Episode 18

Apollion stood blankly before the closed door. The infirmary door, like its master, shut with a distinctly harsh finality.

He knew Yvon could be a no-nonsense man, but seeing him like that even towards the head of the family left Apollion feeling quite unsettled.

Instead of rebuking Yvon for being rude, he began seriously pondering his supposed condition.

Yvon was a distinguished physician among physicians.

He had previously worked for the royal family and traveled to the front lines with the former duke to treat soldiers.

Apollion knew better than anyone how skilled Yvon was. Even deep wounds would fade quickly after a few treatments by him.

From internal medicine to surgery, there wasn’t a field Yvon couldn’t handle.

But for the first time in his life, Yvon had given a diagnosis that seemed almost like quackery.

He hadn’t even thoroughly examined him. He had just placed the stethoscope a few times and asked some questions before finishing up.

Walking away from the infirmary, Apollion fell into deep thought.

For the first time, he found himself doubting Yvon’s abilities.

He glanced down at the potion Yvon had given him.

At that moment, Petunia’s face from the previous night flashed in his mind.

Instead of its usual golden hue, her hair had taken on a scarlet tint under the candlelight. Her blue eyes shone brilliantly as they looked toward him.

Thump.

‘…Thump?’

Apollion, who had been walking steadily, stopped in his tracks, suddenly aware of his racing heart.

“…What’s going on?”

A living person’s heart naturally beats, so it was perfectly normal to feel one’s heartbeat.

But feeling such intense heartbeats was a rare occurrence.

Apollion furrowed his brows, sensing that this was different from the usual pounding that followed strenuous exercise.

Could this truly be proof of his vigorous spirit, or the phenomenon he’d learned about in heir training?

Apollion once again pictured Petunia’s face.

He intended to recall just her face, but somehow, her smooth neck and delicate shoulders also came to mind.

He could still vividly picture her blushing as she removed her nightgown.

“…!”

Apollion inhaled sharply.

Unintentionally, his face grew flushed from the scene that appeared in his mind. The portion of his face that wasn’t concealed by his mask turned bright red.

Had Petunia seen this, she would have been quite amused, but unfortunately, no one was around.

Feeling embarrassed, Apollion looked around quickly before rubbing the back of his neck and walking away hastily.

 

＊＊＊

 

After a light tea with Lady Claire, I returned to my room.

Curious young maids stole glances at me as I passed through the mansion’s corridors.

It wasn’t a particularly pleasant feeling, but they didn’t appear to be gossiping boldly about their master.

Their behavior was understandable given their age, so I chose not to reprimand them.

Entering my room, I found the bedroom spotless, as if it had never been messy.

Even the bed sheets that had been crumpled earlier were gone, likely taken by the maids, leaving the bare mattress exposed.

I ordered a light snack to be brought to my room.

I wanted to lounge and eat on the bed, but I didn’t want to dirty the bed the maids had worked so hard to clean.

So, I headed to the small balcony connected to my bedroom.

The small balcony, resembling an apartment veranda, had a circular wooden table and two chairs.

I dismissed the attendants and enjoyed some time alone on the balcony.

Leaning comfortably in the chair, I let the damp sea breeze playfully ruffle my hair.

In front of the balcony was the sea.

Sipping the hibiscus tea and enjoying a Cobb salad placed on the table, I admired the vast ocean before me.

The sea in front of the Pontus estate wasn’t the emerald sea one often dreams about.

Its deep indigo waters evoked the depths of winter, even during the hot summer. It was a sea of profound, abyss-like blue.

The sand was similar.

Unlike a white-sand beach, gleaming like scattered white jewels, there was no characteristic sparkle at the Pontus estate’s beach.

The sand here was dry and dull, scattered generously along the boundary between the sea and the land.

Though the sea didn’t exude the bright and lively energy of a resort, it still captivated me.

I found myself unconsciously contemplating.

Looking at the dark, deep sea, my restless heart seemed to calm down.

Long-held worries and old thoughts felt like they were sinking into that deep blue ocean.

“This is nice…”

After sipping my tea, I murmured to myself. It was a sea with a somewhat melancholy atmosphere that appealed to me.

It seemed like a good place to watch whenever I felt down or sentimental.

After finishing my light snack and contemplating the sea, I called for a maid to take away the tray.

Yesterday, I’d been too preoccupied with worries about the first night to appreciate my room. But now, with a moment to relax and look around, I realized it was a truly wonderful space.

The lavish dressing room, the large bathtub lined with gold trim, and the collection of rare items not seen anywhere else—all of these were remarkable.

But the place that captured my heart the most was the study.

Of course, I had no particular interest in academic pursuits. The reason I loved this study was simple.

I enjoyed the scent of old books.

I liked the distinct, slightly musty smell of aged paper. Breathing in that scent made me feel like a time traveler.

Apart from my personal affection, the study itself had a very vintage charm.

The interior was primarily dark brown, unified with antique rubberwood furniture that added to the classic feel.

I holed up in the study and admired the old books. The satisfying smell filled my nose as I sniffed.

In preparation for the handover, I pulled out a few books from the shelf and skimmed through them.

Fortunately, most of the books didn’t seem too difficult for me.

They were mostly educational, historical, or practical guides useful for managing daily tasks.

If the duties of the family mistress were only of this level, it should be manageable.

Right then, Emma walked into the room to change the bed sheets.

After she finished, she noticed me browsing through the study and spoke with a friendly smile.

“Do you like books?”

“Ah, yes.”

I do like them. Comic books and romance novels count too.

“Oh, then you’ll love this!”

“What?”

“There’s a large library on the first floor. If you like this study, you’ll definitely enjoy the library too. Would you like to see it?”

Emma’s voice was full of excitement, and she seemed quite pleased.

I nodded casually at her suggestion and followed her down to the first-floor library.

The library was to the far right of the grand central staircase.

The sheer size, rivaling that of a university library, left me awestruck.

Beyond its size, the library had the old-fashioned, mysterious atmosphere of a classic movie.

Emma smiled proudly, seeing how fascinated I was.

“It’s quite a marvelous place, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it looks like something out of a movie…”

“A movie?”

Ah, right. There are no movies in this world. I quickly changed my wording.

“Ah, a movie… I meant wealth and glory. Being surrounded by so many books makes you feel like you don’t need wealth and glory.”

“Ah, I see.”

I smiled, my eyes crinkling gently. I had to admit, my quick thinking was impressive.

As if anyone wouldn’t need wealth and glory. Money made the world go ’round, and with enough of it, anything was achievable.

There’s that saying, “If you can’t buy happiness with money, maybe you don’t have enough of it.”

In short, eternal wealth and honor are unmatched, the best anyone could hope for.

I picked out the oldest-looking books from a nearby shelf. To my surprise, they didn’t have that distinct musty smell.

I flipped to the last page to check the publication date. These books had been around for at least 50 years, their yellowed covers bearing witness to their age.

“Emma, how do you maintain the books here?”

Emma spoke with a proud smile.

“When books get old, they attract insects. With this estate so close to the seaside, humidity builds up quickly. The sea breeze can ruin a book in no time.”

“Right.”

“So, we place dehumidifiers between the books and clean one shelf twice a week.”

Emma shrugged, clearly proud of the library.

I looked up at the towering bookshelf.

The Pontus estate generally had high ceilings, but the first floor had even higher ceilings than the others. Thus, the bookshelves were enormous, reaching up to the ceiling.

“…How do you clean all this?”

My neck grew stiff from looking up too long, and I massaged it while asking Emma.

“It takes about ten people to clean one bookshelf. Some climb ladders to reach the higher shelves while the rest take care of the lower ones. They split tasks: some dust the shelves, some inspect each book’s condition, and others replace the dehumidifiers.”

“You do this twice a week?”

“Yes.”

Emma answered with pride.

But my expression was less enthusiastic.

Thinking about the staff working tirelessly among the stacks twice a week made me wish I could get them some e-book readers.

Nothing beats the digital age, and hooray for the Fourth Industrial Revolution!