Chapter 77
“I came to look for a book.”
I answered in a voice smaller than usual.
For some reason, making eye contact with Jerlak felt difficult.
It was a face I had missed every moment since arriving here.
Was it because it had been so long, or was it because Jerlak’s voice felt strangely unfamiliar?
When I hesitated, Jerlak spoke in an irritated tone.
“How long are you going to stand there?”
“Pardon?”
“You need to move so I can come in.”
Only then did I realize I was standing awkwardly in front of the bookstore door.
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
I quickly stepped aside, and without another word, Jerlak opened the door and went inside.
“…….”
What was that?
He just went in without even greeting me.
I stared at the closed door, feeling flustered.
Jerlak had already disappeared from sight, but my heart continued racing with a mix of annoyance and embarrassment.
“Maybe something bad happened.”
Well, he might be tired from traveling far.
Or perhaps his mind is preoccupied with work.
When someone’s tired, irritation comes first, right?
And it’s normal to want to vent that frustration on someone close.
But no matter how much I thought about it, Jerlak just now seemed—
“Like a completely different person.”
Walking slowly along the street, I tried my best to calm my mind.
It was definitely Jerlak I had seen earlier, but he wasn’t the Jerlak I knew.
Even though I knew that clearly, my heart still ached.
……
But it was strange.
Didn’t he fall in love with me?
He even said he broke off his engagement with Renata to be with me.
So why was he looking at me with such cold eyes?
“How strange.”
I stopped dead in the middle of the street.
I needed to understand why Jerlak, my fiancé, was acting so coldly.
I couldn’t stand not knowing.
I turned back and returned to the bookstore.
I boldly pushed the door open, almost thinking about just leaving.
“No, I need to know why he looks like that.”
As soon as I entered, I reached toward Clem.
Then I quickly wrote what I wanted on a piece of paper:
“Could you tell me what book His Grace the Grand Duke came to look for?”
Clem looked up with his large, deep eyes, staring at me.
He seemed to be asking why. How should I explain it?
“I’m his fiancée. I have something important to tell him.”
Then Clem lowered his gaze from me and wrote letters and numbers under what I had written.
“Thank you.”
Section J was where books on politics and history were kept.
Walking through the narrow, maze-like shelves, I thought about what I would say when I met Jerlak.
There were so many things I wanted to tell him after missing him so much.
I wanted to share the stories I had been holding onto, one by one.
Of course, I couldn’t say all those things now.
He wouldn’t understand, and I wouldn’t receive empathy either.
Moving carefully so my footsteps made no sound, I caught sight of a very tall man in the distance.
But something strange happened.
When I finally saw Jerlak, I couldn’t bring myself to move.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have come.”
I had come back because I needed to know, but what exactly would I say to him?
“Why are your eyes so wide open?” was the only thing I could think of.
But that sounded confrontational!
I shouldn’t have come after all. I should’ve at least thought it over, or asked Eclair, or guessed what was going on.
“But I want to see him.”
Yes, the truth was that curiosity was just an excuse.
I wanted to see Jerlak.
Whether his gaze was cold or lukewarm, I wanted to see him.
Of course, it would have been even better if it was the hot, lazy expression I liked the most.
Lost in these thoughts, I hesitated nearby. Perhaps sensing my presence, Jerlak turned his head.
Flustered, I grabbed a random book nearby.
“Oh, dear.”
I opened it and discreetly hid my face behind it.
“Goodness, you really…”
Always losing patience and yet acting like this today too.
Fortunately—or unfortunately—he made no sound approaching.
“I could’ve sworn our eyes met.”
Maybe he saw me and walked off in another direction.
Yeah, maybe that’s better.
I decided to put the book back and leave quietly.
Just as I was about to slowly close the book, a cold voice sounded behind it.
“What are you doing here?”
I lowered the book a little and saw Jerlak standing there.
“…I’m reading a book.”
“What?”
The twisted tone sounded like it meant, “You?” and I couldn’t help but bristle.
“I like books too. And I come here very often.”
“……”
I kept mumbling to myself, hiding behind the book.
“I came to the bookstore, so of course I’m reading a book. What’s so strange about that?”
“Are you really reading that book?”
“Yes, I am. I was reading it seriously.”
“Really?”
“Have you been deceived all this time? I’m telling you the truth.”
Since it was a book from Section J, it was probably about history or politics.
Hmph, I’ll surprise him with my intellectual side here.
But when I opened the book to check the title, it read:
Women Who Conquered the Conqueror on the Bed
“…….”
“Really?”
“Ahaha, wrong book. This one.”
I hastily picked the thinnest book I could see.
Positions That Changed History
Oh no.
“…….”
“I didn’t know you were that interested in that kind of thing.”
“No, not at all!”
As I tried to put the book back, Jerlak suddenly reached out and snatched it from my hands.
“Positions that changed history, huh.”
“No, it’s not!”
“What’s not?”
“I said it’s not the book I was reading.”
“So you’re interested in conquering conquerors?”
“No, no, absolutely not!”
“I see.”
“Really? I’ve never seen this book before in my life.”
“You said you were reading it seriously.”
Wow, he really likes to pick at words.
“I said it’s not, so just give it back!”
“Nope.”
Then he squinted and began flipping through it—not reading it normally!
“Where were you reading?”
“I wasn’t reading it!”
“Here? Around this part?”
He turned his back completely and leisurely began flipping pages aloud.
“Chapter 4, The Shocking Posture That Captured the King of Adenno. Liriana, a woman born in a small village in Hills, with long, curly brown hair—”
“No, give it back!”
I reached for it, but Jerlak slowly walked the other way, continuing to recite.
“With long, curly brown hair. The woman described here resembles you.”
“Eh?”
I widened my eyes as Jerlak held the book in front of me. There was an illustration of a woman in a sultry pose who looked vaguely like me.
“See?”
“No, completely different!”
“Really? You’ll know if you read more.”
“Ugh, read it yourself, memorize it, do whatever you want.”
My face was already red as a raspberry.
I tried to turn and leave the aisle.
Suddenly, Jerlak caught me. Waving the book in one hand, he asked:
“If this book isn’t the reason, why did you come back here?”
“I have something to tell His Grace the Grand Duke.”
Maybe because it was darker here, or maybe his playful reaction eased my tension a little.
I could finally meet Jerlak’s gaze directly.
I said I had something to tell him, but what should I say?
No matter how I thought about it, asking why he had been so cold just now didn’t seem right.
He wasn’t the type to explain it so easily.
“Something to tell me?”
Jerlak raised one eyebrow slightly.
His expression was languid yet cynical.
I fought the urge to poke that mischievous eyebrow with my finger and said:
“Let’s have dinner together tonight.”
