Casey Gunther simply wanted to live in peace.

It didn’t matter to her whether the academy was in turmoil or quiet, whether factions were splitting apart or reforming.

Frankly, none of it had anything to do with her.

A student like Casey, born to a noble father and a bourgeois maternal family, had little choice but to live quietly.

‘No matter what I say, I get criticized from both sides. They call me a bat, pointing fingers at me. It’s better to just keep my mouth shut.’

Particularly in the case of Baron Gunther, he was labeled as one of the “new nobility.”

Those who had earned their titles through administrative achievements were never well received by the traditional aristocracy. Naturally, the nobility drew a clear line between themselves and families like his.

‘In the end, being alone is just easier.’

That was the truth Casey had come to realize after two years at the academy.

It was only after coming here that she fully grasped the ambiguous position of the Gunther family.

Preferring peace, Casey spent most of her time in the travel section of the library—one of the least frequented areas.

The library had an unspoken rule:

Distinguished individuals visited regularly, and their times were silently acknowledged. That way, those who wanted to use the library in peace could simply avoid those hours.

Causing a disturbance in the library was nearly a crime.

After all, it was where the academy’s most sensitive students gathered.

The Crown Prince, whether because of his status or the vast royal archives at his disposal, never used the academy library.

On the other hand, Duke Rosalind always visited at the same time—right after classes ended at 3 PM, staying for two hours before leaving.

Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays. Always the same.

Wanting to stay out of trouble, Casey deliberately avoided those hours.

Today, as usual, Casey settled in the travel section.

She had grown up in Oberon, often hearing sailors boast of their grand adventures at the port.

Stories of faraway lands she had never seen, full of unbelievable tales, fascinated her. They set her heart racing.

‘The one good thing about this academy is its collection of adventure and travel books.’

Truthfully, she had never wanted to come to the capital or the academy. But her mother had persuaded her.

‘Make sure to find yourself a decent man. Oberon has plenty of things, but good men are in short supply. Just think of it as a chance to see the world!’

Casey almost sighed, remembering her mother’s words.

‘I understand what she meant, but honestly, even here…’

***

One day, Duke Rosalind broke the unspoken rule.

He stopped coming to the library in the afternoons. And soon, the students who had been waiting there just to catch a glimpse of him disappeared too.

After about two weeks, no one was waiting for him anymore.

Casey learned this through a classmate who had frequented the library in hopes of seeing the duke.

Apparently, something was off about him.

Casey thought to herself,

‘Duke Rosalind… He’s royalty, isn’t he? Did he really need to come to the library to read?’

Rosalind’s mother was from Wiscombe. And the Ariel family—Casey’s maternal relatives—had a long-standing feud with Wiscombe’s nobility.

Though it didn’t directly concern him, the connection naturally came to mind.

‘Two years at the academy, and you inevitably start mapping out relationships.’

That was just how things worked here.

‘Should I just go back to Oberon?’

Sitting in the stacks, Casey found herself deep in thought. Her biggest dilemma was what to do after graduation.

‘Should I return to Oberon to help with my mother’s business, or stay in the capital and work with my maternal family?’

Her mother wanted her to stay.

Her reason, of course, was marriage.

But to Casey, finding someone in the capital seemed even more difficult.

Nothing here came easy.

***

Then, Duke Rosalind returned to the library.

But this time, with no set schedule—completely unpredictably.

Casey only knew this because, from time to time, they ran into each other.

She couldn’t exactly complain to the duke for breaking an unspoken rule.

From the start, the unspoken rule had only existed to avoid inconvenience, and now that Duke Rosalind was no longer attracting crowds, it hardly mattered anymore.

As Casey looked over the books she had borrowed, Duke Rosalind spoke.

“I’m surprised the library even has such outrageous books.”

Casey, making no effort to hide her displeasure, responded bluntly.

“Oh? So you’re surprised.”

Duke Rosalind immediately apologized.

“I’m sorry if I offended you. I just never imagined books like this would be in the library. My apologies.”

Casey scoffed internally.

“Yeah, right.”

But outwardly, she smiled and accepted the apology.

“It’s fine. My tastes are a little unusual. I’m just fortunate the library carries a wide range of books. Well then.”

Then, she wondered to herself,

‘Did I come off too strong? Not that it matters—I’m not going to befriend Rosalind, and we probably won’t cross paths again.’

However, as Duke Rosalind continued appearing at the library, there were students who tried to approach him.

Each time, though, he would politely decline.

“I’d like to focus on my reading.”

Casey noted how different Rosalind seemed from before.

‘Wasn’t he supposed to be incredibly ambitious?’

After a moment’s thought, Casey concluded that the duke must have finally given up on his ambitions.

‘Well, it was about time.’

****

One day, Duke Rosalind stood in front of Casey’s favorite bookshelf.

As if he had been waiting, the duke greeted Casey with a smile.

“I want to challenge myself with books I haven’t read before. Do you have any recommendations?”

Without hesitation, Casey pulled a book from the shelf and handed it to him.

“This one.”

Duke Rosalind glanced at the title and smiled.

“The Adventures of the Boastful Duke… Quite a fitting recommendation.”

Casey eyed him suspiciously.

“So… you’re not planning to keep showing up here, are you? You just came to escape those people following you, right?”

Duke Rosalind, noticing Casey’s clear discomfort, responded calmly.

“I want to be alone, but there aren’t many suitable places.”

“Wouldn’t home be the most comfortable place? Better than wandering around a bookshelf like this.”

“There are always guests at my house.”

“But I heard the former Duchess of Rosalind never hosted gatherings at home?”

“There are people who invite themselves over. And sometimes, they insist I sit and listen to them.”

Duke Rosalind gave a small, apologetic smile.

“I know it’s inconvenient, but I have my reasons.”

Casey let out an awkward laugh. Strangely, she felt a sense of kinship.

“The library doesn’t belong to me… Come as you please, Your Grace.”

A little later, Casey glanced at the duke, who had taken a seat across from her.

She suddenly understood why so many women were captivated by Duke Rosalind.

Up close, the duke was undeniably handsome.

‘Even his troubled expression is kind of cute.’

Still, Casey thought she wasn’t quite the most handsome man in the empire.

‘That title still belongs to my uncle, Marquis Ariel.’

Her aunt certainly had an eye for looks.

Casey brushed off the encounter as an amusing experience.

But after that day, the unexpected meetings continued.

Suspicion crept into Casey’s mind.

‘A duke this handsome keeps meeting with me? Is he trying to win my favor? There has to be something going on.’

No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t figure out what kind of scheme or purpose might be behind it.

‘Is he targeting the Ariel or Finega families? But I’m just a Gunther. I’m only a relative, not directly involved.’

Casey decided to seek out the person most likely to have insight into this sort of situation—

Empress Sophia.

***

Sophia was mildly surprised when Casey requested an audience with her.

She had invited him multiple times before, yet she had rarely accepted.

“Could something have happened at the academy? Or is it about Helen?”

She knew how quietly Casey lived her life.

And there was only ever one reason she refused her invitations.

“Standing out too much is exhausting for me. I just want to quietly attend the academy and graduate. It’s not like I have any grand ambitions to make it big anyway.”

Since everyone has different desires and dislikes, Sophia understood Casey’s perspective.

When Casey, who had come to see her that day, hesitated to speak, Sophia spoke first.

“Is something wrong with Oberon? Or is there a problem at the academy?”

Casey waved her hands in denial.

“No, everyone is doing well. It’s just… I’ve been running into Duke Rosalind a lot lately.”

Even Sophia hadn’t expected to hear about Duke Rosalind from Casey’s lips.

Sophia looked at Casey, a bright and lively young woman with large, sparkling eyes.

In a gentle tone, Sophia asked, “Why? Is he bothering you? Or do you think he’s up to something?”

“No, he’s being really nice. Too nice. We talk a lot, we meet often—not even by coincidence. Could he be plotting something? Maybe because of Finiga or His Highness the Crown Prince?”

Sophia replied, “I don’t think so. In fact, there’s been a lot of talk about how he hasn’t been meeting people lately. Could it be because he’s meeting you?”

Casey answered urgently, “It’s not because of me. He’s been avoiding people and trying to be alone since before we bumped into each other.”

“Really? But you still have doubts?”

“It’s Duke Rosalind. I just wonder why he’d want to get close to me.”

Hiding her curiosity, Sophia asked, “What do you two talk about when you meet?”

“Just books I’m reading, stories I heard at Oberon Harbor, books the duke has read… or how he wants to go on a trip someday. It’s all really trivial stuff. That’s why I’m more suspicious.”

After hearing all this, Sophia gave a reassuring smile.

“It doesn’t sound like a scheme. Maybe Duke Rosalind just needed someone to share those trivial stories with. I bet he’s been surrounded by people who only wanted to talk about grand things.”

Casey found herself agreeing a little. Maybe Duke Rosalind felt more comfortable because she was different from the people he usually met.

‘But that can’t be the only reason.’

Sophia tried to reassure Casey.

“Nothing’s going to happen. And Patrick said that Duke Rosalind seems to be a better person than expected. And you know Patrick doesn’t like him much.”

Casey felt the same way.

‘That’s true. He’s a better person than I thought.’

***

After meeting Sophia, Casey felt a bit more at ease when meeting Duke Rosalind.

She told him about her frustrations.

“I really want to go out to sea, but my parents won’t allow it. Even a trip to Netuneia should be fine, but they absolutely refuse. They said someone once boarded a ship to Netuneia that was run by Saturn’s spies. It must be a lie.”

Duke Rosalind shook his head at Casey’s certainty.

“It’s true. I could even introduce you to the person involved.”

“It was real? Who was it?”

Duke Rosalind had heard about the crown prince Patrick’s boastful chamberlain.

‘Mav, was it? The one who swore never to leave the empire.’

Casey’s eyes sparkled.

“So my father wasn’t lying. It sounds like a story from a novel or an adventure tale. Can I really meet that person?”

Duke Rosalind nodded.

‘Good thing I’ve been getting along with Crown Prince Patrick.’

****

Since Duke Rosalind had been meeting with Casey Gunther often, naturally, people began talking.

The news reached Isabelle’s ears.

Isabelle couldn’t understand how her son had changed recently.

She thought that once he went to the academy, everyone would realize how remarkable her son was.

Unlike the unremarkable Patrick, she expected everyone to praise her son.

But things hadn’t gone as she had hoped.

Her son had been avoiding people and rejecting the gatherings she arranged for him.

‘He said he wouldn’t meet anyone, and now he’s seeing that girl.’

Duke Rosalind silently endured Isabelle’s rage.

Isabelle shouted so loudly that the room echoed.

“Do you know what kind of family that is? They earned their title by being the emperor’s lackeys. And on top of that, her maternal family is Finega! Not even nobility!”

Duke Rosalind had no intention of defending Casey.

He said, “Yes, it’s a family the elders would hate.”

‘That’s why I like her even more.’

For his mother’s sake, the duke kept his true feelings to himself.