CH 40

It was a strategy that exploited the human psychology of being drawn to and unable to resist when encountering something beautiful.

In other words, it was a strategy of using his own beauty. He would use anything he could to get information, even if it was his own face.

He had no sense of pity or embarrassment about it. As long as he could obtain valuable information, he wouldn’t hesitate to stoop low.

Well, that being said.

‘It doesn’t seem to work well with her.’

Usually, when he placed his lips on the back of someone’s hand and made eye contact during their first meeting, it would inevitably make their face blush in surprise. However, Livia showed no such reaction.

Her gaze clearly indicated a lack of interest from the start.

Come to think of it…….

A person suddenly came to mind. Lemon’s gaze shifted toward Livia.

‘That woman had a similar vibe.’

A different kind of smile formed on Lemon’s lips, unlike any expression he’d made before, as he recalled the “special guest” who had visited the guild a few days ago.

The audacious woman who provocatively challenged him and suggested a ridiculous game of hide-and-seek.

Could it be this woman…?

‘No, no way.’

Lemon shook his head.

Aside from being a woman, nothing about her matched. For one thing, she knew a codeword that only the royal family would know.

And the information she was carrying was beyond the reach of the average person. Just to be sure, he conducted additional investigations, but there was nothing particularly remarkable. There was no place where the royal family or the temple could have made contact.

Livia Pellington was just too ordinary.

‘Except that she has a time limit.’

Lemon’s gaze darkened.

‘I guess I should dig into the saintess more.’

What does that woman know, exactly?

Well, it doesn’t matter.

’I’ll find out.’

Lemon’s eyes gleamed with determination.

It was then.

“Hmmm…….”

As Livia slowly opened her eyes, Lemon turned back to being Raymon.

He smiled and asked, “Did you sleep well?”

* * *

Livia absentmindedly stared at the fairy-like face in front of her and then glanced around to assess the situation.

It was only when she noticed the stack of books piled up next to her that she realized the current situation.

‘I must have dozed off.’

While waiting for Raymon, Livia skimmed through the books but ended up succumbing to drowsiness and briefly closed her eyes…..

‘The day has already ended.’

Livia checked the view out the window beyond Raymon and sighed inwardly.

“It seems you’re interested in the temple.”

At the sound of his voice, she looked back at Raymon, who was running his fingers over the titles of the books she’d pulled out.

She nodded in response to his words.

“Yes, I have some research to do…….”

“Something related to your class?”

“No, it’s of personal interest.”

“I see,” Raymond nodded as if he had discovered something new and smiled mischievously.

Observing him quietly, a thought crossed her mind.

She’d thought this before, but…….

‘He always looks strangely seductive.’

~ Translations by Lurelia | Editing by Valpal | Read only at moonlightnovels.com ~

From the way he kissed the back of her hand to the way he smiled.

Of course, the hand-kissing might have been an accident, and it’s not appropriate to judge someone by their smile.

‘I think most people would be completely captivated.’

If Livia thought about it that way… 

‘Raymon’s life could be exhausting,’ she remarked to herself.

“I apologize for randomly pulling out books,” she said, gazing guiltily at the piles she’d created. 

He raised his head, as if telling her not to worry.

“It’s fine. I wasn’t here, so it couldn’t be helped. Besides, it’s more surprising that you managed to read so many books in that time.”

He scanned the towering stack of books with an expression of genuine surprise, and Livia smiled lightly in response.

“I have confidence in my reading abilities.”

“I see. So, did you come here to read these books today?”

“Well, that’s one reason…”

She stared at the mountain of books with bitter eyes.

She had skimmed through all of them, but there was no mention of “ancient temples” or “patterns” anywhere.

In fact, they were too clean, almost as if someone had erased the contents.

‘That book I read at the Academy had something about ancient temples.’

Livia regretted quickly skimming through it without paying much attention.

‘I don’t even remember what the title of that book was.’

Livia had even pulled out similar-looking ones to read, but they were all disappointments.

‘Maybe I can find something in that other room.’

Livia sneakily glanced towards the direction of the room marked “No Entry for Outsiders.”

It would be nice to be able to check that room one more time, but as a tutor, it might be too much to ask to be allowed to see that room again.

Of course, it was Raymon who suggested it before…….

‘That was a different time.’

His suggestion and a request from her were two entirely different things.

Livia decided she should mention it to Cardien later, just in passing.

‘For now…….’

Putting the book aside for the moment, she looked at Raymon with a serious face.

He tilted his head slightly.

“There’s something I wanted to talk to you about, Raymon.”

“You mean with me?”

“Yes.”

He looked at her with a very surprised expression.

To be honest, Livia was also a little embarrassed. Their relationship wasn’t close enough for a consultation.

But he was the only one she could ask. In times like this, one must push forward shamelessly.

“Yeah, actually, I’m going to a festival outing with the young master in two days.”

Raymon responded with an exclamation of wonder.

“I see. Did His Grace give you permission?”

“Yes, thankfully.”

“I see.”

Raymon had a very surprised expression, which was understandable since it was ‘that’ Cardien who granted permission.

But…….

‘So, you’re familiar with Cardien?’

It would be hard to react that way, unless the person really knew Cardien’s personality.  

Come to think of it, Raymon was the one who showed her the room where Cardien was last time.

Usually, no one can access that room since His Grace sleeps there.

‘He doesn’t seem to have much awareness, does he?’

Indeed, he didn’t seem like an ordinary librarian. Was he acquainted with Cardien?

Livia tried to think of people in the original story who might have been close to Cardien. To her surprise, there wasn’t a single one.

‘Cardien has no friends!’

That wasn’t the only suspicious thing.

‘He definitely doesn’t look like an extra,’ Livia thought dubiously.

<Everyone Loves the Saint> is a story that is strictly about the main characters. Especially visually.

Of course, Livia Pellington, the extra among extras, also stands out to a certain extent.

‘But this man is on a different level.’

She also wondered why the Duke of Mercedes’s librarian had never made an appearance in the original story, not even once.

“…….”

When Livia continued to stare without saying anything, he suddenly smiled.

……But that wasn’t the point right now.

“By the way,” she continued, “It’s been a while since I’ve been to a festival, so I was wondering if you had any recommendations.”

Raymon nodded understandingly. He smiled slightly and said, “That shouldn’t be too hard.”

“Really?” Livia looked at him with expectant eyes.

But…….

“But there’s a condition.”

“Condition?”

~ Translations by Lurelia | Editing by Valpal | Read only at moonlightnovels.com ~

‘No,’ Livia groaned internally. She was hearing that word condition too often these days.

As she looked perplexed and asked, he smiled with his courteous and fairy-like smile.

“It’s nothing difficult, so don’t be nervous.”

“What’s the condition?”

“Tell me what you experience at the festival.”

“Tell you…What it was like at the festival?”

He nodded slightly as she repeated, blinking at the out-of-nowhere question.

“Yes.”

“Mmh…….”

Livia was caught in a dilemma.

It’s true that the condition wasn’t that difficult.

“Do you mind if I ask why?” she asked. 

Livia couldn’t help but be cautious about accepting it right away. She didn’t have a complete understanding of who this person named Raymon was.

When she asked, he suddenly had a sad expression. Surprised by the abrupt change in his expression, Livia looked intently at him.

He sighed with a sad expression.

“The truth is, I lost all my family when I was young.”

“Ah…….”

“Ever since then, I haven’t been able to attend the festival, even if I wanted to, so…… I thought I’d get some vicarious satisfaction by listening to Livia’s story…….”

His gaze dropped. Eventually, he smiled faintly and said, “It’s pathetic for an adult like me to have such a trauma, isn’t it?”

“No, that’s not true!” Livia exclaimed urgently.

‘It’s like me.’

The loss of my family, the inability to attend festivals since then. 

“I’ll do it,” Livia soon replied quietly.

“Really?” Raymon asked, his eyes brightening. 

She nodded slowly.

‘I’m going out to play around anyway.’

There was nothing to be secretive about, actually.

But Raymon looked happier than ever.

He unfolded a piece of paper and said, “Great. I’ll teach you everything I know.”

That day, Livia received a comprehensive list of the best restaurants and hotspots in the capital from Raymon.

And so, two days passed, and the long-awaited festival day arrived.