IBACM Chapter 41

Chapter 41

“Didi, should we check the upper shelves?”

Since we couldn’t find it on the lower shelves, we raised our eyes.

And finally, we found the book!

In that huge library, we managed to find about five books related to the World Tree.

“Only five books? No wonder it was hard to find.”

Those five books were rarely read and placed on the top shelf, making it difficult to take them down.

Since we needed to ask the librarian to borrow them, we secretly took the books and left the library. 

They probably wouldn’t even notice they were gone.

Feeling proud, we carried the books—well, Didi carried them—and we returned to our room.

Now, two chairs were naturally placed in front of the desk.

Sitting side by side, we opened the books. Just as we were about to start reading, Dedrick rubbed his eyes, annoyed by his bangs getting in the way.

I suddenly grabbed his hand.

“Why…?”

“Didi, I have a question.”

Dedrick looked at me with a slightly nervous expression.

His blue eyes were hidden under his black hair.

I asked him seriously,

“Can you even see properly with that hair?”

Dedrick flinched. 

He hesitated, touching his bangs, and mumbled,

“I… I don’t want to show my face in front of others yet…”

“And in front of me?”

“…….”

“Even in front of me?”

“No, I’m okay in front of you.”

I had been waiting for that answer.

“Then there’s no need to be uncomfortable around me! Let’s push your bangs back. I’ll do it for you.”

“You will…?”

“Of course! Just in case, I even brought hair ties and pins.”

I’m always prepared.

I took out a small pouch from the last drawer of the desk.

Cutting his hair suddenly would probably cause trouble with the Duchess, Somerset, or Axel, so it was best not to make any obvious changes.

I took out a hair tie and looked at him.

Our eyes met, and he quickly averted his gaze before lowering his head.

“Hey, lift your face.”

I held his cheeks and gently tilted his head up. Then, I gathered his bangs and tied them neatly.

To be honest, I was half-joking, but he looked so pretty that I forgot all about teasing him.

Looking up at me with that cute apple hairstyle, I couldn’t help but smile.

“This is called an ‘apple hairdo’!”

I playfully flicked his hair, and Dedrick blushed.

“Oh! I wanted to try this style!”

I untied the apple hairstyle and tried a half-up ponytail instead.

“Wow, you look amazing!”

“…….”

His face turned so red, it looked like it might burst.

When I tried to give him twin pigtails, he pouted.

“I don’t like this one…”

“But it’s the cutest in the world!”

“I’m not reading like this.”

Wow, so stubborn.

Laughing, I took out the pigtails and instead clipped his bangs with a pretty hairpin.

I stared at him in admiration.

“He looks like an idol…”

Then, I opened a book and brought it close to his face.

“Now it’ll be easier to read.”

When I peeked over the book, Dedrick’s eyes met mine—and his face instantly turned bright red.

“Are you hot?”

“J-Just a little…”

I quickly grabbed a fan and fanned him enthusiastically.

He muttered that he was fine and buried his face in the book.

“I can’t just sit here and do nothing!”

Determined, I boldly opened another book. But then…

“…….”

Cold sweat ran down my back.

I had forgotten—I could barely read fairy tale books.

There was no way I could understand such a difficult book.

Feeling awkward, I glanced at Dedrick, and—our eyes met directly.

“……!”

“……?”

He looked between me and my book before suddenly burying his face in his book again.

His shoulders shook.

“Didi… are you laughing?”

“Khuk…”

“…….”

“Ahem. Sorry.”

Dedrick took a deep breath and lifted his face. 

He still had a smile on his lips as he took the book from in front of me and replaced it with a fairy tale book.

“I’ll find the information for you.”

“Hmm…”

I felt bad leaving everything to Dedrick. He had his own work to do too.

“Just read it to me when you have time. It’s not urgent, so don’t push aside your studies for this.”

“But…”

“Before that, I’ll work hard on learning how to read! Didi, you should focus on your own studies too!”

“……Okay.”

He didn’t seem completely convinced, but at least he agreed, so that was enough for now.

***

Reading all the books in one day was impossible.

Dedrick had to study to become an heir, train in swordsmanship, and handle many responsibilities.

It would probably take him a few days to finish reading.

Since his studies were more important than mine, I decided to wait patiently.

In the meantime, I hadn’t done any spying for a while, so I wandered around the wardrobe, peeking here and there.

Ignoring Somerset for now, I focused on Axel—he had been too quiet lately.

I went to his room and found him sitting in a chair, studying with deep concentration.

And he was quite serious about it.

‘Somerset never stays in one place for too long, probably because he feels confident.’

Even though Dedrick had better grades than him, Somerset never seemed to feel threatened.

Apart from swordsmanship, he barely put in any effort.

“I guess he thinks there’s no way Dedrick will surpass him and take the heir position.”

Pathetic.

On the other hand, Axel was at least making an effort.

When he had nothing else to do, he studied quite diligently—not as much as Dedrick, but still.

“See? This guy does want the heir position.”

Otherwise, he wouldn’t be trying this hard.

Should I disturb him?

No, Dedrick wouldn’t like that kind of tactic.

…But Dedrick gets interrupted all the time!

I wavered.

Just then, Axel flinched.

At the same time, blood dripped down from his nose.

“He studied so hard that he got a nosebleed?”

I stared in surprise as Axel hurriedly grabbed a handkerchief to stop the bleeding.

Luckily, it stopped quickly.

“Hmph, this is nothing.”

Axel muttered and picked up his pen again.

Click.

The door opened, and Delani entered.

Even after giving up her position as the leader of the knights, she still dressed extravagantly, thanks to the noble allowance she had fought to keep.

“Wow, she looks as elegant as ever.”

I glared at her with all my might. Not that she would notice.

Axel’s voice brightened as he greeted her.

“Mother!”

He ran over and hugged her tightly.

Despite everything, both brothers truly adored Delani.

Well, she was their mother, after all.

It would have been nice if Dedrick had been able to enjoy that kind of warmth for longer.

Before I could sigh at the thought, Delani coldly pushed Axel away.

“Aren’t you too old for this?”

“Oh… Sorry.”

Axel awkwardly stepped back.

“It’s been a while since you visited my room, so I was just—”

Delani cut him off.

“You know Somerset has been feeling down lately.”

She was referring to the fact that he had been locked in his room for a month as punishment.

Lately, I had overheard servants whispering about how ruthless Somerset had become.

“Is my brother okay?”

“I came because of that.”

Delani glanced at Axel’s desk, frowning at the signs of his studies. Then, out of nowhere, she picked a fight.

“Your brother is feeling down, and you’re just sitting here studying?”

Axel blinked in confusion.

“Huh?”

“What’s the point of working so hard? What will you even do with good grades?”

“Mother?”

Axel looked at her, clearly shocked.

“Somerset can’t even rest properly because he’s worried about you. And yet, all you do is think about yourself.”

“I… That’s not…”

“Your brother already struggles with his confidence. Don’t make it worse for him.”

Basically, she was telling Axel to stop studying so Somerset wouldn’t feel insecure.

“Wow. This is the first time I’ve seen a parent tell their child NOT to study.”

I expected Axel to protest, maybe throw a tantrum.

But instead, he just lowered his head.

“…I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking about my brother’s feelings. I’ll stop studying for now.”

“Good. Make sure Somerset doesn’t feel pressured.”

What was this? Was Somerset some helpless baby?

Because of Delani’s overwhelming favoritism, Axel was forced to step back.

“Yes, Mother.”

As the door closed, Axel let out a long sigh.

“Hah…”

Then he lifted his head sharply, gritting his teeth.

“This is all because of Dedrick!”

“What?! How does this end up being his fault?!”