Chapter 10 (1/2)

“That is true. Um, I’ll lend you the book you chose.”

“I would be grateful.”

Ray put down the book and said.

“Since there is medicinal water that is good for sleeping in the sitting room for servants, please have a sip. If you have a drink, the quality of your sleep will increase.”

It was said with politeness towards Vivian, who appeared to have just awoken from a nightmare.

How polite. Is he like that to everyone?

To be honest, it was the first time Vivian had seen a scholar approach a stranger and converse with them. Even then, she couldn’t help but feel that the interaction was formal and almost scripted. His generous actions appeared to only firmly construct a wall between them.

He said he was a commoner, but his aura screamed aristocrat.

It’s like an onion –  even after you peel back layers, you still have much to discover.

But she wanted to peel off more layers.

According to the data from the many people she had observed and analyzed, such people were better left alone since it was hard to predict what kind of beast laid underneath all those layers.

Indeed, I can’t. I shouldn’t.

Vivian reminded herself that she, herself, had gotten into one hell of a fix, and suppressed the impulse to bother him. That’s that, first, let’s handle my bloody nose. Vivian pressed the aromatic handkerchief to her nose and lowered her head.

“Hm?”

She couldn’t help but let out an exclamation of astonishment when she saw the cover of the book that Ray wished to borrow. It was a romance novel that had once drawn the popularity of numerous young aristocratic ladies.

It was also the novel that Vivian read every night as she dreamed of becoming the author of a romance novel. The novel was the textbook definition of romance.

“R.. romance?”

Oh my, how could it not befit its reader to this extent?

Though she knew it was impolite, Vivian couldn’t help glance at the book then at Ray then back at the book again. She couldn’t possibly understand his preference in books. He always picked books without consideration of genre or level of expertise.