Chapter 8
#08
Maria Bellona was a real person, unfortunately.
I hadn't yet confirmed that she was Lord Wensbury's illegitimate child, but it was true that she lived with her ailing single mother.
Moreover, I discovered that Lord Wensbury had recuperated in Anchini in his younger days to treat injuries sustained in the war, and that the maid who served him at the time was Maria's mother.
All the revealed facts matched the book, increasing the likelihood that other facts would also align.
"This is driving me crazy."
I muttered to myself inside the moving carriage.
My apprehension was turning into certainty. I had still held onto a sliver of hope that such a person didn't exist, but even that was now gone.
As the contents of the book matched one by one, I felt as if my lifeline was tightening.
"We've arrived, Young lady."
The carriage stopped, and as the coachman opened the door, I stepped lightly out of the carriage.
"Wait here for a moment. I'll be right back."
Leaving the bowing coachman behind, I entered the bookstore, where an old man who had been dozing off woke up with a start.
No wonder books get stolen with him like that.
"Oh! How did such a distinguished person come to this humble place!"
"...What else would I be doing at a bookstore?"
"Ah! That's right. I was just so happy to see you that I forgot myself!"
He smacked his forehead with a loud thwack and pulled out a book next to him, showing me the very last page. A new blue sticker was attached.
"I changed it as you said, Young lady. And I've started stamping them after each sale."
"Oh, really?"
I wasn't really interested. I had just said it without thinking, because he was doing something stupid.
"Yes. It hasn't been implemented for many days yet, so I don't know for sure, but with this method, surely..."
"Find me some books."
I cut him off. I wasn't very interested in book thieves. And the bookstore owner would probably be more interested in selling books than in having a conversation.
"Ah, yes, yes. What kind of books are you looking for?"
"War trauma, psychological treatment, panic disorder, books like that."
"Indeed, Young lady, your passion for scholarly knowledge is extensive..."
"Quickly, a lot, now."
"You're busy, I see. Understood."
He seemed to have more to say, but he held back when I cut off his words of praise.
"So, how many do you want?"
"All of them."
"Pardon?"
"Gather up all the books that have even a little bit of what I just said and load them onto the carriage."
The old man's mouth dropped open.
"That's going to be a lot."
"I'll say it again, load them all up."
"Yes, yes, yes!"
He hurriedly went into the inner storeroom, and only then did I quietly look around. Books were still densely packed and displayed higher than my height.
I didn't like being looked down upon by anyone, but books were okay.
Those things that contained such an infinite repository of knowledge deserved the right to look down on me.
"Read, read, read..."
I moved one book at a time, starting from wherever my finger touched. It was the liberal arts section. The fact that I had read many books was one of my prides.
"I've never heard of this one before?"
I pulled out a book with an unfamiliar title.
<The Travels of Princess Dandelion>
It was a children's fairy tale. It seemed I had moved to the children's books section without realizing it.
"This is a book I don't need."
As I was about to put the book back, I suddenly thought of Lara. She liked princesses.
Thinking of the child who looked at me with sparkling eyes, I unconsciously smiled.
Besides, she had threatened the heir to the Wincaiser family, whose power was said to bring down even flying birds, saying she would scold him.
If it hadn't been for that brave little knight, I would have remained frozen, enduring Ricardo's cold gaze.
And I wouldn't have been able to clear up Ricardo's misunderstanding that I had been digging into his past.
"Well, it wouldn't hurt to give her a little reward."
I placed the book in my hand on the counter.
"...No. Bianca of all people giving just one book seems too meager, doesn't it?"
A little later, I gave the bookstore owner, who had brought a stack of books taller than himself, the following order.
"I'll buy all the books on that bookshelf."
"Pardon?"
The bookstore owner looked at the bookshelf I was pointing to.
"That's... fairy tales for ages 5 to 10, you know?"
"Can't I buy them if I'm not that age?"
"No, of course not, but your literary taste is truly deep and broad, Young lady. To delve into children's books as well."
"...Do I look 10 years old to you?"
"A-Are you going to read them?"
"Are you going to sell them or not?"
"I'll sell them! I'll calculate the price! Right away!"
He hurriedly grabbed a piece of paper and ran to the children's bookshelf.
He should have done that from the start.
"I'm seeing you... often."
That was my honest impression upon encountering Ricardo.
We had met a couple of times a month before, since we were engaged, but it seemed rare to meet several times a week like this.
"That's... right."
Ricardo seemed to feel the same way. He also looked a little flustered to meet me unexpectedly.
"Do you come here often?"
"Unless there's something special, I try to come two or three times a week, even if it's just for a little while. Swordsmanship improves with practice, after all."
It seemed he came often to watch over the children's swordsmanship.
"What brings you here?"
"I bought some books."
I said as if it were nothing, pointing to the coachman and maid who were groaning as they carried the books behind me.
"That doesn't seem like... just a few."
Ricardo glanced into the carriage and replied. Since I had taken an entire bookshelf taller than myself, it wasn't just a few.
"I should get the children to help."
Ricardo wiped the sweat from his brow and turned around.
The children, who had been watching us with curious expressions, quickly gathered around Ricardo.
Then, with bright expressions, they rushed towards the carriage I had come in. Some of the children even bowed to me with those bright faces.
It didn't feel too bad to meet those bright faces.
"Princessssssssss!"
And there was a cheerful voice that was getting closer and closer from afar.
"Lara! You'll fall!"
Despite another girl's dissuasion, Lara ran as fast as her little legs would allow and hugged my dress tightly.
"Princess, when did you come? Why didn't you tell Lara you were coming? Nicole told me the Princess was here, so I ran from the back yard!"
"I just got here."
I didn't know how to answer the question that followed, so I smiled slightly, and Lara smiled brightly back at me.
"Princess is pretty!"
"I know."
Just then, Ricardo, who was passing by carrying an armful of books, seemed to hear my conversation with Lara and chuckled.
Not knowing what was so funny, I looked at him, and he pretended to suppress his laughter and walked past.
"Princess, did you fight with Ricardo?"
"No, we didn't fight."
We had never been close enough to fight. I don't think we knew each other well enough to fight.
If anything, I felt like we were getting along better now.
At least, after Ricardo revealed even a little of his inner self to me, which he had never shown me before.
At a point when he didn't even have to.
"If Ricardo scolds the Princess again, tell Lara. Then Lara will scold Ricardo~."
"Hmm, do you think Ricardo will be scared if you scold him?"
I crouched down in front of Lara. The hem of my dress would be dragged across the dirt floor and get dirty, but I didn't care.
"Lara is so small and cute, you know?"
"How scary Lara is! Do you want to see? Roar!"
"..."
I didn't know how to react to Lara, who was raising her small, adorable hands above her head and making a fierce expression, imitating a lion or a tiger.
"Roaaaaar!"
When I didn't say anything, Lara roared again.
Should I say she's scary? Or should I honestly say she's cute, as I see her?
"Oh my, how scary!"
Nicole, the girl who had followed Lara a little while ago, suddenly covered her face with her hands and shouted. Seeing her, Lara grinned.
"Roaaaaar!"
"Oh my, scary!"
Lara roared again, and the girl named Nicole pretended to be even more startled and covered her face again. It was like watching a clown's show.
As the two of them giggled and played, Lara turned her head and looked at me. Her round eyes were full of mischief.
"Roar!"
Lara roared, looking at me.
"Roaaaaar!"
"..."
What should I do?
My face was stiff and wouldn't move. Even when I tried to move my hand, it only creaked.
"A scary tiger has appeared!"
Suddenly, Lara, who had been in front of me, disappeared. Instead, black pants occupied her place.
"Kyaa! Kyahahahaha!"
As I listened to the scream turn into laughter, I looked up and saw Ricardo lifting Lara up and holding her.
"You mustn't bully the Princess, tiger."
He lifted Lara up into the air once more and then put the child down.
"I didn't bully her. Lara was trying to protect the Princess!"
"Is that so?"
"Yes! Lara will scold and roar at anyone who bullies the Princess!"
"The Princess is lucky to have such a reliable Lara."
Ricardo turned his head and looked at me. And he held out his hand towards me.
As if telling me to take his hand, Ricardo smiled slightly. As if telling me to be at ease, to take his hand.
So, without realizing it, I took his hand.
I put strength into the hand I was holding and slowly got up from my seat, when Lara, who was next to me, opened her eyes wide and shouted.
"Ah! I saw this in a fairy tale!"
Lara's small, chubby finger was pointing at us, at me and Ricardo.
"I saw it in the scene where the knight saves the Princess! Ricardo wasn't the villain! He was the knight who saved the Princess!"
Lara smiled brightly.
"Then now the two of you will have a ta-da-da-da~ wedding and live happily ever after, right? Huh?"
Looking at the cheerful Lara, I bit my lip. That fairy tale wasn't for me.
The role given to me was that of a villainess. The ending given to me was death.
But of course, I couldn't say such things to that cheerful little girl. That your princess is a villain and will die soon.
"Maybe so."
As if to speak for me, who couldn't say anything, Ricardo's voice was heard.
"If the Princess and I get married, will Lara come as a guest?"
"Yes!"
Lara nodded and smiled brightly.
"Lara! The Princess gave us a book as a gift! There are many princess books that you like!"
"Kyaa! Lara wants to see too!"
When Nicole shouted from over there, Lara shouted and ran towards her. As the noisy child disappeared, it became quiet as if the space had been separated.
"...Why did you say that?"
I asked Ricardo.
