“Now hand it over.”

When I reached out to Cal, who had dragged me to the outer palace’s backyard, he obediently handed over the envelope. He seemed to be in quite a good mood for some reason.

“Isn’t this treatment of a client too poor?”

“This is already extremely generous, how disappointing.”

As if. I snorted and quickly began to scan the paper I took out of the envelope. Then I frowned deeply.

“… Are you joking?”

“Of course not. I don’t know why you would think that.”

“No, what’s with ‘Dislikes carrots’ as the very first line?”

The First Prince is a picky eater?

I tried to imagine the masked First Prince grumbling about disliking carrots. But I just couldn’t picture it at all.

To think that gloomy man would do something as cute as picking out mere carrots. This had to be making fun of me.

‘Wait, come to think of it, this was the guild that failed at free catalog delivery too.’

As I looked at him with eyes full of doubt about the credibility of the paper I was holding, Cal raised an eyebrow.

“What’s with that look?”

“Didn’t you just randomly write down whatever?”

“I can definitely guarantee the information written there.”

Cal asserted. But when I still couldn’t hide my suspicious gaze, he reached out his hand with a displeased expression.

“If you can’t believe it, give it back.”

“…No, it’s not that I completely disbelieve it.”

Afraid he might snatch it away, I quickly safeguarded the paper. Right, he’s insisting this much so it must be true. As I started reading the paper again, he continued speaking.

“Oh, and the First Prince’s taste in women is simple enough that it doesn’t need to be written separately.”

Cal looked down at me with his arms crossed and stretched one corner of his mouth into a long smirk. That face was strangely unsettling.

“He likes quiet women. The type that’s calm in speech, actions, and even her gaze.”

Hmm. It’s far from my personality, but there’s nothing I can’t do when my life is on the line. I, who had been gaining confidence in acting lately, nodded.

“What about appearance?”

“He doesn’t care.”

That was fortunate.

Thinking I should read it in detail when I get back to my room, I put the paper in my apron pocket.

“Thank you. Oh, I’ll return this to you.”

As I was about to take out the bracelet I had received instead of the request fee, Cal shook his head.

“Keep it.”

“What? But you said it was expensive.”

He’s just giving away something he said was so expensive? I narrowed my eyes.

“…This is fake, isn’t it?”

You tried to scam me, right? As I sent him an accusing look, Cal let out a dry laugh.

“What have you been taking me for since earlier?”

He rolled up his right sleeve to show me.

“It’s a reward for choosing a good item.”

“Oh, that…”

On his wrist hung the bracelet I had chosen for him some time ago. When I looked at him with an expression that said ‘Didn’t you say it was a wedding gift for your younger sibling, so why are you wearing it yourself?’, he calmly said,

“I liked it. I threw something else at my sibling.”

No, if that was the case, why did you ask me to choose in the first place?

Anyway, there was no need to forcibly return it if he said to keep it.

‘I’ll go sell it in the capital soon. What a windfall.’

“I’ll be going first.”

As I happily turned my back, having finished my business and gained some unexpected money, Cal added some meaningful words.

“Then I’ll be looking forward to it.”

“Huh? To what? What are you looking forward to?”

Cal just grinned without answering. I felt an inexplicable uneasiness at that smile.

‘What is it?’

Lately, whenever I see that man, I get this strangely ominous feeling. What is it? …What is this vague feeling of unease?

Returning to the library with this inexplicable unsettling feeling, I found Matthias wandering between the tables.

He had been wearing an anxious expression, but when our eyes met, he visibly relaxed. I squeezed my eyes shut at Matthias’s relieved face.

He really does like me.

Matthias, who came running over like a puppy, said in a bright voice,

“You came back faster than I expected.”

Matthias couldn’t hide his joy that I had returned so quickly. I couldn’t bring myself to look him straight in the face.

“Were you waiting?”

Matthias tilted his head to the side as if embarrassed, then after a moment’s pause, turned his gaze to me.

“By the way, what business did the owner of CarrotCarrotCarrot Bookstore have here?”

“Oh, there was a book I requested, so he brought it.”

How could Cal, a mere bookstore owner, enter the royal library?

How did he know I was here? What was that paper we were arguing over?

Not to mention, where was the book I supposedly requested?

Though his expression showed he had many questions about my flimsy excuse, Matthias just smiled gently instead of asking.

“I see.”

I had been at a loss for how to answer, but seeing Matthias pretend not to notice, I breathed a sigh of relief.

If I had frantically blurted out excuses and accidentally let slip something about the guild, I might really have been buried by Cal without anyone knowing. I was so grateful for Matthias’s consideration, unlike someone else.

‘He may be a bit weak, but he’s really a good person.’

Back in my room, I put down the things I was carrying on the desk.

They were documents and related books that Matthias had organized about the origin of fairies. As I stared down at them blankly, I suddenly furrowed my brow.

“Ah, it keeps bothering me for some reason.”

Cal’s face, wearing that meaningful smile as he said he’d be looking forward to something, kept coming to mind.

This feeling prickling at the nape of my neck was a warning sent by the big data I had accumulated over nn years of life.

That I had missed something I shouldn’t have.

‘What on earth is it?’

I need to figure it out as soon as possible or I’ll go crazy from worrying about it.

“Let’s start by reading this properly first.”

I took out the paper I received from Cahirun and unfolded it. The paper had information about the First Prince written from A to Z, like a Q&A.

“His favorite season is winter. And yet he’s very sensitive to cold, that’s unexpected for that face. I don’t need to know the color of the horse he often rides.”

It’s good that it’s detailed, but there seems to be a lot of unnecessary information mixed in.

“Hobbies are dawn horseback riding, dawn walks, dawn exercise. Dawn sword practice. Dawn reading? No, does this man not sleep?”

Thinking that the attendant serving the First Prince must have it quite tough, I shook my head. Then I suddenly felt puzzled.

“But how did they investigate this so thoroughly?”

Unless it was someone in the First Prince’s inner circle, how could they write such detailed information?

“…Is this really fabricated after all?”

I glared at the paper suspiciously, then shook my head.

“He’s not that kind of man.”

Although he had some untrustworthy aspects, Cal was a man who somehow inspired trust. He wouldn’t lie to me.

I rested my chin on my hand and looked down at the paper indifferently. Although I had prepared it just in case,

“I hope I can find the origin of fairies and escape before meeting the First Prince.”

I earnestly hoped that I could break free from this damned original work before this paper became useful.

But my hope was shattered the very next day. When I went to Floria’s room at her summons, I ran into the Second Prince. The Second Prince, who looked extremely displeased, raised his voice as soon as he saw me.

“I heard you said you want to go to the First Prince’s palace?”

So she’s already passed on the message.

I glanced at Floria, then prostrated myself on the spot. I could tell how Floria had spoken to the Second Prince just by looking at his expression.

“I showed leniency for the sake of my princess, and this is absurd. I spared your life, and this is how you repay me. Being in the palace, is being a maid no longer satisfying?”

I almost bit my tongue at the Second Prince’s following words.

“To think you’ve already submitted documents to the First Prince’s palace, you’re quite cunning. I shouldn’t have accepted you in the first place.”

‘Damn, you’ve already submitted documents to the First Prince’s palace? Unnecessarily quick, aren’t you?’

In the Kingdom of Hilic, palace servants had relative freedom to change positions.

If you submitted transfer documents to the desired place, you would undergo a review, and if approved, you could move residences.

Of course, not all submitted documents were accepted, and servants who returned without approval faced scrutiny from those around them, so it wasn’t a common occurrence.

Therefore, I, who had intended to submit the documents as late as possible, bit my lip. Then I bowed my head before the Second Prince who was pouring out his anger.

Making excuses here that I was going to the First Prince’s palace for Floria’s sake wouldn’t be what she wants. She would want me to appear villainous.

“Please stop, Your Highness.”

Floria stepped in to stop the Second Prince, detestably.

“Just having my sister nearby is enough for me.”

“You are truly kind to a fault.”

The Second Prince, who let out a sigh, lashed out at me.

“If you’re rejected and cast out from the First Prince’s palace, I’ll make sure you thoroughly understand how miserable your situation will become.”

Since I had submitted transfer documents to the First Prince’s palace, I was already half his servant, so the Second Prince couldn’t lay hands on me right now.

Frustrated by this, the Second Prince ground his teeth. Floria hugged his arm as if to calm him down.

“You see. This is how such people stab you in the back when treated well. Once my rejection comes through, even if you try to stop me, that… No, we might not even meet again.”

The Second Prince sneered.

“My elder brother is quite fierce in temperament. Moreover, he dislikes me greatly, so I’m not sure what he’ll do to you who was in my palace. That might not be so bad.”

“Your Highness, please don’t say such frightening things.”

The Second Prince hugged the startled Floria and continued speaking.

“If you dare to utter any nonsense about me or the princess to my elder brother, I won’t tolerate it. You’d do well to keep that in mind.”