Chapter 14

“……Ah.”

Sir Costance, seemingly unaware of his tears, stared quietly at the drops falling on his hand.

She couldn’t figure out what to say. It was the first time she’d seen a man cry. And that man was the famous Costance Orsi.

“……Please pretend you didn’t see this.”

He quickly wiped his tears and turned his head away. How could she pretend not to have seen something she already witnessed? The shock hadn’t worn off.

“The wind is cold. How about returning home now?”

He spoke with determination, but his voice still trembled.

Sir Costance stood up first. She followed suit, somewhat bewildered. She held onto the coat that was slipping off.

Even if she wanted to return it… it wasn’t the right moment to speak.

She held her breath and quietly followed him. He walked silently, leaving the reservoir and heading down Baton Street.

The distance between them gradually widened. His pace was fast.

No matter how quickly she walked, she couldn’t catch up with his stride. Usually, Sir Costance matched her pace.

Then he stopped walking. When she looked up, she saw the National Library on Baton Street.

“……Um, Sir?”

Why did he come here?

Gathering her courage, she called out to him, and he flinched.

“Um… I’m sorry. I wanted to escort you to your house…”

But he didn’t know where her house was.

“……That can happen.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No. I-I’ll head off now. I can go alone.”

“It’s dark at night. It’s dangerous….”

“No, it’s very close from here. Just right over there. Really. And I carry a self-defense tool with me.”

Of course, she didn’t carry one.

“It’s very powerful, so even if a big person comes, it’s no problem. Isn’t that reassuring?”

“Vivi.”

“Then, goodbye.”

Without looking back, she ran off. She stopped when the National Library was out of sight and cautiously looked back.

Fortunately, he hadn’t followed. Sir Costance wasn’t the type to follow in the first place.

‘My heart…’

The image of Sir Costance shedding tears was still vivid. She never expected him to confess his feelings for her there. Her whole body trembled at the sight of him blushing as he confessed.

He liked her.

Costance liked her…

She looked at the coat slipping off her shoulders.

She had left without returning his coat. Moreover, she still had the red blanket he had bought.

How would I return it?

“…….”

She glanced around. Confirming no one was around, she instinctively, really, took a moment to inhale the subtle scent from the coat.

Whenever Sir Costance entered the library, sat beside her, or stood in front of her, there was always a refreshing scent.

Just smelling it made her lower abdomen tingle.

‘I must be crazy…’

She took off the coat and draped it over her arm. She needed to get home quickly and wash her face.

* * *

The next day, Sir Constans didn’t come to the library.

He didn’t show up the day after that, either.

His attendance record had been perfect.

From the first day he came until recently, he had consistently attended without fail. The fact that he had missed two consecutive days was a major topic among the librarians.

“It’s strange. He definitely came two days ago. He seemed to be in a good mood that day too.”

“Maybe he’s sick…? This might be a good chance to find out where he lives and pay him a visit….”

“No, no. I saw him running in the park this morning on my way to work, just like he always does.”

“He was running in the park?”

“Oh my, don’t you know? Sir Costance runs in the park every morning at 6. All the women know about it by now, and some even wait there just to catch a glimpse of him.”

Sometimes she thought Sir Costance might be able to maintain world peace with his looks alone. The seniors seemed to agree, nodding their heads.

* * *

Lunchtime.

Even without Sir Costance, it felt like he was present. It was probably because the seniors talked about him all day.

“Then he’s healthy. But why hasn’t he come to the library for two days?”

“Could it be because there’s someone he finds awkward to see?”

“Ah.”

“Ah.”

The hand that was about to put a tomato in her mouth stopped in mid-air.

…Why were they all looking at me?

“W-why?”

When she stammered, her seniors narrowed their eyes.

“Vivi, did you properly apologize to Sir Costance?”

“Right. You made a mistake with him, didn’t you?”

“You didn’t just brush it off, did you?”

They all doubted her. A mistake. Strictly speaking, it was true that Sir Costance hadn’t come to the library because of her…

“I did apologize.”

“What I mean is, did you do it properly!”

“You didn’t do it half-heartedly, did you? Or say it too quietly. Sometimes your voice is so soft it’s hard to hear.”

All the blame came back to her. It was unfair… no, it wasn’t unfair.

She had already expected that Sir Costance wouldn’t come. Since she had firmly rejected his confession, it was only natural he didn’t show up.

Her heart was heavy all day. Even while working, she would quickly look up whenever the reading room door opened. She was disappointed if it wasn’t him, and she was frustrated with herself for being so foolish.

In truth, she hadn’t wanted to reject Sir Costance confession so harshly.

She was an adult, at an age to dream of romance. Plus, the most beautiful man in the world had confessed to her. Her heart fluttered. Perhaps… she might even like him.

‘But I can’t.’

“……Vivi?”

“Why… why are you crying?”

Two days ago, it was Sir Constans who cried, and now she was the one shedding tears. How pathetic to cry after rejecting him…

“You guys said something weird.”

“Julia, you too.”

They started blaming each other.

“I didn’t want to… I really didn’t.”

Once the words started coming out, her pent-up emotions burst forth. The feelings she had kept hidden surged up to her throat like a flood.

“I didn’t want this.”

“Vivi…”

“S-sorry. We were too harsh.”

“Julia, you should apologize too!”

The seniors patted her back and comforted her. She regretted it. 

Why had I spoken so harshly to Sir Costance?

Why hadn’t I agreed to his wish to at least be friends?

Even just being friends would have been good. Her heart fluttered when Sir Costance was nearby. She liked his scent, his gentle gestures, and his voice.

* * *

Claiming she was sick, she went home early.

Atlantis

Without thinking, she found herself here. She had come to a place she hadn’t wanted to visit.

“Do you need anything?”

The shop assistant approached her as she stood in front of the menu board. She silently read the menu items.

There was coffee, but most of the menu consisted of desserts. The drinks were filled with fruit juices and sweet things.

“Miss?”

“……Sorry.”

She left ‘Atlantis.’

The wind was cold.

The women who passed by her entered ‘Atlantis’ laughing merrily.

* * *

Spring seemed to be approaching, as the leaves blooming throughout the village streets were turning green. The Canary National Library was also preparing many events to welcome the new season.

One of the main events was the “Peace and Love Competition,” an essay and art contest for young people.

She and Julia were in charge of overseeing the submissions for the essay and art categories.

Because of this, the library, which usually had many elderly visitors, was now bustling with lively young people.

“Who should I give the ‘Peace Love Contest’ application to?”

They shyly submitted their applications and received a candy and a set of colorful pencils as souvenirs.

“Um…”

“What’s wrong, Vivi?”

“What should we do? There are many essay writing participants, but too few drawing participants.”

While organizing the participant list, Vivi was troubled. It was a contest with a significant prize, but there was a stark difference in the number of writing and drawing participants.

“Didn’t you already expect this?”

Julia asked.

“Last year, there were also way more essay submissions. And the director insisted on keeping the number of winners the same for both categories.”

“The director sometimes just doesn’t get it.”

Julia complained. She was right. Recently, the profession of ‘writer’ had become sensationally popular in Toramde.

One reason for this was the famous writer ‘Roda’ receiving an international literary award.

“Who would have thought the international literary award would go to Toramde?”

“Toramde?”

“Since Roda is from Toramde, of course, it’s Toramde!”

“Ah…”

The international literary award was a prestigious award with a long history. It was the highest honor sought by artists worldwide.

Especially this year, the list of awardees included several writers from hostile countries. Considering the politics and situation, it was a moment more tense and sharp than war.

However, defying everyone’s expectations, the international literary award was won by Toramde’s young writer ‘Roda.’

When this news broke, even the government stepped in to congratulate her, and the entire nation rejoiced as if they had won a war.

“Can’t we readjust the number of awards?”

Julia asked as she looked over the participant list.

“No. We’ve already received the applications.”

“……Hmm. We need promotion at times like this.”

“Model fees are too high these days. And we can’t just use actor photos carelessly.”

It was ominous. Julia placed a hand on Vivi’s shoulder and smiled brightly.

“Let’s put that pretty face to use.”