She carefully wiped the edge of Freesia's reddened eyes.
Her tears that had not yet dried wet my hands.
“We all have moments when we want to cry. I'm fine.”
“But… I don’t have a face to meet Erica with.”
She was biting her soft lips, unable even to face me.
“So, what if we did like this?”
I strained to make my voice sound bright.
“Since I offered my shoulder to you this time, next time you will offer your shoulder to me in any situation, without conditions.”
Freesia didn't seem to understand my words right away, and she had a confused expression for a moment.
Then she smiled as if a little flower bud might open.
“Yes, of course. For you, Erica, I will offer my shoulder at any time and in any situation.”
Freesia reflected me with her eyes, clear as a mirror.
Her sparkling violet eyes sparkled with admiration and awe.
"You're always saving me. It's like you're... my own savior."
A look focused on me alone,
Behind those passionately contemplative eyes, a bottomless desire and attachment rippled in a dark depth.
“Freesia…?”
For a moment, I doubted my eyes.
Did you miss the vision?
Why now, her fixated look matched Franz's, and I saw them mingling before my eyes?
Knock knock.
A quiet clicking sound broke my meditation.
This is unreasonable.
It's impossible for Freesia to be related to me.
Apparently, work had exhausted me too much and left me exhausted.
I imagine strange things.
“It looks like we have another guest. One moment, please.”
I apologized to Freesia and hurried to open the door.
William was standing, smiling sweetly, holding a small box.
“Oh, you have a guest. Can I join too?”
“The manager is always welcome. Please have a seat.”
When he entered the office, he spotted Freesia and bowed reverently to greet her.
“Ah, Miss Rubel. I hope you are well.”
“Yes. Thanks to your care, I am fine.”
As they exchanged greetings, she poured warm black tea into William's cup.
Sitting in the comfortable chair, William slowly took a look around the interior of the office.
“It's a wonderful office. Especially the furniture, it's an impressive presence.”
"Isn't it? Wow. I was almost obliterated by the furniture. But these are gifts from high-ranking people, I can't refuse them."
She sighed deeply and pretended to be upset.
My honorable patron nodded with an embarrassed smile.
“Haha, I don’t think you need to worry about that. I’ve never met someone with such a strong presence as Librarian Erica.”
Hmm, is this a compliment or a veiled criticism?
She stared at him skeptically for a moment.
Smiling, he extended his hand with the gift box.
At the same time, any feelings of resentment melted away.
“I hope you like it, Librarian Erica.”
A single fountain pen inside the box sparkled with a soft shine.
It was a luxurious fountain pen with gold embellishments, a silver nib, and a black obsidian body.
“Isn’t this… the magic ink pen you gave me before?”
“Yes. It has a protective shield effect like that pen that can only be used once, but its duration is longer than last time.”
“No, you have prepared all of this… I will use it gratefully.”
I did not refuse, and accepted the magic ink pen all at once.
With one pen like that, they said you could buy a luxurious palace, right?
Worst case scenario, once I pick this thing up and run, I can live on a country estate.
As William sat down, the atmosphere became brighter.
In his calm and gentle voice, he told us about various knowledge of society and culture in an interesting way.
Freesia listened with sparkling eyes like a curious child. Seeing it brighter made me feel good.
I joined in the conversation at ease, and flowers of laughter bloomed on the tea table.
“I didn't know you were such a nice person, Mr. Director. I thought you were a serious and dignified person.”
Freesia said as she put down the teacup and smiled.
“It seems that I only gave you a stern impression in the library, I have to be dignified, so maybe my facial expression became stern.”
William replied with a smile.
At that moment, a firm and faint clicking sound rang out.
When the door opened, Mr. Lloyd and Mr. Gilbert of the Shadow Knights stood up with cheerful smiles.
Lloyd greeted me with a slightly smirking attitude.
“Congratulations on your promotion, Chief Librarian.”
“There's no need to force yourself to say hello, Mr. Boyd. But.”
She leaned against the door and smiled devilishly.
“You know that you must show sincerity to enter this door, right?”
“Is this my first time negotiating? That is a given, of course.”
Lloyd also smiled smartly like a merchant who had been through many battles.
Gilbert looked worriedly between me and Lloyd.
“What, what? Do I have to pay a toll to enter the office?”
Lloyd slapped Gilbert's head angrily.
“You are such a humorless person. Miss Erica was just joking.”
Lloyd Lee extended what he was hiding behind his back.
“Wine from Gravelang grapes. It's a rare wine. Isn't that enough proof of sincerity?”
The color of the wine swaying inside the bottle was deep and bright.
She smiled contentedly and walked away from the door.
“Hoho, it is the most welcome gift. Only Mr. Lloyd knows my taste. Welcome, come in.”
Just then, Gilbert entered the office with a relaxed and hesitant expression.
Lloyd entered without hesitation, and when he discovered William and Freesia, he greeted them politely.
“The Director and Miss Rubel are also here. I extend my official greetings. I am Lloyd of the Knights assigned to the Duchy of Reinhardt and this is the younger Gilbert.”
William greeted with a friendly smile.
“Knights of Grand Duke Reinhardt. This is the first time I have met you in private. It is a pleasure to see you.”
Freesia also greeted them with an elegant smile worthy of an aristocratic girl.
“I heard that the deep loyalty and excellent swordsmanship of the Knights of the Reinhardt Duchy are famous in the capital. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
By the way, this was the first time that Freesia and William had met the Shadow Knights in particular.
I was a little worried it would be awkward.
As if he noticed my anxiety, Lloyd pointed at me with his eye and then beat his chest as if to say, “Trust me.”
I smiled and gave me a thumbs up.
It really is an air freshener.
It's reliable.
Lloyd looked around with an amused smile.
“I am amazed at the popularity of the librarian. Thanks to her, I had the honor of attending a tea party with truly wonderful people, as the future wife of Duke Reinhardt...”
Clap!
She covered Lloyd's mouth with a thick book. Lloyd shuddered and rolled his eyes.
Gilbert next to him suddenly shivered.
I smiled until my lips trembled.
Of course, my eyes were staring hard.
“Oh, there's a flying fly.”
William raised the teacup with a gentle smile on his lips.
“Mr. Lloyd’s words are true, thanks to the librarian, Erica, we have a valuable time drinking tea with good people.”
“Haha, that's true, isn't it, Mr. Director?”
Lloyd laughed awkwardly and scratched the back of his head.
When I removed the book, the area around his mouth was a little red, which made me feel a little sorry.
She soaked a handkerchief with cold water to calm the situation and handed it to Lloyd. Then she sent a hidden warning message to William.
“Enjoy our current tea party. We have two additional guests coming. From the manager’s point of view, they may be unwanted guests.”
“An unwanted guest, could it be...”
William stopped saying who he was, and furrowed his brow seriously. Royd intervened in the conversation.
“I know someone. Grand Duke Reinhardt has decided to visit as well.”
He looked toward the door for a moment, then smiled meaningfully.
“Before the Grand Duke arrived, did he tell you a funny story about him?”
It really is an air freshener.
Lloyd brought up a common theme that everyone loved.
In any world, people unite by gossip about bosses.
William and Freesia nodded their heads with sparkling eyes.
“When we were at the parties, the popularity of our Grand Duke was enormous.”
Lloyd began his story exaggerating.
“By day, the monsters were charging at the Grand Duke ferociously, and at night the village girls would gather at the barracks just to see the Grand Duke’s handsome face. Oh my God, keeping the Grand Duke from the ladies was more difficult than fighting the monsters.”
“Oh, did something like this happen?”
Freesia opened her eyes wide and covered her mouth with her hand.
Lloyd shook his head as if remembering those days was frustrating.
“Oh my God, one of the ladies dared to break into the Grand Duke’s residence in the middle of the night.”
“So, did that lady make it?”
A hero dares to storm Carlex headquarters! With an exciting and interesting story, I swallowed my saliva and my eyes lit up.
Gilbert glanced at me then showed a disappointed expression.
“You look very happy. However, as the wife of the Grand Duke…”
What is this he says in front of Freesia!
She quickly shoved a piece of cake into Gilbert's mouth at the speed of light.
“Try this cake. It's really delicious.”
“Hmm…hmmm!”
“Haha, Duke Reinhardt is childish when it comes to women’s problems.”
William's smile seemed to be stuck on his lips, as if he was enjoying gossip about his best friend.
Boyd shifted the subject as if he remembered something.
“By the way, this boy cried when you won the archery competition.”
Lloyd caressed Gilbert's shoulders as he mocked him.
Gilbert's face immediately flushed with embarrassment.
"I...I didn't cry. Absolutely not! Because Miss Erica ran the competition so well, I was so touched that I..."
I felt sorry for the embarrassed Gilbert and decided to support him.
“Because Mr. Gilbert was my teacher who taught me archery.”
Freesia held out her hands and looked at me with eyes full of admiration.
"I really want to see you shoot arrows, Erica. That should be really cool."
William also nodded as if he was curious.
“That's right. I'd like to see that if the opportunity arises.”
Boyd responded enthusiastically.
“Ah, you should have seen that scene! When Miss Erica shot the fire arrows against the monsters, she was as brave and beautiful as a warlord.”
Lloyd put his hand on his chest and spoke seriously.
“I admit, at that moment I wanted to sacrifice everything for you, Miss Erica.”
“Don't you, Mr. Lloyd, have a girlfriend?”
When I asked him a direct question, Lloyd scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.
“It was like that at the time. Ha-ha.”
Gilbert, who had been silent and red-faced, suddenly turned and looked at me with determined eyes.
“I've been wanting to tell you this for a long time. This might be surprising and confusing...”
I had a bad feeling from Gilbert's serious, heavy tone of voice.
“I dare to ask this, can I regard you as my master? As a knight, I would gladly dedicate this life to you.”
Oh, my God! I almost dropped the precious teacup I was holding.
“What? Suddenly?”
Why are you doing this and embarrassing me? The world is cruel, everyone must fend for themselves.
Gilbert's facial expression was so serious that it was difficult to refuse him outright.
She looked to others for help, but to no avail.
Boyd was watching curiously, and William too whispered, “Oh, I was incautious,” and flashed his glasses.
Even Freesia was holding her hands together with an irritated expression.
As I tried to politely refuse, Gilbert's face turned pale.
A shadow formed behind me.
I didn't even need to turn around.
I know who has this heavy presence.
This was followed by a deep, low sound.
“This is something I cannot allow.”
“To be continued in the next chapter”
Loving translation