CH 12

“Haha, Lady Lobelia has a very generous personality.” Frinel laughed heartily and tapped me on the shoulder.

I casually removed his hand and answered lightly. “I hear that a lot.”

Actually, I’ve never heard of it. I blatantly lied and turned my back on him. “Then can I go now? I’m a bit busy.”

He didn’t seem to be a bad person, but I didn’t have time to play with someone who seemed to be a flirt. 

“Ah, do you learn philosophy?”

But Frinel didn’t seem to have any intention of letting me go.

“I can teach you. I’m going to make a breakthrough in Shinsu philosophy…”

“Breakthrough?”

My gaze scanned him up and down. I wondered the reason why he put on the sunglasses, but no matter how much I looked at him, I couldn’t see anything but a flirt because of what had happened a while ago. I observed Frinel for a long time before asking.

“What is the metaphysic that the Shinsu clan insisted on?”

“There is a transcendent existence beyond the phenomena that can be recognized by the senses. That is God.” He answered without any hesitation.

“Tell me about Riastonnes, a scholar of the Tiazen Empire.”

“Who asserted that God might not be a person? That person is an atheist. There were rumors that he was eliminated by the Shinsu clan.”

“…What did the great scholar say about necessity and causality?”

“When God created the world…”

Frinel’s face, which had been full of laughter, darkened for an instant.

“The fate of this world has already been decided.” His voice was also lower than his previous voice tone.

I also shut my mouth bitterly. I felt as if it was saying everything that happened was all fate.

“…You’re not lying.”

“Why can’t you trust people so much? Do you have any disease to be suspicious of others?”

“Yes, I have.” I thought he would follow me back to my room anyway, so I just sat back in the chair, answering casually.

“…Ah?”

“How can I believe? I don’t know… if someone can be trusted anymore.”

Had I been influenced by this person’s attitude before I knew it? My sincere words came out without my knowledge. But apart from that, I set the books on the table again without changing a single expression.

Frinel’s gaze reached her. Even though it was the first time he saw this woman today, it was like seeing his childhood friend. A time when no one believed. Of course, this is the case even now.  

“Aren’t you going?” Feeling the eyes staring at me, I asked with my gaze fixed on the book.

He grinned, resting his chin on his hand as if he were going to observe me blatantly. “I’m just going to take a break. This place doesn’t seem to belong to you, Lady Lobelia.”

“Sigh, do as you please.”

The front of the shirt, which was still loosened, was unpleasant to the eyes, but I just sighed and read the book. It was much easier to concentrate because he kept his mouth shut up.

The quill pen moved busily on the parchment. It sounded pleasantly loud and clear. As expected, Shinsu philosophy was interesting. Watching those who didn’t know about the true Shinsu clan was like watching a fight.

It was when I was working hard on my assignment.

“… That’s not it.”

“Hmm?”

“In that context, you have to write it like this. You’re wrong.”

Frinel, who was watching me, approached behind my back. Then he gently wrapped his hand around my hand, holding the quill pen, and corrected the wrong spelling.

“…Ah.”

He looked like he would use strong perfume, but strangely enough, he smelled like a forest. The scent of deep forest, untouched by humans, full of fresh air. That scent lingered pleasantly on the tip of my nose.

“Thank you for letting me know.”

Turning back slightly, I involuntarily closed my eyes and smiled. At that moment, blood dripped from my nose.

“Blood…!”

Panicking, Frinel hastily pulled out a handkerchief and held it out.

“Ah, I stayed up all night for a few days.” Taking up the handkerchief, I replied casually.

“You stayed up all night?”

“Yes. I will wash the handkerchief and return it to you. Thank you.”

“No, what kind of noble stay up all night doing assignments?”

Normally, classes for noble ladies weren’t that tight. It was normal for them to learn basic culture step by step from a young age.

His eyes turned to the book. Looking back, it wasn’t just philosophy but advanced philosophy. It was the study that only students attending the national academy could learn.

“Because I’m in a hurry,” I answered roughly, covering my nose with the handkerchief Frinel gave me.

He put his hand behind my hair as I tried to tilt my head back.

“What are you doing…”

“Don’t bend back when you have a nosebleed.”

“Ah…”

“If it gets into your airway or esophagus, it can cause inflammation. It’s a dangerous move.”

“…You know very well. I, didn’t know…”

“I also had a lot of nosebleeds.”

For a moment, the smile disappeared from Frinel’s face.

“There was no one to tell me like this.” He smiled as he added his words. But somehow, he seemed like a different person than before, so I couldn’t answer flatly as I had been.

There was a moment of silence between us. Before long, the same smile appeared on Frinel’s lips.

“Don’t try too hard.”

“…Hmm?”

“Anyway, don’t try too hard. When you live your life, it’s enough to do everything in moderation.” He turned around as if to leave.

“…That, the handkerchief.”

“Give it back later.”

He kindly waved his hand and quickly disappeared from there. I blankly stared at the afterimage of Frinel. He doesn’t seem like a bad person.

When the nosebleed stopped, I glanced down at the handkerchief that still smelled of him. From his easygoing attitude to his untidy clothes, there was no part I liked, but strangely, I couldn’t ignore him. At least there should be no prejudice.

Lobelia slipped his handkerchief, thinking that the next time they met, she should treat him kinder than now. A very faint smile slowly emerged on the corner of her mouth, which she couldn’t recognize.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

After returning to the room, I, who had washed my face first, sat on the sofa. It was the first time I had such boredom as I had been busy ever since I opened my eyes here.

As I slowly blinked, I remembered the conversation I had with Duke Gracie on the first day I came here.

Ah, that diary.

His tone was as if he wanted me to find his diary.

Why does he want me to read the diary? Even more just because I’m curious?

I rose from my seat, mingling with doubt. It was my first time going to the library because Sera had brought all the books I needed for class. As I went outside, I recalled the information I had previously heard from Sera. She said it is located after the garden.

As soon as I passed the garden, I saw one large building. My eyebrow raised slightly as I checked the library. Even if it was huge, the building was shaped like a fan and became narrower as it went deeper. Is this a kind of art? The building is strange. Trying to suppress my surprise, I slipped inside.

“Oh, welcome, Lady. Are you here looking for a book? Do you want me to find it for you?”

Perhaps because it was so large, there seemed to be a separate librarian who guarded it.

“N-no. I just want to look around a little bit.”

“I see. Let me know if you need any help.”

I smiled and then headed inside. Duke Gracie had apparently said the diary was in the far corner of the library. The fan-shaped library made finding the farthest corner easier than drinking cold soup.

Hmm. So far, a very old and thick book caught my eye within my field of vision as I walked toward the corner. It was as if the book was saying, ‘I’m a very old diary!’ It’s like he left it to make sure someone finds it.

I gently lifted up the diary. The signature of Duke Gracie was written on the front page. It’s real.

Taking it, I return to my room. Leaving the diary on the table, I stared at its cover for a long time before slowly opening it.

The first part contained Duke Gracie’s views on political quarrels between nobles. The imperial faction and the shinsu faction. My eyes flashed. If the faction was divided, I could roughly infer without reading the latter part.

The emperor started to be wary of the Shinsu clan. It seemed that an event that seemed foggy was being outlined. I hurriedly turned the pages. The beginning of the case of the Shinshu clan ‘leaving’ was a lie between two noble ladies?

Two noble ladies? My brows wrinkled slightly.

It was the moment I was about to turn the page further. I was startled by the sound of someone knocking on the door, and my shoulders trembled.