Chapter 1

Selena, with a dark hood pulled over her head, cautiously surveyed the inside of the shop. She checked beyond the dusty window and nervously bit her lip.

There were no other customers inside. So, she just needed to go in and say what she wanted.  

However……  

‘The clerk is a man……. What should I do, should I just go back?’  

Contrary to her expectation that everything would go smoothly once she arrived, she immediately ran into a problem as soon as she got there.  

It was too much, after all.  

Even getting this far had required great courage from Selena. She thought she had managed to gather up her courage, but it was slipping away like grains of sand through her fingers, dwindling with every moment.  

‘This really isn’t going to work.’  

Not knowing when she’d get another chance, Selena turned to leave, deciding to try again next time. But when she remembered the book she had hidden in a secret space and the little freedom she had left, she couldn’t help but stop in her tracks.  

She stopped, but still couldn’t bring herself to go inside. Stuck in indecision, Selena paced back and forth, groaning quietly.  

Then, an unfamiliar voice sounded behind her.  

“Don’t be like that, come in and take a look around.”  

The clerk who had been inside was now outside the door, looking at her.  

“No one will say anything if you’re just browsing.”  

Startled by the sudden appearance of the clerk, Selena could only stammer, “Uh, uh……,” her mouth opening and closing soundlessly. Before she knew it, she was gently ushered into the shop by him.  

The rows of bookshelves reminded her of a narrow alley, or a maze.  

Once inside, Selena was surprised by how much bigger the place was than it looked from outside. Actually, she had been so shocked since the clerk opened the door that she hadn’t been able to speak at all.  

Standing stiffly in the middle of the bookstore, Selena was met with a gentle smile from the clerk. It was an utterly harmless smile, as if he truly had no intention of forcing her to buy anything.  

Unfortunately, Selena’s nervousness wasn’t because of that.  

“Take your time and look around.”  

His kind voice and friendly smile made Selena feel a bit uncomfortable.  

He was a head taller than her, with broad shoulders.  

His shirt sleeves were rolled up, revealing forearms and hands where veins stood out.  

No matter how she looked at him, the clerk seemed more like a swordsman than a scholar who would keep books close.  

‘Is he really an employee here? Not a knight?’  

Selena’s eyes narrowed inside her hood. Her suspicious gaze silently scanned the clerk.  

His physique was closer to a fighter, but his skin was pale and smooth, suggesting he spent more time indoors. If he really were a knight, his skin wouldn’t be this fair, and Selena’s suspicion faded a little.  

‘Right. If he wasn’t a staff member, why would he be here? No need for pointless suspicion.’  

Her habit of being wary and suspicious had started after she was kidnapped as a child.  

It was done by someone she’d never imagined could do such a thing, so ever since that day, Selena couldn’t help but be cautious when meeting new people.  

But it seemed a bit much to suspect this clerk.  

After all, her visit here was rather impulsive.  

Afraid her courage would fade as soon as it appeared, Selena made up a suitable excuse. She slipped out, avoiding the eyes of Mary, her maid, and hurried here.  

On the way, worried someone might recognize her, she used a magic tool to change her unique hair color and even pulled up her hood for extra cover.  

So, this man would never know who she really was.  

Selena concluded that her suspicion and wariness were excessive.  

Once her guard against the clerk eased, Selena remembered she didn’t have much time. If she delayed any longer, Mary might notice she was gone. And if her grandmother found out about that—  

Even imagining it was dreadful.  

That was a problem, but she also had to accomplish her goal before the last bit of her courage disappeared.  

Selena steeled herself and clenched her fist. Then, she spoke.  

“P-please give me the red book!”  

“Cough.”  

She was so nervous that her voice came out louder than expected and cracked. The clerk, seemingly flustered by her words, coughed awkwardly and staggered.  

The large clerk’s body wobbled and bumped into a bookshelf, causing the books stacked on top to start falling.  

“Ah!”  

Anticipating the impact, Selena squeezed her eyes shut and cried out. But even after the thud of thick books hitting the floor stopped, she felt no pain.  

She peeked open her eyes and saw a white shirt in front of her.  

A white shirt? Not a bookshelf?  

She blinked, but the shirt didn’t disappear. In fact, it moved slightly. Watching it, Selena thought absently.  

So, this is—. The scene she’d only seen in romance novels……  

Several scenes she’d only read about and imagined flashed through her mind, and her heart began to race. Her breathing grew difficult as her heart pounded faster. Selena took a deep breath. And then—  

“Achoo!”  

The dust kicked up by the falling books tickled her nose, making her sneeze. Each time, her frail body swayed, and the dust danced up again.  

“Ah-choo!”  

She kept sneezing, doubling over. Unintentionally, her face ended up pressed against the clerk’s chest.  

Flustered, Selena tried to pull away, but a firm hand held her by the back of her head, keeping her in place.  

“Just stay like this until the dust settles.”  

Normally, Selena would have wondered why the clerk, who was also covered in dust, seemed unaffected, but her mind couldn’t process anything in this unprecedentedly embarrassing situation.  

Every time she sneezed, she could feel the clerk’s firm chest muscles move against her cheek.  

Her face instantly turned red.  

She knew she should shout for him to let go, but somehow, she couldn’t open her mouth.  

It took quite a while for the dust to settle and the sneezing to stop completely.  

Selena felt the hand holding her head release, and she slowly lifted her head.  

“Are you alright?”  

“Y-yes, I’m fine.”  

It was the first time she’d ever been held like this, though the posture was a bit awkward to call it being held. Still, a man’s embrace was different from what she’d imagined.  

His chest was broad, firm, and hot—making Selena again suspect he might really be a knight, not a bookstore clerk.  

And he smelled quite nice, too.  

“The red book, huh……”  

While Selena was lost in thought about being held by the man, he glanced around the shelves with a thoughtful expression.  

He told her to wait a moment and disappeared into the back.  

When he returned, he was holding a book.  

『The Baron’s Daughter’s Secret Taste』  

A red cover, a title in gold letters, and a golden rose emblem beneath it.  

It was the latest work by Goldrose, the most popular author in the capital these days.  

Even paying extra, it was said to be hard to find! Just a few days ago, the maids had gathered to talk about how they wanted it but couldn’t get it! It was definitely that new release.  

“Th-this!”  

Selena was so moved she couldn’t speak properly.  

The clerk, perhaps misunderstanding her reaction, spoke with a sympathetic look.  

“You must have been really startled earlier. I can’t call it compensation, but I’ll give you this book as a gift.”  

“N-no, it’s alright. And I can’t just accept something so precious.”  

The clerk looked slightly puzzled when she called it precious. 

“You nearly got hurt because I was careless, didn’t you? So please accept it.”  

After refusing several times, Selena finally had no choice but to take the book.  

“Th-then, I’ll gratefully accept this book. I can’t buy any more today because of circumstances……. But next time, I’ll make sure to boost your sales a lot.”  

Next time, it would be Mary coming, and she’d be buying a bunch of boring books, not this kind of thing. But there was no need to explain that much.  

Ding-dong—  

At that moment, the sound of bells ringing from the central plaza snapped Selena back to her senses. 

Quite a bit of time had passed already. If she didn’t hurry back, Mary would notice her absence.  

“Ah…… It’s already so late…… Well, I’ll enjoy reading the book.”  

Selena quickly said goodbye, not giving the clerk a chance to respond, and hurried out of the shop. She nearly collided with a brown-haired man in the alley and almost fell.  

“I’m sorry! I’m in a bit of a hurry.”  

She apologized anxiously, and when the other person nodded as if to say it was fine, she started running again.  

The man scratched his head as he watched her go, then continued on his way to his destination.  

And the place he arrived at was the very bookstore Selena had just left.