CH 25

“I heard from Mr. Alan that for 100 years, there’s been an old bakery. Where can I find it?”

“…”

I wanted him to be responsible and lead me there. Evan stopped in his tracks. He turned his head slowly toward me with a disgruntled face. He stared at me. “So that’s why.”

“Why else?”

When I said that to the knight as if it was natural, he smiled for a while as he pulled at his hair.

He groaned. “What a bloody mess…”

“Yes, yes.” With hurried steps, I patted his back.

Unfortunately, it took a long time to get to our destination. It was said that it was the most popular bakery in Havel. People lined up not only around the store but also on the main road in front of it.

“What do we do? They said you have to wait about an hour to get in…” Betty said as she held a ticket with a number on it.

Whether it was sweets or something else, I wanted to buy it quickly and go back.

“What?”

It was worth the sacrifice to eat delicious sweets.

The knight, who secretly glanced at my determined expression, sighed. “No, get the servants to do it. Don’t go by yourself.”

“Imagine eating delicious sweets of your own volition. How meaningful would that be?”

“The meaning behind one cookie…”

Oh, he was done. He turned around, saying he wouldn’t listen to any more complaints.

“My lady, I will be standing in line, so how about walking around in the meantime?” Betty, who was counting the number of people in front of her in the blink of an eye, made an interesting suggestion.

“Is that okay with you?”

“You’re out here, but it’s a bit of a shame to waste time standing in one place,” she said. “I want to go with you, but I have no choice.”

“Thank you, Miss Betty!” I quickly hugged her. “I do want to go somewhere else. This is great!”

“Wait, it’s another place you want to visit. Where?” Evan had a worried face as if to beg me that it not be related to food.

Congratulations, Evan, our next destination wasn’t a restaurant.

“I want to go to a bookstore.”

“A bookstore?”

“Yes.” I quickly nodded my head.

It was a store that sells things I really want. The knight’s face contorted again like when I said I wanted to go out to buy sweets.  It was like he was surprised or something.

“Do you also read books?”

“I know, it’s amazing a witch who you thought to be illiterate actually reads, huh?”

“…I wasn’t being sarcastic.” He quickly took a step back and again asked if I read books.

“I have a book I want to read.”

“Weren’t you in the library before? As you know, the one in Havel Castle has a considerable amount.”

“I’ve tried looking for it, but I couldn’t find it.” It wasn’t that I didn’t try hard enough. I looked in and out of the library but to no avail.

“If it’s a book not even in Havel Castle… Then it wouldn’t make much sense to be in a general bookstore.”

“Why?”

“The library in Havel Castle has the second largest collection of books in the empire after the Imperial Palace. The fact you couldn’t find it means the book is considered a forbidden text.”

It was a very good point.

When I nodded, Evan, who had been thinking for a moment, turned around. “Let’s go.”

“Thank you. Miss Betty, we’ll be back soon!”

“Be careful, my lady.”

After saying goodbye to Betty, I followed him as he quietly walked away. We arrived at a small, dilapidated bookstore nestled in a narrow alley.

“Doesn’t it look old?”

“This is a bookstore with a lot of old books. It has a lot of regular customers.”

Since it was my first visit, Evan, familiar with the establishment, provided an explanation. I quickly walked after him and looked around inside.

Hundreds of books were stacked in piles that reached the ceiling, almost like they were towers ready to topple over; however, I liked the mysteriously fresh smell of dust combined with the unique scent of old paper.

“So, what book are you looking for? I’ll help you find it.”

“I already found it.”

“What?” He rolled up his sleeves, asking me to tell him where it is.

I shook my head. I appreciated his consideration, but it wasn’t necessary. To be more specific, it was a book that stood out as soon as I entered the bookstore.

“This one.” When I took it out and showed it, the knight’s expression naturally darkened.

“Are you really going to read it?”

“Yes.”

I would buy and read it. It was important that I’d buy it, that I even went out in public.

How long did the knight stand there silently?

“…If my lord finds out, he won’t like it.”

“I know.” That he wouldn’t like it much.

“That’s why I have to buy it in secret, right?”

As I spoke with a smile, Evan grimaced. I turned a blind eye to it, took the book, and started to walk to the counter.

An urgent voice spoke from behind me. “My lady, wait a minute. Are you sure you want to buy it?”

“I did say that, yes.”

“But my lord would prefer you not to read such a book.”

“Don’t tell him.”

“You just want me to stay quiet?”

“Unless he asks, is there a need to say anything?”

Evan smiled as if to say it wasn’t that simple. Soon enough, he nodded. “Why do you think Lukas gets so riled up when it comes to my lady?”

“Why?”

“It’s because you choose things he dislikes.”

Of course. It wasn’t a sarcastic remark, but I decided to exercise my right to remain silent because it was undeniable.

Instead, I held out my hand. Evan’s gaze seemed to show his confusion.

“What?”

“Lend me some money. I don’t have any right now.”

“…Are you begging me?”

I was. It was a little uncomfortable to hear, but it was true. I was begging.

“Think of it as a challenge fee. We’re going to play another round at the castle later, right?”

I did say there was nothing free in this world. With a helpless smile, he sighed and took out a gold coin. He gave it to me.

“Don’t regret your words.”

“I won’t.” I nodded. At the same time, I smiled, thinking about how I could use this for a while. I headed to the counter with the book in question. I heard a constant grumbling, but I ignored it.

Holding the book in my arms as such, I walked out of the bookstore.

“My lady, you have to read it when no one’s around, all right?”

“Got it.”

“Don’t keep it out in the open. You must hide it deep in your closet or something.”

I nodded half-heartedly to the advice. Suddenly, I wondered what was hidden in Evan’s closet, but I pushed my curiosity aside.

“By the way, for a duchess not to bring money…”

“I know, I didn’t think about it.” I apologized for the lack of preparation. “Should I work? Come to think of it, the physician suggested I should take over the infirmary. Wouldn’t I be able to earn some money?”

“What?” He was being serious.

For some reason, an unexpected response came back. “How long do you think I plan to stay here? I need to have a small amount at least.”

The knight couldn’t say anything for some reason. Some time passed.

“As far as I’m concerned, I’m a temporary wife. Don’t you know?”

“Didn’t the butler give you anything?”

“I didn’t hear anything about… Oh.” A memory came to mind while I muttered in a daze.

Just before I left the castle, Alan handed me a small pouch, telling me not to worry and that I should take it with me. I think I heard a jingling sound, so I guess it was a bag with gold coins.

“Why didn’t you bring it?”

“I was too lazy…”

“…”

I was too lazy to carry something around, so I left it in my room.

“It might sound like an excuse, but in Kartelle, we don’t have currency.”

“You don’t?!”

I nodded. There was no money in Kartelle. Or rather, we didn’t need the concept of money in the first place. “We’re self-sufficient, so we don’t need it. Of course, there are unique jewels. Ah, and metals like gold or silver.”

In particular, a jewel was equivalent to a mere stone in Kartelle. This was because of the existence of a mine where a lot of gems were buried; however, these facts would only encourage human greed, so I omitted such details from my explanation.

“If jewels aren’t used as money, then what do you use them for?”

Oh, I could tell him this. “Magical tools.”

“Magical tools?”

“Haven’t you heard of them?”

As the witches retreated into Kartelle, the amount of mana in the earth noticeably decreased. But there was something that didn’t disappear. To be exact, the land where the witches used to live had many magical tools. All of them, however, fell into the clutches of the humans.

Like they were trophies of some sort.

Yet magical tools could only be used with magic, so even if they fell into human hands, they couldn’t show their true value. According to a book with some human explanations, all the magical tools are collecting dust in a room called the imperial treasury.

“Do you usually use magical tools as weapons?”

“There’s nothing we can’t make, but we usually use them to make clothes and armor. We don’t really enjoy hunting in the first place.”

It was very natural to think of weapons since the person in question was a knight. Yet I thought for a moment that I should make one for him if we become close.

Like, really, really close.

“It’s also used as a means of transportation.”

“Gems?”