You Have to Repay Your Savior

A few days went by after that.

Pristin’s daily routine was repeated in a very stereotypical manner. Wake up, eat breakfast, take a walk, and spend the morning talking to Claret at the princess’s palace. After having lunch, going for a walk to digest food, she spends the day embroidering with the princess. And after dinner, going for an evening walk again was the end of the day.

After repeating this life for a few days, Pristin concluded that she could not last long in the palace at this rate. Claret seemed to have no complaints about this relaxed situation, but it was very difficult for Pristin, who had been diligently digging herbs every day and doing all the housework alone, to adapt to a situation where she had nothing to do. After expressing these grievances, Aruvina had a troubled expression and asked.

“Why don’t you visit the Imperial Palace Library?”

“The Imperial Palace Library?”

“Yes. There are so many books there.”

Aruvina nodded with a smile.

“If you enjoy reading, I think you’ll like it.”

At that, Pristin decided to go to the library without delay. The idea of aimlessly strolling or doing embroidery was starting to feel tiresome. With excitement gleaming in her eyes, she asked.

“Where is the library?”

“I’ll take you, Your Ladyship.”

Thus, for the first time, another activity was incorporated in Pristin’s schedule. She felt a sense of anticipation that she hadn’t felt in a long time since coming to the palace. Pristin followed Aruvina, her steps naturally quickening. Sensing her change, Aruvina smiled and remarked.

“You must have been pretty bored lately.”

At Aruvina’s words, Pristin smiled awkwardly and replied.

“Thanks to spending time with Her Highness, it wasn’t unbearable… but… spending most of my free time strolling was becoming excruciatingly boring. The princess, on the other hand, seemed quite content.”

“Her Highness is naturally a relaxed personality. She doesn’t like it when she’s busy.”

While talking back and forth, the two arrived in front of the library. Pristin went inside, grateful that the distance from Camer Palace to the Imperial Palace Library was not so far.

‘Wow…’

As soon as she entered, numerous books welcomed Pristin. Being an avid reader to begin with, she felt her blood boiling at the sight of the shelves filled to the brim with books. With a slightly nostalgic expression, she stepped forward into the collection. There were so many books with interesting titles.

‘If I just read everything here…’

She wouldn’t be bored until she left the palace.

Pristin looked around the interior of the library with a pleasant expression and began to look for books to read. Then, by chance, she noticed a bookshelf with herbal medicine books. Pristin’s footsteps were naturally drawn there.

As if possessed, she began to pull out a book from the shelf one by one. Since she had always been interested in herbs, at some point, the speed of taking books out of shelves began to accelerate. Naturally, the place where her touch reached grew higher and higher. Then, when she reached a certain height, Pristin thought she had to bring a ladder. There were some places that were too high for her to see what books were there.

“Oof.”

She brought the nearest ladder and leaned against the bookshelf. Then carefully picked up the hem of her dress and climbed the ladder.

Certainly it was much easier to figure out what books there were than when she looked up from below. Pristin drew books one by one with a focused look and began to stack them in her arms.

‘I’ll borrow this one, and this one too…’

Upon finally coming to her senses, Pristin realized that her arms were filled to the brim with books. She decided it was time to come down and slowly started descending the ladder. However, the stack of books piled up so high that it blocked her view.

“Oh…?”

And at one point, Pristin slipped on the ladder without realizing it. Her balance was lost in a split second. Her body wobbled and leaned to the side. With panicked eyes, she tightly clutched the books in her arms. And before she could even react, she quickly plummeted to the floor.

– Thud

With a loud crash, Pristin fell completely on the marble floor. Everyone’s eyes were on Pristin at the unexpected noise from the quiet library. She felt an immense sense of embarrassment and couldn’t bring herself to get up for a while.

Oh, she wished she could just pretend to have lost consciousness.

‘My knees…’

Feeling a tingling pain in her knees, Pristin realized that they had taken the brunt of the fall. Her knees felt completely scraped. Ignoring the sensation, she decided to prioritize picking up the scattered books. She hastily collected the books with an embarrassed expression on her face.

“Ah…”

Then, a stranger’s hand suddenly reached out and handed her a book. Pristin’s gaze, which had been fixed on the floor, lifted for the first time. She saw an unfamiliar man kneeling down, looking at her.

Pristin had to lift her head considerably to look up, she immediately noticed that the man was quite tall.

He had heavy golden hair and deep green eyes, making him quite a handsome gentleman.

And he smelled strangely familiar.

Though she couldn’t quite place it, it was definitely a scent she had encountered before.

“Here you go.”

The man’s voice awakened Pristin from her thoughts.

“…Ah.”

Pristin quickly picked up the book and then recited it to the man in a quiet voice.

“Thank you, lord.”

“Are your knees okay?”

“Oh, my knees…”

Pristin quickly turned around and rolled up her dress. Then, she examined the area above her knees that she had been ignoring the pain of. Soon, her brows furrowed.

‘…It’s worse than I thought.’

Pristin’s knees were severely scraped, as if they had been forcefully dragged on the floor. Her dress had provided no protection in the direction she fell. As she visually confirmed the wounds, the pain seemed to intensify. Unconsciously, she tried to smooth out her wrinkled forehead and calmly spoke up again.

“It will heal quickly.”

“Is that so? You seem to take superficial wounds lightly.”

The man retorted in a dry voice, and soon asked Pristin.

“Will you follow me if you don’t mind?”

“What?”

“There’s a place nearby where I work. I can provide some treatment for you.”

“Where do you work nearby…”

“Your Ladyship!”

Then, in the distance, Aruvina’s voice was heard. The head of the man and Pristin turned reflexively toward Aruvina. Aruvina approached Pristin with a surprised look and asked.

“Are you all right? I came because there was a loud noise.”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Pristin tried hard to explain the situation earlier with calmness.

“I tripped on the ladder and fell.”

“Oh, my goodness, are you all right?”

“Yes, my knees are just slightly scraped…”

“I don’t think it’s just a slight scrape.”

At that moment, the man interjected.

“Madame Korsol, would it be all right if I take this person to the herbal garden? It seems that the superficial wounds might be more severe than expected.”

“Oh, yes. Of course, Young Master Bachell.”

After answering like that, Aruvina immediately added.

“Of course, if Your Ladyship doesn’t mind. Why don’t you go and get treatment, Your Ladyship?”

“Yes, I will.”

“And the books… Goodness, you’re borrowing all of these?”

When Aruvina saw the books piled up on the floor, she asked in a bewildered voice.

Pristin, slightly embarrassed, tried to explain herself.

“I had the books held too high in my arms, so I couldn’t see where I was going.”

“I see, I see. Well, it’s a relief that you didn’t get seriously hurt. I’ll take care of the books you chose and bring them to Camer Palace. Your Ladyship, please receive treatment at the herbal garden.”

“I will, Madame Korsol. Thank you.”

Thus, Pristin unexpectedly went out with a man named Young Master Bachell.

And Pristin knew who he was.

“You’re the head herbalist of the Imperial Palace Herbal Garden, aren’t you?”

As they left the library and went to the herbal garden, Pristin asked carefully.

The man asked Pristin’s question in a voice of interest.

“Do you know about me?”

“Of course.”

The man’s name was Akkad Bachell. The first son of the Duke of Bachell, he was the head herbalist at the Imperial Herbal Garden.

He was also a person who was well-informed in herbal medicine and chemistry enough to gain the title of head herbalist at a young age. He was selected by the late Ferdinand IV, but even amidst the aftermath of the coup, Albert III must have believed that academia was an area separate from politics, as Akkad managed to safely retain his position until now. Pristin said to him with a voice full of admiration.

“I’ve always wanted to meet you, so it’s an honor to meet you like this.”

“I didn’t know you knew me.”

Akkad replied in a voice of a little surprise.

“It’s also an honor for me to meet you.”

“You speak as if you know me.”

“Is there anyone in the palace who doesn’t know the existence of Your Ladyship?”

Pristin smiled awkwardly at the words.

Akkad was right. She should not forget that she was now using a whole palace due to caring for and saving the life of the princess. Pristin replied with an embarrassed look.

“Come to think of it, that is the case.”

“You were a great help to Her Highness during her exile.”

“I just gave her a little help.”

“I’ve heard that it wasn’t just a small assistance.”

Akkad said with a small smile.

“I am grateful as someone who serves the royal family.”

“I also thought it was something I should be willing to do as a citizen of the empire. I didn’t think it was something to be rewarded for like this, but I’m a little embarrassed.”

“You don’t need to think that way. Your Ladyship is a person who has done great things no matter what anyone says.”

While talking back and forth, the two arrived at the herbal garden before they knew it.

“This is the herbal garden, and my lab is over there.”

Following Akkad, Pristin’s eyes were drawn to a large glass booth on the other side.