“This is difficult….”

Once again, Irina was reading in the garden, enjoying a light snack. She let out a deep sigh.

The book was far too difficult for her.

It was filled with unfamiliar words and she kept getting the characters’ names mixed up because they were so long.

One name was so long that, out of curiosity, she counted the letters and discovered that it had twenty.

She could hardly believe it was a person’s name.

‘Are artists’ names usually this long?’

Irina let out another sigh as she closed the book she had borrowed from the Duke of Winfried’s library.

Several months earlier, Viscountess Helpriton had recommended Irina visit the study, saying it contained many fine books.

But Irina disagreed.

Every book was difficult; none contained pictures, and their pages were densely packed with incomprehensible words.

‘If I had known it would be like this, I would have been better off rereading my primers.’

After finally mastering all her primers, Irina had used that momentum to read every children’s storybook Viscountess Helpriton had brought her.

“This is easy!”

Her confidence had soared.

However, there were no longer any new books around her that she could read.

That was when she recalled the viscountess’s recommendation.

“They may be difficult for you at the moment. But when you have the time, I recommend visiting His Grace the Duke of Winfried’s study.”

“Am I allowed to enter his study?”

“His Grace granted you special permission.”

The viscountess smiled brightly.

“There are many truly excellent books there.”

Now, she had mastered her primers and finished every children’s storybook.

There was nothing left for Irina to fear.

Recalling the viscountess’s recommendation, Irina entered the study.

“…What is all this?”

She promptly lost her nerve.

All of the Duke’s books had tiny, densely packed text and not a single illustration.

They were completely different to the primers and children’s books she was used to reading.

“Oh, this….”

Just as Irina was about to give up hope, she spotted an art book.

For one thing, it had pictures.

The text was large, too.

It was these two features that convinced her to start reading the art history book.

‘It is difficult, but….’

She could not understand all of the limited text.

Half of it was completely beyond her, while she could only just make her way through the rest.

Even so, the parts she did understand were fascinating.

One artist had followed certain habits whenever he painted. Another had lived a particular kind of life, creating these paintings and those sculptures along the way.

As Irina read about their lives, questions such as, ‘Why did they create a painting like this?’ gradually began to find their answers.

But that ended today.

The book she had just closed was the last one in the study that Irina could manage to read.

All the remaining books were filled with endless lines of tedious writing and numbers, without a single illustration in sight.

‘The books the viscountess chose for me will arrive in a few days.’

Until then, she vowed never to touch any of the other books in the study.

Having made that firm resolution, Irina finished the last bite of her sandwich.

She had also drunk all the milk she had saved to accompany the enormous potato she had received a few days earlier.

“…Phew, I’m full.”

After placing the empty milk bottle and book in the basket beside her, Irina leaned her head against the tree and gazed at the sky.

A lot of time had passed since she had escaped the slums and arrived at the Winfried estate.

When she first arrived, it was early spring; now, summer was approaching.

This also meant that Irina had spent several months doing nothing but resting.

‘Is it really all right when I haven’t done anything all this time?’

Irina absently played with her hair.

Those newly employed at the Winfried estate always refused her offers of help.

Even when she asked Delphia or Rio if there was any work she could do, they told her there wasn’t and that she just needed to rest.

Viscountess Helpriton, with whom she had grown quite close, was no different.

In fact, whenever Irina appeared bored, the viscountess would suggest she learn something new and present her with another lesson. Each time, Irina would smile brightly before fleeing at once.

‘It isn’t as though I’m bored.’

Irina tugged hard on the strand of hair wound around her finger and narrowed her eyes.

Initially, learning and mastering so many unfamiliar things overwhelmed her, leaving her with no time to think about anything else.

Now that she had grown accustomed to her new life, however, the old anxiety was slowly creeping back.

She felt as though she had to do something.

As though she had to prove her usefulness.

As though she had to make herself helpful.

Only then would they have no reason to cast her out.

“…….”

Irina buried her face in her knees.

The Duke and everyone else had told her that she didn’t need to do anything.

They said she could simply stay there and rest.

Even if she were eventually cast out, they were kind people who would surely give her enough time to leave at her own pace.

Therefore, the worst thing Irina could imagine would never happen.

But still…

Her heart remained inexplicably anxious and restless.

Irina bit down hard on her lip.

“Hmm?”

At the sound of a commotion somewhere nearby, Irina raised her head and noticed a group of unfamiliar people entering the estate.

“Who are they…?”

Each of the strangers was carrying a box.

When Irina returned to the estate, she found Eren standing at the entrance, telling the porters where to take the luggage.

“Mr. Eren.”

“My lady.”

Ern, whose hair was tied back with a long ribbon, greeted Irina. In his hand was a sheet of paper covered in writing.

“Who are those people?”

“Hmm, have you not heard?”

Instead of answering, Eren posed a question of his own.

“They are here for you, my lady.”

“For me?”

Why had so many people come for her?

Quickly grasping the situation from Irina’s question, Eren cleared his throat.

“Please go to the room beside yours, my lady. You will find the answer there.”

After a moment’s consideration, Irina said her goodbyes to Eren and left.

Meanwhile, the workers continued to carry item after item into the manor.

What on earth were they doing?

Unable to contain her curiosity, Irina flung open the door to the room next to hers.

There, she found the Duke of Winfried.

He had been giving instructions to the workers, but when he saw Irina, he smiled.

“Miss Irina.”

Huh?

Irina blinked.

The Duke of Winfried usually addressed her as Lady Leonid.

Yet today, he had suddenly called her by her name, just as everyone else did.

“You came at the perfect time.”

“…Is something happening?”

Unable to contain her curiosity, Irina stepped inside.

The room next door, which had always been empty, was now in a state of complete disarray.

There was a new carpet on the floor and a desk and bookshelves full of books.

Books?

Her eyes widened as she picked up one of the books that were waiting to be arranged on the shelves.

It was about art, just like the books she had been reading lately.

“It seemed there weren’t any books in my study suitable for you, Miss Irina.”

Accepting a document from a neatly dressed man, he continued.

“So I had a library prepared for you. For the time being, I bought every suitable book available in the surrounding area…. Would you look through them and see what you think?”

“Are these the books the viscountess said would be arriving?”

Irina asked while clutching the book tightly, and Logan nodded with a smile.

“Correct. Now, take a look and see what you think. The Viscountess and I have chosen them before, but nobody knows your preferences better than you do.”

At the duke’s words, Irina nodded and immediately opened the book in her hands.

“……!”

She promptly snapped it shut.

Someone was already dying on the first page!

What was this?

Why would someone die at the very beginning?

Irina cautiously peeked at the page again, only to close the book once more.

Even worse, it seemed that the dead person was the protagonist.

Suddenly, a large hand reached over and took the book from her.

The pages fluttered rapidly beneath his fingers.

“It’s a novel that has become quite popular lately. Viscountess Helpriton read it first and said it was suitable for you, so I had it included.”

“A novel?”

“Yes, a novel.”

Returning the book to Irina, Winfried said with a smile,

“It should be far more entertaining than books on art history or music history. The words are easier too.”

“Really?”

Irina opened the first page again.

Although she still disliked the fact that someone had died immediately, after reading a few more pages, she found the story fascinating.

The deceased had returned to the time just before her death.

“I think you’re right.”

Irina nodded bashfully.

Books about art or music had given her a headache in the past.

But she felt she could read this one without getting one.

“Are there many books like this?”

“There are.”

Winfried nodded.

“I specifically asked Viscountess Helpriton and the bookstore owner to bring plenty of novels and children’s storybooks.”

They were all entertaining books that used simple words and were easy to read.

Irina’s face lit up.

But her expression soon dimmed again.

“Um, I’m truly grateful that you bought these books for me, but….”

Irina bit her lip lightly.

“I’m worried this gift is far more than I deserve.”

Books were expensive.

Each page had to be copied by hand and gathered together with thread before being bound securely. The covers were made from carefully prepared leather.

However, she had not just received one or two such books.

An entire room had been furnished solely for them.

This was an extremely lavish gift for someone who had done nothing.

“More than you deserve? Nonsense.”

At the Duke of Winfried’s casual response, Irina raised her head.

“Viscountess Helpriton has been telling me about you all this time. She said you’ve worked very hard.”

“Ah.”

“Was she mistaken?”

“No! I did work hard.”

That was true.

Irina did her utmost to remember and follow everything that the Viscountess had taught her.

Even when she was alone in her room, she tried to maintain the correct posture she had learnt. If she forgot something or encountered something she did not understand, she would ask the Viscountess or someone else for help.

Thanks to her efforts, Irina could now walk with her shoulders held straight rather than hunched. The back pain she had experienced from bending over to clean had also disappeared.

She could even walk with a book balanced on her head without it wobbling.

Although she still lowered her head or rested her elbows on the table during meals, the Viscountess had praised her the previous day for how much she had improved.

Moreover, reading and writing were far more enjoyable than Irina had ever imagined; it was almost impossible for her to put down a book.

Why else would she have struggled through those difficult books on art and music if not because they were the only ones she could understand to some extent?

“I really did work hard….”

Irina’s cheeks reddened.

Nevertheless, she wanted him to know that she had really tried.

Just moments earlier, she had been concerned about being rejected. Where, then, had this sudden desire to be acknowledged come from?

“I know.”

Irina raised her head at his voice and found him smiling, the corners of his lips lifted.