Chapter 52
Noxia liked seeing Elenen every single day. Each time, it was almost regretful that only such a short amount of time was allowed.
The daily routine of an academy student was busy, and every time he came to borrow or return a book, he couldn’t linger for long.
Using the excuse of helping him find books, the roughly fifteen minutes they spent slowly walking between the bookshelves together was all that was given to them each day.
Noxia pretended she wasn’t, but she felt thirsty for more. Fifteen minutes wasn’t enough. It was frustrating that, in accordance with library rules, they had to lower their voices as much as possible and do nothing but whisper, avoiding other people’s eyes and ears.
Noxia waited desperately for Sunday. At least then, they would be able to talk at a normal volume. She would be able to laugh out loud without worrying about others’ gazes.
‘But it’s impressive that he’s managed to come alone every time so far.’
On her way home from work on Friday evening, the thought suddenly crossed Noxia’s mind. The prince was always surrounded by people whenever she saw him elsewhere, yet throughout this entire week, he had come to the library alone.
‘…Won’t his friends find it strange?’
What sort of plausible lie had the prince, who usually lived hemmed in by bustling crowds, used to shake everyone off and escape alone to the library? Just to meet a commoner librarian friend he kept hidden tight like a secret treasure.
When Noxia thought that Elenen might have willingly isolated himself from the group he usually moved with just to meet her alone, her heart felt uncomfortable.
At the same time, she recalled what he had said at last week’s masquerade ball.
[And please don’t worry about the friends who came with me. They’re not very important.]
Had those words merely been empty talk meant to placate her in the moment, or had they been a confession spoken from the heart? If it was the former, it would be slightly unpleasant and that would be the end of it—but if it was the latter, it felt terribly pitiful.
‘Saying that his friends aren’t very important… that’s just too lonely.’
Yes, it was terribly pitiful. Pitiful and heartbreaking. A noble prince who seemed to have everything, yet his life was steeped in so much loneliness.
Even as she hoped she could become a special comfort to someone like him, Noxia agonized over whether that feeling might turn into something as ugly as possessiveness.
A desire welled up inside her—to become the one and only person in his life. But was that really a righteous emotion? Wishing that he would feel true happiness through no one else but herself?
‘Shouldn’t I be wishing for the prince to be happy, no matter where he is, what he’s doing, or who he’s with—even if it’s not me?’
Lost in thought, carefully analyzing her own feelings, Noxia crossed the campus grounds. Then, at a spot some distance away from the school gate, she noticed something and came to an abrupt halt.
In front of the gate, where departing faculty and students heading home were mingled together, there was a uniquely large group of students. At a glance, they all looked like university students, and in terms of gender, there was an even mix of men and women.
They were gathered in a formation that encircled a single person at the center. That one person was taller than the rest, so his golden hair stood out clearly among the crowd.
She could see his gently smiling face and eyebrows curved like a painting. When someone spoke to him, he turned his head in that direction and kindly replied to whatever was said.
Then, when a female student with an especially charming air lightly placed a hand on his arm and whispered something to him, he burst into clear laughter, as if he had just heard a very delightful joke.
Noxia stood there blankly, staring at him. Elenen Hermeon—the noble second prince of this country. He wasn’t as influential as his older brother and sister, but he still maintained a good reputation wherever he went and was immensely popular.
The students surrounding him were closer to followers than friends. She could infer that much just by watching from afar.
They craved the prince’s attention, and the kind, exemplary prince carefully tended to each of their clinging appeals, giving them the answers they wanted.
He was undoubtedly the Elenen Noxia knew, yet at the same time, he felt like a complete stranger. It was as though he were a clown wearing the mask of the boy she knew.
Noxia stood still in place, gazing quietly at the prince. Then she silently turned around and headed not for the main gate, but for the back gate across the campus.
The prince never noticed the girl until the very end.
Saturday arrived. With the holiday upon her, Noxia slept in to her heart’s content, only dragging herself out of bed around noon to eat a lazy lunch with a disheveled face.
By the time it was time to head out for the tea gathering, Noxia’s mind had cleared a bit. After washing up thoroughly and changing her clothes, she left the house in a fairly nervous state.
The walk from her rented home to the Marquis Holby’s residence had become familiar by now. Still, since this was her first time going to socialize with people other than Karnen, her heart pounded with an excitement that bordered on fear.
When Noxia rang the doorbell, a servant of the marquis family opened the door. After entrusting her coat to a polite attendant, Noxia followed another servant upstairs.
Although she already knew the location of Karnen’s reception room, she had to wait for the servant’s guidance in accordance with noble etiquette.
Only after the servant knocked respectfully and permission to enter was granted from inside did the door open. Noxia stepped in.
“Nox, you’re here!”
Karnen, who had been waiting inside, approached her with a beaming smile. For a moment, Noxia forgot her nervousness and smiled back at her friend.
The two girls shared a light hug. Since Rachel and Daisy had not yet arrived, the room held only the two of them. On the reception table, a generous spread of refreshments for four people had already been laid out.
“You’re the first to arrive, Noxia. As expected, you’re diligent.”
“I’m not diligent—I’m nervous. If I’d opened the door and walked in to see three people staring at me all at once, I might’ve shrunk back and run away. I left early on purpose to avoid that.”
“What do you mean, timid? My bravest friend in the world. Sometimes you’re so brave it worries me. The adults always say that ignorance breeds courage, you know…”
“Are you calling me ignorant right now? Should I just leave?”
As Karnen teased her with a grin, Noxia pretended to sulk. Laughing, Karnen took Noxia’s hand.
“No, don’t go. I was just joking. I couldn’t possibly call someone as smart as you ignorant.”
“Good. That’s more like it.”
The two girls smiled at each other. They were so busy trading jokes that they nearly missed the knock at the door. From outside, a servant announced:
“My lady, Miss Rachel Dallian and Miss Daisy Roven have arrived.”
“Please let them in.”
Rachel and Daisy entered. Rachel was a tall blonde young lady with clear, sharp eyes, while Daisy was a petite girl with small stature and reddish-brown curly hair cutely tied up.
“Karnen, it’s been a while!”
“Thank you for inviting us.”
“Thank you for accepting the invitation. Now, everyone, please sit.”
“Hello, Miss Dekan. It’s nice to see you again.”
“It’s nice to see you again as well, Miss Dallian. And you too, Miss Roven.”
The newly arrived girls greeted Karnen warmly and Noxia shyly. Karnen watched them with a gentle expression, like a kindergarten teacher.
The four of them sat around the table. After exchanging the usual greetings, everyone grew busy sharing updates about their lives.
As the host, Karnen diligently poured tea into both her guests’ cups and her own, while Noxia grew unusually quiet, taking on the role of listening attentively to the other girls’ stories.
“By the way, are you all going to keep speaking formally to each other?”
“Huh?”
“You two and Noxia—we’re all the same age anyway, and we’re friends. Wouldn’t it be better to speak more casually with each other?”
Once the fragrant drinks had filled the four delicate teacups and the conversation had warmed up a bit, Karnen made the suggestion.
The other three girls all fell silent at once, exchanging glances for a moment. Then Rachel let out a small laugh and said cheerfully to Noxia:
“If you’re all right with it, that is. May I call you casually from now on, Noxia?”
“Of course, Rachel.”
“Then I’ll just call you by your name from now on.”
“Me too.”
Once Noxia and Rachel—who shared similarly bright and energetic personalities—took the lead in dropping formal speech, the shy Daisy soon joined in as well.
When all four of them became comfortable calling each other by name, the conversation flowed much more smoothly.
Rachel and Daisy were curious about Noxia’s life as a librarian, and Noxia happily answered their questions. Their friendly interest was both enjoyable and gratifying.
“Let’s come visit sometime too. Would that be okay?”
“Of course. It’s not like I own the library. You don’t need to ask me—just come whenever you like.”
“Actually, I’ve never been to the academy library even once. I usually just borrow books elsewhere. Since I never attended the academy, I feel oddly embarrassed about going.”
“Same here. And if I happened to run into someone I knew there…”
“Exactly.”
An awkward tone gradually seeped into Rachel and Daisy’s conversation.
Not knowing the background, Noxia fell silent with a puzzled expression. Karnen glanced at Noxia’s face, then gently explained:
“Like me, they didn’t attend the Royal Academy either. Rachel studied abroad, and Daisy, like me, was educated under private tutors.”
“That’s right. My parents are rather old-fashioned. Their views on education are quite conservative, so they firmly believe that studying one-on-one under proven teachers is better than attending school together with other kids.”
Daisy added with a sigh. At first, she had been hesitant and awkward around Noxia, but once she started talking, she opened up freely.
“Well, it’s not like they neglected my education, thankfully. I really did study hard under reputable private tutors. And not just one, either. I had different teachers for different subjects, so I have several mentors.”
“And some of them overlapped with mine. You remember how we sometimes took lessons together and did joint assignments, right, Daisy?”
“Of course. Studying alone was nice, but studying together was fun too. I think both have their pros and cons, don’t you? When you study alone, you can focus more deeply, but when you study together, you can help each other with what you don’t know.”
“That’s probably why attending school is encouraged these days. Even if it’s not necessarily the academy.”
“Eh, isn’t school a bit different? It’s not just a couple of close friends gathering—it’s a huge crowd swarming together. I think that’s something that should be considered separately.”
