Chapter 20
“You didn’t have to run here.”
Mikhail said that with a gentle smile.
As he glanced around, he took hold of my sleeve—then softly took my hand.
“There’s a nice café nearby. Would you like to go there?”
I looked at him, startled.
Seeing me like that, he blushed and quickly released my hand.
“Ah, I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have touched you without permission.”
Then he clasped both hands together, fidgeting with his fingers without even meeting my eyes. It was… unexpectedly cute.
“The café, I just thought—well, since this is about a commission, we might need a quiet place to talk. I guess that’s just my professional habit…”
“It’s fine.”
He kept rambling nervously, unable to meet my eyes.
“The tea there is really good. It’s a place I visit often, and I thought… you might like it too.”
“Alright.”
If I didn’t stop him, this would go on forever. I cut in firmly and nodded. Straightening up after catching my breath, I said,
“Please, lead the way.”
Our eyes met again at that, and Mikhail smiled—his cheeks still faintly pink.
The café he mentioned was indeed close by. It was a three-story building, with an open, airy first floor and private rooms above.
We climbed the stairs and entered one of the private rooms.
“I’ll have an English Breakfast, an Earl Grey, and one lemon pound cake, please.”
The waiter bowed and left. Once the door shut, it was just the two of us.
Mikhail spoke as if he’d been waiting.
“That book you mentioned last time—is this it?”
“Yes.”
I nodded and took a diary out of the bag at my waist.
The moment I placed it on the table, his gaze fixed on it, unmoving.
“What do you think?”
“May I touch it for a moment?”
“Of course.”
Once I gave permission, Mikhail reached out and carefully brushed the cover with his fingertips. His brow furrowed as he traced the patterns.
“The texture definitely feels like it was processed in the Tehit Empire.”
“Tehit?”
“The name of the magical empire that’s now known as the Land of Death.”
Then he smiled faintly.
“If I may, could I take a look inside…?”
I nodded. I had already shown the contents to Estelle, and later to a couple of my most trusted maids.
Since I’m just an extra in the original story, I thought maybe only “extras” could see what’s inside.
But none of the maids had been able to read a single word.
Mikhail will probably be the same.
He flipped through the first page—and in an instant, all the way to the last. His expression remained calm; it didn’t seem like he could see anything.
“I wish I could tell you right away whether this truly came from the Tehit Empire, but…”
He hesitated briefly.
“…I’m out right now without any of my tools.”
He examined the diary again, turning it over—top to bottom, front and back—before setting it down with a small nod.
“As I thought, it’s difficult to be sure right now. If it’s not too much to ask, could you leave this book with me for a few days?”
“A few days?”
When I repeated it, Mikhail nodded.
“I’d need that much time to study it properly. Of course, I promise not to let a single scratch come to it.”
His eyes gleamed with genuine interest.
“The preservation is so good that even I’m tempted to keep it for myself. May I ask where the nanny who gave you this is now…?”
I feigned indifference.
“Unfortunately, I lost contact with her afterward. I don’t even know how she’s doing.”
“I see.”
He accepted that easily. I quietly mulled over the time he mentioned.
I’d already memorized the important passages from the diary—read them over and over again. Nothing new had appeared since.
Still, I had never considered handing it over to someone else, even for a few days.
As I hesitated, Mikhail spoke again.
“I understand your concern. It’s a very rare artifact.”
He gently brushed the cover again, almost tenderly.
“But if you lend it to me for a few days, I’ll give you something interesting in return.”
“Something interesting?”
He smiled and nodded.
“It’s an artifact found in the ruins of the Tehit Empire.”
“What kind of artifact?”
“That, I can’t say. It’s quite valuable.”
He wanted me to hand over the diary in exchange for some unknown item?
I frowned, and Mikhail softened his tone to persuade me.
“But I assure you, it will be useful. As you know, that empire was famous for its magic.”
“The item you’re offering me—does it have magic in it?”
He replied playfully, “I’m not a mage, so who knows?”
…He was probably talking about a magical tool.
The diary’s usefulness had already ended once its text stopped revealing itself. I had only hired him to find out how the original Rosaline was connected to magic.
Once that link was clear, I planned to burn the diary anyway—since possessing something from the magical empire was a secret I had to keep from Damian.
But if I could lend it for a few days and get a magic tool in return…
I’ll be moving into the Imperial Palace soon anyway…
As long as I could retrieve it safely, I could avoid Damian’s attention and gain something useful.
I clasped my hands and spoke in a regretful tone.
“But that diary holds my only memories with my nanny. How will you return it?”
“Good question…”
Mikhail tapped his cheek thoughtfully while I waited.
“If Lady Charlotte finds out, she’ll surely tell the Baron. So you’d have to meet me directly to get it back…”
“I won’t be able to go out for a few days,” I said softly—just enough for him to infer the reason.
Like a wife locked away by an overprotective husband. Which wasn’t entirely false.
“Isn’t there another way?”
He frowned, thinking hard.
“I could try coming to you—”
“That would definitely get me caught.”
Not that he could find the Wiges estate anyway. He sighed.
“Lady Wiges—”
“Please, call me Lady Rose. It’s… a pseudonym.”
I gave him my real name but pretended it was fake—so that if I slipped later, he wouldn’t notice.
He immediately corrected himself.
“Lady Rose.”
“What is it, Sir Mikhail?”
“I’m not technically a knight, so ‘Sir’ isn’t accurate… but you are thinking of entrusting me with this book, correct?”
“…I suppose so?”
He shrugged as if resigned.
“Then I’ll show you how the artifact I mentioned works. Normally I wouldn’t, but I’ll make an exception.”
He opened the bag beside him and took out what looked like a letter envelope.
No—it was a letter envelope. Completely empty.
“That’s what you’re giving me?”
“Yes!” he said proudly.
He opened the envelope, showing me its inside—and then asked,
“Have you ever wondered how I manage to travel back and forth between the border and the Imperial Capital so easily?”
…Completely unrelated question.
“Not really.”
“Transporting magical artifacts requires a lot of equipment—lenses, reagents, and so on. But as a commoner, I can’t afford to hire merchants, mercenaries, or even porters.”
“I can imagine.”
He grinned at my dry response.
“So instead, I use this.”
He brought the envelope close to the diary. As it neared, the diary began to tremble—and the instant they touched, it lost its form, turning into shimmering light.
“What in the world—”
The light was absorbed straight into the envelope, which then sealed itself shut.
I was speechless. I had never even heard of an artifact like this—not even in rumors or legends.
As I stared in shock, Mikhail looked immensely pleased.
“I’ll send it back to you like this. Not a bad method, right?”
Then he took out a letter opener—its silver blade glinting, with a rose-shaped cutout near the edge.
“You can only open the envelope with this knife. I’ll give it to you as well. It suits you—since your name is Rose.”
His pale green eyes shimmered faintly beneath his lowered lashes. My heart skipped a beat.
“How should I receive the letter?”
I pressed my hands to my chest to keep my heart from leaping out. My own voice sounded oddly breathless to my ears.
“Leave it at the bakery. I’ll have someone pick it up. Just write my name on the envelope—it’ll find its way to me.”
I’d ask Estelle to retrieve it. I could just say I had business with an appraiser.
“But… is it really alright to give me something so precious?”
