Chapter 2

Aisha bit the inside of her cheek. The man, unaware of her struggle to keep her tongue in check, smiled with the elegance of a painting.

“To receive such praise from the most diligent librarian, I’m truly honored.”

“Please, don’t call me ‘most diligent librarian’…”

Tristan Lubel Raymore. In short, he was this:

A knight among knights.

He currently held the actual position of Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard Knights, but that was not the only reason.

With his exceptional swordsmanship, he was renowned and highly esteemed, yet remained humble, respected others, possessed a courteous character, and had the courage not to overlook injustice. He was a moral man who had never once made a careless mistake.

He was, in every sense, the very model of a knight. There were countless stories of his virtue and admiration passed around by many who praised him, so even Aisha, who was ignorant of rumors, knew of him before ever meeting him.

On top of that, he possessed a remarkable appearance equal to his reputation. Aisha found herself gazing up at him in a daze, then hurriedly regained her composure. Clearing her throat belatedly, she tucked her hair behind her ear for no reason.

Even though she saw his face nearly every day, she still felt embarrassed each time.

“Hmm! Would you like to borrow this?”

“Yes, please.”

‘Goodness, as much as you want.’

As she accepted the book he handed her, Aisha almost blurted out something overly enthusiastic, but managed to swallow her words.

God is truly fair. To a man perfect from head to toe, He also gave a perfect voice.

‘It’s like He wants me to admire him fairly, from one to ten, without missing anything.’

Any woman who was infatuated with Sir Raymore would surely jump at any request he made, no matter what it was. No, they might even beg, ‘Please, ask me for more.’

And Aisha was a woman too. Who could dislike a handsome man?

She filled out the borrowing record feeling as though she were walking on clouds. No matter where her mind wandered, her hands skillfully completed the familiar task.

“The loan period is one week… but I suppose you’ll finish reading it in a day?”

“Well, it looks a bit difficult, so it might take me more time.”

Raymore said this with an awkward smile.

But Aisha knew just how humble those words were. She saw this man almost every day while working as a librarian at the Imperial Library.

As Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard Knights, he worked at the palace every day except for designated holidays. He returned books on his way to work and borrowed new ones when leaving—the very definition of a remarkable person.

This was the main reason Aisha found herself so captivated by Sir Raymore.

‘A distinguished knight who also diligently cultivates his mind. Truly admirable.’

Not only did he visit the library daily except for holidays, but the books he borrowed were always of challenging content. Whenever they exchanged brief remarks about the books during borrowing and returning, Aisha could tell how knowledgeable and thoughtful he was, often wishing she could talk longer.

‘Compared to that, the librarians here… Oh dear.’

Thinking of her seniors who often made careless mistakes or the director, who, despite his title, had no interest in books, Aisha’s mood sank.

If only someone like him were her mentor, she thought idly as she handed him the recorded book.

“Take your time reading. Since you’re a regular member, I can extend the loan as much as you need.”

“That’s very kind of you.”

Raymore smiled brightly, as if he truly appreciated her words.

Seeing that smile, Aisha was once again struck by the reason for his popularity. He was someone you wanted to treat kindly and who made you feel a rewarding sense of satisfaction in doing so.

‘Well, he’s from another world, though.’

Perhaps because he was so extraordinary, she never saw him as a romantic interest.

Even standing right in front of her, he seemed as if he was behind a transparent wall. Aisha smiled up at him, and he smiled back.

For a few seconds.

“…Um, do you need any help?”

“Pardon? Oh, it’s nothing…”

She stared at Raymore, who still hadn’t left. Maybe he was lost in thought for a moment. He looked flustered, then quickly composed himself.

“Well then, I’ll see you again tomorrow.”

“Yes, have a good day.”

With his right hand placed over his heart and his head slightly bowed, Aisha also bowed her head politely. At first, she had been bewildered and burdened by the knight’s etiquette, but after learning that was just how he was, she’d grown accustomed to it.

‘He seemed like he had something to say, though…’

As soon as he turned and left, Aisha looked down at her outfit and touched her face. There was nothing odd or out of place. Puzzled, she tilted her head.

‘Ah, maybe today’s ribbon was too eye-catching? It is a bit flashy, I suppose.’

She tidied her neatly tied hair. It was a pink ribbon she wouldn’t normally wear, one of her mother’s gifts urging her to dress up a little more, and it was the most modest-looking one she could pick. Still, it felt awkward.

“Now that the last guest has left, time to clean up.”

Honestly, at this hour, no one came except that knight. Experience has proven this.

Without hesitation, Aisha closed the ledger and began preparing to leave. Seeing the empty seats, she guessed the other librarians had used their break to leave and simply skipped work.

It was pathetic, but she’d grown used to it.

‘Still, you’re not supposed to give the keys to a new hire.’

Even if few people visited, it was the Imperial Library, and all the books inside were rare and expensive. If anything were stolen or lost, an astronomical bill might arrive.

She cleaned up, turned off the lights, drew the curtains, and finally locked up. Looking down at the heavy, enchanted golden key, Aisha sighed.

If an audit happened and she was disciplined…

‘…Well, I’ll think about it later.’

Aisha hugged the book she hadn’t finished reading, which she had borrowed.

‘First, I’ll finish this one today!’

She had a love-hate relationship with her job, but the only reason she hadn’t resigned was the books.

Setting aside tomorrow’s worries, Aisha happily left work.

She thought it would be just another ordinary day, but the evening turned out quite different.

***

“Heck.”

After dinner, Aisha uttered this as she opened a letter handed to her by a maid.

At this unrefined exclamation, Madam Lindberg, sitting across from her sipping tea, cleared her throat and gave her a look, but Aisha’s eyes stayed fixed on the letter.

The news from her closest friend during her academy days was quite shocking.

“This is insane.”

“Ahem, Aisha.”

Another unfiltered exclamation slipped out, prompting the Baroness to feign a stern expression.

Although she was proud of her daughter working at the palace, that didn’t excuse her from the manners expected of a lady.

Normally, Aisha would have apologized immediately. But this time, she decided to justify her rash words.

“Mother. My friend is marrying the Crown Prince.”

“Pfft.”

A stream of tea trickled down the elegant Baroness’s lips. The startled maids looked on, but the bombshell wasn’t over.

“It’s the friend I mentioned before. The one who threw her breakup letter right at her nasty fiancé’s face during the academy!”

“Cough, cough!”

The Baroness choked and coughed, her teacup landing heavily on the table.

A maid rushed over with warm water and a handkerchief, but the Baroness was too shocked to calm down.

Aisha just clicked her tongue.

“Goodness… You really can’t predict life. Do you remember? Whenever I mentioned that friend, you always said, ‘With such unrefined behavior, she’ll never get married,’ and worried about her. But the Crown Prince himself? Who could have imagined?”

“Cough… Aisha, that’s enough…”

She called it worry, but it was really thinly veiled criticism.

Baroness Lindberg had opposed Aisha’s enrollment in a foreign academy from the start. To put it nicely, it was a place that valued ability above all, but in reality, it mixed eligible gentlemen, ladies, and even commoners together without distinction.

That was her impression of Asherlan Academy in the Selbreed Empire.

Sure enough, her once quiet daughter came back as a tomboy. She’d even complained to her family, unsure if she was raising a daughter or a son.

From Aisha’s stories, it seemed the main culprit behind her changed personality was that friend, Lady Leira Egret.

So whenever that girl was mentioned, the Baroness would click her tongue.

But what was this? That friend was getting married? And to the Crown Prince of Selbreed, no less? In other words, a royal wedding.

Even if he was a foreign royal, royalty was royalty. The Baroness’s face turned pale, having gossiped about the future Empress all this time.