly in a sulky tone, her eyes glancing slightly toward the cave entrance. She was sure the creature in Javien’s room wasn’t the type to joke around.

Olivia sighed internally. She leaned back against Javien’s muscular chest, letting her eyes stare at the curtain of rain that was still pouring heavily.

In Olivia’s mind at this moment, she was determined to stay by this knight’s side.

For Olivia, she felt responsible for protecting Javien, simply because Javien was her favorite character whom she cherished the most in this novel before she was thrown into this world.

She didn’t want Javien’s tragic fate from the original storyline to repeat itself.

However... Olivia was completely unaware. She didn’t know the real truth at all.

Behind Javien’s flat face and casual smile, the demon knight was actually holding back an incredibly intense emotional turmoil inside his chest.

Javien knew. He was the only one who knew the real meaning behind that creature’s words. And most importantly, only Javien held the full memory of their past lives the true memory of them, long before Olivia woke up as a maid at the Duke’s residence.

Javien bowed his head slightly, staring at the top of Olivia’s head as she leaned calmly against his chest. His violet eyes dimmed, filled with a deep sense of determination.

You think you’re here to protect me because I’m a character in your novel, Olivia?

his heart whispered with profound sadness.

Javien tightened his embrace on Olivia’s small body beneath the black cloak, as if swearing to fate that he wouldn’t let a villain’s knife or any magic steal this girl’s life again.

Because of those painful past memories, Javien was determined to his death let the whole world crumble, let the secret of his demon blood be exposed, as long as tonight and forever, Olivia would continue to live under his protection.

The sound of rain outside the cave sounded slower, turning into a consistent rhythm of drops hitting the forest leaves. The silence of the night reclaimed the narrow cave.

Olivia, still leaning against Javien’s armor-clad chest, let out a small sigh. Even though she was still annoyed that Javien was acting so casual about the creature’s prophecy, the warmth of the knight’s embrace slowly made Olivia’s eyelids feel heavy again.

The effect of the deadly sleeping medicine and the remaining demon blood energy that had just fused into her body made her mind automatically feel drowsy again.

"Javien..." Olivia called again, her voice turning incredibly soft and raspy, a sign she was starting to fall asleep again.

"Hmm?" Javien answered softly, his hand still faithfully patting Olivia’s shoulder beneath the thick black cloak.

"Don’t go anywhere... just stay here."

Javien fell silent for a moment. He looked down at Olivia, whose eyes were already closed tight, leaning back comfortably against his chest. Javien’s violet eyes dimmed completely, filled with a tenderness he had never shown anyone else at the Duke’s residence.

"Yes, I’m just here. Sleep," Javien whispered incredibly slowly, almost drowned out by the sound of the remaining rain outside.

Javien maintained their position. He leaned his muscular head back against the cold cave wall. Even though his body felt incredibly exhausted, his violet eyes remained sharply fixed, staring straight at the entrance of the cave.

He was determined to stay awake to ensure no remnants of villains or Delia’s mind-control magic came to disturb Olivia’s sleep.

A FEW HOURS LATER

The sunlight slowly pierced through the remaining clouds, leaving the sound of rainwater dripping gently from the cave roof. The darkness inside the cave now turned into a misty, quiet grey.

The heavy rain from the night before had finally stopped completely, leaving a very thick scent of damp earth in the air.

The morning sunlight that began to enter the cave hit Olivia’s face, making her long eyelashes flutter slightly.

This time, Olivia truly woke up with a much lighter head. Her consciousness had fully returned, and the pain in her left shoulder had diminished to a faint, numb sensation.

When Olivia opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the bright dawn light. She automatically wanted to move her body, but she instantly realized she was still in someone’s warm embrace!

Olivia blinked repeatedly.

She looked up slightly. It turned out that Javien hadn’t changed his position since last night! The elite knight was still sitting upright, leaning against the cave wall, with both of his muscular arms still locked tightly around Olivia’s body inside his black cloak.

But this time, Javien was truly fast asleep from total exhaustion. His head was tilted slightly to the side, his silver hair slightly disheveled falling to cover part of his forehead.

His facial features, which always looked frozen and intimidating during the day, now looked incredibly calm and... cute in his sleep.

Olivia’s face instantly turned as red as a tomato when she realized they had shared warmth in such an intimate position until dawn!

Why didn’t I feel embarrassed yesterday!! 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

she muttered slowly, holding back her shame.

While she was feeling phobic and shy all by herself, Olivia’s eyes accidentally drifted toward Javien’s white neck, slightly exposed beneath his iron armor.

There, remained traces of pure demon veins that hadn’t fully faded yet tangible proof of how crazy Javien had been to force his lethal power out last night just to save Olivia’s life.

She fell silent for a moment.

Olivia maintained her position, not daring to wake the knight who was sleeping soundly. She just stayed quiet, letting her eyes feast on Javien’s face, which was right above her head.

From this close distance, Olivia could see how long and curled Javien’s eyelashes were as he kept his eyes closed tight.

The man’s skin looked incredibly perfect, even with a few fine scratches from the previous night’s battle.

At that moment, the "fangirl" feelings deep inside Olivia, which had been suppressed since entering this novel world, exploded out uncontrollably!

Omoo... he is so handsome! I cannot..

her heart whispered while she held her own cheeks, which were starting to feel hot. Honestly, Javien’s handsomeness while sleeping was really beyond a normal human’s level!

Suddenly, the rising morning sunlight started pouring into the cave, and that golden light hit Javien’s entire face and silver hair. The effect of the dawn light made Javien’s appearance look like a living painting.

Olivia immediately covered her own mouth with both hands, restraining herself from screaming hysterically inside the cave.

... so angelic! So handsome! So pretty! Arghhh!!!

Olivia screamed crazily inside her own heart. Her favorite character was truly a creation of God that was incredibly aesthetic!

Because she didn’t feel satisfied just looking at Javien’s face from below, Olivia slowly tried to move her body. She wanted to shift out a bit from the black cloak embrace because she wanted to see Javien’s full-body visual as he leaned against the cave wall!

However, unfortunately, Olivia’s plan failed totally.

As soon as her small body moved an inch away, the knight’s embrace automatically became incredibly strong far stronger than she had expected! Javien’s muscular arms that were wrapped around her waist tightened reflexively, pulling Olivia’s body back in tight, stuck completely to the man’s chest armor as if he didn’t want to let her go.

"Nooooo..." Olivia grumbled slowly in her heart, her face already resigned, buried back against Javien’s chest.

If only I had a phone right now, I would have taken so many pictures for my wallpaper! Why isn’t there any gadget in this novel world!

Feeling Javien’s broad chest which was now her pillow rising and falling with the man’s calm breathing, Olivia immediately closed her eyes tight.

Her face by now had turned as red as a cooked tomato! Her heart was beating so fast that she was phobic that Javien might wake up hearing the sound of that heartbeat.

I am nobody! I am just a maid! Know your place, Olivia, you are just a maid!

Olivia repeated that sentence over and over in her head, trying her best to calm herself and control her "fangirl" imagination from wandering too far.

To distract her brain which was halfway crazy, Olivia began forcing herself to recall the entire list of foods, biscuits, and cakes she had eaten one by one in her life.

Chocolate chip cookies... vanilla cupcakes... pineapple tarts... sponge cake... caramel pudding...

She counted the food menu in her heart over and over again, hoping that the memory of those biscuits and cakes could erase the embarrassment and crazy heart-pounding that was attacking her soul right now because she was trapped in Javien’s lethal embrace!

.Blueberry cheesecake... marie biscuits dipped in coffee... red velvet cake...

Olivia’s mouth was still busy muttering without making a sound, her eyes closed tight as if she were reciting the strongest spell in the world.

She was so devoted to memorizing the sweet food menu that her small body was shaking slightly behind the cloak.

The movement of Olivia’s lips rubbing slightly against Javien’s chest armor, added to the slight trembling of her body, instantly killed the knight’s deep sleep.

Javien’s eyelids moved, before he slowly opened his violet eyes. The fatigue from last night was still there, making his vision slightly dazed at first.

However, the first thing that greeted Javien’s eyes that dawn was the top of Olivia’s head pressed tight against his chest... and the sub-audio sound of Olivia’s lips that wouldn’t stop moving.

Javien bowed his head, looking strangely at Olivia. He saw Olivia’s eyes closed incredibly tight, while the girl’s mouth was muttering very quickly, but not a single sound was audible.

Javien’s eyebrows furrowed. His fierce knight character instantly turned confused.

Is she still rambling because of the sleeping medicine? Or is she chanting magic spells?

his heart whispered, starting to worry.

"Olivia?" Javien called suddenly, his morning voice sounding incredibly deep, raspy, and echoing right in Olivia’s ear.

"Chicken... eh, Javien?!"

Olivia immediately opened her eyes wide! Her heart felt like it was going to pop out of her chest when she saw Javien’s sharp violet eyes staring straight at her face, which was already burning red!

"What are you doing?" Javien asked bluntly, his violet eyes still staring at Olivia’s mouth that had just stopped muttering.

"Why was your mouth moving like that just now? Is there any part of your body that still hurts?"

Olivia felt like she wanted to hide behind the leaves of a tree, far away from Javien, because she was too embarrassed to be this close to him. How could she admit she was memorizing names of biscuits just to resist her "fangirl" urges seeing Javien’s angelic face!

"N-Nothing! I wasn’t doing anything!" Olivia stuttered like crazy, quickly covering her mouth again.

"I... I was just hungry! Yes, I was counting biscuits because my stomach was—"

Kruk...

Before Olivia could finish her "white lie" excuse, her stomach which had been truly empty since last night growled incredibly loudly and melodiously in the quiet cave! She was totally busted!

Javien was stunned for a second, hearing the sound effect original from Olivia’s stomach. One second... two seconds... finally, a cynical and flat smile, incredibly faint, curved on the frozen knight’s lips.

"Oh... so you were muttering because you were eating invisible biscuits, huh?" Javien teased casually, his voice sounding very amused.

He slowly loosened his lethal embrace that had been locking Olivia’s waist since last night, giving the girl room to sit up properly.

As soon as the hug was released, Javien immediately held the back of his own neck, twisting his head a bit until it popped because he had slept leaning against the wall for too long for Olivia’s comfort.

"Sit here quietly. I’ll go check the situation outside the cave for a moment. If there are no threats, we’ll head back to the Duke’s residence. You can eat real biscuits there later," Javien said while standing upright, straightening his black cloak that he had shared with Olivia all night long.

Olivia could only look up at Javien’s muscular strides walking toward the cave entrance with a face that was still burning hot.

She was torn between wanting to cry because she was busted for being hungry, or wanting to scream because she wasn’t satisfied enough looking at Javien’s full-body visual this morning!