Chapter 46
Serena’s room was located at the far south end of the fourth floor.
“Th–this will be your room…! It’s the chamber that has been used by the lords for generations…!”
She had never harmed the maid—not once. No, she had even tried her best to treat her kindly. And yet the maid was still trembling in fear.
“Is there perhaps a room Sofia could use? She’s my exclusive maid, so I’d prefer her to be close by.”
“Y–yes…! She may use the room right next door…!”
No matter how gently Serena spoke, the maid’s reaction stayed the same. She had no idea why the maid was acting like this, but it seemed best to let her go quickly.
“Thank you. You may go now. Ah, and don’t return to the sitting room, and there’s no need to call a physician. If you have work left, finish it. If not, you should rest.”
“Huh…? B–but…”
Even though it was brief, the maid had personally experienced that Rianna and Daisy’s personalities were far from normal.
“It’s fine. I’m not seriously hurt, and this is as good a time as any for them to learn that they can’t act however they please. If anyone questions it later, say the room was dirty and you cleaned it because I complained.”
It wouldn’t be so bad if today’s incident helped others realize that messing with her only hurt themselves.
The maid, perhaps realizing that Serena was trying to help her, hesitated before cautiously asking:
“Th–then may I report this to Master Edward…? I must give him a report after my duties…”
“Yes, go ahead. Also tell him I said not to call a physician.”
“U–understood…”
With another deep bow, the maid backed away. She looked like she’d keep bowing until Serena closed her door.
“Sofia, you go rest too. I want to quietly read alone. If anyone calls for me, pretend you didn’t hear. If they try to barge in, then call me. Got it?”
“Yes, milady. As always, thank you.”
Sofia lowered her head gratefully at Serena’s consideration. Then, as Serena was about to enter her room, Sofia asked:
“Milady, what about dinner? Shall I inquire?”
“No. Sorry—after telling you to rest, it’s rude of me to ask, but… could you bring dinner to my room? Yours as well.”
She didn’t want to run into any member of her family.
After the maid agreed, Serena entered her room.
“…Huh?”
She clearly stepped through the door, but what she saw inside was… a house. More precisely, a large living room with multiple doors leading to other rooms.
Curious, she checked them one by one—there was a bedroom, a receiving room, a study, a private office, a bathroom, and a dressing room.
Both the living room and bedroom had wide verandas where one could sit and relax in the open air.
“A room like this… is really mine…?”
It wasn’t a room—it was practically a house. Serena walked around several more times, unable to believe it, before settling on a sofa on the veranda.
The view outside was barren, but the open landscape had a kind of raw charm.
“All this land is mine…!”
If only it weren’t a wasteland, she could settle down and live here.
But as she lamented the barren land, she suddenly realized how foolish her thinking was.
“Idiot! No—that’s exactly the point! The fact that there’s nothing here means my family will get bored and leave!”
Her family could never live in a place with nothing.
No matter how nice the castle was, she was sure they’d start complaining after a few days.
The thought lifted her spirits. It was twisted, but even the fact that Daisy was injured pleased her.
Of all things, Daisy sprained her ankle. She wouldn’t be able to wander freely anymore. Which meant fewer people would suffer because of her.
In the meantime, Serena would prove that there was truly nothing in Rosegold—a revelation that would surely disappoint her family.
Feeling hopeful, Serena picked up the book.
“…How do I even open this?”
She examined it closely, searching for a hint on how to undo the strap.
Unfortunately, aside from ripping it off, she found no other method.
So she tried to tear the strap off with force—but it didn’t budge.
Then something sharp caught her finger, and a small cut opened at the tip of her index finger.
“Ah!”
As she instinctively brought the injured finger to her mouth, the tightly wrapped strap suddenly unraveled on its own.
“Why did it open?”
It hadn’t moved no matter how hard she tried before, yet now it opened out of nowhere. It was bewildering.
“…Well, it’s open. That’s what matters.”
There was no point trying to retrace the process she couldn’t explain.
What could be written inside?
As she prepared to open it, she noticed something on the cover—golden letters spelling “Rosegold.” Letters that hadn’t been there before.
“Huh? Was that always there?”
It shone too brightly for her to have missed it.
Puzzled, she tilted her head and flipped open the first page.
Then, as if ink were spreading in water, letters slowly surfaced across the paper.
[Only those who can read this book may witness the true beauty of Rosegold.]
Eyes widening at the magical phenomenon, Serena touched the letters.
She wondered if the freshly formed ink would smear on her fingers, but the only thing on her fingertip was a bead of blood that still hadn’t dried.
“Did I… imagine it…?”
She had spent two full days traveling by carriage. She was exhausted. Maybe she was hallucinating.
But when she turned to the next page, once again—
Letters emerged where there had been none.
[To the parched earth, a crimson warmth.]
“…!”
This time she saw it clearly. The writing really did appear as if by magic.
“Ah! Maybe this book uses the rare ink nobles write with.”
She had seen ink that shimmered rainbow-like under light.
Since it was a book passed down through generations of lords, it might indeed use magically enchanted ink.
Serena thought of Carlos.
It had been a one-time encounter, but she was truly grateful to have met him. Thanks to him, she didn’t react like a clueless country bumpkin now.
Of course, not understanding what the phrases meant was a separate issue.
“The true beauty of Rosegold…?”
It sounded like mixing oil and water.
There was nothing remotely beautiful about this barren land.
“And what does ‘crimson warmth on parched earth’ even mean?”
Parched earth was clearly Rosegold—but what was crimson warmth?
“They wouldn’t hand a riddle book down to every lord… would they?”
Maybe it was just the beginning. Many books had pointless fluff at the start.
If she skipped ahead, maybe she could find the real content.
Just as she prepared to flip several pages at once—
Even though she held it firmly, the book suddenly shot out of her hands as if it had a will of its own.
It fell to the floor with a thud and slipped right through the iron bars of the veranda.
“What?!”
She reached out quickly, but it was too late. The sun was setting, so she couldn’t even see where it fell.
Serena rushed outside to retrieve it. Luckily, it had fallen directly below her room.
As she picked it up to check for damage—
Her index finger stung sharply again.
“Ah!”
Startled, she dropped the book once more.
This time, the pain was significant. She must have reopened the earlier wound, because her entire finger throbbed intensely.
Sure enough, the cut was deep. Blood dripped down her finger, falling to the ground with soft splats.
“What stabbed me…?”
At this point, the book was practically a weapon.
Afraid to pick it up again, she brought her finger to her mouth—when a familiar voice suddenly called her name urgently.
