TDSWM Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Inside the Schlesen Castle’s study.

Mm, this is nice.

Gerald’s study radiated the beauty you’d expect to find in an old European castle.

After a whirlwind of a wedding, dealing with Sinclair’s troublesome relatives, and waking up only to duel with Mori, this was the very first taste of unexpected peace I had experienced since falling into this world, where I’d been in nonstop battle mode.

“Peace, peace divine, coming down from above~”

I unconsciously began singing the hymn I used to sing as a kid whenever I went to church to get snacks.

Once I closed the study door, even soundproofing kicked in.

That meant that no one could disturb me whether I sang, headbanged while belting out rock, or pointed my finger at the air while rapping.

A space entirely, exclusively my own—with no maids trailing me around all day long!

The tightly wound muscles that had felt like walking on thin ice every moment finally relaxed on their own.

If only I could recline on that velvet sofa, sip a warm Americano, and nibble on a soft tiramisu…

Ahh, if I hadn’t transmigrated, when would I have ever gotten my own private book café like this?

What background music would suit the moment?

Classical? Jazz? Acoustic guitar?

Well… I didn’t really need music. This moment was already perfect as it was.

I spread my arms wide, basking in the sunlight streaming down through the tall vertical windows. The dust motes glittered like fairies dancing around me.

Maybe I should pull out a book?

Hmm…

I pressed my nose to a leather-bound volume and inhaled. A fragrant cork-like smell rose from the leather.

Flip, flip—

Inside the fine leather cover, graceful handwriting filled the pages in perfect order.

The warm paper scent and nutty ink smell felt like a spoonful of sugar sprinkling onto the battlefield of my survival-weary heart.

To create just this one book, someone must have poured sleepless nights into copying it by hand. Another must have carefully gathered the pages and sewn them with silk thread, stitch by stitch.

Yet another would have hammered the leather flat, soaked it in preservatives so it wouldn’t rot, and gone through countless painstaking processes to make a durable cover.

Finally, someone would have brushed glue extracted from plants onto it, fixed it in a press, and watched over it for days until—at last—it became a single book.

Each volume contained the labor of so many people, the wisdom and devotion of an entire age. Standing before such a precious book, I couldn’t help but feel reverent.

And yet, there was something I craved even more desperately at that moment: a glass of cold, clear water.

That pure crystal rushing down my throat as I gulped it down was exactly what I longed for.

But here, the water was hard water.

Hard water, containing calcium hydroxide [Ca(OH)₂], wasn’t exactly harmful to the body—but it tasted chalky.

Besides, I once drank hard water in the past and got diarrhea, so now I was afraid to touch it.

And you couldn’t solve the hard water problem with simple filtering methods like sand or soil.

That’s because the lime wasn’t particulate matter—it existed as ions, dissolved calcium ions.

To remove it, the water would need to pass through cation and anion exchange resins, which could absorb and strip away the ions.

That would also effectively eliminate the abundant sulfates and carbonates in this land’s water.

As a former chemistry education major, I knew—I had to make a cation resin filter.

For myself, and for Theodore.

If I succeeded, I’d sell it like Kim Seon-dal selling water in the Joseon era.

If I even patented it, I wouldn’t just secure alimony after divorce—I could live my whole life in luxury.

On the first floor of the three-story study, I marveled at the shelves organized by discipline. Then, in front of the mineralogy collection, I clenched my fists and cried out, Eureka!

There it was—The Demonic Realm and Its Magic Stones!

I’d thought it would only exist in the Imperial Academy’s one-of-a-kind library.

Before pulling it out, I even offered a little prayer of thanks. To get exactly what I needed, so easily—and inside the house, no less!

When blessings come this easily, you’d better thank the universe, or misfortune might follow.

After all, nothing in the world comes without cost.

Thank you. With your wisdom as my foundation, I shall shamelessly profit to my heart’s content. Hehehehe…

Alright, let’s pull this one out.

Flipping through the table of contents, I saw illustrations, components, effects, and even mining regions of magic stones—all laid out in detail.

Wow, this was far more comprehensive than the summary I’d once read in a book.

Next on my urgent list: Compendium of Plants.

The food here was absolutely tasteless. To my 21st-century tongue, spoiled on sugar and salt, the blandness was unbearable.

From what I saw in the kitchen earlier, even sugar and spices were scarce.

Surely there had to be sugarcane or sugar beets somewhere in this land.

I moved toward the botany section, pulling out every book that seemed useful.

Ooh, Geography of the Demonic Realm—perfect.

Oh, Imperial Encyclopedia—a map of the empire? Yes, please.

Mmm, History and Culture of the Empire—I’ll take that too.

As I passed each shelf, my hands flew busily.

Earlier, when I reviewed the ledgers brought by the butler and head maid, I made a list of everything necessary for living here—and there weren’t just one or two.

Before I knew it, I had more books than one arm could carry.

I glanced around.

And there it was—exactly what I needed.

A cart for moving books, just like in a library.

Hehehe.

I dashed over, dragged the cart back, and happily piled on everything—books I needed, books I wanted, and even books that were just pretty.

Gerald’s footsteps quickened.

After Mori’s visit, his mind was in turmoil. Mori might be strict, but she cherished Theodore more than anyone. Naturally, Sinclair’s sudden interference would have felt insolent.

Still, he couldn’t act solely on Mori’s words. After all, Sinclair was now the lady of the house. It was right for her to oversee Theodore’s education and household affairs.

The butler and head maid had also said Sinclair collected the ledgers to organize house management properly. She did seem intent on fulfilling her role.

But then, a maid reported seeing her entering the main study.

Gerald muttered to himself as he walked.

“No, impossible. That can’t be. It’s not possible…”

The main study was sealed with a barrier only he could open. Not even the emperor himself could enter.

No one else was able to set foot inside.

So how on earth had she managed it?

Perhaps he’d been too quick to relax. Maybe her claim of having no interest in playing spy was a trick meant to lower his guard.

That study contained forbidden books—on magic, and on the Demonic Realm.

No matter if she was family now, no matter if she despised even contacting her kin…

It must never be revealed that such books were kept in Schlesen Castle.

And then—

Bang!

The moment he flung the door open, Gerald felt his heart stop.

Sinclair had piled the cart full of forbidden tomes on the Demonic Realm and was eagerly reading them, face buried in the pages, scribbling notes furiously.

“…Hah.”

Gerald strode over and snatched the notes from her hand.

Sinclair frowned.

“What is it?”

Even last night, she had frowned like that—apparently it was her habit.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

His sudden use of informal speech, and his cold glare, instantly soured her mood.

“Haa…”

Her sigh slipped out. The precious peace she’d just found shattered in an instant—and all thanks to her so-called husband.

Of course. In this cursed, doomed world, peace couldn’t possibly last.

“How did you open the door?”

What’s he on about?

Why was he acting like reading a book was some huge crime—scolding her and even dropping honorifics?

How rude, seriously.

To smash apart her peace like this, then talk down to her—rage boiled up inside.

“With my hands.”

Does she… know magic?

Gerald was startled. He grabbed her hand, pressing her palm to his own.

But… he felt nothing.

Sinclair blinked in alarm.

Is he crazy?

“What are you doing?”

She yanked her hand away.

Gerald was just as shocked. Was it really necessary to snatch her hand back so fiercely, as if he’d insulted her honor, just because he’d held it?

It must be because of that man…

His pride stung. Embarrassed by her rejection, his hand clenched into a fist.

“Who told you you could read these books?”

“Do I need permission?”

“I did not permit you access to this place.”

“…Haa.”

Her eyes stung, almost to tears.

Of course peace had come too easily.

But having already bitten into this forbidden fruit, she couldn’t just give it up.

Sinclair stood, crossed her arms, and glared up at him.

“Why not?”

“What do you mean, why?”

“If we’re married, everything that’s yours is mine. So why can’t I come in here?”

Her sharp gaze, like an autumn snake coiling with venom, rose up to meet his—and Gerald was momentarily at a loss for words.

“….”

Calmly, Sinclair snatched her notes back and sat down again, dismissing him with icy composure.

“Leave. Don’t disturb my sacred time. And stop speaking so rudely. I don’t like talking down to others either. Let’s live with some mutual respect.”

“…!”

The haughty pose—legs crossed, chin lifted—hit Gerald like a slap in the face.

But he quickly replayed in his mind the words on the notes she’d taken.

“The Demonic Realm’s Magic Stones, p. 56. Tibelision in Turanga region…”

These were minerals found in the Demonic Realm, sometimes even in Caricas territory.

Why was she copying all this down?

Along with lists of books? Did she mean to plot destruction like this?

Whoosh—!

“Ah! Fire, fire!”

Sinclair cried out, dropping the notes as they burst into flames in her hands, instantly turning to ash in the air.

Seeing Gerald’s magic firsthand for the first time, she panicked.

“Who gave you permission, and for what purpose, to copy these books’ lists and contents?”

Permission?

The words struck her ears like dirty water poured straight into them.

Her entire body trembled with fury.

Her lips quivered as she bit them, glaring at him with defiance.

Gerald, one eyebrow raised, stared back intently. He had to know her true intentions. What did she plan to do with these forbidden texts? Did she mean to report them, to bring ruin on his house?

“….”

Her lips trembled violently, her eyes blazing so fiercely they seemed ready to devour him whole.

“So, you’ve gone back to silence? Then let me ask again politely. Just how important was this information?”

His sarcastic echo of her demand for respect only fueled her rage further.

“Despot!”

“…What?”

“Petty, tyrannical despot!”

Sinclair’s whole body shook as she glared at him.