We walked together to the library.
The door was locked with a heavy lock.
'Maybe because Camille stole the fake notebook before I reincarnated.'
Ethan's library was huge, exceeding the size of most village libraries.
It was almost the size of three other rooms combined, and considering that the rooms in the palace were much larger than those in typical houses, it was truly a vast space.
I knew from the original story that it was supposed to be this big, but seeing it in person was something completely different.
As soon as we entered, the air was filled with the smell of old paper, making me feel a wave of excitement.
“Looks like this is your first visit here,” Ethan commented.
Maybe I was too excited.
His comment had an accusatory tinge to it, as if he was insinuating that I had been here when I had stolen the notebook.
“Well, it was dark last time, so I couldn't see much,” I answered nonchalantly.
Ethan looked at me with a look of surprise, “I’m not sure if you’re being bold or rude.”
"Bold? I did nothing wrong."
“……”
Ignoring Ethan's frown, she headed towards the bookshelves.
Let's see. What's good...a novel would be great.
There were bound to be romance novels in this world, but there was no way Ethan would have them in his library.
Most books were likely to be academic or practical. To my surprise, there was a fair amount of literature, especially poetry.
Given the era, it makes sense that poetry would be more popular than novels. So, does Ethan read poetry?
“…why are you smiling?” Ethan asked in a slightly annoyed voice.
Does he always know when someone is thinking about him?
“Nothing,” I said, stifling a laugh.
I continued browsing the shelves until my eyes fell on a particular group of books.
"History of the War of Eärendel". Each volume was the size of a dictionary, and the number of volumes was twelve.
From its title, it seemed like a historical account of a war.
Given its long duration, it must have been a long and important struggle.
What caught my attention was how worn and used the books were compared to other books.
I took out the first folder and started browsing through it quickly.
“This book might be a little difficult for you,” Ethan’s voice interrupted.
“Why do you think that?”
“Read any page, and you will see.”
“I'm doing it now,” I replied, holding up the book for emphasis.
From what I read, the language was a bit archaic and complicated but it wasn't unreadable.
“Just pick another book.”
“Why?”
“You will ask for a different book before the end of the day, and I would rather not make another trip.”
'Oh really?'
I was upset. It was just a book, after all.
“No, I'll choose this.”
“You should listen to me”
Ignoring him, I took out the volumes of the History of the War of Eärendel and handed them one by one to Ethan.
He frowned but reflexively caught them.
She continued to hand him the huge folders, causing him to stumble a little as he tried to balance them.
“Oh, is it heavy? Sorry, I will call a servant,” I said with feigned concern.
Ethan's face twisted in annoyance, "It's not heavy at all. I can handle it."
“Really? Your legs are shaking.”
“Ridiculous”
It wasn't just a show. Despite carrying a huge stack of books, Ethan looked remarkably steady.
It was said that he was a skilled swordsman, and was able to fight with Master Mael, the leader of the knights.
'He's really the protagonist... oh my god, look at those biceps.'
His muscles, both biceps and forearms, stood out strongly even through his shirt.
What a waste, using those muscles just to browse through documents.
There was a reason why so many women wanted to stay by Ethan's side even after his divorce from Camille.
"What do you do?" Ethan asked, staring at me.
I panicked, pulling the hand that was reaching towards his arm as if I was in a trance, “Nothing. Thank you, Ethan. So you’ll move her to my room?”
“……”
Ethan's expression became a little complicated. It was unequivocally clear that this was not the Duke's personal job.
I tilted my head slightly, frowning.
“It looks heavy on you. Should we ask someone else to…”
“It's okay. Let's get going,” Ethan said through gritted teeth.
I stifled my laughter and started walking forward. Several times, as we walked down the hall, servants who saw us ran up to us.
“Sir, let me carry this for you.”
“It's okay, don't worry. He insisted on carrying it himself,” I said, smiling.
“But still...” began the servant.
“Didn’t you hear? It’s okay,” Ethan’s annoyed tone made the servant step back.
“Sorry. Sorry,” the servant muttered before turning away.
After we returned to the room, Ethan placed the books on the table with a loud thud.
“I look forward to hearing your opinion on these books,” he said, his eyes challenging me. He was evidently quite convinced that I would not be able to read a single volume of it.
“Have you read all these books yourself?” I asked, feigning innocence.
Ah, it's so annoying.
No matter how handsome he is, he is so despicable.
“I don’t keep books I haven’t read on my shelves.”
“Have you read all the books in your library?”
“Not all of them, but most of them.”
“Didn't you just say that you don't keep unread books on your shelves?” I replied.
“…The books I haven’t read are the ones I recently bought. Since when did analyzing my words become your hobby?” Ethan growled lowly.
Oh, teasing him is so much fun.
I should stop, but...
I kept my face expressionless, suppressing my amusement.
“Anyway, thanks for carrying the books. As you suggested, I will read them and share my thoughts.”
“I'm looking forward to it,” Ethan replied, clearly skeptical and already planning his responses.
Maybe he's thinking about all the ways he's going to make fun of me...
“When then?”
"What?"
"Your thoughts. When should I expect it? A month, maybe?"
“A month? Impossible. Two weeks is enough.”
Ethan frowned.
“Only two weeks? Aren’t you overconfident?”
“Have you forgotten that I am under house arrest? I have nothing to do all day. Two weeks is enough.”
“……”
Ethan stared at me, his expression darkening.
He looked very upset, as if I had insulted him.
"Your words are soft. Excessive confidence may be somewhat attractive, but this is a ridiculous behavior. You haven't started reading yet, and you think you'll finish it in two weeks?"
Ethan's stern reaction surprised me.
What's his problem? Does he think he wrote the book himself?
Even if he did, his attitude would still be annoying.
I remembered Mary mentioning Camille's complete lack of interest in books, but that wasn't worth such a dismissive response.
“Don't you deduce quickly? You won't know if I can until I try.”
“Does everything have to be tested to know?”
“Where is the guarantee without trying?”
“……”
Ethan stared at me before grabbing the top volume of the History of the War of Eärendel.
"Let me ask you again. Are you serious? Do you really think you'll be able to finish this book in two weeks?"
"What? What do you mean?"
"What?"
We exchanged intense glances, frowning. Then Ethan's expression softened, and a bitter smile appeared on his face.
“There seems to be a misunderstanding. Of course, it was ridiculous to think that someone like you would be able to finish this book in two weeks.”
“I said two weeks for all twelve volumes, not just one. Who takes two weeks to read one book?”
Ethan's face was expressionless. It seemed like he couldn't comprehend what I just said. But his confusion quickly turned to anger.