CH 14

It has been 4 days since the Curse cast on Lady Sion was dispelled.

There was a certain person in the reception room of the library, where no one was allowed to visit on a closed day.

Her white hair with a hint of purple shines, and her blue eyes are now gently closed. If it weren't me, I might have fallen in love with her just by looking at her (if I didn't know her true nature).

I place a cup of freshly made hot tea on the table in front of the sofa and offer her some more cookies that I bought.

Tilting my head quizzically, I sat down in front of her and asked.

"Why are you so quiet, Fiona?"

The beautiful girl sitting on the opposite side of the table - Her Highness the 3rd Princess Fiona - took the teacup in a very elegant manner and slowly sipped the amber liquid as if to savor it.

There was none of the usual goofy pampering or stressed out look. She has the air of a truly noble lady.

I'm so used to seeing her in her ordinary state, I can't help but feel uncomfortable. No, really, who is this?

Fiona placed her cup on the saucer with a clink and then opened her beautiful blue eyes to stare at me.

"I'm going to meet the Duke Bernard. It would be unbecoming of me to be as frank as I am with you. I'm changing it up.

"You mean you're switching to your noble state. Isn't it good enough at least for now?"

"You have to start now. Besides, it's been a while since I've seen Sion."

"So you want to show her that you're a proper older sister."

"That's exactly what I mean."

The reason why Fiona is here is something other than that.

Today, Duke Bernard asked her to come to the mansion with me because Lady Sion was going to sign a contract with the grimoire. I was concerned about whether she would be all right even though it had only been a few days, but she told me that she was feeling much better. Her magical power has returned to its original condition, and she has no problem in signing the contract now. She seems to be looking forward to it, too.

"You didn't have to come to the library, did you? If you wait at the palace, Duke Bernard said he'd send someone to pick you up."

"It's not worth the hassle to have them come all the way to the palace. It's easier for both of us to stay in one place so we can be picked up together."

"That's true... but the details were already explained to you on the communication device, right? I'm sure you know the details."

I tried to tell her off, but she was having none of it.

It was late at night on the way back from the day when I destroyed Lady Sion's curse magic, but I thought it would be best to contact her as soon as possible, so I immediately sent a report to Fiona.

Immediately after I called, she made a very cute sleepy voice, saying, 'Oh my God' but she seemed to wake up more and more while I was explaining the next article, and at the end of the conversation, she said, 'Forget the first thing! I mean it, forget it!'

I can't help but smile just thinking about it. It was so cute.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Oops, did that show on my face?"

"That's right. What? You think my face is funny?"

"No, I just remembered your sleepy voice."

"I told you to forget it, didn't I?"

Gulp! I threw a cookie into Fiona's mouth to calm her down. Well, I didn't expect you to provide me with the necessary ammunition to make fun of you.

"Look, your attitude is back to normal."

"I can't help but be like this when I'm with Serel..."

"I'm sure you'll be fine. We're the only ones here, and Luna-san is just waiting at the door, right? The rest of the guards are at...."

"They're all outside the library. I told them it would be fine with you by my side."

"I'm surprised they agreed to that."

"That's how much they trust you. I'm glad they feel the same way about you too."

Fiona softens her stance and smiles, which I think is much better than the dignified look she had earlier. She has a fairly attractive face to begin with, and a girl with a soft smile is more preferable than a cold-hearted one.

I wouldn't dare say that though.

"But I do have one concern, Fiona."

"What?"

"In connection with Lady Sion's curse magic, I want you to be on your guard."

"What?"

Tilting her head, Fiona asked, "What are you talking about?"

"I'm just trying to be vigilant, you know. I've sent some of the Knights to Duke Bernard to make sure that Sion doesn't suffer the same fate in the future..."

"The only one you need to be wary of is yourself."

Fiona's expression tightened as he interrupted her.

"What do you mean?"

"It's merely speculation, and something I think is highly unlikely. However, if the person who put the curse on Lady Sion is targeting upper class nobles, dukes and above, then I think you need to be very careful. That's why it's necessary to reduce meetings and dinners as much as possible. No, even more than that, you should refrain from having contact with people you don't trust."

"That's a lot of precautions."

"Of course. If you were to cast a curse spell on you, I have no idea what I would do when I found the culprit."

I might get angry and let my emotions get the better of me.

I don't want to lose my precious friend... or rather, Fiona.

"Hmm... you don't know what you would do?"

"Of course not."

"Hmm, I get it."

Fiona smiled cheerfully and popped one of the cookies into her mouth.

Do you really understand? Why do you look so happy when I'm telling you that you might be in danger too?

"Though, what exactly should I do? I'll avoid meeting people as much as possible, but other than that?"

"Preferably you should be able to recognize a suspicious person immediately, be competent, and be able to eliminate harmful poisons and dangerous magic before you eat."

"I don't think there are many people who can do that."

"I'm sure that the deputy commander of the court mages will be able to escort you if you ask. At least until this whole mess is over."

"...Oh well. I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out. You really are very different from the last librarian."

Fiona muttered casually.

I've never met the last librarian, you know.

"I've always wanted to ask you, what was the last librarian like?"

"I've only met him once, and that was on the day I quit. He was so busy that he couldn't think straight and didn't even greet me properly when he saw me. Oh, by the way, he did ask me where the forbidden room was."

"The Forbidden Room? Why?

" I don't know. I guess when they told him what his job was, they also told him about the Forbidden Room. But when I told him that I needed permission from someone higher up to get into the room, and that even a librarian couldn't get in and tell him where it was, he just walked away without a word."

"You didn't punish him for being disrespectful?"

"I'm not so evil as to punish a man who looks like he's about to die."

That's true.

What a horrible thing to be punished for while you can't even think straight because of all the busy work you're forced to do. . I think Fiona i really gentle in that area. I'm sure the other nobles would have no problem punishing him.

"I don't know where he is now, do you?"

"Disappeared, huh?"

"You could say that."

There's definitely something fishy about the previous librarian who disappeared...

No, I'm overthinking it. It's just a coincidence that the librarian thing just came up. I don't think I need to worry about it that much.

For now, our first priority is to ensure the safety of Fiona and Lady Sion.

Soon after, we received the news that a carriage was coming to pick us up, we left the library and headed for Duke Bernard's mansion.