The Devil's Cursed Witch novel Chapter 348

When they reached the hallway outside the study, they happened to see Erlos walking in their direction. With bright eyes, Ember hurried to meet him halfway, wishing to first make sure about the King's whereabouts from his aide. It wasn't that she didn't trust her servant; what if Draven suddenly returns after she sneaks inside his study and catches her snooping around his things? Wouldn't that be embarrassing?

"Good afternoon, Miss Ember," the young elf greeted as he offered her a light bow. "What brings you to this part of the palace?"

Ember offered him a sweet smile. "I wish to see Draven. Is he in his study?"

"You just missed him, Miss. Sire just left."

"Oh..." she reacted despite knowing that already. "Where did he go?"

"I am not sure, Miss."

"Umm, do you know when he will return?"

"Pardon me, I am not sure of it as well. These days Sire tells me nothing. However, if there's one thing I am sure of, it's that he won't return before the day ends."

Ember's eyes brightened up even more upon hearing him say that. 'That's enough time for me to do my work.' She controlled her happiness and informed him, "Can I enter his study without him?"

"Of course, Miss. Do tell me if you need help with anything."

"Umm...I in fact need your help, Erlos."

"You can tell me, Miss."

"I'm looking for a map of the continent, and if there are books about the human kingdoms, I'd like to see them as well."

"The map, Sire indeed recently made a new one, but about the books, I am not sure what I can find. Human kingdoms and empires come and go, and since our kind generally do not leave Agartha, there are few accounts about their culture or geography. Some of them may be outdated by centuries..."

"Anything will do."

The young elf nodded. "I will see what I can find for you, Miss. Let me accompany you to the King's study."

Ember followed him inside while her servant stayed outside to guard the door. Erlos went towards the honeycomb-shaped bookshelves with Ember by his side, but since she wasn't familiar with how the books and scrolls were arranged, she refrained from touching Draven's belongings to avoid any unwanted incidents.

Speaking of incidents...

As her gaze passed across the particular section of the study, a certain memory flashed before her eyes.

Ember all flustered caught like a thief and trapped by the red-eyed devil. She tried to be stealthy to secretly borrow a magic book, but was instead discovered and pinned against the shelf. It was the first time Ember found herself at a such close distance from Draven, and under the influence of their scents, it was their first time losing control of their urges.

Her body was covered with goosebumps as she remembered her first kiss with Draven. Back then, she didn't understand what it was, but her body was honest as she responded to the desire that engulfed her rationality. It was primal instinct to respond to his hungry kiss, and she could not help but--

"Miss, I found only three books for you. I will try to look for more..."

Erlos' voice yanked her out of her not-so-innocent thoughts, and she had to cup her cheeks to hide the growing blush on them. She then looked at the stack of books in his hands. Erlos placed them on the desk as he continued to chatter, unaware of her reaction.

"...but, Miss, these books are considered ancient by human standards. They were penned by wanderers who decided to settle in Agartha from a century ago at the latest. As we have long stopped contact with the outside world, there is not much information noted in these books about their current situation. Besides, since most supernatural beings are long-lived, rather than penning books, most of us rely on personal stories shared by word of mouth."

Ember walked towards the desk to trace the yellowed leather-bound books. "It's fine. What about the map? I heard His Majesty has the most detailed one in his collection."

"Yes, Miss. I will get that one for you," he said and walked back towards the shelves. He pulled out the largest scroll from the honeycomb-shaped shelf and brought it to the desk. "This is it. Sire made this one by himself after visiting all the marked places in person."

"Is it fine for me to see it?"

"Of course, Miss. Let me make enough space for it. Please step away for a bit."

Erlos put the stack of books aside before opening the scroll. Ember found herself in awe as the elf unfolded the scroll to its fullest on the desk and put weights on the ends, slowly smoothing over the paper filled with lines and marks so detailed one could easily mistake it for a painting. She had never seen a map before and only learned of its existence from the dialogues of book characters and the casual mentions of Gaia.