Chapter 3

“Hic! Ugh, ahem! …Hic!”

“Oh dear, Mother, are you alright?”

“I’m… Hic! …I need to rest…”

Clutching her chest and hiccupping, the Baroness finally rose with the maid’s help.

She completely forgot her intention to scold her daughter for her lack of refinement.

Once her mother left, Aisha shrugged and turned her attention back to the letter.

Her friend, far away in a neighboring country, wrote in a calm, report-like manner, but Aisha could sense the underlying panic.

[Honestly, I don’t know how this happened, but it did.] 

‘Yeah, she probably just did it without thinking.’

[The wedding is set for this fall. It feels way too soon.] 

‘She’s clearly not keeping up with the situation.’

[Well, when it comes, I’ll deal with it… Just like always.]

‘Oh, she’s putting it off for her future self again.’

[If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask you to be my bridesmaid. Maybe we can talk about it—could you come to Selbreed?]

‘This is a call for help.’

The handwriting and wording were neat from start to finish, but Aisha could picture her friend clutching her head while writing the letter.

Clearly, she couldn’t handle it alone and was begging Aisha to come be with her. Her friend almost never asked for help, so this time must be truly overwhelming.

‘Her father passed away, and she’s probably pretending everything’s fine so her mother won’t worry. She can’t confide in the staff, given her status.’

Leira, who sent the letter, was Aisha’s closest friend during their academy days. Naturally, Aisha also knew about the man who hovered around Leira—Crown Prince Adrian. In fact, she thought she knew more about him than Leira did.

‘That man wouldn’t do anything thoughtlessly…’

Aisha had long noticed the Crown Prince’s unusual gaze toward Leira. Anyone who didn’t notice would have to be blind. Whenever she got between the two, he always looked displeased.

‘Was it intentional?’

It was a long-standing crush, so he was probably desperate now. As soon as he confirmed her feelings, he seemed to have rushed to set a date and put his ‘claim’ on her.

Maybe he also wanted to see the usually unflappable Leira flustered.

‘I really don’t like him.’

It was a plausible deduction, but still, what a terrible personality.

Aisha folded the letter neatly, clicking her tongue.

‘Who enjoys making the person they like flustered? What kind of rotten manners are those?’

Anyway, he was a sly man with a polished exterior.

If he hadn’t always hovered around Leira at the academy, Aisha wouldn’t have bothered to get to know him.

‘Honestly, men should have manners, gentlemanly manners. Polite, courteous, sincere, caring!’

That was Aisha’s ideal type of man.

But somehow, as she thought through each sentence, one thing kept coming to mind: Sir Raymore’s smile, which she had seen just before leaving work.

‘Yes, that’s exactly the kind of man he is.’

He was called a model for a reason. Immersed in the precious image lingering in her memory, Aisha’s grip tightened unconsciously.

‘My friend should have met a man like that. What a shame. It’s such a waste to give her to that ill-mannered Crown Prince…!’

But she couldn’t write that in her reply. The letter was full of words like ‘I’m overwhelmed’ and ‘I’m flustered’, but nowhere did it say ‘I don’t want this’.

It seemed her friend’s feelings for that man were strong enough to accept the sudden marriage.

Aisha let out a deep sigh and stood up.

If she wanted to send a reply before going to work tomorrow morning, she had to hurry and write it.

‘Marriage…’

It was something she’d heard about endlessly, but had never really thought about. Yet hearing the news of her closest friend’s marriage made her feel strangely restless.

‘I’m too late.’

For women of the Asherit Empire, the marriageable age was, in any case, before twenty.

At nineteen, people would already whisper that something was wrong if she was still single. Who would propose now to a twenty-five-year-old spinster who had long passed that age?

Especially to a woman from a humble family, who was unnecessarily smart and had a strong sense of self.

‘Not that pretty, either.’

Suddenly, passing by a window, Aisha stopped and looked at her reflection.

Dull brown hair, moderately fair skin, an ordinary face. Passable, maybe, but since she never dressed up, she looked plain compared to the extravagantly adorned noble ladies.

Except for her parents, she’d only ever received one compliment about her looks.

“Aisha, I think your eyes are really pretty.”

“…Are you about to ask me for a favor?”

“Oh, come on. Just take the compliment as it is.”

That compliment came from the very friend who was now getting married, so it didn’t mean much. Besides, with her naturally radiant beauty, who was she to compliment others? Aisha remembered snorting at the time.

‘Just average.’

Brown hair and green eyes were common. They didn’t stand out anywhere.

Aisha had never complained about it. In fact, she preferred not to stand out. That way, she could enjoy a quiet, peaceful life. That’s why her friend’s compliment neither pleased nor bothered her.

‘Unless it’s a man with a lot of flaws, or a widower’s second marriage, there’s no way I’d get a proposal.’

Of course, she had no intention of accepting such proposals anyway.

In the Asherit Empire, women couldn’t inherit titles. Having finally had a daughter late in life, the Baron and his wife had always planned to adopt a son as heir. So even though they worried about Aisha’s lack of interest in marriage, they hadn’t forced her.

This is why people need to be successful.

‘I’ve done well on my own so far. I’ll keep saving money, move to a peaceful, scenic village, and open a bookstore. Find a suitable house for my parents…’

That had been Aisha’s long-held dream.

A moderately busy town where you could hear the sea or the birds, a quiet and leisurely atmosphere, a cozy bookstore, flipping through books at ease, occasionally gazing out at the scenery, sipping fragrant tea.

“Perfect, just perfect.”

She resumed walking, feeling proud of herself.

Being a librarian at the Imperial Library wasn’t uncomfortable or lacking, but she still wanted to go somewhere she didn’t have to worry about others’ opinions. If she kept saving her generous salary, that dream would soon be within reach.

If the Baroness, busy cooling her head by now, knew what her daughter was thinking, she would have grabbed her neck and fainted, but Aisha hummed a tune.

At that time, she was still looking forward to a solid future, not knowing that by the very next evening, a man would intrude upon her life.

***

A late afternoon, just like any other. In the empty library, Aisha kept glancing at the clock.

‘Is he not coming today…?’

Even as closing time approached, Sir Raymore didn’t show, not even his shadow. After lingering by the front door for a while, Aisha eventually began preparing to leave.

“So there are days like this.”

Was it because someone who usually showed up twice a day had suddenly disappeared? She felt strangely empty, and even worried that something might have happened.

‘I hope nothing bad has happened.’

Putting on her coat, Aisha picked up a candle and walked through the spacious library, making one last check for anything left untidy.

Tap, tap.

In the silent, dark hall, only her footsteps echoed. Any other lady might have been frightened, but Aisha looked around comfortably, as if it were her own home.

There was nothing to fear in this repository of knowledge, full of books. The slightly dry air, the unique scent of paper and dust, even in the darkness, gave her a sense of calm.

‘Hm?’

She’d already finished cleaning, so she was just scanning with her eyes when she noticed something sparkling in a corner by the window.

‘Lost property?’

Aisha walked to the window and lifted the curtain. On the window sill lay a small perfume bottle. She brought it close and sniffed gently. Then she frowned.

‘Ugh, that’s strong.’

Immediately, a very intense, sensual rose scent hit her.

Aisha held the bottle as far away as possible and sighed. She could guess what kind of woman would bring something like that to the library.

Still, lost property was lost property, so she had to set it aside to avoid trouble. Turning to take the perfume to the lost-and-found desk, that’s when it happened.

“Uh…?”

Suddenly, the bottle slipped from her fingers.

It must have been made of sturdy material, because thankfully it didn’t break, but the tightly sealed cap popped off, and the pink liquid inside began to spill onto the floor.

“Ahhh…!”

Aisha screamed, quickly taking out her handkerchief to wipe it up, but the powerful rose scent was already overwhelming, making her head throb.

She straightened up to open the window and ventilate, but instead, she collapsed weakly onto the floor.

Thud, roll. The candlestick slipped from her hand and rolled away, its flame extinguished.

“Wh-what’s happening… Ugh…”

She tried to pull herself up again, but for some reason, her arms and legs wouldn’t respond.

Her head grew increasingly dizzy. She shook her head to clear it, but it was no use. Her breathing became shallow, her heartbeat thumped loudly in her ears.

‘A cold…? No, this is…’

Her vision blurred. Her mind felt hot, as if a fever was rising, and she was parched with thirst.

Aisha clutched her forehead, glaring at the perfume bottle that seemed to multiply before her eyes.

“Don’t tell me…”

She finally realized.

That was no ordinary perfume.

“This is insane, ugh…!”

With a curse, her breath came out feverish. Her body was so hot, it was almost unpleasant, and a tingling heat spread over her skin.