The moment Ivnia entered the library, the smell of old books surrounded her. Thick curtains covered every window to prevent sunlight from damaging the books, so the library was dark despite it being broad daylight.
‘There should be something nearby that I can use to light the room.’
Ivnia searched through her old memories and found a candlestick and matches on the table beside the door. She lit the candle.
Since it was daytime, opening the curtains would have been an effective way to brighten the room, but if someone happened to enter, they might find it strange.
Holding the candlestick, Ivnia began moving around.
Every wall of the library was completely filled with books all the way to the ceiling. The ceilings in Gelendzik Mansion were exceptionally high, so interior balconies had been installed along the walls to make it easier to put books away and retrieve them.
Ivnia climbed the wooden staircase, which was decorated so beautifully that it was practically a work of art in itself, and stepped onto the balcony.
‘I think it was around here. Ah, found it.’
On the fourth shelf of a bookcase in the corner were eight books bound in dark olive-colored covers.
‘How did he do this again?’
Ivnia had always waited for the former duke below the balcony. Closing her eyes, she tried to recall how the duke, who had stood with his back turned from her, had manipulated those five books as seen from below.
‘He pulled the second book first.’
Following her memory, she pulled the second book. When the book had been pulled halfway out of the shelf, she felt something click into place.
‘……!’
Her heart trembled.
She had taken one step closer to finding a treatment for Ranelli.
Feeling impatient, Ivnia wondered which book she should choose next.
But what followed wasn’t easy. The rest had been obscured by the former duke’s body, so she hadn’t been able to see them properly.
‘Slide, slide, slide. There was a sound like that. Did he move three books? Four?’
She remembered that he had used both hands.
‘He alternated between his left and right hands.’
If so, the next book was most likely one on the right rather than one on the left.
As an experiment, Ivnia pulled out the fourth book.
Again, there was a click.
But she couldn’t tell whether that was the correct answer.
‘There seemed to be a specific order. Assuming he moved three books, the number of possible combinations would be…….’
She left the book she had pulled out where it was and began pulling out and replacing the books from the fifth one onward, one by one.
But when nothing happened even after she had touched every book, she put the fourth book back, pulled out the fifth, and once again began pulling out the books that came after it in order, just as before.
Then it happened.
She heard a faint sound from outside the library.
Like a startled rabbit, Ivnia flinched, poked her head out, and looked toward the door. She froze stiffly and stared at the doorknob.
‘I hope it’s just someone passing by.’
But her wish was immediately dashed as the golden doorknob rattled downward.
Ivnia hurriedly blew out the candle, then curled up with her knees pulled to her chest and buried her head.
Her heart pounded violently.
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
She felt as though the sound alone would give her away.
Ivnia consciously suppressed her ragged breathing.
“Whoa, it’s dark.”
A man’s voice shattered the silence that had settled low beneath the imposing presence of the books.
With a grunt, he set something heavy down at the entrance, then strode over and pulled open the curtain near where Ivnia was hiding behind the railing.
Intense light poured in like a river bursting through a dam.
Half caught between light and shadow, Ivnia covered her mouth with her hand, afraid she might gasp for breath.
A powerful pulse throbbed throughout her entire body.
“I’ll take care of the arranging, so put it over in that corner and leave.”
“Yes, yes.”
Hampton poked his head slightly through the doorway and gave the servant an order.
The servant, who had brought a bundle filled with books, moved it to an appropriate corner.
“Hm.”
The servant straightened his back.
Ivnia lowered her head as deeply as possible, trying to make sure no skin was visible. Her maid’s uniform was black, so she hoped she wouldn’t stand out in the shadows.
In her mind, she went over the words she had prepared in case she was caught in a situation like this.
‘It would be best not to get caught, but if I am, I have to act shamelessly.’
Fortunately, the servant didn’t look around much and disappeared through the door Hampton had left open.
‘Phew.’
Ivnia finally released the breath she had been holding.
But her body was trembling, and she couldn’t move for a while. She remained curled up, forcing herself to calm down.
Perhaps because of where she was, memories of a conversation she had once had with the former duke suddenly came to mind.
[I’m worried that I might carelessly say something and make people suspicious.]
[Don’t worry. You’ll be able to keep the secret well.]
[This is too much for me.]
[You may be weak, but you are strong enough not to recklessly open your mouth. There’s no need to underestimate yourself.]
The former duke had known how timid Ivnia was.
She had been such an innocent young girl that she hadn’t even understood what he meant, simply feeling proud that her master trusted her.
Ivnia used the bookshelf for support and pulled herself up as though crawling.
Then she resumed what she had stopped.
Her hands were trembling.
‘It must have been four books, not three.’
Ivnia changed the order around and varied the number of books, eliminating each possibility one by one.
Ironically, it was the former duke who had taught her the mathematical knowledge she was using now.
‘Did he know that I would end up using that knowledge like this?’
She didn’t know.
In any case, the former duke was someone she resented, but he was also someone she was grateful to for teaching her many different things.
Click. Rrrrk.
‘……!’
Ivnia’s eyes widened as she hurriedly moved her hands.
She had heard something opening below.
She noticed that a space had appeared behind the lowest bookshelf on the side.
She crouched down, removed several books, then reached her arm into the opened space and felt around.
All her fingers touched was a cold stone wall.
It was completely empty.
‘Ah…….’
Feeling disappointed and a sharp stab of frustration, she put the books back in order and stood up.
‘It’s okay. It’s not as though I gained nothing. At least I confirmed that it isn’t here.’
But somehow, she had a bad feeling.
She had seen the former duke take various objects out of the secret space in the library, so the fact that it was empty now bothered her.
‘Why is it empty? Did he dispose of everything before he died? Or…….’
She straightened her clothes and climbed down from the balcony.
‘Could Arad have discovered the existence of that space too?’
But the former duke had clearly asked Arad to keep everything hidden as well. He had said he didn’t want Arad to know the true nature of his illness.
At the time, the former duke had thoroughly concealed Arad’s illness.
Even from Arad himself.
Even when he was eighteen and his illness had already progressed significantly, Arad still suffered without knowing the cause of his condition.
‘Does Arad know the truth now? Could the former master’s research have fallen into his hands?’
Her head spun with all kinds of thoughts.
But Ivnia soon realized there was nothing she could do.
She had no choice but to search the remaining two places and find what she was looking for.
She couldn’t give up on treating Ranelli or the child’s life because of uncertain speculation.
All she could do was pray that the former duke’s research would safely fall into her hands.
Negative thoughts and worry sent a chill through her chest.
Trembling slightly, she carefully left the library.
At that moment—
“What were you doing in there?”
“……!”
Someone clamped a hand over her mouth and roughly yanked her arm.
Unable to resist the strength of the powerful grip, Ivnia was dragged away.
Ivnia instinctively struggled to free herself from the restraint and looked at the person holding her.
Her face stiffened.
The man she least wanted to encounter was standing before her.
“Long time no see, Ivnia.”
“Hisar.”
He was the servant who had entered the library earlier.
He twisted the corners of his mouth into a vulgar smile.
“I was curious about what you were doing in there, so how could I just walk away? Are you stealing things now, too?”
“None of your business. Go on your way.”
Ivnia spoke sharply.
Her attitude contained more than just wariness at having been caught doing something she shouldn’t. There was anger and hatred in it.
Seven years ago, Hisar had been the man who had been passionately in love with Ivnia.
But when Ivnia rejected his feelings, his pride was hurt, and he became the one who began spreading nasty rumors about her by making an issue of her behavior.
Moreover, he was also the leader of the group of young servants who had harassed Ivnia in the dining hall a few days ago.
“None of my business? That hurts. What happened to your manners? I guess you’ve forgotten how to speak sweetly. You used to have quite a cute side.”
Ivnia tried to simply walk past him.
But he grabbed her arm and refused to let go.
The fabrics she had been carrying in her arms fell to the floor.
“Let go.”
“I heard you’re raising a child all by yourself. If you’re desperate enough to steal, I could help you out. If you make me happy, who knows? Maybe your life will become a little more comfortable. You’re good at that, aren’t you?”
Ivnia looked at Hisar with an expression that clearly showed she wanted nothing to do with him.
“You’re still trying to prove your rank by tormenting others.”
“What did you just say?”
“It’s a shame that this part of you never grew.”
Ivnia tapped her head.
“Are you done?”
Hisar became furious at Ivnia, who refused to bow her head to him despite being someone who would be knocked down helplessly if he used violence against her.
“A woman who talks back like that needs to be hit……!”
Hisar raised his hand and tried to strike Ivnia on the head.
Ivnia quickly raised the hand he wasn’t holding and grabbed his wrist.
At that moment, Ivnia’s eyes flashed.
‘I didn’t want to use magic to hurt someone.’
Blue lines began rising from her hand like sprouts emerging from the ground.
But before they could exert any power, someone’s voice froze both of them in place.
“Why don’t you lower that hand?”
A quiet yet authoritative tone.
It carried an intimidation that Hisar had tried to imitate but could never reach.
It was Arad.
He seemed to have just returned from horseback riding. He was undoing the button at the wrist of his black glove, but as he glared at Hisar, he fastened the button again.
“M-My lord.”
“……”
Hisar released Ivnia in confusion.
Ivnia hid the wrist where Hisar’s fingerprints remained and quickly picked up the fallen fabrics.
The spotless toe of Arad’s shoe approached with steady footsteps.
His yellow eyes were certainly a color that could have been described as warm and fresh.
But at this moment, no one would have been able to describe them that way.
There was nothing but the coldness of hatred and contempt in them.
“Hampton.”
Arad called the butler who had followed behind him.
Hampton answered respectfully.
“Yes, my lord.”
“I want my mansion to be perfect. I keep you and countless servants for that purpose, and I spend an enormous amount of money on it. Do you understand what I mean?”
“……Yes.”
Hampton lowered his head like a guilty man.
Arad turned toward him and asked coldly,
“Then why is there a piece of filthy trash standing before my eyes right now?”