Realizing his mistake belatedly, Zerdin scratched his head, watching Carlos’ mood.

Fortunately, he didn’t look annoyed…

“Return in two days.”

…or so he thought, but he was wrong.

Zerdin wanted to apologize for the slip, but as Carlos closed his eyes as if not willing to discuss any further, Zerdin kept quiet.

‘I have no choice but to leave in two days.’

Lingering any longer in Esper Castle would irritate Carlos.

Is there no way to stay a bit longer?

Zerdin looked out the window, sighing internally, as he saw the imposing figure of Esper Castle under the just-rising red sun.

The physician who examined Irene said she was just fatigued and would be fine after some medicine, but recommended easily digestible food like soup for at least a day.

Jesse faithfully followed this advice, bringing Irene a breakfast of egg yolk garnish with consommé and a bread roll slightly smaller than a fist.

It was a somewhat disappointing breakfast, although understandable since digestion could be an issue.

‘Disappointing?’

Irene chuckled softly. She had adapted to this newfound luxury after only a few days of indulgent living.

Her body had apparently adapted too, as she felt unsatisfied even after breakfast, probably because she had vomited everything she’d eaten the day before.

“Your complexion doesn’t look good. Do you still feel sick?”

“No, I’m fine.”

However, Irene didn’t ask for more food. Lunchtime was only a few hours away, and she didn’t want to trouble Jesse.

“Then I’ll go to the library.”

“Ah, I’ll accompany you, Miss.”

Since Carlos had sternly warned Jesse not to take her eyes off Irene, she abandoned her own tasks to follow Irene to the library.

Even after reaching the library, Jesse stayed by Irene’s side.

It wasn’t uncomfortable for Irene to have Jesse around, but the reason she stayed was unsettling.

Carlos had probably instructed her to keep an eye on me due to yesterday’s hallway incident.

Irene thought it was natural for Carlos to be suspicious but still felt a little upset.

…Although she didn’t know why she felt that way.

“Sigh.”

An unknown emotion made Irene feel suffocated, so she sighed deeply and looked up at the bookshelves.
When the priests left, there was no longer any need to play the role of Carlos’ lover, and no need to read romance novels about love either.

Although romance novels were interesting, her taste was more inclined towards essays and philosophy.

Feeling down, Irene looked carefully at her bookshelf for a book that suited her taste. Her eyes settled on a basic magic book.

Irene remembered when she first met Dewey and he asked if she knew how to use magic, and before that, Jessie had casually told her to use magic.

‘Could it be that I have some magical talent?’

She recalled reading somewhere that magicians could recognize each other’s talents.

So, did they naturally assume I could also use magic?

“You see, Jessie…”

Irene was about to ask Jessie for confirmation, but found her nodding off on the sofa.

It wasn’t urgent, so she decided to ask later.

Before that, let’s read the magic book…

Even if she couldn’t perform magic, it wouldn’t hurt to read a basic magic book, so Irene took it out.

Magic was a field she had never encountered, so even a basic book wasn’t expected to be easy. But it was harder than she thought.

The saying “White is paper, black is ink” was felt keenly.

Ordinary people would give up reading such a difficult book, especially if they were unsure whether they could even use magic.

But Irene didn’t give up. She even borrowed the magic book with the intent of reading it thoroughly. Her room was more comfortable than the library, and Jessie found the library tedious, so she took the book to her room.

“Miss, what is that?”

On the way to her bedroom, Jessie noticed the book Irene had borrowed late.

“This is…”

Just as Irene was about to answer and ask what she hadn’t asked earlier, footsteps were heard from the other end of the hallway.

“Whoa, who is this little lady here?”

It was Carlos and Gerdi. Although Gerdi greeted her warmly, waving his hand, Irene only had eyes for Carlos.

“… ”

Carlos also stopped when he saw Irene, and Gerdi, who also stopped, asked her.

“Where are you headed? Going to the dining room for lunch?”

Only then did Irene notice Gerdi in her field of vision and shook her head.

“No, I’m going to my room.”

“What about lunch?”

“That, too, in the room…”

“Eat together.”

Before Irene could finish her sentence, Carlos spoke. Every gaze in the hallway turned towards him.

But Carlos only looked at Irene and spoke again.

“Eat lunch together.”

She had had many dinners with Carlos, but this would be their first lunch.

It felt unfamiliar, perhaps because it was at a different time.

It was already awkward to sit and eat with Carlos.

“Do you not like it?”

Of course, she didn’t like it.

“No, let’s eat together.”

However, as the opponent was Duke Esper, Irene couldn’t outright say she didn’t want to and accepted.

While wondering how many digestive aids the doctor had given her.