I looked out the window.
The snow that started falling last night had already covered the world in white.
When I said I was going for a walk, Marin wanted to come along, but I stubbornly refused.
After all, Marin couldn't go to where I was going.
"Th-Then, at least dress warmly before you go out. It's very cold because it's snowing a lot."
Marin hurriedly took out a coat, white mittens, and fluffy earmuffs from the closet and began to wrap them around me.
I was a little stuffy because she bundled me up so tightly, but if it would reassure Marin, I didn't mind being stuffy.
"And..."
"......?"
Marin hesitated and took something out from behind her back.
It was a thick, bright red scarf.
Did I have a scarf like that?
I knew the contents of the closet well because I didn't have many clothes, but there was no red scarf.
There wasn't even a scarf at all, let alone a red one.
"I wanted to give it to you as a gift, so I made it myself..."
Marin's voice trailed off.
I was startled and asked back.
"You did, Marin?"
"Y-Yes."
Her insecure eyes looked down.
"I checked your closet and saw that you didn't have a scarf. I was originally going to buy you a ready-made one, but I thought it would be better to make it myself since it's your first gift."
The fingers holding the red scarf fidgeted.
"But, um... it turned out that making a scarf was harder than I thought, haha."
She laughed awkwardly.
"It's too ugly, isn't it?"
I stared at the scarf Marin had made herself.
Certainly... compared to the elaborately made scarves that Miracle or Banshees wore, Marin's scarf looked somewhat clumsy.
The stitches were crooked, there were holes, and there were parts where the fur stuck out.
If I had shown it to Banshees, he would have told me to throw it away immediately.
But...
"Marin, put it on me."
"Y-Yes?"
Marin's eyes widened as I stuck out my neck.
I asked shamelessly.
"Weren't you going to give it to me?"
"That's true, but... it's too ugly for you to wear."
I couldn't help but smile at Marin's words.
The people in this house said that something like a sewer suited me, but Marin always said that only pretty things suited me.
She must have a crush on me.
But...
"It's pretty."
Marin isn't the only one who has a crush.
"The scarf you made, Marin. It's very pretty. I love it."
"Really...?"
Marin asked with disbelieving eyes.
I nodded confidently, as if to gauge the truth of my words.
Because it was true.
"......Then..."
Marin hesitated, then knelt down and put the scarf around my neck.
But.
'It's long.'
I didn't realize it when it was folded, but when I put it on, the scarf was really long. It seemed long even for an adult.
Thanks to that, the scarf not only covered my entire neck, but also half of my face.
"I-I think it's a little big?"
Marin didn't know what to do, looking like I had become a mummy.
It's a little heavy and uncomfortable, but...
"It'll be warm."
"......"
"Thank you, Marin. I'll use it well."
I sincerely thanked her.
Then.
Teary.
Tears began to well up in Marin's eyes.
She immediately turned her head away and rubbed her eyes with her sleeve.
And she said forcefully.
"Then, milady, have a good walk! Be careful not to fall because it's slippery!"
I nodded vigorously.
"I'll be back!"
As Marin said, it was really cold outside.
"Hoo-ah."
I lowered the scarf that covered half of my face slightly and breathed out, and a white breath spread out like smoke.
"It's really winter."
Another season had passed since I came back to the past.
Looking at the world covered in white snow, I realized that quite a bit of time had passed.
'I was so busy.'
I ran around without even knowing that the season was changing.
I stared at the world covered in white for a moment.
The winter scenery, which I stood and watched regardless of the cold, was very beautiful.
Despite the winter, the Duke's residence's garden did not lose its elegance.
Suddenly, this moment felt very unfamiliar.
That's because.
'Winter was always like hell.'
On the streets where I desperately survived, winter was like a scythe wielded mercilessly by a grim reaper.
You never knew who would die overnight.
It was common for people on the street who I had talked to just yesterday to be found dead in the snow the next day.
I struggled fiercely to avoid being the next one to die.
But what was more painful than death was loneliness.
So when I took the Duke's hand and headed to the Duke's residence, I was really happy.
Because I thought I wouldn't have to endure the winter alone anymore.
Because I thought the terrible loneliness would end.
'It wasn't that different, though.'
I snorted coldly.
Still...
I held the scarf tightly.
"It's warm..."
I know the warmth now.
I also know how precious this warmth is.
So.
'I have to protect it.'
So that I can continue to cherish this warmth in the future.
'Okay, let's go.'
Thanks to that, I was motivated.
I moved my feet with energy.
Thanks to the gardeners and servants who diligently cleared the snow, I crossed the road comfortably enough to make wearing boots seem unnecessary.
I passed the garden and stood at a crossroads.
I headed in the direction the sign pointed.
A gray, jagged building that appears after passing through a road lined with thin, withered trees.
Lord Bell's library.
Gulp.
I swallowed as I looked up at the building, which felt imposing again.
I clenched my fist.
The reason I came here today was to achieve my long-cherished goal.
'<Ayla's Book of Medicine>.'
I got the qualifications for the direct line.
I was able to access the non-public area.
The first goal is to find <Ayla's Book of Medicine>.
The next goal is.
'To find clues to break the seal of the Evil God.'
Lord Bell's library was built during the time of the first Lord Bell.
All sorts of secret books and old books that have been collected little by little since then are sleeping inside.
If <Ayla's Book of Medicine>, which was a question mark in itself, is inside, can't I find even one clue to break the seal of the Evil God?
The problem is...
'Even after 10 years, I can't look at all the books inside.'
That's why I needed a librarian.
The librarian, who has been protecting and managing the books in the library for generations since the first one, knows all the tens of millions of books stored in the library.
But...
'Giles Smore would never cooperate with me.'
I was recognized as a direct descendant of Lord Bell by obtaining qualifications, but it wouldn't work for a man like Giles Smore who cares about his origins.
He will still hate and despise me.
'It doesn't matter.'
Even without his help.
I looked up at the spire towering under the gray sky with cold eyes.
It is true that it is difficult to find the book you want without Giles Smore's help, but it is not a big problem.
That's because...
'Giles Smore will disappear soon.'
Step, step. I went up the stairs.
And I was about to open the door, but.
Tak.
Suddenly, I was blocked.
I tilted my head back at the sudden appearance of the disturber.
It was a knight.
"You cannot use the library at this time."
I frowned slightly at the unexpected words.
Where did this knight suddenly come from?
'There wasn't originally a gatekeeper at the library.'
There was no need for a gatekeeper because the librarian was always there and the books were protected by magic.
But Lord Bell's knight would not block the door of the library on his own.
I calmly asked back.
"Why can't I go in?"
If the answer that comes back is that it's because I'm a bastard, then...
"We are undergoing an internal inspection."
"Yes?"
But the answer that came back was completely unexpected.
"An internal inspection?"
What does this mean? Suddenly an internal inspection!
"I didn't hear anything about an internal inspection."
When I asked, unable to hide my embarrassment, the knight's expression became troubled.
I realized that he was having a hard time, but I couldn't back down easily.
An internal inspection of the library, I had never heard of such a thing!
My heart was restless.
I suppressed the urge to ask immediately and said with the most pitiful expression possible.
"There's a book that's essential for class. If I don't get it, Head Butler Ligrin will scold me..."
I also sold Ligrin a little bit.
"Is it really not possible?"
I looked up at him with a face that looked like I was about to cry at any moment.
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