Chapter 15
Elsewhere:
For the past few days, Lordwick Manor had been quiet.
Perhaps it was the aftermath of the tumultuous days, but there was a sense of unfamiliar peace.
Deon played a significant role in this tranquility.
He had been quiet since taking on more responsibilities as Riche’s older brother, as Lordwick Manor’s overseer of incidents and accidents.
“It seems like the Riche effect. Maybe he feels responsible for becoming your brother, as Lord Blake mentioned,” Jed speculated.
It would be nice if it were true.
But this calm wasn’t the calm before the storm.
It wasn’t that Deon was up to something; that was just how my life was.
Whenever it seemed quiet, something happened. Usually something unpleasant.
Behind Blake’s deep gaze, his red eyes glimmered quietly.
“Are you planning to bring back a sacrificial lamb for the hunt? I may be advising you out of goodwill, but it won’t look good.”
This was what Viscount Hebettsman, who had visited Lordwick Manor the week before, had said.
I heard it with one ear, but it wasn’t nonsense.
Taking Riche to the hunt where high-ranking nobles roamed was like offering a fish to cats.
“A dilemma,” Blake muttered, tapping his fingers on the armrest of his chair.
He pondered what choices to make for Riche’s future.
He could keep her in the manor, away from other nobles, living a comfortable life.
Or if she had aspirations, he could enroll her in the Royal Academy or support her in other ways.
Whatever the decision, the sooner, the better. Time was not on my side.
“She’s grown a lot since she first came,” Blake noted.
Riche had put on some weight, perhaps from eating and sleeping well in the manor.
She was still shorter than her peers, but children grew quickly. Riche would soon catch up.
Blake’s round silver eyes filled his thoughts.
“Should I ask her?”
Today, Blake rose from his desk once again.
He had been losing to Riche’s temptations, which came at least once a day.
There was always some excuse, though he himself didn’t realize it.
“…?”
Blake, who had just opened the study door, turned his head at the light footsteps he heard beside him.
It was Riche, who had hurriedly run the short distance after seeing the study door open while walking down the corridor.
Riche stopped in front of Blake and looked up at him.
“Ah, Dad!”
Blake’s eyes widened slightly at the sound.
Riche had come to him first and urgently called him. Blake found himself feeling a bit anxious and asked, unknowingly.
“What’s the matter?”
Riche stumbled over her next words, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. Python, sensing the amusement, wagged his tail from Riche’s shoulder.
“Um, Dad. Can you read me a picture book?”
Riche held out a picture book she had brought to read with Blake.
“….”
Blake didn’t react immediately. His heart was pounding a bit.
When had Riche ever come to him and asked for something? Apart from asking if she could raise a squirrel, she had never done so before.
She was always the one who needed a little push to reluctantly say what she wanted.
“A picture book, huh?”
Her growth was admirable.
It was a rare feeling for Blake, who was not easily moved due to his inherent Lordwick stoicism. He hugged Riche.
“I’ll read as many as you like.”
Then, with a slight lift of his lips, Blake spoke to Riche.
Seeing Blake’s smile up close for the first time, Riche’s eyes widened in surprise.
—
“Dad, I’ll come again tomorrow!”
“Sure.”
With Blake’s farewell, Riche stepped out of the study.
It had just been moments since she had finished reading a picture book with Blake.
“I did it again today…!”
As the study door closed, Riche felt excited and skipped lightly down the corridor.
Madame Michelle might scold her for improper behavior, but since there was no one in the corridor, it should be fine.
More than that, she felt proud that she had purified Blake’s energy without him knowing.
Riche twiddled the finger she had used to purify Blake’s energy.
“Once a day. If I purify it just enough to not be noticeable, I won’t be exposed as Ruteom.”
Her plan was to purify as much energy as she consumed in a day.
If she could do that, as long as she stayed by Blake’s side, he wouldn’t die from the accumulated energy.
That’s why Riche had to make sure to meet Blake every day.
Reading picture books seemed like the most plausible excuse.
She had worried that she might be taking up his busy schedule, but Blake had readily accepted her request to read picture books every day.
It had been three days already.
Blake’s energy purification was proceeding successfully.
“I’m lucky Dad allowed it.”
Riche hummed a tune.
Then she realized that she now naturally referred to Blake as Dad, even in her thoughts, and she subtly lowered her head.
She felt a tingling sensation again. Lately, she found herself smiling more often without even realizing it.
“Hey.”
Someone called out to Riche as she was about to descend from the third floor, where Blake’s study was, to her room on the second floor.
There was only one person who could address her like that in Lordwick Manor.
Deon was leaning against the railing between the second and third floors.
“Oh? Bro.”
Perhaps feeling particularly cheerful because of having purified Blake’s energy, Deon seemed unusually pleased to see Riche.
With a smile, Riche hurried down to Deon.
“Why are you here?”
“What’s it to you?”
Then, catching a whiff of the scent emanating from Deon’s rugged appearance, she thought, ‘Ah, as expected.’
Deon had a somewhat kind side too. Maybe he didn’t realize he was pretending not to smell last time because he was trying to be considerate.
As Riche hesitated backward, Deon, with a furrowed brow, grabbed her arm.
“Huh? What’s wrong?”
“….”
Riche was suddenly taken aback by the sudden grip on her arm.
Seeing her reaction, Deon blurted out without hesitation.
“Don’t worry about what I said last time.”
Ah.
Remembering Deon’s words in the corridor a few days ago, Riche nodded her head.
She hadn’t been hurt by his remarks about being strange; she’d just been worried about being exposed as Ruteom. But it seemed strange that Deon had been the one seemingly bothered by it for the past few days, not her.
“Were you waiting here just to tell me that?”
“As if.”
Frowning slightly, Deon turned away. Riche knew this was his typical behavior when things got awkward.
Still, it was evident that being 9 years old, his actions were quite transparent. Finding his blunt behavior endearing, Riche followed him, continuing the conversation.
“Why did you follow me?”
“Bro, what are we doing this afternoon?”
“Huh?”
“What are we doing?”
“Got any?”
“Do I? Don’t I?”
“I don’t know.”
He grumbled, but he answered everything. He didn’t even tell her to stop following him.
Wrestling with Deon, they walked until they found themselves on a strange path outside the main estate.
Deon’s halted footsteps led them to a separate building, the Lordwick Duke’s library.
“The library?”
Riche’s eyes widened at the sight of the unfamiliar building.
Deon glanced at Riche, noticing her reaction.
“Are you going to keep following me?”
“Um….”
Riche hesitated. She thought Deon was just embarrassed and wanted to leave, but he actually had a destination.
Maybe she’d been too stubborn. She didn’t want to go poking around a new place like it was her own home. Riche shrugged and lowered her head.
“I won’t follow you. Bro, study hard.”
“Yeah.”
Deon hesitated for a moment, then turned and ascended the low steps leading to the library door.
As he climbed, he stopped and half-turned his body backward about three steps up.
Riche, with her shoulders slumped and holding her picture book, saw his dejected figure as he glanced back at her.
‘What does it matter to me?’
Deon continued up the stairs.
However…
Thud, thud.
A strangely listless footstep caught his ears.
“Sigh….”
Thinking that Deon had entered the library, Riche exhaled a small sigh.
Deon grimaced and roughly shook his head with his hand.
“Hey, mutt.”
Riche turned around.
For some reason, Deon’s annoyed face, with his thumb pointing at the library, seemed to be saying something to her.
“Go in and get a picture book.”
***
“Wow.”
Entering the library, Riche’s eyes lit up.
The cozy yellow-toned library resembled a small palace.
Books filled the walls, interspersed with potted plants. The arched ceiling had one side made of glass, allowing sunlight to flood the lobby.
“Welcome. Young master. And Miss Riche, you’re here too today?”
The librarian, sitting behind the lobby desk reading a book, greeted the two.
She was a woman in her early twenties, wearing round glasses.
The librarian smiled at Riche and greeted her.
“I’m Yan, the librarian. I’ve seen Miss Riche from afar a few times, but it’s your first time seeing me, right?”
“Oh, hello…!”
“He came to get a picture book.”
Saying so, Deon crossed the lobby and went to the other side, opening the door there and disappearing inside.
Seeing Deon’s abrupt departure, Riche was puzzled.
“Why is he here?”
“He wants a picture book.”
Yan said, smiling, and looked around.
“Miss Riche, isn’t the lobby of the library unique? It’s an octagon, um, that is, eight equal sides….”
“I know. It’s an octagon.”
“Wow. You’re so smart. Can you see the seven doors on each side?”
Yan admired Riche and swept her finger around, surveying the surroundings.
Except for the passage connected to the main entrance, there were seven ornate wooden doors hanging on the other seven walls.
“People who use Lordwick’s estate can have one door each. Inside the door is their private library. The place Mr. Deon just entered is his private library.”
People who use Lordwick’s estate.
That included her, too. Could they possibly give her a library?
Riche’s heart pounded.
It wasn’t excitement but fear. She didn’t want to take on more things that weren’t truly hers.
But Yan smiled, oblivious to Riche’s feelings.
“You’ll be able to use your private library next year. It’ll take about a year to organize all the books inside.”
“Ah….”
Fortunately, it’s not something you have to receive immediately.
Although it was an exclamation uttered in that sense, Yan seemed to think that Liche was disappointed, so he said words of comfort as if offering consolation.
“But you can use the library anytime, even before that! Except for the library of your father and brother, you can freely use the other five libraries as you wish. They are filled with collections of past lords. You said you came for picture books today, right?”
“Yes.”
Yan guided Liche to the second door, promising to find an amusing picture book.
It was when Liche was following Yan.
[Contractor.]
Python, who was in Liche’s pocket, whispered in her mind.
[Say you want to go to another door.]
