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Chapter 02
Time passed slowly.
Sir Costance Orci remained exactly where he was.
Whenever I felt his gaze, I would use the bathroom as an excuse to get up. I sat on the toilet, holding out as long as possible, and carefully washed my hands in every corner.
“Ha…”
By now, the director and the seniors might be looking at my empty seat, saying, “Despite how lively she seems, Vivi actually has severe constipation.”
But I had a bigger problem.
…Does Sir Costance know my true identity?
“No.”
If he did, he would have caught me and handed me over to the authorities immediately. Sir Costance didn’t know. He didn’t even know my real name.
I examined my reflection in the mirror.
I had changed my hair color. My face looked different now that I had grown. My personality had changed too. And beyond that, I had worked hard to hide my past self.
“Stay calm.”
I took a deep breath before stepping out of the bathroom.
Calmly, composed…
“Look, there he is!”
My shoulders jolted at the loud voice. Sure enough, a group of ladies had gathered at the door of the reading room.
“Is that really Sir Costance?”
“I told you! Should we sneak over and sit next to him?”
“But someone else is already there. Look! Even the owner of the Salon on 3rd Street is here!”
So his presence had spread.
I couldn’t allow myself to cause a disturbance in the sacred library, but this worked in my favor.
If more young ladies came looking for him out of curiosity, maybe Sir Costance would move to a corner. Then there wouldn’t be any chance of our eyes meeting…
And as the rumors spread more widely, perhaps Sir Costance would stop coming to the library altogether to avoid everyone’s gaze.
I carefully stepped into the reading room.
Some ladies had already taken seats near Sir Costance. But strangely, no one took the seat directly next to him.
“You’re finally here, Vivi.”
Julia spoke as if reading my mind the moment I sat down.
“I’m sorry. I was gone for a while, right?”
“That’s not the problem. The real problem is those ladies who came to the library just to flirt.”
“That doesn’t sound like something you should say…”
Julia clenched her jaw tightly at my reply.
“I’m just curious, nothing more. I’m not like them. Those girls are here purely for romance, right?”
She complained and grumbled.
As she said, the other young ladies didn’t look at the books. Their eyes were fixed on one thing: Sir Costance!
“But isn’t Sir Costance a tough one too?”
Julia whispered.
“Tough?”
“Look. He could glance at the ladies, but he only focuses on his book.”
“Yes… that’s true.”
“The only person who could take the seat next to him would be the lady whose eyes meet his first. But so far, no one has.”
…I see. That’s the atmosphere here.
I glanced at Sir Costance. He didn’t lift his gaze from the book. There was a clear determination not to look at anyone.
To the point that the ladies waiting began to get tired and leave.
…What a ruthless man.
〈Isn’t the director cruel? Sitting without moving for 17 hours straight. Even a little lady can notice, right? He hasn’t said a word all this time.〉
I remembered the laboratory.
The young girl looked at a young researcher quietly whispering beside her. Then she returned her gaze to her father. Sunken eyes, a pale face. Her hair was split because she hadn’t washed it properly, but her father’s eyes were alive.
〈Tiago.〉
〈Ah, I’m sorry. I was careless. Forget what I said—shall we play cards now, little lady?〉
Even fourteen years later, her father’s figure flashed vividly in her mind.
“…Vivi.”
“…”
“Vivi!”
“Ah… yes! Yes.”
I snapped back to reality. Julia was holding my shoulder.
“It’s lunchtime. Aren’t you going to eat?”
“I-I should.”
After tidying the desk, I stood up. Ahead of me, I saw Sir Costance closing his book. Finally leaving! At that moment, our eyes met.
“…!”
I instinctively looked away, immediately regretting it. Would Sir Costance think I was strange? I lifted my head, and to my surprise, he gave a small smile.
“Smiling?”
What? Why was he smiling?
“Today was a treat for the eyes.”
Julia tapped my back.
“A treat?”
“You saw him smile.”
A treat, my foot.
“My heart was pounding.”
“He pretends to ignore, but how could he not notice a beautiful face like yours?”
“Stop saying nonsense.”
“Anyway, let’s have lunch together, okay?”
She showed me the lunch she had brought with a small smile.
“But Sir Costance won’t come again tomorrow, right?”
“What, are you really interested?”
“No, I’m not interested.”
But somehow, the next day and the day after, I still got to enjoy the view. Sir Costance came to the library every single day.
And he always sat in a spot where the librarian’s desk was clearly visible.
Why?
〈Please! I haven’t done anything wrong!〉
I remembered last night’s dream. I had been dragged to the authorities by Sir Costance.
〈I don’t know anything. Please, please…〉
No matter how much I begged, that icy man silently shoved me into the building.
What if it becomes impossible to go about my daily life?
There was another problem. Until a few days ago, many young ladies from the village had been coming to see Sir Costance. But now, the number had decreased.
It was because of his impenetrable walls. He was even more rigid and sharp than I had thought.
He crushed all the effort of the ladies who had dressed up and claimed spots in the library with a single sentence:
〈I’m sorry, ladies. This is a library, please be quiet.〉
Repeated verbatim.
Was Sir Costance a machine?
Because of him, the ladies gave up and left. Even the senior librarians gave up trying to intervene.
“Perhaps it’s because he’s a nobleman, but he’s so aloof.”
Interest in Sir Costance hadn’t waned. If anything, it had grown.
“The second son of a baron from the provinces wouldn’t even glance at ordinary women. Men always seek suitable matches. No wonder the former royal families married each other—they couldn’t find proper partners otherwise.”
Julia nodded in agreement at the senior’s words.
“The guy I met last time was like that too. He boasted about his maternal noble lineage and looked down on me, even though he was a commoner like me.”
“Never meet men like that. Vivi, you hear me? Especially since you’re so pretty, men will swarm.”
She even offered advice.
“Then will you make sure no men bother me?”
An angry voice came from behind. The seniors stiffened.
“Di-, Director.”
“If you work in the library all day, you won’t have time to meet men. If you really don’t want that, get to work! Stop wasting time!”
Terrified by the terrifying expression, we all got to work immediately. Not wanting to cause trouble, I grabbed a pen.
“Vivi.”
The director called me.
“Yes, yes!”
“Take this box to the storage room.”
So it was my responsibility, as the youngest, to carry the heavy box to storage. After giving me the task, the director disappeared into the room.
“Cheer up, Vivi!”
“You can do it!”
As I got up, the seniors silently cheered me on. They could have helped, though. I lifted the box from the wall.
This library was already the third largest national library in the country. The storage room was far.
Carrying the box out of the reading room, I worried it might topple because it was loose.
In my anxiety, books inside the box fell to the floor.
“Ah!”
I froze, staring at the scattered books.
Ugh!
Nothing ever goes right.
More precisely, nothing has gone right since Sir Costance Orci arrived!
Sir Costance Orci…!
“Are you alright?”
“Ah!”
Sir Costance!
“Vivi?”
“I-I’m f-fine.”
“I’ll help you pick them up.”
His large hands grabbed several books.
“Do you always carry such heavy boxes yourself?”
“…Yes?”
“I saw there are male librarians too. Let them do it. It’s too dangerous for you. If you get hurt…”
He was expressing a small complaint right in front of me. Our eyes met, and he held my gaze steadily.
“I feel like I might get angry.”
