Chapter 68
“What?”
Jerelac froze like someone had just poured wax over his head.
What Clem had written was simple, but the message was crystal clear.
“You can’t because I’m already inside the book”?
Slowly, he sorted through the information he knew and what Clem had just said.
First, the place he was currently in and the place where Ribé was located were connected—they could exchange letters through Clem’s bookstore.
She and he were in seemingly similar, yet fundamentally different dimensions.
If another version of Jerelac existed where Ribé was, didn’t that mean other people could be duplicated too?
Then how had Ribé managed to enter the book in the first place?
Jerelac stared at the book on the desk with a dazed look.
Did that mean the original Ribérata from this world no longer existed here?
Then… where was the original Ribérata from the book? Could she be in this world instead? Or…
Did she die? Or go missing?
Jerelac moistened his parched throat and continued writing his question.
Or did someone kill or imprison her before bringing Ribé into the book? Is that even possible?
This time, Clem didn’t write anything. He just nodded.
The man, usually half-asleep, had a strangely different glint in his eyes.
Clem, please. If you know how, help me.
Jerelac already knew.
This was probably all Clem knew—or all he was allowed to say.
If he knew the way, he wouldn’t be sitting here for the rest of his life.
With that, Clem closed the thick index book in front of him and slowly slid it back into a drawer.
Is it still not possible for me to take this book with me?
“There is no method inside the book.”
Then where is it?
“I don’t know.”
“Damn it.”
Jerelac clenched his teeth so hard it made his jaw ache.
It felt like he had found a lead, only to hit a dead end.
No matter how hard he pushed Clem, it didn’t seem likely the man would say anything more.
Maybe this really was all he knew.
Or maybe there was a reason he couldn’t speak.
Jerelac decided to leave the bookstore for now and search for other options.
The anxiety and frustration were suffocating.
Without another word, he opened the door and walked out of the shop.
“…”
Though Jerelac had fortunately left the book behind, Clem stared at it with a rather troubled look.
Just then, someone knocked lightly on the desk a couple of times and waved a hand in front of Clem’s eyes.
When Clem looked up, a young man greeted him with a warm smile.
It was Adrian.
“I’ll put it away for you.”
He picked up the book titled Renata’s Turbulent Life and gave it a light shake.
Clem understood his intent and scribbled down the book’s proper index location.
“Got it. I’ll return it to the shelf.”
Adrian walked deeper into the corridor, carrying the hefty, dictionary-thick book.
As he walked, Adrian’s thoughts kept drifting back to Jerelac and the tense moment earlier with Clem.
Why was His Grace so upset?
He had even raised his voice in anger.
Of course, Jerelac was never known for being particularly kind. He was famously cold and blunt.
But to see him lose his temper and openly show such emotion was highly unusual.
Why did he get so worked up?
Adrian turned the book over, checking its front and back.
Renata’s Turbulent Life. From the title alone, it looked like a typical novel.
<Please, Clem. I really need this book.>
<Why? Why on earth?>
What’s so special about this book?
The cover looked plain, but the book’s thickness rivaled that of a legal tome.
But the title… it sounded like a romance novel.
So this is his taste? That’s unexpected.
Adrian arrived at the “L” section.
Renata’s Turbulent Life… Let’s take a peek at the Duke’s taste.
He opened the book before shelving it—and noticed a folded piece of paper tucked inside.
“Huh?”
As soon as he recognized the neat handwriting, Adrian instinctively looked around.
A letter?
His heart began to pound uncomfortably.
Because the letter bore a name he was familiar with.
This is addressed to Ribé.
Startled, Adrian quickly tucked the letter back into the book and shut it.
He clenched his hand around the cover, his face uneasy. He couldn’t bring himself to return the book to the shelf, nor could he simply hold it idly.
Did His Grace write this letter?
He couldn’t just walk away.
Adrian cautiously sat down.
His throat felt dry and constricted, so he loosened the top button of his shirt. Only then could he manage to exhale.
“Hoo…”
He opened the book again and carefully pulled out the letter.
His palms were damp with sweat from the tension.
When he flipped the letter over, the signature at the end was impossible to miss:
Jerelac Signus.
Oh no…
Adrian flipped the letter over quickly and shut his eyes.
Damn it. This really is a letter from His Grace to Ribé.
It had been several days since Ribérata went missing.
Sure, one could write a letter out of longing.
But hiding the letter in a novel? Leaving it behind in a bookstore?
If he was just going to leave because Clem said no… shouldn’t he have taken the letter back?
Adrian started to slide the letter back in and return the book to the shelf.
No. Don’t read other people’s letters.
Though he was immensely curious, it wasn’t proper to read someone else’s private writing.
But his hand stopped again.
There’s something here. I can feel it.
Could this have something to do with Ribérata’s disappearance?
Could His Grace know something?
Unable to resist, Adrian took the book back out.
This time, his hands moved quickly. He took the letter and tucked it into his inner pocket.
Then he returned Renata’s Turbulent Life to its spot on the shelf.
His heart pounded wildly as he rushed down the hallway.
Without so much as a backward glance, Adrian exited the corridor and gave Clem a stiff, awkward smile.
“I’ll be heading off now.”
With that, he walked out of the bookstore.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
To my beloved Ribérata Bernadette,
I’m writing this letter after reading yours about ten times.
It would’ve been nice if you understood everything right away after all my explaining, but your situation is so unfamiliar to me—it took a while to fully grasp.
You must have been so confused, shocked…
How scared and disbelieving you must’ve felt.
Falling into a strange land overnight, and figuring all this out—how exhausting it must’ve been.
And how much thought it must’ve taken to reduce that entire experience into a few lines for me.
It pains me to think about it.
Ribé, you don’t need to prove to me that you’re in another dimension.
The very fact that someone like you, who misses me so dearly, isn’t here with me… that says it all.
I believe everything you’ve said.
I believe that you’re alive and breathing inside that small book.
I believe in your heart, fully.
I feel a little relieved knowing the bird I gave you is still by your side.
I still don’t know what strange force surrounds us, but I swear I’ll find you.
That old woman who frightened you, the idea that we’re not fated to be, this unknown power… I think we need to reconsider everything.
Even the claim about you “vanishing”—that hasn’t truly come to pass. It only looks like you disappeared. In reality, you were taken somewhere else.
I believe there’s a hidden conspiracy behind this enormous, strange incident.
I discovered something at Clem’s bookstore too.
We all exist in separate dimensions—and apparently, no two people from different dimensions can exist in the same space at the same time.
Someone must have killed or imprisoned the Ribérata who was originally in that place, then brought you into the book.
Which means… someone out there knows everything.
Just as you’re doing your best, I plan to do everything I can on this end.
I’ll find a way to bring you back.
In your next letter, please include any clue you find about someone who knows how to move between dimensions through books.
But… if someone is plotting something around you, it may be better not to act rashly.
They might be watching you even now.
I don’t want you to be in danger. Please be careful.
I’ll also let Leoni Almaz know you’re safe.
If you’d like your family or your maid to be informed, just tell me in your next letter.
Please stay safe.
—Jerelac Signus
