Chapter 7
Chapter 7
So, all things considered, a 20-minute walk seemed like a reasonable way to start exercising.
“Still… Understood. Since we’re ready, shall we go?”
“Yes.”
The nanny must have realized she couldn’t talk me out of it, as she didn’t press the issue any further. Soon after, we finished getting ready and left the Imperial Consort’s palace, heading toward the library.
As we walked, the grandeur of the imperial palace unfolded around me.
‘Wow. It’s really huge.’
Come to think of it, if it takes 20 minutes just to walk to the library, still within the palace grounds, then the scale of the imperial palace was truly beyond imagination.
The weather was perfect for a walk, bright and sunny.
Warm sunlight and a gentle breeze lifted my spirits.
About twenty minutes later, we arrived in front of a large building supported by towering columns. It looked like a library at a glance.
As soon as we got there, I paused to catch my breath. I did feel a little tired, but not unreasonably so.
To my relief, Ariel’s stamina wasn’t quite as bad as I’d feared.
‘Then again, that would take a fair amount of stamina too…’
Wait, what am I thinking in front of a sacred library?
Just as memories from the night before began to surface, I shook my head to clear my mind.
“Your Imperial Highness?”
The nanny tilted her head and called out, having noticed my odd behavior just now.
“Don’t tell me… another headache?”
Her face filled with concern, probably remembering when I’d previously collapsed from one.
“No, I’m fine. Really.”
I gave her a long, reassuring smile.
“Oh, thank goodness. I was worried you might be unwell again…”
“I’m alright. Don’t worry.”
“Yes. Then we’ll wait here.”
“Huh?”
I’d just taken the lead and was about to step through the entrance when I heard her voice behind me. Turning back with a puzzled look, I quickly realized why.
The library was off-limits to anyone except the imperial family, those granted express permission by the Emperor, and the library’s staff.
“Ah… right. But I might be a while…”
The thought of the nanny and handmaidens waiting outside for me made me feel uneasy. Knowing someone was waiting for me would make it hard to truly immerse myself in the books.
“It’s alright. We’ll wait.”
Despite my concern, she insisted again with a calm voice. I opened my mouth to object but closed it again.
‘I have to be careful.’
Even if Ariel had been a kind person who cherished her nanny, she was still a noble to her bones.
Would someone like that have felt uncomfortable having her attendants wait on her?
Probably not. She’d likely seen such service as a matter of course and thought nothing of it.
“Alright then. I’ll be back soon.”
“Yes, Your Imperial Highness. Please take care.”
Leaving the nanny and attendants behind, I stepped into the library.
As I opened the large door that first greeted me inside, the scent of old books hit me like a wave.
‘Wow…’
Rows upon rows of tightly packed shelves stretched before me, and I couldn’t help but let out a soft gasp. For some reason, being surrounded by books in every direction gave me a strange sense of calm.
On top of that, the soundproofing must have been flawless. Not a single noise from outside reached my ears, only my own breathing echoed faintly in the silence.
Quiet stillness. The musty scent of paper.
Even though it was my first time here, I could already tell I was going to love this place.
‘Where should I start?’
As I wandered between the shelves, thinking about which book to read first, it occurred to me that I should probably learn more about this world.
So, the book I ended up picking was <The History and Geography of the Roimann Empire>.
I took it to a desk in the center of the library, settled in, and after a deep breath, began reading one word at a time.
It started off well. I read the first ten pages in one go, patiently and without pause. But then…
‘How can something be this boring?’
Trying to study the history of a foreign empire I had no interest in was mind-numbingly dull. To make matters worse, sleep began to creep in.
Stay awake. This is all going to help me in the long run.
I tried to motivate myself, forcing my sleepy eyes open and pushing through the boredom.
But it didn’t last long.
Eventually, the combination of a weak body and an easily distracted mind got the better of me, and I fell fast asleep.
* * *
I had no idea how long I slept.
It must’ve been quite a while, but what woke me was a touch, familiar, yet strangely unfamiliar. I furrowed my brows in protest and slowly opened my eyes.
“Mmm…”
When I did, I found myself blinking repeatedly, wondering if I was seeing things. But with each blink, the figure before me became clearer and soon, I recognized who it was.
“Calix?”
I called the name of the man gently brushing my hair. He seemed quite pleased to hear me use his name and smiled with satisfaction.
“You’re awake.”
His low, pleasant voice rang in my ears, snapping me fully awake as I realized what was happening.
“Y-Your Majesty?”
As I lifted my head off the desk and corrected my address, Calix frowned slightly in disapproval.
“When it’s just the two of us, I told you to call me by name.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
Technically, there was nothing to apologize for. But maybe it was the pressure of his imperial presence, an apology slipped out before I knew it.
Come to think of it, every time I ran into this man, it was always right after I’d woken up.
As I puzzled over this odd coincidence, Calix picked up the book I’d been using as a pillow.
“The History and Geography of the Roimann Empire?”
He read the title aloud, glancing between me and the book.
“Why are you reading this?”
“Um… well…”
As I scrambled to think of an excuse, he stared at me with an unreadable expression.
‘What should I say?’
No matter how hard I thought, I couldn’t come up with a good reason.
Meanwhile, his sharp gaze only grew more intense, as if he were seeing right through me.
‘Stay calm.’
Out of the hundreds of books in this library, I’d only read one. That wasn’t a crime. There was no need to be this nervous, like I’d done something wrong.
I took a deep breath and focused, trying to come up with the most believable explanation. And luckily, one finally came to mind.
“I mean… we don’t have a baby yet, but someday we will, and when that time comes, I’d like to tell our child stories in my own voice.”
I paused and glanced up at his face.
He simply listened, expressionless, but at least he didn’t seem upset or skeptical, so I continued quickly.
“And first of all, I want to tell them about the Empire. About the nation you and I love with all our hearts.”
In the novel, Calix had been depicted as a tyrant. But that was just from the perspective of nobles and those who defied him.
From what I could tell, he loved his empire. He was a ruler who willingly dedicated his time to ensure his people could live better lives.
“So I thought I should learn more about the Empire. That’s why I came to the library. Honestly… I don’t know much about it. And I guess I dozed off because it’s been so long since I last read a book like this.”
Words flowed from my mouth with surprising ease, as if I were a natural-born liar.
“For our child?”
Calix echoed my words, emphasizing the word our as he looked at me.
“Yes… I only want our baby to hear good stories.”
So I responded in kind, repeating our deliberately, and smiled softly at him.
“I see.”
Thankfully, my answer seemed to satisfy him. The tension in his face eased slightly.
‘Whew.’
Another crisis averted. I let out a quiet sigh of relief.
“So… how much did you learn?”
“…Not much. As you can see, I fell asleep after barely getting through a bit.”
Even I found it ridiculous and let out an awkward laugh. Calix looked at me and let out a small chuckle of his own.
……
T/N: Now you’re just giving Calix reason to work harder with his ‘stamina’ hahahaha
