The Duchess of Granado, and Cyrus's mother, the beauty of Ipsandros. Madame Ryu-Ryu looked up at me and smiled brightly.
"But I did remember your name. How could I forget the name of my son's fiancé? I was just a bit fuzzy on the last name—oh, right—Sebastian!"
"I am Wolfgang Stroheim."
"Oh, right, Wolfgang. Hehe, sorry. You know, names in the kingdom are quite different from those in Ipsandros, and they're hard to remember."
I thought she made a mistake in a different way, but since I could understand why Wolfgang might sound like Sebastian, I didn't say anything.
"What are you two doing here? Research in the middle of the night?"
"Yes. There's no particular rush, but I want to fix a book that broke..."
"Hmm? ...Well, standing here talking isn't very comfortable. Please come in."
We were invited in, and Wolfgang and I stepped through the door.
The library was already lit with candlesticks placed by Madame Ryu-Ryu. Even so, it was still dark underground, and the entire room wasn't fully illuminated.
Only a part of the desk and the bookshelves around it were dimly lit. Still, I let out a cry of excitement.
"Wow... amazing!"
It was much larger than I had imagined. Despite the door being underground, the ceiling was incredibly high, probably as high as a five-story atrium. The walls themselves were bookshelves. The spiral staircase was so narrow that it was barely better than a ladder, with only a slender handrail. With only the candlesticks on the first floor, the upper levels were too dark to see.
Moreover, it was incredibly spacious. I couldn't tell how big it was because it wasn't fully lit, but it seemed like the entire round tower was a library.
Just imagining it made me dizzy. It was truly a magnificent library.
There was a reading room with bookshelves, but it had many times more books than the library at the mansion. The tables and chairs were extremely simple.
This place was really a library... a place to store books.
"Amazing. Oh, is this an encyclopedia? This shelf is all novels. What, the catalog of the kingdom's art museum? This is an art book, wow, wow..."
Madame Ryu-Ryu laughed at my excitement, which had completely forgotten our purpose.
"Isn't it amazing? The number of books here is probably the best in the kingdom. There are a lot of niche topics, though."
"Wasn't this place built as a fortress on the border two hundred years ago? Why are there so many books...?"
"Exactly because of that. 'Information is a weapon'—before the kingdom's library was attacked, they brought as many books as they could and hid them in the strongest fortress at the time. And the war lasted for 150 years? During that time, the Granado family and the kingdom's knights and soldiers lived here. Even erotic books were included."
"Can I, just a little, look inside?"
"Of course. We've already returned the military secrets to the state, and most of the books are just for education and entertainment."
I sighed.
It's really amazing. I held the candlestick with trembling hands and, quietly but with the excitement of a child, wandered around the bookshelves.
Encyclopedias with many colored illustrations and foreign novels... it was unbelievable.
At first, I hesitated and read them while holding them, but soon I couldn't hold back and carried a pile of books to the table. I started reading from the top. About traditional instruments of the Central Eastern Continent—
I heard a chuckle.
"Mary, you like books? I don't understand it, but I'm glad you're enjoying it."
"Yes... By the way, why are you here, Madame Ryu-Ryu?"
She shrugged and pointed to a stack of papers on the table.
"Of course, for research. I still haven't mastered the kingdom's language, not just names. I can speak it, but I'm unsure about spelling when writing letters."
"Letters...?"
Indeed, the stack of papers was stationery and envelopes, with a list of names and addresses. The open book looked like a dictionary of the kingdom's language.
"Can't you ask someone to write them for you?"
As I said this, I turned to look at Wolfgang, who was standing behind us. The obedient butler shook his head.
"Under normal circumstances, I would, but the letters Madame Ryu-Ryu is writing are thank-you notes for the wedding guests. These must be handwritten by a close relative of the family."
"Normally, the bride and groom would share the task, but Cyrus is always out. This is really urgent, so he asked me to help. It can't be helped."
Despite her words, the duchess slumped over the table. Looking at the list, there were still over fifty more to write. This is a big job.
I raised my hand slightly.
"Can I help write them?"
"Wh-what!?"
Madame Ryu-Ryu lifted her head sharply. Oh, was it not allowed? But she mentioned the bride and groom earlier. If so, I should have the right to write them. ...Or is it because of the difference in status...?
Just as I was about to lower my hand, she firmly grabbed my wrist.
"Can you help!? Yes! I'm so relieved!!"
Wow, her eyes were sparkling!
Her usually bright green eyes shone like jewels when filled with joy. 'Sparkling eyes' is exactly this.
She must have been really troubled. I wonder why she didn't ask me to help before. Cyrus must have known his mother had trouble with the kingdom's language, so why didn't he?
Anyway, I took the stack of papers and started looking at the list. Hmm, she had checked the names of those already written. I was about to start from where she left off when Madame Ryu-Ryu exclaimed.
"These are for the Eastern Republic. You can skip the names written in those picture-like characters."
"But the post office will handle them, so shouldn't both languages be written on the envelopes?"
"Leave those to Cyrus. Mary, you can't read Ipsandros script, right?"
"I can."
I wrote the address in Ipsandros, starting with 'Dear Jue Luo'. In the Eastern Republic, the name comes before the address. Next to it, I wrote the address in the kingdom's style. Then I started the body of the letter... but I wondered if there was a template. For an invitation, there would be a standard text, but for a thank-you note, personal words would be better.
...I remember that in the Eastern Republic, it's customary to start with your current situation.
I wrote a sample and asked Madame Ryu-Ryu to check it.
"Is this okay?"
I handed her the finished letter. The duchess, who had been silent, looked at it without a word.
...It was a tense reaction. Did I do something wrong? I nervously watched her face, and Madame Ryu-Ryu opened her eyes wide.
"Mary... you can use Ipsandros language?"
Oh? Did Cyrus not tell her? I nodded.
"Yes. I learned from books, so I'm better at reading and writing than speaking."
"Can you speak it... too!?"
"Well, not very well—only the common language. The noble language isn't included."
I switched to Ipsandros halfway through. Then I realized that the letter I had just written was also in the common language. Ah, that was the mistake.
When I apologized, Madame Ryu-Ryu shook her head vigorously.
"That's fine, he's a familiar business partner. But... I'm surprised."
"Madam, you seem to enjoy stories from Ipsandros."
Wolfgang added. Oh, right, I had forgotten.
I handed her 'The Ragged Red Cat' that I had left on the corner of the table. She narrowed her eyes for a moment, then exclaimed loudly.
"That's 'The Ragged Red Cat'!? Wow, it's nostalgic! Why do you have such a book, Mary!?"
Oh, you know it... I'm happy. But it's a children's book, so I'm a bit embarrassed. I hid my blushing face behind the book.
"I had it at home. Probably since before I was born. When I couldn't read, my sister used to read it to me... and I still love it."
"Can your sister read Ipsandros too?"
When asked, I nodded—then reconsidered and shook my head.
"No... I think she probably forgot. She only read to me until I was old enough to understand, and then she seemed to dislike the book."
"But she was only five or six, right? She couldn't have learned it on her own. Who taught her?"
"Probably my grandmother. She passed away when I was four."
When I answered, the duchess looked even more puzzled.
I understood her confusion. My grandmother—my father's mother—would have been over seventy if she were still alive. She was born during the war. The kingdom, though victorious, was exhausted and had no leisure. The Eastern Republic had almost no trade. This was a purely academic pursuit.
It wasn't something a noble daughter or wife would typically indulge in.
"My grandmother was very knowledgeable."
"My father says she was a whimsical hobbyist."
I smiled wryly.
My father often criticized me by comparing me to my grandmother.
—My mother was beautiful, but her dabbling in academics made her uncharming, disliked by others, and unloved by my father. Instead of soothing men, she dominated them, leading to my father's early death. My father's death and my lack of siblings were all due to my mother's academics. At least she was still beautiful. But you...
When I said this, Madame Ryu-Ryu frowned.
This time, she truly looked genuinely puzzled.
"—What? ...A woman who can speak a foreign language and is intelligent would be highly sought after by any merchant or noble family. She would be a 'good woman' with many suitors."
—Huh?
Now it was my turn to be puzzled. I saw Wolfgang nodding in the corner.
Wolfgang, who was of the same generation as my grandmother, and Madame Ryu-Ryu, who was of the same generation as my father, both knew the 'common sense' of the kingdom's nobility.