Chapter 22
“And when it gets cold, I keep getting sleepy… I must resemble a snake in that way too.”
In the Empire, snakes were viewed in the worst light.
Kiverin has seemed to blame himself.
“If you’re a snake, you’d be the cutest snake in the world, my lord. I may look cute for a monster too, but I’ll settle for being the second cutest!”
Since we had decided to be monsters together, I confidently said this, and Kiverin chuckled.
It seemed his mood had lightened a bit.
Hmm, it was clear that that nonhuman being held Kiverin in special regard.
However, the appearance of Viscount Rose in the eyes of other people and the appearance of Viscount Rose in my eyes were so different that it was difficult to make a hasty judgment.
Perhaps I, Cheria, should confront him directly?
Even after thinking it over, I just couldn’t figure out the mysterious Viscount Rose.
Eventually, I remembered my original purpose for coming here.
“By the way, how was your class with the Baron?”
“It was okay.”
I found Kiverin’s open notebook.
“Can I see it?”
Kiverin willingly handed the notebook over.
From the first page, I was greeted by incredibly neat handwriting.
The writing was perfectly aligned, as if written within invisible lines, with every angle precise.
This didn’t look like the handwriting of a child at all.
It seemed like Kiverin was the one living a second life, not me…
I spread out the map drawn by Menelik next to the notebook.
The rough, quickly drawn map was a total opposite to Kiverin’s flawless handwriting.
Do you write beautifully because you have pretty hands?
In any case, it was clear that Kiverin’s handwriting resembled Winter’s rather than Menelik’s.
“W-I guess the purpose of this place has changed.”
Kiverin, who was looking at the map, pointed to the area marked ‘Artifact Storage Room’.
“It used to be full of… stone tablets.”
“Stone tablets?”
“They’re precious. But not very interesting.”
I was intrigued when the word “precious” came out of Kiverin’s mouth.
Should I take a look?
Kiverin whispered softly.
“It’s time for the next lesson.”
Before I could respond, someone knocked on the door from outside.
“Young master, may I come in?”
It was a young woman’s voice.
“The earl is also… a good teacher, like the baron!”
Well then.
I left Kiverin with a few encouraging words about his lessons and stepped out of the room.
The security in the artifact storage room was so lax that Menelik and Kiverin’s testimony was meaningless.
There wasn’t a single guard in sight.
The spacious interior was also minimally maintained.
“I’m coming in?”
Feeling slightly guilty, I mumbled to myself and took a step inside.
The stone tablets Kiverin mentioned were displayed at the back of the room.
“…Huh? What is this?”
[I like glasses. I like pretty hands. I like to cry when it’s just the two of us.]
What is this?
Is it some kind of code?
The next line was even more ridiculous.
[I hate stiff clothes. I hate messy handling. I hate lies.]
No wonder Kiverin found them uninteresting.
It felt like someone had written down the preferences of someone they like.
Why go through the trouble of carving this onto a stone tablet when it could have been written in a notebook?
I quickly lost interest and turned to examine the artifacts.
Some were studded with jewels, while others looked as insignificant as stones.
While I was looking at the sparkling beads with interest, I heard the sound of the door opening.
“Oh, it’s the young lady.”
A man entered, making his presence known so I wouldn’t be startled.
“Came to take a look?”
“…Yes.”
The man appeared to be in his early thirties.
His light gray hair reminded me of the knight I had gone out with in the capital.
The knight had darker gray hair, though.
“I am Emil Sirencium, a wizard sworn to serve the duke’s household for life. Please, just call me Emil.”
The man introduced himself with a rather elegant bow.
I returned the greeting and then asked him a question.
“Do you manage this place, Emil?”
“Isn’t it clean? I put more effort into cleaning here than in my own room.”
“Oh, I see…”
Perhaps noticing something in my expression, Emil cleared his throat.
“Ahem, have you found anything interesting?”
“Those stone tablets…”
I was about to make a joke about how ridiculous they seemed when Emil waved his hand dismissively.
“Ah, no one can decipher those. They’re neither in an ancient language nor in code. The scholars at the Magic Tower gave up on them long ago.”
Huh.
I walked back to the stone tablets.
They were still perfectly readable.
What on earth?
What is this?
Emil took care of it without even taking a breath.
I followed his lead and continued exploring the artifact storage room. Afterward, I returned to Kiverin’s study room.
Just as I arrived, the countess stepped out, smiling warmly.
“Hello, Lady Cheria. Are you feeling better? I can’t wait for the day I get to teach you as well!”
I eagerly nodded in response to her kind words.
I like gentle teachers too!
Kiverin was waiting for me, just like before.
“Oh!”
“I didn’t eavesdrop this time!”
I tried to explain myself, but Kiverin didn’t seem to care.
“I… I waited for you. I thought it would make me very happy if you came back.”
“Hmm, and you’re not annoyed that I come to visit you during every break?”
Kiverin shook his head.
“Being with Lady Cheria is my favorite thing.”
“Well, I feel the same way.”
I comfortably took my usual spot beside Kiverin.
“I checked out those stone tablets you mentioned.”
“They’re… boring, right?”
Kiverin’s response differed slightly from Emil’s. It was as if he already knew everything on them.
“You can read them, can’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Me too! But it seems like others can’t.”
Kiverin wasn’t surprised.
“Isn’t it strange? Why can only we read them?”
“Well, because we’re, um… that.”
Kiverin lowered his voice to a whisper, as if he were hesitant to say the word aloud.
It reminded me of how I struggled to say “married couple” out loud.
But I’m just a fake monster.
Whether in novels or in Cheria’s past that remains in my head.
The only explanation left is the possibility of a transmigration.
“So, are those the letters that they use?”
I found myself whispering back without realizing it.
Kiverin tilted his head, puzzled.
“I… I don’t know. But since you can read them too, Lady Cheria, even though only I could before…”
Kiverin was a natural prodigy in the novel, but what about me?
Could it really be because of the transmigration?
“I’m not sure, but it’s reassuring to know you see the same thing I do. At first, I thought there was something wrong with my eyes. I couldn’t imagine why anyone would carve those words onto a stone tablet…”
“…”
A smile tugged at Kiverin’s lips.
I paused.
“Did you ever feel that way? That others were normal, and you were the only one who was different?”
“In the past, yes.”
Kiverin unconsciously touched the scales on his face.
I placed my hand over his and asked softly, “And now? Does having me here make you feel a little more at ease? I felt relieved knowing you see the same things I do.”
“I… I feel the same.”
“Wow, that’s a relief. I guess I was able to help a little!”
I laughed heartily.
Even though it was because of transmigration, I had promised to stand tall, boasting that I could handle anything in this snake pit.
“It’s not just a little. It’s a lot!”
Kiverin exaggerated as he corrected me, then laughed along with me.
“I’ve finished my lessons for today. Shall we head to the dining hall together?”
Had it gotten that late already?
I mumbled with a pout.
“But I’m not hungry because I ate too many cookies…”
“…Pardon?”
Kiverin looked shocked.
I casually reached for the remaining cookies, then hesitated.
Kiverin held out his hand with a stern expression.
“Please, give them to me.”
“…”
“Why are you taken them away.”
With some hesitation, I handed the cookies back to him.
* * *
Asking Daniel to visit was easier than I thought.
The day after the rain, I found Daniel watching the birds in the garden.
“Hello, Baron.”
“Princess.”
He welcomed me warmly.
Thanks to the few conversations we had during this time, I squatted down comfortably next to Daniel.
“Do you like animals, Baron?”
He let out a sheepish laugh.
“Does it show a lot? Everyone who sees me asks the same question.”
“…”
Well, maybe it’s because you look like a beggar, yet you treat that injured leopard with such care and devotion.
I imagined Nina living in luxury, unlike Daniel.
“I do like them. I’m living with a leopard right now, so I can’t keep other animals. Her name is Nina. She’s five years old and loves playing with balls.”
Really?
