Chapter 9. It was a Whim

…Why is this man here?

Blinking blankly, my blurry vision from the rain cleared somewhat.

Only then could I see his figure more clearly, and I slowly opened my mouth in silent astonishment.

The country’s one and only grand duke, soaked in rain, looking wretched, was beyond shocking; it was chaos.

“Why are you standing in the rain? So pitifully.”

It took me a while to understand his words, as I was too shocked. If I didn’t hear it wrong… he definitely called me ‘the owner of the worn-out shoes.’

…Which means, he knows. That the shadow who overheard the King and his conversation on the balcony that night—

Was me.

* * *

Enoch Bayern’s visit to the Royal Library that day was purely on a whim.

“You’ve donated more to the library’s reconstruction than anyone else, but you’ve never gone to see it? Aren’t you curious how well your money was spent?”

It had already been a year since the war with Atreos, the long-time hostile nation, ended. Just two weeks before the war broke out, Enoch had donated a considerable amount to the Royal Library’s reconstruction.

The fact that the reconstruction was completed safely during the war was thanks to the librarian’s firm determination. There seemed to be endless criticism from all over for pushing ahead with untimely construction.

“You don’t know how much the old librarian fussed about the library being a repository of knowledge. King Henry wanted to postpone the construction, but well… in the end, it turned out well, didn’t it? With the victory and the library’s reconstruction completed safely, the public praised you for both winning the war and preserving this historic library. You’re a hero, my lord.”

Warren Norbert grinned and bantered beside Enoch.

Warren had a tendency to get overly involved in Enoch’s affairs as if they were his own. When things went well for Enoch, he wanted to excessively praise him. If Enoch faced injustice (which was almost impossible), Warren would get more furious than Enoch himself.

He was always worried about Enoch’s future plans or marriage prospects, which was an extension of his meddlesome nature.

“Of course, it must have been built well. It’s the old librarian’s lifeline.”

Warren chuckled at Enoch’s sarcastic tone. You really have no respect for the elderly, you rascal. He freely criticized Enoch with harsh words allowed only because he was Enoch Bayern’s close friend.

“By the way, your story with that woman was in the weekly gossip.”

“Who? Penelope?”

“No, the woman you danced with at the ball! How can you forget that?”

Warren scolded Enoch for not remembering the woman he had asked to dance.

Finally recalling ‘that woman,’ Enoch let out a short, “Ah,” and a faint groan. The slight curl of his lips was more a sneer than a smile.

“I’m not interested.”

“What? Then why did you dance with her if you weren’t interested? You, of all people.”

“Sometimes you want to drink something other than your usual cocktail.”

“What does that mean? So it was just a whim?”

“Yes, it was a whim.”

Enoch simply agreed, taking his eyes off Warren and looking straight ahead. The scenery of the Royal Library, which they reached after a leisurely walk, was reflected in his glassy golden eyes.

White stone pillars, stairs that seemed to lead to heaven, arches that looked like they were taken from an ancient temple.

However, it was clear that the intention was not faith but blasphemy.

This was a building dedicated to humanity from the very beginning.

“……Anyway, that old man.”

A hissing sound escaped Enoch’s lips.

“What a nasty taste he has…….”

Not wanting to deal with the bothersome situation of the library director making a fuss over the Grand Duke’s visit, Enoch planned to quickly glance through the first-floor lobby and leave. He wasn’t particularly interested in the first place.

“So? What’s your impression?”

“Impression? I just reconfirmed that the old man is a staunch atheist.”

Warren laughed, enjoying Enoch’s indifferent remark. Warren liked this nonchalant side of Enoch, which might annoy others.

“Seeing how he deliberately built it like a temple, the library director is definitely not ordinary. If the Atreos folks see this library, they might come foaming at the mouth. They still have strong faith over there…….”

“Let them come as much as they want. Those weaklings who rely on magic.”

In Enoch’s eyes, there was savagery, like a beast ready to tear into its prey. Although it had faded now, when he had just returned from the battlefield, merely approaching him felt like being cut by the sharp air surrounding him.

Even the brazen Warren had been scared, so it was obvious how others must have felt.

Fear, terror, or reverence. And admiration.

Enoch Bayern was a man who evoked all these mixed, confusing emotions in many ways.

Some people even mistook their racing hearts for love because of him. It was absurd.

“It’s still ridiculous when I think about it.”

“What is?”

“No, it’s nothing. By the way, since it’s been a while, why don’t you meet the library director?”

“No, it’s a headache.”

It was at the moment Enoch turned his head, rejecting Warren’s suggestion.

A familiar face seemed to pass by in his vision, then soon disappeared into the crowd.

It happened in an instant.

Enoch frowned slightly at the unsettling déjà vu and tried to follow the trace with his eyes, but the person had already hidden somewhere and could not be found.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing…….”

Ignoring Warren’s curious question, Enoch stared intently at the left corridor that particularly caught his attention.

There were so many people coming and going that it was hard to distinguish, but there was definitely something there. It was an instinctive feeling, but he was sure of it. And his instincts were often accurate.

……If he wanted to go and check right now, he could…….

“……Let’s go.”

“Huh? Weren’t you going to do something?”

“No. Forget it.”

“What the hell? Seriously.”

Ignoring his grumbling friend, Enoch walked towards the entrance. Just before leaving the lobby, his gaze glanced at the pillar in the left corridor.

Well, it’s nothing to worry about.

* * *

But inevitably, he changed his mind.

‘Telling me to go first? Are you going to see the library director? Then I’ll go see Mercedes.’

After the foolish Warren Norbert left happily, Enoch entered a nearby coffee house and took a seat by the window.

The waiter and the young hostess glanced at him, but it didn’t bother him much. He was used to ‘that kind’ of gaze.

Since he had no intention of drinking anything, his order to bring whatever made the waiter momentarily flustered, but soon he responded with a polite bow and withdrew.

Enoch rested his chin on his hand and looked out the window. From this seat, he could see the people entering and leaving the library well. From here, he could catch everyone. Including the somewhat unpleasant presence that had hidden behind the pillar in the corridor, wary of him.

So, it was a whim. In other words, a deviation. When you walk the same path every day, you inevitably feel the urge to take a different path at least once.

He wasn’t sure if ‘that woman’ was really the owner of the presence hiding behind the pillar in the corridor, but if so…….

‘I should buy her shoes.’

He thought jokingly and laughed. The owner of those worn-out shoes. The woman who had eavesdropped on the conversation on the balcony that night and ran away like a rat was probably her.

A pitiful woman.

Enoch quietly recalled the vague impression of the woman. She wasn’t a striking beauty that would leave a deep impression, so the memories that came to mind were crude and fragmentary. Partly because he wasn’t the type to be interested in others and hadn’t paid close attention.

Well, if he met her again, he would recognize her.

Enoch narrowed his eyes slightly at a raindrop tapping on the glass.

No wonder the sky seemed cloudy.

Soon, it started to rain heavily with a loud, annoying sound. He didn’t enjoy getting wet, so he thought about going back now.

But missing the prey didn’t suit his nature, and above all, he was curious about what the woman who had eavesdropped on ‘that conversation’ on the balcony that night was thinking. It was a crude interest.

So maybe he should wait a little longer.

While leisurely watching the scene outside the window as if on an outing, a figure slowly descending the stairs connected to the library entrance came into view. Limping, moving cautiously as if afraid of slipping, looking pitiful.

Enoch clicked his tongue briefly and stood up. As he left a tip far exceeding the price of the drink on the table, the waiter and the hostess were flustered and didn’t know what to do.

But they were already out of Enoch’s concern. He opened the door and walked into the pouring rain. The sensation of cold rain wetting his body wasn’t pleasant, but it wasn’t unbearably unpleasant either.

Although he admitted to being a germaphobe, it was more severe when it involved others. His obsession wasn’t about general cleanliness but a form of misanthropy.

Therefore, he was fundamentally not kind to others. Smiles and kindness were merely pretenses, not genuine.

In short, approaching that woman was just a whim.

It had no meaning.

The woman stood still in the rain for a long time even after coming down the stairs. Her eyes, groping through the darkness of the street, were unfocused.

Enoch looked her up and down. Her faded blouse and skirt, low-heeled shoes as worn-out as those shoes from before.

With light straw-colored hair and water-colored eyes, her complexion was pale, perhaps due to the cold rain. She looked like a transparent watercolor painting with overall light colors.

The blurry memory from the ball gradually became clear. Indeed, he could recognize this woman. And from this encounter, she would remain clearly in his memory, unlike before.

Because forgetting this pitiful sight would not be easy.

“Never would have thought.”

Enoch deliberately made splashing sounds as he approached her. His voice, as indifferent as ever, had a hint of amusement.

“It really is you.”

The woman’s gaze slowly shifted to him. Enoch met her transparent eyes, which seemed to reveal everything, with a somewhat cynical feeling.

“The owner of that worn-out shoe.”

A single droplet fell from the woman’s long, trembling eyelashes. For some reason, it felt like his insides were twisting. He couldn’t understand why.