During the festival, they actually received a lot of alms, so it was a big time for beggar children.
‘Of course, it would have been a problem for the Academy.’
“Brother, don’t cry. Dana will go see my brother soon.”
At that time, I heard Diana’s cute voice right next to me. I guess it was my turn to say hello to Diana after Allen. Lucio tilted his head as if she didn’t quite understand what his youngest sister was saying, but then she smiled and stroked the child’s head. Watching that scene, I expected Lucio to turn around and get into the carriage. However, as if it was obvious, Lucio turned his gaze to me next to Diana and took a step closer.
‘Do you have anything to do with the library?’
When I looked up at him with my eyes closed, he suddenly spoke.
“Treat it like your home.”
“…?”
“Because I really like having you here.”
While I was frozen at the unexpected words, the wind blew and my hair blew a little. Lucio slowly lifted his hand and tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear.
“Study hard… No, don’t work too hard, just stay calm.”
“…”
“Answer.”
“Oh, yes!”
I was in a daze, but when Lucio urged me on, I was embarrassed and answered loudly. Lucio smiled as if he was satisfied with my answer, and lightly patted my head like he did with Diana. For some reason, my toes felt tickled, so I quickly lowered my head. However, I felt a hot gaze that seemed to pierce my cheek, and when I raised my head again, my eyes met Allen’s, whose face looked as if he had seen a ghost. Somehow I felt a sense of déjà vu. It was similar to the last time Taze took me to my new room. This time, even the Duchess was looking at me with a surprised expression, which made me even more embarrassed. However, Lucio had already boarded the carriage with an indifferent expression. Soon the carriage started moving, and I stood there blankly until it disappeared.
* * *
“I don’t get it.”
After seeing them off, Diana and Allen went to class and the Duchess went out, so I headed to the main library alone. Maybe it was because it was Lucio’s place, or maybe it was because the last thing he said to me was strange, but I kept thinking about him.
“This feels like home…”
I don’t know when he rejects me so firmly, and why he says such kind words to people that make me feel awkward. I grumbled and walked in front of Lucio’s neatly organized desk. I guess it’s because it’s where he stayed a little while ago. There was still a faint scent remaining. It had a refreshing, cool mint scent, like the scent of the tea that Lucio always drank. Smelling that scent seemed to calm me down a bit, so it was time to inhale deeply and run my fingertips over the smooth wooden desk.
“Hmm?”
There was a note in the very center of the desk that made me wonder why I had never noticed it before. I listened to it without thinking and saw that the titles of books that a noble should know were listed, ranging from basic culture books to imperial etiquette and noble encyclopedia. It was a time when Lucio was reading down the list, puzzled by the books that seemed too basic and easy in his eyes.
‘Read them all.’
I burst out laughing when I saw the sentence written in sharp handwriting at the end of the note.
“That’s why I told you to study hard.”
I answered without even knowing what he was saying, but now I understand. Since I had nothing to do anyway, I found one of the books written on the note and pulled it out. Then a small piece of paper fell out of the book.
“What is this again…”
Lucio’s handwriting on the courtesy note was all over the paper. Only then did I carefully open the book on my desk and realize that there were detailed additions to difficult or difficult parts that I thought I would not understand. There were some parts that I really didn’t know and some that I knew just a little bit about. Although I only skimmed through them, it was easy to understand thanks to Lucio’s explanation.
“Isn’t it true?”
There are more than one or two books written on the note.
“There’s no need to…”
I quickly found the books and took them out, but I was speechless. I couldn’t believe it, but every book had an addendum. And among them, the book of etiquette, which was the most distant to me as an informant, had the most additions. As I looked at the paper detailing the etiquette for dealing with members of the imperial family, I finally realized Lucio’s unknown intentions. Not long ago, the Empress held a tea party with her princess at the imperial palace, and it happened to be the day after I caused a mana surge. We later found out that the Duchess made the excuse that Diana was sick and that she did not attend. Although the Duke of Elad was so trusted by the emperor that he passed over it, it would have been enough for other nobles to say something. And since I wasn’t able to attend this time, I would definitely make it again, and there was a high probability that I would follow Diana into the palace. At that time, it was clear that Diana was to learn royal etiquette well so that she could behave like her maid.
“You really like your little sister.”
Of course, it may be for the honor of the Duke of Elad, but the fact that Diana likes and follows me is probably the biggest reason why she takes such great care.
“She may be like me, but I think if Diana were my sister, she would carry her around every day and do everything she asks.”
Actually, it seems like it’s still like that. To meet my expectations, I smiled a little and started reading the book from the first page.
* * *
“Yah… Aren’t you tired all day?”
“…yes?”
“That’s it, that’s enough.”
Allen shook his head as he looked at Leah, who was so engrossed in her book that she couldn’t even answer properly. Allen, whose training had been canceled due to rain in the morning, came to the library and was observing Lia while leafing through books he had not read. Perhaps because of something she heard a while ago, her mind felt uneasy. When she arrived, she found out that Leah was reading a book that introduced her to the empire and nearby kingdoms, which made her even more excited.
‘You’re not really going to the Principality of Belus, are you?’
If he had known this would happen, he should not have praised the principality, saying it was wonderful or amazing. Allen wasn’t good at making subtle remarks, so he resisted the urge to ask Lia outright if she ever thought of leaving the duchy. He was sure even if he asked Lia wouldn’t tell him her real thoughts or even change them. In the end, Allen, who was suppressing what he wanted to say through his groaning, glanced at Leah, who was about to read all the books in her library. There were many books that Lia read, but the types were also diverse. This is because not only wizards who normally did not go to her main building, but also council members, when they found out that Lia was staying in her main library, they competed with each other to bring books related to their fields. In fact, on the table where Lia was sitting, there were books that all citizens of the empire would learn, including ‘Basic understanding of magic and magic’, ‘Origin of mana’, ‘Magic circle and advanced magic’, and ‘Classification of magic according to attributes and series’. There were books on magic that were not well understood, as well as medical books such as ‘Basic Medical Dictionary’ and ‘Compilation of Pharmacy and Medicinal Herbs’.
‘Are you sure you understand and read this correctly?’
Allen, suddenly suspicious, picked up a book on the table, flipped through a few pages, and then put it down again. He couldn’t even see that there were no pictures and it was just full of letters. But seeing how intently he reads, it doesn’t seem like he’s reading without knowing anything.
“Oh, I hope tomorrow comes soon.”
Tomorrow was the day when the long-awaited Academy Festival finally began. Because Allen lived in the estate, she did not attend the gifted academy where other nobles of her age attended, but she was planning to apply to the academy’s knight department soon. Although he was burdened by his older brother who always received top honors in the political science department, he was still confident in swordsmanship. Allen was excited to tour everything from the dormitories where academy students live to the buildings where they attend lectures and the training hall.
“Are you excited to go out tomorrow and see a lot of things?”
Since coming to the capital, I have never been outside the duke’s residence, let alone to see the capital, so of course I will be excited. But Lia looked thoughtful for a moment, and then she just nodded her head slightly.
“Eye, it’s not fun.”
She was very displeased with the fact that she always acted like an adult when she was two years younger than her.
‘Just because you’re friends with Jack, doesn’t that mean you see me as a friend too?’
He had this strange feeling that although he didn’t like Lia as his younger sister, he also wanted to be her older brother. Allen, who never in his wildest dreams thought that Lia would consider him like her little brother, jumped up from the sofa with a loud noise.
And as he looked at Lia, who was still not even looking at him, he pouted and then walked out… Instead of leaving, he walked around the sofa and began looking around the library. It may not have Diana’s favorite children’s books, but she will still have one book of her own to read. Allen felt overwhelmed by the shelves filled with his enormous collection of books, so he pounded the floor and climbed up the simple stairs.
It was then.
“Uh? What kind of wind?”
The library was large, but it was crowded with bookshelves on all sides, and the windows were closed because it was raining. However, even though it was only for a moment, he could definitely feel the wind blowing. Allen, who had been looking around while jerking her head from side to side, eventually turned her body in the direction from which a slight breeze was blowing.
Thud!
Allen froze and only blinked her eyes. Before he knew it, Lia, who had been sitting on the sofa as motionless as a statue reading her book, was suddenly standing in front of him. She also pushed him into her bookshelf and held him in one of her arms.
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Translator Note:
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
Next post will be released on December, 16.
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