Prologue

The hand holding the pen trembled slightly, making the letters crooked. Yet, swept up in a strange heat, she couldn’t put the pen down. On a single sheet of paper, roughly torn from a notebook and placed atop a book, she wrote only a few sentences.

She pressed down a bit harder as she finished the last sentence with a period. Then, anxious that someone might see, she hurriedly folded the paper twice. The small rustling sound it made as it folded in her hand seemed as if it were a hot piece of metal. She quickly set it down on the bookshelf. It felt as though the rows of gold-embossed book spines were laughing at the shabby little note.

She didn’t leave her seat right away but gazed for a moment at what she had just put down.

Her lips parted, letting out a small sound. ‘It’s okay, it’ll be fine.’ As if to reassure herself, she placed her hand over her chest and patted it once, twice, three times. Both cheeks were flushed. Was it normal for someone aspiring to be a knight to have their heart race over a mere note? She asked herself, but no answer came.

Hoo—she let out a sigh, and as if released from a spell, her body finally moved. Not taking her eyes off the note, she stepped back, then resolutely turned and left the spot.

The note, left alone in the quiet library, remained there for a long time…

…or so it seemed.

Heavy footsteps entered the place she had just left. The owner of the footsteps hesitated for a moment, then picked up the note she had left behind. With careful hands, as if unfolding the petals of a tulip, the note was opened.

Soon, the note was folded back to its original shape. But instead of being returned to its original spot, it disappeared into the owner’s pocket. Once that person left, the library returned to its usual state.

To the quiet library, lined with rows of beautiful, ornate gold-embossed books.