Thud! I slammed the book shut.
A mountain of books piled up around me. Surprisingly, they were all books I had read. Some of them I had even read twice. I didnāt discriminate by genre. There were sweet romance novels and all sorts of adventure stories about heroes. There were also books about the evolution of tax laws and farming methods mixed in. Of course, there were materials about magic, magical tools, and magic stones as well.
'I canāt afford to be picky.'
Eidan was the only one who knew I could read and write. I received books secretly from Eidan, so I couldnāt get a large quantity. If there were too many books in a babyās room who couldnāt read, it would certainly raise suspicion. It was only natural that I had to maintain my secret. Otherwise, if people found out not only about my divine abilities as the Seed of God but also that I could read and write and communicate with nature?
'...It would be a disaster!'
Abelard would start demanding to take me away again, and Father would prepare for war, insisting it was absolutely not allowed. Oscar would probably join in rather than try to stop it.
I sighed and put the books into my secret hiding place. It was a space behind the wall that I had discovered while rummaging around my bedroom. As I left the bedroom, Lisandro followed me.
"Going for a walk, Your Highness?"
"Just going to the library."
Lisandro looked puzzled, but when I started walking, he followed silently. There were five libraries in the palace, and the one I was heading to was the First Library, which only direct members of the royal family could enter. The library was at a distance that was awkward to reach by carriage. So I just walked, treating it as exercise, but my face felt strangely hot. I turned my head left and right, looking around, but there were only people walking briskly.
'I definitely felt someone watching me...'
My cheeks puffed up in frustration, and Lisandro chuckled behind me.
"Your Highness, havenāt you looked in the mirror?"
"Goodness. Have you gotten used to it?"
I couldnāt understand what Lisandro meant. Crunch, crunch. As I walked towards the library again, I felt someoneās gaze. I wondered if it was a spy sent by Duke Javier, but fortunately, nothing happened until I arrived at the library.
"Salute to His Majesty the Emperor!"
The soldiers guarding the library saluted me.
"Of course. However, only direct members of the royal family are allowed to enter, so Sir Donovan cannot come in."
It should be fine, right? Although I was hesitant to go without an escort, I couldnāt break the libraryās rules. After reassuring the restless Lisandro, I entered the library.
I opened my mouth wide. This was the first time I had seen such a bright and large library. The white bookshelves were packed with books, and I could tell just by looking that the collection was enormous.
"Iāll go to the magic section."
The library was different from what I had imagined, with brown bookshelves, and it was fun to look around. I casually scanned the bookshelves, categorized by genre, and found an interesting book. <The Bible and Philosophy> The Bible was the property of the temple and hard to obtain, so I had never read it before. Even if this book didnāt contain the original text, I thought I could at least get a taste of it.
'I need to find out why I am the Seed of God and why I was born with memories.'
The educational priests sent to me didnāt teach me much about theology. I suspected Father had blocked them. I reached out to take the book, but...
I couldnāt reach it! It wasnāt that high, but I felt so frustrated and aggrieved. I stretched my arms as far as I could, grunting as I tried to pull the book out, but I failed spectacularly.
"Letās see who can do it..."
I muttered darkly and extended one hand. I sensed the stagnant flow of air. The air always moved around me. I adjusted the air to gently push the book. The book started to come out a little. Click.
I reached out to catch the falling book, but...
A large hand caught the book before mine. I tilted my head back in surprise and saw a strangerās face.
He was clearly beautiful, with short platinum blonde hair and red eyes. He looked almost holy.
I wondered if I had revealed my abilities, and my heart raced. But his calm expression didnāt seem to indicate any suspicion.
I reached out to take the book, but he didnāt give it to me.
The man spoke for the first time. His voice was surprisingly deep, contrary to his appearance. He glanced at the book cover and tilted his head.
I was taken aback by his informal tone, but then I clenched my fists in anger at being ignored.
And I boldly lied. No matter how angry I was, I wasnāt stupid enough to reveal my abilities!
"But why do you have this?"
"Itās a difficult book for a baby to read."
I found it interesting, not necessarily thinking it would be fun. I judged that it was necessary to read it, even if it was boring, to gain knowledge.
"Maybe a fairy tale book would be better for a baby..."
I hadnāt asked for what I wanted, but the man handed me a book from a high shelf. It was a rather luxurious hardcover with a gold-embossed cover, large but quite thin. <The Creation of the World - Mythology Edition> It seemed to be a fairy tale book about the creation myth, aimed at children. It wasnāt what I wanted, but it would be quite helpful.
I was about to thank him, but he was already gone. His actions were too light to be a librarian, and I had never heard of him being another royal. I thought I would ask the animals later and busily explored the library. When I came out carrying a pile of books, Lisandro was horrified and snatched them from me.
"No, no, thatās too dangerous!"
"But I just got a few books..."
'What exactly is... dangerous?'
I found it absurd but swallowed my words.
"Lisandro, did anyone else come in after I left?"
"Excuse me? No, only His Majesty the Emperor, His Highness Oscar, and Your Highness can enter the First Library."
Then who was that blonde, holy-looking man?
'...Could it be a ghost?'
*** A massive search was conducted throughout the palace after I told them about the stranger in the library, but there were no significant results. Back in my bedroom, I hid the royal lineage I had brought with the fairy tale books in my secret space. After finishing all the work, Oscar rushed in.
"Mabel! You were attacked by a stranger!"
"Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"
How did seeing a stranger turn into being attacked by a stranger? After explaining for a while, Oscar finally calmed down. He looked through the books I had piled on the chair with interest.
"Is this from the library?"
"But itās not a picture book?"
Caught off guard, I stammered. Fortunately, Oscar didnāt find it suspicious.
"Shall I read it for you?"
Since it was a book aimed at children, it seemed more natural to have someone read it to me. I nodded eagerly.
Oscar sat on the bed and placed me on his lap. He flipped through the stack of books.
"I want the one about the three creations. Please."
A long silence fell. I didnāt know what to do with myself under Oscarās intense gaze.
"How do you know the title of this book?"
"Did your uncle read it to you?"
I nodded roughly, and Oscar seemed to accept it. I secretly sighed in relief and calmed my racing heart.
"Then Iāll read it for you."
The first page was an illustration. On a black background, there was a lump of white light.
I was a bit disappointed. The myth wasnāt much different from what I had expected. It seemed difficult to find any clues in the myth. Maybe I should look into the Bible. As I read other books after Oscar left, I heard the balcony door open.
I greeted Eidan with a bright smile. He had just completed a very important task today.
"How did the gold mine auction go?"
"Due to the bidding competition, the auction price kept rising, so I let it go. But in the end, I bought it at thirty times the market price."
It wasnāt a mana stone mine but a gold mine, and how much would Duke Javierās stomach hurt after spending so much money? Since Eidan had laid the groundwork, it was time for me to harvest the big fish.
The next day, I went to the garden for the first time in a while. I squatted down and called out to 'them.'
After a moment, the soft soil moved, and they poked their heads out.
"Can you dig a gold mine for me?"
I had a bad feeling. And these bad feelings were always right. Even though I couldnāt see, why did it feel like the moles were staring at me intently? I felt the pressure and pulled out my negotiation card.
"Earthworms and... the land outside the capital...?"
In the end, the moles, who had diligently asked for earthworms, land, and centipedes, disappeared into the ground. I shed tears of frustration, thinking about the money I would have to spend to save the bugs.
"Whatever... Itās just to mess with Duke Javier..."
But why were my eyes tearing up? ***
An expensive teacup shattered against the wall. The wallpaper was stained with tea, but Duke Javier didnāt care.
He couldnāt control his boiling anger. This wasnāt the first time someone had interfered with his business by joining auctions. He had obtained information about a cheap mine that turned out to be a gold mine and had put a lot of effort into acquiring it. But when he participated in the auction, a man in a black robe raised the price and then disappeared calmly. As a result, he ended up buying the mine at a much higher price than the market value.
"That guy... He succeeded in the last auction."
This kind of interference had happened more than ten times. It had been about three years. He couldnāt even count the losses he had incurred.
Another sugar jar shattered. He had too many enemies, and he couldnāt guess which faction was trying to check him. The advisor, who had been silently watching the furious duke, spoke up.
"There is a way to find out the manās identity."
"I can do background checks myself. But I canāt act rashly without knowing who the opponent is."
Anyone who could participate in auctions and buy all sorts of items must be wealthy. Moreover, he had no concrete evidence that this man was interfering with his business. He needed to act cautiously.
"What if we use someone elseās hands?"
"Someone elseās? Do you have someone reliable in mind?"
"Yes. Have you heard of <Eve>?"
He had heard of it a few times. It was supposedly an information guild, but in reality, it handled all sorts of tasks. There were rumors that the leader, Ethan, was actually a noble from another country.
"What if you commission them to find out who this man is?"
The advisorās suggestion made Duke Javier think seriously. He had heard that quite a few nobles who shared his goals had used Eve recently. They even provided emergency funds sometimes.
'I havenāt heard of any problems. They guarantee secrecy, right?'
The duke nodded. It seemed like a good idea.
"Commission them. And use a different identity just in case."
He wanted to see who this person was, who had repeatedly interfered with his business. The dukeās mood improved. At that moment, he didnāt know that the gold from the auctioned mine was quietly disappearing...