16.Knight on a white horse? Complete nonsense! I will defend myself on my own
Stele? You see, Sir Lloyd has revealed everything? What a traitor!
I don't need to see to imagine.
He certainly told them that Carlex carried me in his arms like a princess, and accompanied me on the same horse to the official residence.
“It would be better if you told us the story frankly.”
Rose's light brown eyes sparkled with a strange determination.
“On that day... I had lost consciousness as a result of hitting my head on a cart, and when I woke up, I found myself in the headquarters.”
Rose showed an open expression of disappointment at my novel.
“Hmm, this is boring. I deliberately lured you, but it seems that you won’t obey easily.”
"Wait? Didn't Sir Lloyd tell you?"
"Sir Lloyd? No, he insisted that as a knight he could not reveal the lady's privates, and would keep the secret until death although it made him seem more suspicious, of course."
I apologize for thinking poorly of you, Sir Lloyd.
Thank you for your silence, but you shouldn't have exaggerated it.
This increases misunderstanding.
Rose leaned her chin on her hand and wore a dreamy expression like a little girl.
“Ah, I was looking forward to a romance between the duke and the librarian. A love story between the cold, frosty Duke of the North and the librarian who captured his heart! Don’t you get shivers just thinking about it?”
“Things like this only happen in romance novels.”
She set down the teacup and examined the book cart in front of the reception desk.
It was full of books that had not yet been arranged.
Like I said, I shouldn't be happy about my vacation.
Business is piling up like a mountain.
“I enjoyed my tea, I will go and organize the books now.”
“يمكنك تكليف القائم على الأرفف بترتيب الكتب، فلمَ تحملينها أنتِ، يا آنسة إيريكا؟”
Rose tilted her head curiously.
I picked up five old, thick volumes from the book cart.
“I like to arrange books. When I arrange them, my mind gets organized, too.”
“You really are a real librarian then, fine I'll take care of the front desk.”
Rose fluttered her purple velvet fan and smiled elegantly.
***
She went up to the shelves of the second floor and arranged the books in their original places, sniffing the air with relief.
The creak of the wooden floor, the smell of old paper, and the faint sunlight streaming through the window.
Inhaling the scent of books, I finally realized that I was back to my normal life.
As I was making my way to the third-floor shelves, the door to the binding shop farther inside opened.
Lady Marian came out carrying several heavy-looking books.
I ran to her and took the books from her.
“Oh, it's okay. Thanks for your help.”
The employer entered my view from behind the open door.
Several employees were hunched over desks, sorting through hundreds of books and attaching cover labels.
I also saw an employee repairing a book with a worn leather cover or torn pages.
“We received a donation of a large number of books from a bereaved noble family. The volume of work is higher than usual these days.”
Lady Marian explained kindly, noticing my look.
Classifying books, creating cover cards, and even preparing indexes.
Even when I worked in a small library, it was hard, time-consuming work.
“Shall we have a cup of tea? Come to my office.”
Lady Marian smiled kindly and stepped in front of me.
I wasn't sure whether to come to the library to work or to drink tea, but the lady's tea is wonderful and her handmade cakes are a masterpiece.
So I gladly followed suit.
***
The office of Ms. Marianne, the library's general manager, seemed to reflect her caring and understanding personality.
White furniture in the Provençal style, and a table said to have been embroidered by herself.
The sheer white curtains made the place look more like a comfortable and cozy salon for a noblewoman than an office.
While I was drinking the black tea that Lady Marian had carefully prepared, I hesitated for a moment and then began to talk seriously.
“Miss Dale, have you heard about the Dale family?”
I suddenly remembered that bastard Ferdi whom I had completely forgotten about.
Lady Marian saw me looking confused, mistakenly thought I was frightened and apologized in turn.
“I worried you unnecessarily. I wanted to reassure you about this problem.”
"What? Did something happen?"
“Rumors have recently spread in social circles. Noble society has learned of the crime of Viscount Verde, who tried to seize the property of poor Miss Dale, who lost her father, and force her to marry an elderly nobleman. The noble ladies and young ladies are angry and sympathetic. Viscount Verde’s reputation has been damaged, and he will not be able to approach the capital and social society for a while.”
Hmm, the matter has been resolved to the point where I don't need to act now, but it's a solution that doesn't quench my thirst for revenge.
My expression still wasn't bright, and Lady Marian looked at me with worried eyes.
“Miss Dale, your face still looks grim.”
“I'm glad Viscount Verdi's reputation has been damaged, but nothing much has changed for me. I haven't regained my reputation and standing yet.”
She suppressed the hot anger rising from deep within.
She drank the tea, which was already cold, and then continued to speak quietly.
“I'm still banished from my family. I can't stay under Director William's protection forever, right?”
Shouldn't I take revenge on that bastard Ferdi?
And if I think about it, if he hadn't fired Erica, wouldn't I have enjoyed the life of Miss Elegant?
Isn't he why I'm struggling now as a librarian?
Since I moved into Erica's body, this had to be resolved.
I decided to think of a plan while I continued working as a librarian for a while.
My nature doesn't allow me to sleep at night if I'm just going to accept insults.
Lady Marian looked at me thoughtfully.
In her wise eyes, I felt a maturity stemming from life experience.
“You're not fired, miss.”
Lady Marian smiled sweetly and shot me a steady look.
It was an honest expression coming from the heart.
“You got a chance to live a new life.”
Lady Marian held my hand tightly.
I felt her warmth transfer directly to me.
“You may be feeling upset and tired now, but let’s think of a way together. I will also look into the inheritance law books in the kingdom. There must be a way for Miss, the only daughter, to inherit the title and the entire property. Don’t lose hope.”
“Lady Marianne...”
I bowed my head deeply to her, with all gratitude, to this woman who genuinely cared for me and was trying to find a way out for me.
***
As soon as I left Ms. Marian's office, I quickly got down to work.
She examined the book cards and arranged them on her own shelves.
Even though it was a chore, my heart calmed down while doing it.
In life as complex, random, and tangled as a ball of thread, books are the only thing I can arrange and organize in straight lines.
How wonderful it would be if my life could be arranged in an orderly manner.
While I was sorting out the books and wandering around the library, lunchtime passed without me knowing.
“Ms. Erica, would you go out to lunch with me? I have a restaurant I prefer.”
Rose asked me as she prepared to leave.
It seems that employees in any world are on the move before lunchtime.
“It's okay, we'll go together next time. I want to try the library restaurant this time.”
“Okay. I avoid restaurant food for a bit. Have a nice meal.”
Rose left hurriedly with her maid, and went to the restaurant in the building attached to the library.
When I arrived, dozens of employees in brown uniforms were waiting in line.
The staff of the Royal Library is drawn from the highly educated common people, and is said to be a recognized position even in the capital.
I heard it's a popular workplace for the public, as they work in a luxurious, clean library, with good pay and even meals.
The public is prohibited from entering, while employees are appointed from among them.
What exactly is this idea?
I still didn't recognize any familiar faces, so I quietly went to the back and stood in line.
It was nice to have lunch with Ms. Marian.
Maybe she was too busy at work to come to the restaurant.
But I'm used to eating alone, so it was okay.
I used to do that a lot in the original world too.
I couldn't leave the library until lunchtime, so I would grab a lunch box or eat rice triangles from the store.
But feeling like I had to eat lunch alone even after I moved into this world made me feel a little depressed.
But that depression disappeared on its way to my stomach when I saw the luxurious food equivalent to the level of a high-end restaurant in front of me.
As I deftly ate my meal with a fork and knife, I became determined again.
I have to go to the library every day, if only for food.
***
After a hearty lunch, I went out for a walk in the library garden, when I heard strange sounds of exercise from behind the annex building.
“Oh!”
"Gilbert, do you think you're going to kill a monster with this? You should put in more power."
What is this? Exercise sounds in a quiet library?
The source of the sound was in a courtyard behind the annex building.
As I approached to look, I saw a barracks with the Reinhardt family crest mounted on it.
In front of her, Lord Lloyd and a young knight were practicing with swords and sweating.
Lloyd felt my gaze and turned to me.
"Miss Erica! Good evening. Did you have a nice lunch?"
“Lord Lloyd, thank you for your hard work today as well. I will go now for fear of being a nuisance.”
I wanted to leave the place after greeting, but Lloyd hurriedly stopped me.
“No. I intended to introduce you to the youngest member of the Shadow Knights, Miss Erica.”
Lloyd tapped the young knight next to him on the shoulder.
He was a young man with curly black-brown hair and a strong body.
He was a young knight with good looks.
He bowed shyly and said hello.
“I am Sagittarius, Ji, Gilbert, of the Shadow Knights. Nice to meet you, Miss Dale.”
“Yes. Thank you for your hard work guarding the library. Were you… the one who shot the arrow during the carriage incident?”
I remembered a young man shooting an arrow at the attackers when the carriage overturned.
At my words, Gilbert was startled and then looked at me with affected eyes like a big puppy.
“How do you remember that, miss...”
“I remembered it because your archery skill was amazing. It's a really impressive ability.”
“You exaggerated the praise, my skill is mediocre, and it's embarrassing.”
Gilbert's face turned red as a tomato and he scratched the back of his head.
Seeing this, Lloyd stroked his back as he joked.
“Look at this shy guy haha, though, he is the best archer in the kingdom, recognized by Duke Carlex himself.”
“If you get the Duke’s recognition, that’s really great. But, have you been training here?”
“Yes, we don’t know where or when monsters might appear, so we can’t neglect training.”
Lloyd's expression turned serious when he said the word 'monsters', although it was always full of joking and a relaxed smile.
Did monsters appear in the original story?
Although Carlex had exterminated monsters and achieved accomplishments, it was later described that the kingdom was at peace.
I thought it was a romantic story set in a library.
But after moving into this world, the story goes differently than the original, and that worries me.
Then the training dummies caught my attention.
A plan that I had been vaguely considering for a while suddenly came to mind.
It's been a problem that has worried me ever since the carriage accident.
Could I really remain helpless like this and only receive protection from Carlix, William, or the Knights?
This is what I was thinking.
I am a secondary character who is not important at all.
It wouldn't be strange if I disappeared at any time.
Even if Carlex was watching over me because I'm a book reader, it would be the same.
He will fall in love with the heroine, Freesia, as soon as he meets her.
He is not my knight on the white horse.
I once dreamed of a prince on a white horse, but certainly, such a thing does not exist in my life.
I'll be lucky if I don't encounter obstacles in my path.
It seems that I must find my own way of salvation, and fend for myself by myself.
Well, you've decided.
She smiled evilly and looked sharply at the two knights.
Gentlemen knights, do you want to become my teacher?
[To be continued in the next chapter]
Loving translation
You can find the advanced chapters and leaks in the Telegram channel, link in the pinned comment