CH 11

Why?

If it had been in the past, Livia would have been afraid of Anna and would have just wanted to avoid her, who only reminded Livia of her trauma.

But it was rather fortunate that the tutor from the original work was Anna. Now Livia knew Anna better than anyone else.

It was obvious that she could take her. She had already been through it.

Thinking that way, a relaxed laugh leaked out of Livia’s parted lips.

Anna seemed to take that easy laughter differently.

“Are you laughing at me? You, Livia Pellington?”

Feeling humiliated, Anna’s body was shaking in rage.

“Anyway, there’s only one thing I want to say. No matter how you think of me, you don’t exist to me anymore,” Livia said calmly.

“You, you, you……! Do you think you’ll be okay even after doing this?!”

“I think you’re mistaken about something, Anna Lever,” Livia lowered her head and whispered softly into Anna’s ear. “I am no longer the child of a debtor of the Lever family. I’m an equal tutor here. So, could you stop saying such vulgar things?”

Accompanied by the sound of molars clenching and grinding together, Anna’s pretty face twisted inexorably.

Livia didn’t feel the need to deal with her anymore, so she ignored her and moved on.

“Where are you going! Livia! I’m not done talking yet!”

Anna shouted angrily from behind, but Livia ignored it lightly.

***

After Livia left, Anna, who was left alone, clenched her fists. Her nails tightened as if they were going to pierce her skin, but she didn’t care.

The only thing that floated in Anna’s mind was shame and anger toward Livia.

Crack…..

Her teeth cracked with a ghastly sound.

“……Livia.”

Soon an ominous smile formed on her lips. Anna’s gaze turned to where Livia had disappeared.

“I’m not going to leave you alone.”

A low, subdued voice muttered ominously.

***

When Livia returned to her room, as soon as she closed the door she broke my calm expression and sat down.

Thump.

As if it wanted to represent her psychology, Livia’s heart was beating uneasily.

‘I guess I can’t be completely okay.’

After she had heard the rumors for the first time, she complained to Anna and went home a while later. When she arrived at her home, the inside of the house had become a mess.

According to the servant who remained at that time, the Count Lever family sent someone to make a mess.

In addition, they laid their hands on Livia’s father as well. With a broken arm, her father just smiled and said he was fine.

So far, he had sent a reminder to pay off his debts, but it was the first time he used such physical violence.

Livia intuitively knew that she was the cause with her visit to Anna. Since then, she hadn’t stood up to Anna anymore.

The fear and helplessness of that time rose to the surface when she found herself facing Anna again.

And she endured it well. She calmed herself down by sweeping her chest.

Somehow, she felt like she had broken a wall that blocked her way, so she felt proud.

“All right.”

Livia stood up from her seat.

“Let’s start with making Vincent’s class materials at a time like this.”

She sat down at her desk triumphantly, but soon ran into trouble.

There were no books to……refer to.

When she paid off the debt, she sold all her books, so there was no reference book to refer to when creating materials.

‘What should I do?’

Even if you didn’t have a book, you could make class materials, but then the progress and the credibility of the class would decrease.

Come to think of it, though, she had heard that the library of the Mercedes Dukedom was quite magnificent.

The phrase “If you don’t find the book you want, go to the Mercedes library instead of the Imperial library”, was even circulating in the academy.

It was a satire of the imperial family’s library, which was literally less useful than the library of the Mercedes Dukedom because nobody was allowed to enter.

Reference books should be available at the library here. Livia immediately got up and went to Winston’s room.

This was because Winston’s permission was required to enter the library.

“Are you talking about the library?”

Fortunately, Winston was in his room.

“Yes, I think it would be lacking to create materials just with what I have.”

She couldn’t say that she had nothing, so Livia covered it moderately.

Winston nodded.

“It’s for class, so, of course.”

Then he took something out of the drawer and handed it to her.

It was a large key with a purple amethyst enshrined on it.

“This is a library access and borrowing pass. If you show this to the librarian, you will be able to borrow the book you want.”

Inwardly admiring Winston’s words, Livia examined the key.

‘What kind of rental pass is so flashy?’

The key, studded with high-purity amethyst, was obviously made of gold.

It was enough to believe that it was not a rental certificate, but a treasure of a family.

Livia took it in her arms in case she lost it and bowed her head toward Winston.

“Thank you.”

“The library can be reached if you go across the garden to the west annex. There is a sign, so you will be able to recognize it right away.”

“Okay.”

After bowing her head one more time, she left Winston’s room and headed for the west annex he had spoken about.

***

In the east annex across the garden, Livia walked steadily, as Winston had instructed her.

The Duke of Mercedes’s residence on a sunny day was also very beautiful. Livia could feel that the gardener put his heart and soul into every single branch.

After walking through the garden as if she was taking a midsummer stroll, she finally encountered a sign that said “Library.”

The place facing the end of the garden was like a trail heading into the mountains. Trees full of fruit were planted at regular intervals on both sides of the wide-open road.

She couldn’t believe there was a road like this here.

‘As expected of the Duke of Mercedes,’ Livia nodded to herself.

As she walked along the promenade, she found a building that looked old and outdated.

A four-pointed spire and a huge arched window filled with stained glass. Even the pattern of Duke of Mercedes was densely embossed on the outer wall.

The word cathedral seemed more appropriate than library.

Gulp.

Livia, who was oppressed by the majesty for no reason, gave strength to her shoulders and stepped forward.

The entrance to the cathedral…….no, the entrance to the library was guarded by a knight.

As she approached, the knight blocked her path with a sword.

“You can’t enter this place carelessly.”

It seemed that he saw her as an outsider aristocrat.

Instead of explaining, Livia held out the pass given to her by Winston.

“Here you go.”

The knight looked at her with surprised eyes for a moment and carefully examined the pass. After confirming that it was genuine, he returned the pass to Livia and removed the sword.

“You may go in.”

“Thank you.”

The huge gate opened, and Livia stepped inside. What she saw as soon as she entered was…

“Wow……..”

Truly a feast of books.

The ceiling was so high that one couldn’t reach it even if they tilted their head all the way; from floor to ceiling, the room was filled with books.

To get a book, Livia had no choice but to use the spiral staircase.

In addition, the bookshelf was so huge that she felt like she had fallen into Wonderland and became a small protagonist.

On top of that, the scene in which sunlight entered the library through the colored stained glass that covered the wall instead of regular window glass and filled the library with colors was like a painting by a master craftsman.

While looking around in such a fascinated manner, Livia suddenly heard someone’s voice.

“Who are you?”

Soon, the owner of that low voice appeared from the inside.

The first time Livia saw him, she was mesmerized.

‘A fairy?’

A man wearing a monocle and boasting long platinum-colored hair tied back into a ponytail.

If it weren’t for his tall height, broad shoulders, low voice and masculine neckline, he would have been a person of androgynous and neutral charm that made people doubt their gender.

Like his platinum hair, his eyes were lemon colored, and his clothes were also white, so he looked like a fairy or an angel who had just landed under the light of the stained glass.

After being seduced by his appearance, Livia immediately came to her senses and gave him her entry and rental pass as he approached her before she could react fully.

A different color lingered in the lemon-colored eyes of the man who she had just found.

“This proof belongs to the butler. Excuse me, but may I ask what your relationship is?”

Indeed, much like his fairy-like appearance, his voice was as soft and sweet as whipped cream.