As Evanessa walked through the garden while thinking about this, she remembered one of the things from a few days ago that had remained unresolved. Back in the Palace Library, she had been swept away by the Prime Minister with the summons from the Emperor, so she hadn’t even been able to lay eyes on the history section.
Evanessa decided on an impromptu scheduled for this afternoon.
For lunch, she ate soft porridge with top quality beef and then left the villa. This time, a young maid in her mid-teens, who had helped with the makeover for the welcome ceremony, served as Evanessa’s guide.
“It’s a lovely day. I hope it’s this nice tomorrow.”
“It always rains when you say that, Saintess.”
“Would it be better if I took it back?
“Yes. There is a famous saying that words become seeds.”
‘Was it because the game was made by a Korean developer?’, wondered Evanessa, as she felt it was good to hear a familiar proverb despite the world being set in medieval Europe.
Evanessa, with a slight smile, looked at the babbling, young maid out of the corner of her eye. At first, the maid had appeared to be heavily burdened by the responsibility of attending to the saintess, but now her face had lightened considerably.
“What is your name?”
“Please feel free to call me Lina.”
“Well then, Lina. Call me Evanessa as well, not Saintess. Unni is fine too.”
Evanessa hated being called Saintess as it made her feel like a nun.
Lina’s eyes widened at Evanessa’s unconventional proposal.
“Oh! Are you serious, Saintess?”
“Yes. As long as you aren’t too uncomfortable with it, I don’t mind.”
“I would love that. Eve-unni.”
‘…I didn’t allow nicknames though.’
Lina, a lively teenager, introduced herself as the second daughter of Baron Seymound. Unless they serve the Imperial Family, most of the palace’s maids are mainly selected from the eldest or second-eldest daughters of viscounts or barons.
Unlike the common servants working in aristocratic households, only men and women from families of barons or higher statuses were allowed to serve in the Imperial Palace.
The only reason Evanessa had remembered this basic system was that she herself was the second daughter of a viscount.
‘Although I was handed over to the temple as I was born with the emblem of Lunium on my forehead.’
In return, Viscount Halyn took over a mine that the temple had secretly owned in an under-the-table transaction.
“When should I return to escort you?”, asked Lina, at the entrance of the library; as she had already noticed that Evanessa was bad with directions.
“I guess it would be impossible for me to go alone, wouldn’t it?”
“Yes. Then, I will see you here in two hours!”, shouted Lina cheerfully as she disappeared, running back towards the villa. Evanessa watched with exasperated eyes as Lina faded away into the distance, before entering the library.
The comforting smell of wood tickled her nose.
“Is there a book you’re looking for?”
Fortunately, this time, the librarian was sitting at the desk. He was a man who seemed to be in his mid-thirties.
“I would like to find a book on the history of the Empire. The one with the highest check-out rate.”
Only
The librarian, who was wearing thick glasses, stood up. Evanessa followed as he walked away through the tall bookshelves. The history and culture section was located on the second floor of the library.
Fortunately, Evanessa didn’t encounter any of the royal family, who she found difficult to deal with. Evanessa smiled in satisfaction as she received several thick books chosen for her by the librarian.
However, while approaching a wooden desk in search of a seat that was shaded from the sunshine, Evanessa’s face hardened in fear. She tried to quickly getaway, but she was a step too late.
Whilst, sitting in the shade and indulging in reading, the other person raised his head. Curly black hair hung disheveled over the bridge of his nose.
“This is quite a coincidence. I can’t believe we’ve run into each other twice already.”
There sat the Suspicious Extra, a person on the same blacklist as the Head Wizard.
***
Prince Yurisian had been unable to properly concentrate on the work in his office for several days. This was because Evanessa had suddenly changed the plan that had been in the works for several years.
