chapter 07
There was no answer.
She must not have misheard twice, so someone was definitely there.
“Could they be hiding behind a statue?”
Throughout the hallway, there were expensive-looking statues whose significance was unclear. They were large enough for not just a child, but even a fully grown adult, to hide behind.
Serena squinted her eyes and stared at the statues intently. Nothing came of it, of course—just staring made her eyes ache.
She rubbed her dry eyes.
“…I don’t have to confirm just because I called out.”
In situations like this, it was usually just someone trying to tease or bother her.
She had endured this thousands of times from her older sisters, so she was more than accustomed to it.
If she approached, they’d probably throw water, flour, or filth on her just for the fun of watching her suffer.
“I’m not a fool. I wouldn’t fall for it after just one or two times.”
It seemed like the timing had been convenient for whoever it was, but unfortunately, they had picked the wrong target.
Thanks to her years of experience, Serena was something of an expert in matters of harassment.
If she had time, she could have turned the tables and surprised them instead, but lingering any longer meant she’d likely lose sight of her chaotic family.
Sure enough, her mother and sisters, who paid her no mind, were already heading toward the dining hall, leaving no shadow behind.
Fortunately, thanks to Daisy’s loud voice, Serena could tell which way they had gone.
“I need to hurry.”
She gathered her thoughts and took a step forward.
“This way, Serena.”
A strange voice called her name.
“Who’s there…?!”
She had only arrived here today, and the only new person introduced to her was Jeremy.
“How do they know my name?”
Although there were plenty of servants around, Serena, being a member of the Roselantis Count family, knew they wouldn’t casually call her name or tease her without reason.
Tensing her body, she looked around, and in the middle of the hallway, a small light flickered.
It blinked slowly, as if luring prey.
It was suspicious and extremely dangerous.
Serena crouched behind a pillar, peeking cautiously with just her eyes.
“…Could it really be you who called me?”
Surely not.
Even though it seemed impossible, the light blinked brightly, almost as if to confirm it.
Startled, Serena widened her eyes. The light began to move slowly toward the other end of the hallway.
“It’s not telling me to follow it… right?”
Surely it was a coincidence.
She blinked her deep pink eyes, and once again, the light blinked brightly in response.
“This can’t be…”
Once could be coincidence, but twice? No.
Despite thinking it strange, she couldn’t resist following the mysterious light.
Just as she stepped out from behind the pillar, the light accelerated, as if waiting for her.
“W-wait! Slow down!”
Reactively, she followed, and soon reached her destination.
Exaggerating only slightly, it was a door the size of a house.
The light that had been flickering faintly disappeared completely into the half-open doorway.
“Is it really okay to go in…?”
What if she got scolded for entering without permission?
But after following this far, it felt pointless to just stand there.
“…I have no choice. If I get scolded, I’ll kneel and apologize.”
Most of the time, kneeling earned forgiveness. If not, pressing her forehead to the floor while apologizing worked as well.
She had once done exactly that after accidentally ruining Daisy’s cherished clothing—though she had to repeat “I’m an idiot” a thousand times before being forgiven.
There were many ways to apologize, after all.
Resigning herself to deal with consequences later, she carefully stepped inside, and was immediately struck by the enormous collection of books.
“A library…?”
She shrank instinctively, overwhelmed by the artificial grandeur of the space.
As she moved her eyes around, the light that had seemed to spin before her now darted inward, as if indicating there was still further to go.
“How is a library this huge? How is anyone supposed to clean this…!”
Her first thought, as always, was cleaning. Following the light for a long while, it finally landed on an old book tucked in a far corner.
“Is it this one…?”
The light flickered and then disappeared like smoke, as if it had completed its task.
Serena looked around in surprise, but seeing no trace of the light, she turned her gaze back to the book.
After all that effort, it wasn’t like she was given a book she wouldn’t open.
Curious about what kind of book it was, she pulled it out. The title, written in elegant script, read:
[Legends of Rosegold]
“Rosegold… what’s that…?”
She flipped the cover, relieved to find an explanation on the first page:
“Rosegold is a region where golden roses are said to bloom in legend. Originally part of the Kingdom of Ather, it was incorporated into the Lefkian Empire around the 450th year of the imperial calendar. For 400 years since incorporation, no flowers have ever bloomed, confirming the legend of Rosegold as false. Rosegold appears to have ideal conditions for agriculture, surrounded by a wide lake and shallow mountain ranges forming a vast plain, yet no crops grow there, and no other utility has been confirmed. In the 850th year of the imperial calendar, the region was annexed to the Count of Berosha’s territory.”
She read it but still didn’t understand.
Why had the light wanted her to see this?
“Did I see it wrong? Maybe it was another book and my eyes are strained.”
She had followed the light without blinking, so her eyes were dry and aching. Perhaps it had moved somewhere else, and she had missed it.
Rubbing her eyes, Serena scanned the surroundings, looking for the light.
“…Huh? Someone?”
Instead of the light, she noticed someone under a huge window on a sofa. They lay there as if at home—likely a member of the Roselantis family.
“I should probably ask permission before…?”
Jeremy was an exception, but according to her family, the household members were all unpleasant.
She didn’t want to make unnecessary noise, so even if late, it felt best to seek understanding.
Carefully approaching, she finally saw the person’s face.
Tall enough to seem an adult, the face was still youthful—likely only two or three years older than her.
“…Wow, handsome.”
Serena was shocked; the boy was seriously good-looking.
Unlike the soot-covered street boys she was used to, this boy had fair, flawless skin. Even in simple attire, he seemed to glow.
“Black hair… then he’s probably not from the Count family?”
Typically, Roselantis family members had brown hair and green eyes, like Jeremy and Asbel. Rarely, unusual combinations appeared, like with Serena or her sisters, but they were so rare that rumors of curses spread.
So, if someone with black hair were in the family, Serena would certainly know—even if she was as marginalized as she was.
“It’s so… black.”
It wasn’t an ordinary black—pitch-black hair, mysterious and intimidating.
Despite knowing it might be rude, she couldn’t help but observe. The boy let out a faint groan.
“Ugh…”
Serena instinctively stepped back.
He wasn’t waking; it seemed like a nightmare trapped him, and he tossed restlessly.
“This doesn’t feel like a situation to ask for permission…”
Ignoring it would be uncomfortable. It seemed better to wake him.
“I’ll just say I took a wrong turn. Though… I’m pretty far in already…”
As she reached out to touch his shoulder, the boy suddenly opened his eyes and grabbed her wrist.
“Ah…!”
Serena, startled by his sharp red eyes, dropped the book.
The sound of it hitting the floor echoed heavily throughout the vast library.
