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Chapter 16
That evening.
Not only was it located on the Golden Street—the most expensive land in the Empire, right at the heart of the capital—but it also sat atop a high mountain, offering a sweeping view all the way to the Shadow District.
And yet, it was a place open to anyone without discrimination, so long as they were a citizen of the Empire.
This place was the private Rafelt Library.
While the library had long been struggling financially due to the enormous cost of maintaining its collection, a tremendous patron suddenly appeared.
“But there’s one condition. I’m thinking of building a private reading room on the very top floor, in the spot with the best sunlight—one that only I can enter. Is that possible?”
“Pardon? Why all of a sudden—”
“Just tell me whether it can be done.”
The patron who offered a vast sum of money in exchange for a single condition was none other than Aldehid.
The director, who had been suffering from chronic deficits, immediately accepted his patronage.
And once the top-floor archive was completed—
Aldehid began visiting the very top floor of the library every single day. Even during wartime, he would appear out of nowhere and come and go from the library with uncanny frequency.
Just what on earth is inside that room?
The librarians of Rafelt Library came to call it “Bluebeard’s Room,” borrowing the name from the forbidden chamber in the fairy tale Bluebeard.
What could possibly be hidden there, that Lord Aldehid—chosen by the gods and endowed with such great power—comes here so often?
With a heart pounding in curiosity, the director once again welcomed Aldehid that day.
The top floor of Rafelt Library.
Aldehid stepped into the place known as Bluebeard’s Room.
The vast chamber, steeped in a classical atmosphere, contained a single bookshelf made of fragrant hardwood, one desk, and an array of high-quality writing instruments.
Aldehid strode straight toward the bookshelf.
“Ah… I can finally breathe.”
What he kept stored in this room were treasures of the highest order.
Namely, the complete set of The Ultimate Guide to Acting Cute for Ladies, which compiled every known method of being adorable; dozens of Cute Doll-Making Kits; and…
My sister’s letter collection!
Rubbing the back of his neck, he pulled out one of the more recent letters.
“I’ve been busy lately. I’ve been handling family affairs.”
His sister never revealed details about her personal life.
But after exchanging letters for so long, Aldehid had naturally begun to infer certain things about her circumstances.
He mentally reviewed what he knew of Lirier’s background.
Lirier didn’t really have a family. So there’s no way she’d be busy with family business.
“My age? I’m much older than you. Obviously.
Study hard, kid. That’s how you become a good person.”
His sister was older than him.
Lirier was the same age as he was.
His sister was the smartest person he had ever met.
Meanwhile, Lirier’s academy transcript had been filled with Ds and Fs.
Lirier and his sister were completely different in every way.
And yet—why was it?
Why does my intuition keep telling me that Lirier is my sister?
He couldn’t find any explanation for why his instincts insisted on it.
“I’m going crazy.”
Lost in thought, Aldehid unfolded another letter he had received long ago.
“Don’t try to learn anything about me.”
A gloomy sigh slipped from Aldehid’s lips.
“Hngh…”
Of all times, he had to open one of her coldest letters from his childhood.
I shouldn’t have opened that. Now I’m depressed. That shelf is off-limits for a while.
His aching heart felt as though it might burst.
Still, he had a purpose for coming to the library, so he carefully took out the documents tucked into his chest.
They were Lirier’s résumé and her neatly written, handwritten personal statement.
“[I was born to a gentle father with the looks of a ruthless bandit and a kind mother with the fierce face of a mountain brigand…]”
The somewhat clichéd content of the statement didn’t matter much. What mattered was the handwriting.
As Aldehid compared the letter and the statement, his eyes grew unfocused.
The handwriting is completely different.
His sister—this wasn’t mere infatuation talking—was truly the finest calligrapher in the Empire. So flawless it almost seemed as though magic tools had been used to alter the script.
“Still, my sister really is the best. A genius. Calligraphy itself.”
By contrast, Lirier’s handwriting was atrocious—like a child’s scrawl written with the left hand, wriggling like worms.
Quickly forgetting the hurt caused by his sister’s words, Aldehid folded the letter neatly and returned it to the shelf.
“Lirier is…”
She was definitely not his sister. He knew that much for certain.
And yet she was a strange, bewildering existence that continued to confuse him.
If so, then the answer was clear.
“…Shall I make her exclusive to me and keep an eye on her?”
He rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a magic tool he had carelessly shoved in there.
It was a communication device directly connected to the Emperor.
“[Old man, I’m thinking of taking a mid-tier mage named Lirier Simon as my exclusive subordinate.
Check her background and get her hired.
Oh, and I’m busy, so I won’t be in contact for a while.]”
After roughly wrapping up the drastic personnel decision and tossing aside the communication tool, Aldehid clasped his hands together as if in solemn prayer.
He wasn’t certain whether she was his sister or not, but in any case, he had returned to the Empire to meet her.
And while searching for her, he also had to devise a way—like a real man—to win her heart.
The first step was…
Enrolling in Lady Dahlia Blair’s Full-Score Cuteness Class.
It was late at night when I returned to the Büetri Estate.
From shedding Lirier’s appearance, deactivating the disguise magic tool, and making my way back to the estate, quite a bit of time had passed.
When I entered, Bell came out to greet me with a worried expression.
“Lady Siena, are you feeling any better?”
After asking for a private meeting in the reception room, he handed me my medicine as he always did.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“That’s a relief.”
After confirming that I’d taken every last drop, Bell looked at me intently, as if probing.
“…How was the infiltration?”
There was only one way to describe it.
“It was strange.”
“Yes?”
“Aldehid. I still can’t get a good read on him. How should I put it…”
As I pursed my lips, trying to organize my thoughts, Bell carefully studied my face.
I replayed Aldehid’s behavior toward me throughout the day.
The moment his fingertips slowly curled around the edge of my hand, the heat that had risen to my cheeks.
His actions were undeniably bold and suspicious.
But what occasionally peeked through was something else entirely—how should I say it?
“He’s kind of like a kid. And kind of like a dog. Anyway, he’s strange.”
A man impossible to pin down.
One thing was certain—he was dangerous.
At that moment, Bell, who had been quietly watching me, spoke.
“Lady Siena. You’re smiling.”
“Huh?”
The comment caught me off guard.
Carefully, I looked toward the mirror hanging in the reception room. Reflected there was a fragile-looking woman with silver hair and pale eyes, smiling.
The sight of my upturned lips felt unfamiliar.
Maybe it’s because I’ve developed this strange sense of duty—this not-quite-duty—to dig into Aldehid.
It felt like I wasn’t someone slowly dying anymore, but someone truly alive.
“…You’re right.”
Suddenly, Bell made a request.
“I wish you would keep smiling, Lady Siena.”
But I firmly shook my head. I didn’t have the luxury of smiling all the time.
“Bell, I have a favor to ask.”
“Yes. I will carry out any order.”
“Keep investigating Aldehid. If you find anything suspicious—any strange activities—let me know.”
I would look into things from the inside as well, but there were things only an outside perspective could uncover.
Even after I’m gone, I hope the world will be at peace, free of villains.
I thought of little Ppuppu, wearing a yellow raincoat.
My final year.
Keeping watch over Aldehid would be the last good deed I could do for the world—and the last, only gift I could give that child.
But the very next day, something utterly unpredictable happened.
“Oh! Has the dream and hope of our Ability Stabilization Division—and our exclusive stabilizing mage—arrived?”
It was my second day at work.
The moment I stepped into the Ability Stabilization Division, Lord Rend and Sir Paul approached from both sides and, with solemn expressions, presented me with a laurel wreath.
