Chapter 50

Episode 50: Library

Raymond declared that he would stay a little longer in the Duchy. His half-brother, of course, was very displeased, but for some reason, he did not object violently. Rather, it was very funny that he carefully observed him.

In the meantime, he heard from Daria at the Imperial Palace.

“Phew….”

Raymond sighed heavily and put down Daria’s letter. If it were Daria, there would be no big problem to leave her with Chloe, but her eccentric personality bothered him.

“But the most important thing is Chloe’s safety.”

However, there was no one who could protect Chloe as safely as Daria, so Raymond wrote back to her after several deliberations.

Although Chloe said she would find her own way after escaping from the Duchy, it was actually very much impossible. Her lie would soon be discovered, and the Grand Duke of Ludwig would never let her go.

Kailos Ludwig, in the end, he was the problem.

“Chloe…… Does he really like her?”

Raymond was genuinely curious about his half-brother. Every time he came into contact with Chloe, the gaze that followed her tenaciously was clearly like a man who had that woman in his heart.

“What’s the use of that now?”

He was a man who didn’t deserve to love her.

According to Daria’s investigation, Chloe was brought up by Grand Duke Ludwig, after she met him at the age of twelve.

She was brought up to suit Raymond’s taste from an early age, so that he could use her whenever he needed it. It was too cruel for Chloe, who loved Grand Duke Ludwig.

“I won’t let you shake her again.”

His cold gaze fell on Grand Duke Ludwig, who passed in the distance through the window. An indescribable anger and hostility arose. Raymond turned around, coldly capturing the feeling he was about to explode.

* * *

After bringing Chloe back from the Duchy, Raymond’s day began by waking up in the morning and receiving reports of Chloe’s daily life as Daria’s maid.

His night was only over after seeing, with his own eyes, that the lights were turned off in her room that had been assigned in the Empress’ Palace.

“After breakfast, she took a walk in the Imperial Palace grounds with the Empress…….”

“Wait a minute,”

Raymond, who was listening to the chieftain’s report, frowned and cut off his words.

“She took a walk on such a cold day? Did Daria do it on purpose to torment Chloe?”

“The Imperial Palace meteorologists have predicted that this week will be surprisingly warm and calm compared to previous years. Fortunately, the weather was warm this morning as predicted.”

“I’m still worried. Chloe is really small like a baby bird.”

As the Emperor’s expression grew serious, the chieftain’s face darkened at the same time.

Lady Garnet was certainly smaller than the Emperor, but she was tall enough to be above average compared to the heights of aristocratic women of her age. In addition, being small and weak were separate problems.

However, mentioning that fact did not seem to ease the Emperor’s anxieties, so the chieftain quietly bowed his head.

“Didn’t country Evran give tiger’s fur on New Year’s Eve?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,”

“Bring it to Chloe,”

“What? But it’s…… I understand, Your Majesty.”

The chieftain replied, swallowing a thin sigh. The fur of Evran, which the Emperor had told him to present to Chloe, was so precious that it could not be valued with gold coins.

“What is Chloe’s next schedule?”

“In the afternoon, she’s going to visit the library with the Empress.”

“Library? Daria is going to the library?”

Raymond asked back with an incredulous frown.

“Is she going to bother Chloe again in the library….”

It was natural to have doubts because Daria was a woman who hated libraries.

“As far as I know Lady Garnet had asked the Empress to visit the library with her.”

“Chloe…?”

His brows, which were frowning, immediately returned to their place.

With a face softened like the spring sun, Raymond imagined Chloe reading a book while sitting by the window for a moment.

“Library….”

Raymond smiled, thinking that she would be very cute as she turned the pages.

“I must hurry up with my work, too.”

Before going back in time, Chloe had never said what she wanted. Perhaps that’s why he was glad to spare some time when she asked him to come with her to the Duchy in the past.

‘You and I had been together for over a year, yet you never said that you wanted to go to the library.  On the other hand, you haven’t been with Daria for a month yet, but you already opened up your heart to her.’

Having finished his work early, Raymond patted his tired forehead and headed to the library.

‘I’m a little jealous of this.’

Raymond hurried his steps, suppressing his sudden grumblings.

The Imperial Library, accessible only to those with permission, was sparsely populated and quiet.  Raymond also visited this place for the first time since his enthronement.

“No, Your Majesty! What brings you here….”

“Shh.”

When the librarian found Raymond, he rushed in surprise.

As the Emperor, if he needs a book, he can always have someone borrow it. It was unusual for such an Emperor to personally visit the library.

Raymond, who warned the librarian to be quiet, turned slowly and looked through the library.

“Is there a book you are looking for?”

“Well, I just want to look around……Are there any other people visiting?”

“Yes, the Empress visited half an hour ago, besides her, Lord Bain and Lord Huxley…….”

“Okay, that’s enough,”

Having obtained the necessary information, Raymond smiled and sent the librarian back to his place.

“‘It means, Chloe is here now.’

That fact alone made him feel very pleased with the place called the library, which he had been away from for a long time.

Raymond walked slowly, searching for her trace. Then he found her in between the crowded bookshelves.

He slowly stopped and watched her, standing between the bookshelves and quietly reading a book with a brown leather cover.

The sun was shining down on her through a large window that occupied all of one wall.

Her silver hair shimmered in the sunlight, and her slender fingertips pushed her loose hair behind her ear.

The series of her ordinary movements were breathtakingly enchanting, and Raymond couldn’t take his eyes off her.

I want to be the book in her hands. I want to be the hair that bothered her. Even being a single speck of dust floating in front of her would be fine.

“Do you like Chloe that much?”

Raymond, startled for a moment by the whispering voice in his ear, looked back. Daria was there looking at him mischievously. Immediately, Raymond, with a grim look on his face, strode away from Daria.

“Where are you going, Ray? Didn’t you come to see Chloe?”

But Daria was so mean that she didn’t leave Raymond alone, she chased and tortured him.

“Be quiet,”

Raymond glared at Daria, suppressing his fear that Chloe might have known about his visit.

“What should I do with you, Raymond? How can you keep hovering around her every single day?”

“…….”

“Why don’t you just attack her?”

At Daria’s playful remarks, Raymond looked at her with contempt.

“What are you thinking of, looking at me like that? I meant that you should confess.”

“…….”

“Chloe kept denying it. Saying there’s no way you’re going to like her.”

“…….”

Raymond didn’t answer and turned around again.  Grabbing Raymond’s collar as he was about to go outside, Daria asked.

“Don’t you think it’s sad? You wander around Chloe every day, but Chloe doesn’t even know how you feel.”

Knowing that his lie that he didn’t like her no longer worked on Daria, Raymond muttered bitterly instead of denying her words.

“Well, it’s better.”

He thought it would be good for everyone that she didn’t understand his feelings.

Raymond shook his head lightly and said to Daria,

“I am truly grateful to you, Daria.”

Daria hated social activities since she was a princess, even before she became Empress. Raymond knew the reason why she insisted on preparing her birthday party, it was all for Chloe.

“It was the first time Chloe had ever laughed with all her heart.”

Raymond, who had never spoken kindly to Daria, felt very embarrassed to express his gratitude to her.

“You sound like you’ve known Chloe for a long time.”

Daria asked sharply, but Raymond scratched his temple awkwardly instead of answering.

“Anyway, I mean it, thank you.”

“It’s not for you, so don’t thank me, Ray. I really like Chloe. I’d like to stay with her forever.”

“……!”

Daria’s words made Raymond’s eyes tremble.

“Daria, you’re not…… Really, Chloe……?”

“What a ridiculous misunderstanding!”

Daria shouted, at the suspicious look on his face.

“I don’t have the slightest intention of becoming her lover. Besides, I’m straight.”

“…….”

Raymond, still unable to dispel doubts, tapped the table with his fingers, feeling uncomfortable.

Chloe is really pretty, so perhaps even Daria, that woman, has already fallen in love. It’s not just Daria, perhaps even Vesti too. The Duchess, princess of Caroline, who was also Daria’s maid, clung closely to Chloe’s side every time he saw her.

‘It’s natural…….Even if I were them, by taking advantage of the same gender, I would have somehow…….’

Daria looked at Raymond, who was gradually falling into his own thoughts, with an expression of boredom.