~Chapter 40~
I glanced at the room without making it obvious, and picked up any book from the shelf. Selena was standing next to me, intently reading a book titled “101 Ways to Braid Your Hair.”
“Your Highness, look at this! It shows how to braid your hair and make it into a ribbon shape,” she said, showing me the page.
I quickly glanced at the page. The hairstyle looked weird, almost like something a famous pop singer might wear.
“Oh. It’s interesting and pretty.”
“Right?! I think I might try it myself,” Selena said eagerly.
“…Who are you going to braid it for? Not me, right?”
I looked at Selena with a nervous look in my eyes. No matter how I thought about it, the only person she could braid hair for was me.
“Since we’ve come all this way, I might as well buy a book,” Selena said, smiling happily as she hugged the book to her chest. I had a bad feeling that she might try all 101 braids on me.
I wanted to snatch the book from her hands right away.
“What book are you choosing, Your Highness?”
Suddenly, Selena’s expression turned to one of shock. What had she seen?
“Huh? Why…”
I followed her gaze, and then I froze, just like her.
It was the cover of a book titled “The Bedtime Guide for Newlyweds.”
“…Oh, no, Selena…”
Please don’t look at me like that.
But the illustration on the cover was so explicit—half-naked man and woman kissing on a bed.
“Ah, no. I understand. You’re newlyweds after all,” Selena said awkwardly, giving a forced smile.
Her face was so uncomfortable, it was obvious she was trying not to laugh.
Why did I have to pick this book of all things?!
I wanted to explain myself, but I knew that making excuses would only make the situation worse.
“Well, I’ll just go over there and stand guard. Please, feel free to browse…” she said, rushing away from me as if she had seen something she shouldn’t.
The only thing left in her place was my awkwardness.
“…I just grabbed a random book…”
Why did it have to be this one?
I sighed deeply, wishing the ground would swallow me up. Then I walked over to the shelf to put the book back in place.
“…Anyway, no one’s here.”
Maybe I should sneak a peek.
I had already been misunderstood by Selena, and I felt a bit cheated if I didn’t at least take a look before returning the book.
Fortunately, the only other customer in the store was far away, and Selena was out of sight. I quickly scanned the room one last time before opening the book.
“…Whoa.”
I closed the book again quickly.
‘…What did I just see?’
It felt like I had just seen something huge, but I couldn’t really understand what it was because it was so shocking.
I took a deep breath and opened the book again. Then I saw an illustration of a man and a woman tangled up in a strange position, with a brief description next to it.
“…This is the position that provides the most intense stimulation in a short time. Both people need to have good stamina to perform this position. It’s based on Position 28, with the man lying down, and the woman….”
“…Wow.”
I quickly closed the book after reading that far.
It’s a good book. I’ll buy it.
I grabbed a nearby basket and placed the book inside. To cover up the embarrassing cover, I added the book Selena had been looking at earlier to hide it.
I looked around the store again and noticed several more interesting books.
“99 Exercises for Couples to Enjoy Together”
“Romantic Baths Using Essential Oils”
“Everything for a Hot and Special Night”
Although I didn’t expect to be bathing with Apollyon anytime soon, I thought I might as well buy them. Maybe I’d use them one day.
I added those books to the basket and moved toward the novel section.
There were many familiar books there. They were similar to classic novels like The Tale of Hong Gil-dong or The Dream of the Nine Clouds in Korea. The author of this world’s books seemed to have been influenced by Korean literature.
It seemed that adult novels existed in this world as well.
The adult books were scattered throughout the new releases section, hidden among other titles. If someone didn’t know better, they might have just passed them by. The covers and titles looked ordinary enough, but my years of reading allowed me to spot them easily.
It was always the plain-looking books that had the most surprising content.
“’Duke…’”
With the sound of buttons being undone, her thin shirt fell to the floor at her feet. The Duke naturally laid her on the bed.
‘Relax, Maria.’
I furrowed my brows and leaned in closer, ready to bury my face in my hand.
The next scene was definitely going to be important, I could feel it.
“Don’t look at me like that. If you keep looking like that…”
“If you keep looking like that… what will happen?!”
I swallowed nervously and flipped to the next page.
“…If you keep looking like that, your eyes will get worse, my noble lady.”
“Gasp!”
I couldn’t help but let out a loud gasp. My skin prickled with goosebumps as I stiffened in place.
I took a deep breath and slowly turned around, still frozen in shock.
The bookstore owner was standing there with a pleasant smile, watching me.
“I’m so sorry to interrupt your reading, but if you keep looking at it that close, your eyes will be ruined.”
“….”
Her eyes naturally drifted down to the book in my hand.
“Oh my, you’re reading the latest book by Cardon. It’s one of the best new novels this year.”
“…Really?”
I nodded awkwardly.
The bookstore owner continued to smile knowingly, then added, “That book has already become a bestseller.”
“Y-Yes, I see.”
I nodded again, trying to avoid her gaze, and quickly closed the book.
She gave me a mysterious smile as she observed me.
“There are plenty more books like this in that corner over there.”
“No, I… I wasn’t looking for… those kinds of books…”
She didn’t listen to me, though, and excitedly pointed to a shelf with more adult novels.
“I’m telling you, it’s all the rage with young ladies these days!”
She was practically giddy as she gave me a list of her recommendations, and by the time she was done, she cheerfully wished me a happy married life and moved away.
In this region, the social hierarchy wasn’t strictly enforced, and there weren’t many commoners who feared nobles, so her behavior made sense.
I sighed deeply as I looked at the basket full of books.
But at the same time, I couldn’t help but feel a little excited. The books she recommended were exactly the kind of adult content I was looking for.
Though I wanted to buy them all, I felt a bit self-conscious about purchasing so many adult novels at once. Even though I was shameless, I didn’t have the courage to buy a huge stack of these books.
As for the so-called “happy married life” books, I knew full well that they would be useless for me.
I had enough trouble even holding hands with Apollyon, let alone doing all those things.
In the end, I decided to put a few books back. I kept the ones I felt were necessary and Selena’s book, and returned the rest to the shelves. The basket suddenly felt much lighter.
I turned and made my way to the children’s and youth section, picking up a few books on sex education that seemed appropriate for Apollyon’s level. I chose ones with mature-looking covers, but detailed content, just in case he was resistant to it.
As his knowledge grew, I would need to provide him with more advanced education, so I picked out some higher-level books as well. I placed them in the basket and turned to head to the checkout counter.
“Oh, I’m sorry!”
Before I could react, a small round head bumped into my stomach.
Startled, I bent down quickly. It was the little girl who had been crying earlier.
It seemed like this mother-daughter duo had a talent for appearing out of nowhere and surprising people.
“Are you okay?”
I looked at the little girl, who was rubbing her forehead. The forehead was red from the impact. She had been wearing a fancy dress with gems and lace, so it must have hurt.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t see you when I rushed forward,” I apologized.
The little girl looked at me blankly while rubbing her forehead.
“It’s okay.”
“Really? That looks like it hurts.”
I took a closer look at her face. From a distance, I hadn’t noticed how cute she was. She had big eyes with long lashes, and a small, adorable nose and lips.
But right now, I wasn’t in the mood to care about the little girl. My attention was still on the adult books in the basket.
I had completely forgotten that I had entered the bookstore in the first place.
