Meeting his blue eyes, I suddenly felt embarrassed. Feeling heat rush to my face, I hastily removed my hand and turned towards the library.

“That’s enough comforting! Let’s go to the library now.”

“Isn’t that too short? I still feel lonely and bitter. You could pat my head a bit more.”

“What’s good about it? In front of so many people. Just hurry up and come.”

He, who had softened gently, quickly followed with a sulky face. Ah, a grown adult acting like a child, yet it feels cute rather than creepy. I guess I’m infinitely generous when it comes to Ian.

“Do you know how McCain Count and Ileana got married?”

“No, but more importantly, Jane calls the Countess McCain by her name, but always addresses Shuri McCain formally, even adding his title of Count.”

At his words, I awkwardly scratched my head. The truth is, while I’m concerned about Shuri, I can’t help but still feel a distance. I even feel guilty about it.

“Well, I spend more time with Ileana and talk to her often, so I’ve gotten used to her. But I still feel awkward with Count McCain. It feels strange to call him by name or ‘elder brother’… I should gradually change it, but for now, the title ‘Count McCain’ feels comfortable.”

When I said I still felt uncomfortable with Count McCain, Ian somehow looked pleased. Regardless of his mood, I continued what I was trying to say.

“Anyway, can you tell me how that Count McCain couple got married? Sometimes when I see the two of them, I can’t even imagine how they ended up together. Of course, I’ve heard that Ileana first clung to Count McCain asking for marriage, but I just can’t picture it.”

“Ah… those two?”

“Yes. I heard that Ileana was incredibly popular. To the extent of being called the queen of social circles. Extremely beautiful, from a well-known noble family, and with a great personality. She must have been the ideal type for any man.”

“Well, she was indeed one of the most popular in the Kalovanian Empire. The house was crowded every day with matchmakers.”

“Compared to her, Count McCain didn’t have much to boast about, right? Of course, he’s capable, having raised a fallen family without others’ help, and he’s the Emperor’s most cherished knight, but the man himself is so blunt and wooden that I can’t imagine Count McCain whispering sweet words and courting at all.”

At my words, Ian made a horrified expression and said,

“Even I find it difficult to imagine such a scene. It wasn’t Count McCain who courted, but Lady Ileana.”

“Was that story true? I thought it was just a rumor…”

“She was quite aggressive. Even when Count McCain refused, saying he had no intention of marrying, she persistently proposed. She approached him consistently for about 3 years. Because of this, Count McCain, who had remained on the fringes of social circles, was able to quickly rise to a position of influence. Until then, he had been a person with no presence, just the Emperor’s shadow.”

“To think Ileana proposed first! Count McCain must really be an attractive man.”

At my words, Ian chuckled and said,

“Many people reacted like Jane. They had only been ignoring him, but when Ileana persistently proposed, they wondered how great a person he must be. In my opinion, I think Ileana just has unique tastes.”

“Come on, it’s not that unique. He may be blunt, but he has a sturdy appearance and a serious personality. Honestly…”

Ian interrupted with a displeased expression.

“I’ve felt this before, but Jane seems to focus a lot on men’s bodies. Like that blacksmith before…”

“Blacksmith?”

As I tilted my head, unable to recall which blacksmith man he was referring to, Ian added an explanation.

“The man that old tavern keeper wanted to introduce. You weren’t trying to look on purpose, but you happened to see his body and enthusiastically described to me how good it was.”

Only then did I recall the man the old keeper had wanted to introduce to me. It was just a passing incident that hadn’t left much of an impression, but Ian seemed to still remember what I had said. He has a good memory.

“Ah! That person? When are you talking about? Well, I can’t deny that his body was good.”

“What’s so good about a bear-like body? Do you like such large-bodied people?”

He asked me, then muttered, “I wonder if I can grow my frame…”

“It’s not that I like them just because they’re big, I prefer something more balanced. Ah, but why am I explaining this to His Highness the Crown Prince? Let’s stop talking about other people’s bodies.”

“Then let’s talk about my body instead of others. How about someone like me? Should I build my body more?”

No, I said to stop talking about others’ bodies, so why suddenly talk about your own body?

Ian’s body wasn’t bad either. Rather, he was quite tall with a good frame, and having taken knight lessons since childhood, his body was quite pleasing to look at.

But in my memories, Ian had been sick so often that I couldn’t shake off the impression of him seeming fragile. Perhaps he only looks weak to my eyes.

When I saw him at the banquet hall before, most people praised his face, but on the other hand, there were quite a few women who whispered and blushed about his well-balanced body.

Occasionally, men also talked about his body. Clearly, they must have wanted to manage their bodies like Ian. Some even blushed despite being of the same gender, but let’s bury that memory deep.

“Whether it looks good or bad to me isn’t important, but taking care of your health is a good thing. Don’t worry Steward Simons unnecessarily and eat your meals well. He’s probably sighing deeply, saying your cheeks have become sunken.”

“If it’s Simons, he’d say I’ve lost weight even if I became plump.”

I nodded in agreement with his words.

It was natural since Simons treated Ian respectfully as the Crown Prince while also cherishing him like a grandson. Why, don’t they say that in grandparents’ eyes, grandchildren always look small and precious?

As the library was quite secluded, we had plenty of time to chat as we walked. As I asked Ian about things I was curious about regarding the Imperial Library, we were gradually getting closer to it.

The official name of the Imperial Library is the Imperial Court Library, initially established to store the law books of the Kalovanian Empire.

Due to its symbolism, it was originally located next to the main palace where the Emperor resided, but after being destroyed by fire, it was rebuilt at its current location.

Originally small in size to match its purpose of storing law books, it has now become a massive library housing 120,000 volumes. Most of the books are written in foreign languages as they were obtained as spoils of war with other countries.

The relocation and management of the library owed much to Count Midnad, an anthropologist. At that time, other spoils of war―treasures, as well as bloodstained helmets, swords, food, animals, etc.―were stored together in a mess. Feeling sorry for the books neglected among them, he pleaded with the Emperor for the necessity of establishing a library, leading to the construction of the building.

“He was quite a famous scholar at the time, but he fainted in shock when he saw a goat chewing on ‘A Guide for the Future Emperor’ in the spoils warehouse. He was quite an eccentric.”

‘A Guide for the Future Emperor’ was a book written by King Lunaf of the Jefur Kingdom to educate his young son, recording the lives and achievements of past emperors, along with etiquette, health rules, and moral advice that an emperor should follow, accompanied by illustrations.

I couldn’t agree with Ian’s additional comment. Even if it wasn’t ‘A Guide for the Future Emperor’, I would have been shocked too if I saw a goat chewing on a book that played a significant role in the development of pharmacology.

Of course, instead of fainting like Count Midnad, I would have shouted or waved a stick to chase the goat away.

“Still, it’s amazing. To decide to build a library after seeing that sight.”

“There was a lot of talk even when the library was being built. People said it was a useless waste to spend on storing mere books, rather than expanding the armory or warehouse.”

“Useless…”

“That was the perception at the time. It was only possible because Count Midnad’s younger sister was the Emperor’s concubine. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have received even a single brick’s worth of budget.”

“But important historical documents and law books are stored there. Surely someone would have built a library even if it wasn’t Count Midnad.”

“The library was designed so that nobles could visit without special permission, but the annual number of visitors doesn’t exceed double digits.”

He said that if it weren’t for the few scholars who come to view rare books, they might record zero visitors in a year.

“With so little interest, even if someone wanted to build a library, it wouldn’t have been easy to get others’ agreement and put it into action.”

“I’m not overlooking the importance of military power, but books play a crucial role in transmitting past knowledge to the present and future… It’s sad.”