“Would you like to visit the library?”
“The library?”
I usually took walks during the day and read books brought by the maids. And I regularly went to Bluehill for dinner. Traveling by carriage every day, I didn’t feel trapped.
“Yes, instead of borrowing books we bring, I thought you might prefer to choose them yourself.”
Samantha quickly figured out my taste in books, observing the ones I frequently chose and bringing similar ones.
But I had always thought that choosing books myself would be better, so her suggestion to visit the library was quite appealing.
“But I don’t know if it’s okay for me to go to the library.”
In any family, the library is a private space. Entering without permission from the head of the house or its master is considered impolite.
“The Duke said you can go anywhere within the Hyacinth annex.”
That meant she had specifically asked Ricardo for permission to let me visit the library. Excited, I left my room for the first time in a while.
The library was on the first floor. I descended the stairs next to my bedroom, turned the corner, and walked for quite a distance.
Technically on the first floor, it was actually a few steps down from the lobby, at the end of a long corridor. Definitely a place difficult to access unless you were the master of the house.
“But when will you start speaking informally to us?”
Angela, with her wheat-colored hair and friendly light brown eyes, was the most active and sociable among the maids. Seeing me treat the maids comfortably, she seemed to open her heart to me. Sometimes, she felt like a friend.
“Maybe… starting tomorrow?”
Joining in with my awkward attempt at informality, Angela and the other maids laughed along. The truth was, I found it hard to use informal language because such relationships were unfamiliar to me. Although I was nobility, I had never lived as one, so it was natural.
At the Penel Count’s house, I effortlessly spoke down to the servants. I didn’t want to seem weak due to my youth, and the weight of the name Penel demanded it.
However, afterwards, I lived a life akin to commoners. I worked in the gardens and haggled in markets. Thus, speaking informally to those who addressed me respectfully wasn’t easy.
“We’re here.”
Where Angela stopped was a truly massive door. I took a deep breath, slightly trembling with anticipation.
The library interior was brighter than other rooms. The windows were larger and more numerous, creating an excellent environment for reading.
Beyond the windows, the annex’s rear garden spread out. The Hyacinth’s garden had a charmingly detailed quality. If I placed a book in front of a window, it seemed a lovely spot to spend the entire day.
Passing through an inner corridor, an immense library the likes of which I’d never seen in Lesothia unfolded before me.
The bookshelves, made of mahogany wood that shone with natural polish, were densely packed. High-quality hardcover books filled the shelves.
“Wow…”
My spontaneous exclamation made the surrounding maids giggle.
“Surprised?”
“It’s incredible.”
“Isn’t it?”
Leading me further inside, Angela rattled off information as if she were showcasing her own home.
“There’s an even larger library in the main building.”
“Really?”
“Yes, it’s said to be as grand as the Royal Library. The Duchess takes great pride in it.”
The Male lead Always Seduces Her with His Beauty (Matriarchy)
Xin Jiao Zhou is the leader of the world’s premier sect. She has just experienced betrayal from all sides, was poisoned in an assassination attempt, and faced death squad attacks while the poison was taking effect. After finally clearing out the scum from her sect, she was drugged again while trying to detoxify.
After waking up from a night of unconsciousness, she gained a “beautiful and kind-hearted” husband.
Xin Jiao Zhou: “???”
He fell ill.
She came to see him, bringing breakfast.
As she put down the breakfast and was about to leave, his hand slipped while holding the spoon. “Clank!”
She turned around upon hearing the noise.
He looked up at her, his eyebrows drooping: “My hand… has no strength.”
“Shall I… feed you?” she asked tentatively.
He opened his mouth cheerfully: “Ah—”
Thinking she was drowning, he jumped in without hesitation to save her, but nearly drowned himself. In the end, it was she who swam over to rescue him, giving him air underwater.
After emerging from the water, his ear tips turned red. He lightly brushed his cheek, tucking his sideburns behind his ear, revealing delicate, pink-tinged ear tips. He lowered his gaze, too embarrassed to look at her.
Xin Jiao Zhou: He’s truly beautiful, kind-hearted, and adorable.
A certain someone when disciplining subordinates behind the scenes: “If they don’t obey, just kill them.”
What’s that? She might already have someone she cares about in her heart? A certain someone: Find out who it is, kill them, and then there won’t be anyone.
What? She met a man by the riverside? What? That man even hurt her? A certain someone: Whichever hand hurt her, chop off his entire arm.
Love at first sight without realizing it, gradually falling in love, slowly getting closer…
Family and national grudges, schemes and desires, good and evil, crime and punishment, she and he face the future together, seeking justice with passion!
A naturally dark female lead who could accidentally destroy the world but is actually an honest person VS a weak, pitiful, and helpless but skilled fighter, beautiful white-cut black male lead
My heart is not of stone, how steadfast is your love? — Tao Yuanming “Imitating the Ancients (No. 3)”
— Reading Guide —
Cold female lead & dramatic black lotus with hidden yandere traits male lead
