Chapter 39…
“Ah, hello! How have you been?”
“Oh, yes. I’ve been well. Have you been well too, my lady?”
Adrian quickly responded with a gentle smile.
Though they had met only once before, the fact that he still remembered her made Cynthia feel both honored and grateful. She spoke as naturally as she could.
“Of course! But what brings you to the city square today? Ah—since it’s almost lunchtime, perhaps you came out to eat?”
“Ah, it’s that late already? But no, that’s not why I’m here.”
Adrian lifted his wrist and glanced down at his watch. Realizing that it was nearly noon, he looked up at Cynthia with a slightly troubled expression.
“There’s something I need to buy urgently, but I don’t have much time… and I’m not very good at these things, so I’ve been struggling.”
“Something you need to buy?”
Cynthia’s face immediately took on a resolute look.
Our Adrian is in trouble? Whatever it is, of course I’ll help him!
“It’s my younger sister’s birthday present…”
Adrian glanced at Cynthia as he continued.
“My sister is about your age. She only recently returned from studying abroad in a neighboring country, so I haven’t been in touch with her for quite some time. I don’t even know what she likes anymore… I thought I’d use this chance to reconnect and score a few points, so I came out to shop, but I have no idea what to get her.”
He scratched the back of his neck with an embarrassed smile.
His sister…!
That was something briefly mentioned in One Chapter Journey as well.
“He was always very kind to his younger sister. When Elizabeth would teasingly act jealous of her, he’d blush and not know what to do. It was so cute. Then Elizabeth would grin wickedly and tug at his clothes and—ah, that’s enough of that.”
Cynthia quickly shook her head, realizing she was on the verge of imagining a rather deep scene from the original novel.
Hmm… did the story ever mention details about his sister?
As she racked her brain for anything that might help, Adrian spoke again carefully.
“My lady, are you… busy right now?”
“Right now? Not particularly…”
“If it’s not too much trouble, could I ask for your advice? I have no sense at all for what women your age might like as gifts…”
Of course you can! Our Adrian wants advice—how could I say no?
Cynthia nodded eagerly.
“Of course! I don’t know if I’ll be much help, but I’ll do my best to pick something nice with you!”
“Thank you so much! But what brings you out here, my lady? I hope you’re not postponing anything important because of me…”
Ah, right! I was so focused on Adrian, I almost forgot I came to buy a gift for Tesion!
Remembering her original purpose, Cynthia smiled.
“I actually came out to buy a gift for Duke Tesion. How about this—I’ll help you pick your sister’s birthday present, and in return, you help me choose the Duke’s gift? I think we’d be a big help to each other.”
“A gift for the Duke? Ah… in that case, I think I can certainly help with that. Sounds good.”
Adrian’s gentle eyes curved in a smile.
Cynthia’s heart swelled with pride for her beloved as she pointed toward the row of nearby shops.
“Shall we go, then?”
“Yes, my lady!”
“How about this?”
Adrian held something out with an unusually serious expression.
When Cynthia saw what he was holding, she spoke hesitantly.
“…Didn’t you say she’s around my age?”
“Yes, that’s right. Don’t young ladies like cute things? I remember she used to love collecting dolls.”
“That may be true, but this is…”
Cynthia blinked at the fluffy teddy bear in her hands.
It’s adorable, sure—but even a girl in her early teens might not want this as a birthday present…
“Perhaps… something a bit more practical would be better?”
She gently set the bear down, trying to phrase it delicately.
Apparently, in Adrian’s mind, his sister was still the same little girl from before she studied abroad.
“A practical gift, hmm… what might that be?”
“In my opinion, since she’ll probably attend many social gatherings from now on, perhaps a small handbag or some jewelry to match her dresses?”
“A bag or jewelry…!”
“Or maybe…”
Cynthia glanced sideways at him.
If it were a gift from Adrian—something that matched his personality and would hold meaning for his dear sister…
“A book, perhaps? One that contains a message you’d like to share with her as she steps into adulthood.”
“A book! That’s an excellent idea.”
Adrian’s blue eyes sparkled as he nodded.
“Then we should head to a bookstore right away. There’s a large one nearby—shall we go there?”
“Sure!”
When they arrived, Adrian rolled up his sleeves enthusiastically.
“My lady, please wait here a moment. I’ll look for a book that conveys what I want to tell her. It won’t take long!”
“Take your time! I was planning to browse a bit myself.”
“Thank you.”
As Adrian walked away, Cynthia slowly turned to look around. Bookshelves stretched up to the ceiling, filled with countless books.
So many books… I really do love reading.
She ran her fingers along the neatly arranged spines.
Once upon a time, Cynthia had devoured books of every genre—One Chapter Journey included. Literary fiction, humanities, sci-fi, essays, even poetry—if it had words, she loved it.
But it’s been so long since I’ve read anything.
During her stay with the Bailey family, her free time—aside from lessons for impersonating Elizabeth—was spent chatting with Violet or helping her knit.
Unauthorized outings were forbidden, and even the Bailey mansion’s library was off-limits to Cynthia. She could only enter her own room and Elizabeth’s.
Of course, Elizabeth’s room did have a large bookshelf, but…
“A Man’s Body: A Full Exploration?”
“Joy and Happiness: Various Positions in Bed…?”
Remembering the scandalous titles she’d once seen there, Cynthia flushed deeply.
How could she just keep books like that lying around?!
Wait… now that I think about it…
A memory from Elizabeth’s room suddenly resurfaced.
What was that thing? That glimmer between the wooden beams on the ceiling…
There had been something shiny up there. She’d forgotten all about it after Violet caught her and she ran off to find Dale.
Could it have been some kind of hidden gem?
Lost in thought, Cynthia reached for a nearby book—only for a large hand to suddenly snatch it from above her.
“Ah, I was just about to grab that—oh?”
Startled, she turned, only to meet a familiar pair of violet eyes smiling down at her.
“Huh? D-Duke Tesion?”
“Cynthia. What a surprise to see you here.”
Tesion tilted his head, smiling softly as he handed her the book.
“I was teasing you a bit. This is the one you were reaching for, right?”
“Ah, th-thank you.”
“I was disappointed to hear you were busy today, but I’m delighted we met by chance like this. A bookstore, no less—were you looking for something to read?”
Cynthia felt a sudden warmth rise in her chest and nodded.
She too was happy—unexpectedly running into him like this.
“I was just—”
“My lady! I’ve found it! Could you take a look at this one?”
At that moment, Adrian appeared, holding a book in one hand and smiling shyly. But when he noticed Tesion standing beside her, he froze mid-step.
“Duke Tesion…?”
“Count Adrian?”
Tesion’s polite smile faded as he looked between the two of them.
“Ah, um…”
The air turned tense. Neither Adrian nor Cynthia spoke, and Tesion’s expression darkened slightly as he asked her in a low voice:
“You said you were busy today… was this what you meant?”
