IPTD 22

Chapter 22

“Even today, it’s better if you rest.”
“What?! Even today?!”
“You still haven’t fully recovered from your cold, right?”
“I’m feeling a bit restless. How about leveling the soil in the vegetable patch or something?”

I was naturally a homebody.
Actually, homebodies can be divided into two types.
One type is always busy at home—reading, journaling, doing chores—never truly resting. The other type lies around like a corpse, doing absolutely nothing.
I was firmly in the first camp.

Back in my graduate school days, I had to research, visit field sites, write papers, and run errands for my professors. I was forced into the second type of life for a while, much to my frustration.
But here, with good food, plenty of sleep, and proper rest, my “busy-at-home” tendencies had fully revived.

“The maids can handle that.”
“No! That’s my pleasure! If you’re going to do it, do it with me, okay? Please!”
“…Fine. But only after you’ve fully recovered. You catch colds more easily in this kind of weather.”
“Ah, I’m so bored. Then, how about cleaning the storage shed? It’s indoors, so it’s fine.”
“Mmm….”

I think Betty was slowly starting to consider me hopeless… but there was nothing I could do.
After all, there were no smartphones in this world.
Even though I’d spent several days bedridden with a cold, I didn’t regret going to the festival because I truly felt how energizing such events could be.

For now, I’d refrain from meeting others…
But as long as my body was okay, there would be new “events” in the form of household chores!
If I started farming, there would be even more little events!
“I want to start farming soon. Just wait until it warms up. I’ll plant everything myself.”

“Hmm…”
Betty read the desperation in my eyes and tilted her head in mild concern.
It felt like I was almost fully recovered!
Even though I still had a lingering cough, I had slept almost constantly for days. Recovery was only natural…

“Goodness, my lady!”
“Huh?”

Suddenly, Betty called me with a pale, worried face.
I tilted my head in confusion, wondering what was wrong, and then I felt something dripping down my chin.
Startled, I lowered my head and saw dark red liquid falling onto the blanket.
‘Damn it. A nosebleed, of all times!’

Almost fainting, Betty quickly pressed a handkerchief to my nose.
With one nostril blocked, I spoke in a muffled voice.
“Uh… uh-oh. Do we have to wash the blanket?”

No sooner had I said that than Betty’s expression turned fierce.
She rarely showed her teeth at me, but now…
I felt a bit shocked and immediately deflated.
Even though I had doubts, I thought being cheerful would work on Betty…

“No way! Go to bed immediately!”

Sorry, Betty.
“No way” applies to you too.

“I’ve been sleeping so much I can’t even sleep properly.”
Counting sheep and indulging in daydreams had reached their limits.
Seeing me with a nosebleed, Betty gave me a spoonful of syrup-like medicine and kindly put an eye mask on me before letting me rest.
She even stayed by the bed until I fell asleep.

I understood her concern that I might get sicker if I wandered around again, so I lay quietly, making soft, contented breaths.
Though my eyes were wide open under the mask… well, she wouldn’t know that.

When she thought I had fallen asleep, I heard her quietly checking up on me and then the faint rustle of clothes and the click of the door closing.
About ten minutes later, I slowly removed the mask, prepared for a fake-out.
As expected, Betty had completely left.

“Hehe.”
A mischievous smile escaped me.
“If I move quietly like a shadow, no one will notice. Then it’s as if nothing happened.”

Although it was broad daylight, I ignored that and quickly dressed, leaving the hut.
Judging by my nosebleed, I still had a trace of my cold.
I shouldn’t exert myself too much.

“I’ll go to the library and bring back a ton of books.”
With nothing else to do, it was time to get back to basics.

I hummed as I headed to the main building.
Recently, I had been scolded by the duke for messing around in the bathroom… but
‘Well, I built some rapport during the festival… maybe a quick visit won’t be an issue. And as long as I’m not caught, it’s fine.’

I didn’t want to talk to anyone other than the main maids, so I walked quickly, avoiding the staff’s eyes.
Luckily, my shadow-like approach worked.
‘Hehe. No one saw me while I came here.’

Maybe I have a talent for being an assassin?
Not that I want to kill anyone.

Anyway, since I had been here before, I reached my destination quickly.
But as I turned the corner, I was taken aback.

“What?!”

The library doors, previously covered in blue-green rust, now shone brightly in their original color.
I cautiously opened the door. At first, it wouldn’t budge, but with a little push, it swung open smoothly.
Thanks to the broad daylight, sunlight poured through the tall windows.

“Wow…”

The library, which had seemed dizzying to clean with just Betty and me, had been transformed, sparkling and spotless.
‘Did all the kids do this? And without bragging…’
Knowing the effort required to make it this clean, I felt even more apologetic.
Anyone else would have been bedridden like me, I’m sure.

Simultaneously, I felt a flutter of excitement.
Even in my previous life, I loved libraries. (Though my absolute favorite place was ‘my home’.)
The smell of books, now free of dust, made my heart race.

“After all this effort… maybe I should read a bit?”
Not using this place seemed unfair.
I could feign sympathy to Betty and smooth things over.
‘As for the duke… eh! It’s fine, it’s fine. I’ll just get scolded once, no big deal.’

After rationalizing, I lightly stepped forward.
The enormous library held countless old books, which made me inexplicably excited.
I had always loved things that were unusually old.

“Hmm…”
I started at the nearest shelves and realized:
‘Have I been too carefree until now?’

Sure, I had possessed the body, but that was about it.
Had I been too indifferent to this world?

To excuse myself, I was naturally a “go-with-the-flow” type…
‘I know this is the Celeste estate in the northern part of the Rembrandt Empire. But knowing nothing beyond that… maybe that’s too little.’

But honestly! I’m not here to study geography.
How could I possibly know every location in a romance fantasy novel?
I never memorized character names or places while reading.
Being addicted to print, I found joy in simply reading.

Most of the romance fantasy novels I read were web novels, so it was normal to read them on the go.
‘The fact that I remember nothing means… I probably didn’t find the story that impressive.’

As a graduate student, I had more important information to memorize than novels anyway.
If I had known I’d end up dying abruptly and possessing someone else’s body, I would have studied romance novels instead of my PhD!
But what can I do? It’s too late now.

‘Well… if I live like this, maybe I’ll remember something eventually.’
I comforted myself with that thought and picked a random book from the shelf.
For now, I wanted to focus on the book in front of me.

I headed to the long wooden table in the center of the library, sat in the sunniest spot, and opened my book.
Silence descended.
Apart from the soft flipping of pages, the afternoon was quiet.
I lost myself in the text.

Meanwhile, at the same time,
Xenos sat in his study, pen in hand.
But unlike his fixed gaze on the documents, his mind was in turmoil.

For days, the festival day kept repeating itself in his thoughts.