Chapter 12
12
I, who had been momentarily swayed by his unusual beauty, quickly regained my senses and replied calmly.
“I am Livia Plington, Vincent Young master’s tutor.”
“Ah! You’re the tutor.”
He smiled brightly, as if pleased.
“Nice to meet you. I am Raymond, the caretaker and librarian of this Mercedes Library.”
“Nice to meet you, Raymond.”
I extended my hand, ready to shake his.
However, Raymond stared at my outstretched hand for a moment, then lowered his head and kissed the back of my hand.
Smooch
“……”
I stared at Raymond with a bewildered expression.
‘What is he doing right now?’
Of course, kissing a lady’s hand is a gentlemanly greeting, but it’s only appropriate at social gatherings like balls or banquets.
It wasn’t a greeting suitable for a place like this library.
Even less so between a librarian and a tutor.
Of course, there are exceptions.
‘When trying to seduce someone.’
Not a casual greeting bound by place and situation, but a kind of declaration of war: ‘I will seduce you from now on.’
……No way.
I shook my head.
There was no reason for him to seduce me.
We had just met today, and he was a librarian while I was a tutor.
There was no reason for him to intentionally send me a sign of seduction.
‘He must have learned it wrong.’
It was something that shouldn’t happen to a noble who values formality and etiquette, but there are exceptions everywhere. Like me, who has memories of a past life.
Thinking that way, there was no need to be so embarrassed. I didn’t want to point it out and make him feel awkward.
I withdrew my hand with an indifferent expression and said to him.
“I was looking for reference materials for Young master’s lessons.”
At that moment, a strange light seemed to flicker in Raymond’s pale yellow eyes.
But as if it were an illusion, he returned to his original gaze and smiled brightly.
“I see. As you can see, this place is very large, so it’s almost impossible to find the book you want without my help. If you tell me the type and title of the book, I will find it for you.”
Raymond was very kind.
I, who was already burdened with worries about finding the book, was delighted and handed him a memo pad with the titles of the books written in advance.
Raymond carefully scanned the memo pad.
“<The History of the Empire and the Changes in the Temple>, <The Technology and Development of the Ancient Empire>, <The Footsteps of the Philosophers of the Century>, and <Basics of Magic, Volume 1>.”
I nodded.
According to Winston, Vincent had not received proper Academy classes.
‘I need to assess his level first.’
The above books were classics and basics in each field.
“Please wait a moment, and I will bring you the books.”
I nodded and took a seat at a large table in the first-floor lobby.
Then, I took out the notebook and pen I had brought.
‘It’ll be difficult to carry all the books at once, so let’s organize the content for tomorrow’s class first.’
Raymond quickly returned with the books I had requested.
Surprised by his faster-than-expected speed, even though he was a librarian, I looked at him, and Raymond smiled brightly.
“I have a good memory.”
No matter how good his memory was, to find the books so quickly in this library with millions of books…
‘As expected, the Mercedes Ducal Family is different, even the librarians are different.’
I admired and began to organize the contents of the books in my notebook.
Scratch, scratch.
The sound of the sharp pen tip skimming over the paper echoed through the library.
Flip, flip.
Every time I turned a page, I could smell the unique scent of old books.
‘Ah, I love this.’
I especially loved this moment.
Quiet, serene, and cozy.
‘I used to live in the library even when I was attending the Academy.’
There were no following gazes or subtle sneers in the library.
At first, it was a place I chose as a refuge, but later I really came to love the place.
I was engrossed in writing for quite some time.
Suddenly, I felt a hand tapping on the desk, and I looked up.
Raymond, holding an armful of old books, smiled at me.
“I have to move these books to the storage room, so I’ll have to leave for a while.”
“Ah.”
I was so engrossed that I didn’t even realize the time.
I was wondering if I should get up now when he said.
“Don’t worry about me, you can stay here.”
I breathed a sigh of relief at his words. I still had a little bit of writing left.
“Ah, come to think of it.”
“……?”
“If you’re interested in books, you should take a look at that room too.”
He said, pointing to a door in a secluded corner.
The color was the same as the wall, so you wouldn’t notice there was a door unless you looked closely.
‘It’s like invisibility magic.’
“That room has many rare books that you can’t usually find. Originally, it’s a place where outsiders are prohibited from entering, but……”
Raymond, who turned his gaze back to me, winked and smiled.
“I’ll make an exception and allow only Livia to enter.”
“Yes?”
I felt more puzzled than pleased at the thought of being allowed to enter the room.
‘Why does he trust me?’
We’ve only known each other for about three hours, and it can’t be because I’m Vincent’s tutor, since there have been about ten tutors who have passed by so far. Could it be that he allowed all those people to enter the room?
‘Then it’s not a place where outsiders are prohibited from entering, is it?’
Whether he knew my question or not, Raymond lowered his head and whispered quietly in my ear.
“You never know. You might find something very precious in that room.”
“……?”
“Then, goodbye.”
Raymond left the library, leaving behind only meaningful words.
‘What is he really?’
He’s a person whose thoughts are as mysterious as his appearance.
I quickly lost interest in Raymond and continued writing.
As the sun began to set, and the swaying sunset filled the library.
“……I’m done.”
Having concentrated for a long time, my whole body was stiff.
“Raymond hasn’t come back yet.”
I wanted to borrow more books before going back, so I decided to look around the library until Raymond returned.
Then, it caught my eye.
The ‘No Outsiders Allowed’ room that Raymond had mentioned.
“Rare books……”
I didn’t take it seriously, but honestly, I was curious.
“Maybe I can find a good book.”
I had permission, and it wouldn’t be bad to take a look since it was a rare opportunity.
‘It’s actually a good thing.’
Okay, let’s go.
Having decided, I approached the gray stone wall, which was deeply marked by the passage of time.
‘I really wouldn’t be able to recognize it if it weren’t for the doorknob.’
The doorknob was also delicately embossed with moonflowers, the symbol of the Mercedes Manor.
When I turned the doorknob, the door opened with a click. It was as if the entire wall was being torn off.
I carefully went inside and closed the door.
Soon, I exclaimed once again at the sight of the room.
“Wow……”
It was more like a secret room of a wealthy man than a library.
The floor was covered with a purplish-black carpet, and the bookshelves on the walls were filled with books. But it didn’t feel as cramped as the public hall.
There was a fireplace on the opposite side, and a long, fluffy-looking bed in front of it.
‘It’s like a private room.’
It would be perfect to sit on the sofa and read a book. It seemed like a space prepared for that.
I walked towards the bookshelf.
“Wow, they have this book?”
I could easily find books that were out of print and known to be impossible to obtain anywhere else.
“Oh, this book is……”
Then, I found a book.
<Twelve Stories for the Sleepless You>
“Wow, this book is here……”
I picked up <Twelve Stories for the Sleepless You> with a happy heart.
This not-so-thick book was a collection of fairy tales that my father used to read to me before I went to sleep when I was a child.
It was a book that my father had accidentally purchased in a foreign country, so it was impossible to find it in the Lagranasia Empire where I lived.
‘I was really depressed when even this book was taken away.’
The debtors took everything in the house, not even leaving out a single book.
I begged them to leave this book alone, but they didn’t listen to my request.
‘But of course.’
A bitter smile escaped my lips.
My father was silently watching me, who was in despair.
What was my father thinking at that time?
‘Eh, never mind.’
I shook my head to shake off the gloomy thoughts.
‘Should I take a look while I’m here?’
I was just going to look around and leave, but seeing this book changed my mind.
I took the book and walked towards the fireplace.
And the moment I was about to sit on the sofa.
“……?!”
Only then did I realize that there was another person in this room besides me.
“Ka…… Dien?”
