Chapter 4: The Marquess’s Daughter’s Misunderstanding

“Come to the library after school.”

Viola Nelson said only that in the hallway during lunch break, then walked away.

It was phrased as an order.

From a marquess’s daughter to a viscount’s daughter, it posed no issue in terms of rank.

But I could feel the surrounding students’ gazes gather on us for a brief moment.

Several days had passed since the courtyard luncheon.

I had not crossed paths with Viola since that day, but it seemed I had not been forgotten.

Her words, “Remember that,” had been sincere.

After school.

When I opened the library door, Viola was already seated in the back reading area, arms crossed.

Gilbert was nowhere to be seen.

He was not in his usual seat today.

The absence alone made the air in the library feel slightly different, perhaps because I had seen him here every day for over a month.

I placed my bag on the counter and walked toward Viola.

One does not ignore a summons from a marquess’s daughter.

“I was told you wished to see me, so I have come.”

I bowed lightly.

Viola looked straight at my face.

“Sit.”

She indicated the chair opposite her with her chin.

I sat as instructed.

She remained silent for a while, arms still crossed.

Her gaze was assessing, as though trying to discern something.

The hostility I had seen in the courtyard had not vanished, but the fear beneath it was more pronounced today.

“If you’re not the Saint’s agent, show me proof.”

“…Proof, you say?”

“I’m certain that Saint spread the rumors about Katia. But I have no evidence. I’ve been investigating, but all I find are fragments. I can’t see the whole picture.”

Her voice lowered.

“And then you appeared. You approached Katia and picked up her handkerchief. If you’re planted by the Saint, then that means my investigation is already compromised.”

So she had called me here to confirm it.

I was not the Saint’s agent.

But proving a negative is difficult in any world.

If I used knowledge from the game, I could state plainly that the rumors about Katia were the Saint’s doing.

But if asked how I knew, I would have no explanation.

I needed another approach.

“Viola-sama, may I ask you something?”

“What?”

“When did the rumors about Katia-sama begin to spread?”

Her brow shifted slightly.

“…About two weeks after enrollment. Suddenly, you started hearing them everywhere.”

“The Saint enrolled in this academy on the same day as we did.”

“Yes. So?”

“As the library management assistant, I verify the dates on academy notices and circulated documents. On the day the Saint enrolled, a notice welcoming her was posted on the academy board. The date of that notice and the earliest recorded instance of rumors about Katia-sama—the acceptance date of an anonymous submission to the academy’s consultation office—fall within the same week.”

I was following procedures I had learned as a librarian in my previous life.

Simply arranging facts in chronological order.

No conjecture.

“The coincidence of the rumor’s emergence and the Saint’s enrollment may be just that—coincidence. I am only conveying the result of aligning the dates.”

Viola’s gaze shifted.

It was not hostility this time.

“…How do you know that?”

“Library management records academy postings. And the consultation office’s acceptance dates are circulated to the library in report form.”

It was not a lie.

As part of my duties, I had access to academy documents.

Remembering their dates was simply a habit from my former life.

“What I’m asking is why you noticed the date alignment.”

“I only placed the dates side by side. Whether their alignment holds meaning is not something I can judge.”

Viola leaned back in her chair and looked up at the ceiling.

“…That alone doesn’t amount to circumstantial evidence.”

“Yes. It may be coincidence.”

“But for coincidence, it’s too neat.”

I offered no response.

Going further would exceed the bounds of a management assistant’s role.

Viola lowered her gaze from the ceiling and looked at me.

Her expression was clearly different from before.

The hostility had not disappeared, but something else had mixed into it.

“You’re a strange one.”

“I am honored.”

“That wasn’t a compliment.”

The library door opened.

Two young ladies entered.

They were part of Viola’s circle.

I recognized them from the luncheon.

Both were daughters of lower-ranking noble houses affiliated with the Nelson family, maintaining their social standing by staying close to Viola.

When they saw me, their expressions turned openly displeased.

“Viola-sama, so this is where you were. And… why is she here?”

One of them pointed at me.

“A mere viscount’s daughter daring to approach a marquess’s daughter. You should know your place.”

The other spoke loudly enough for her voice to echo down the hallway.

Viola began to open her mouth.

But before she could speak, I stood.

“Ladies, this is the library.”

There was no need to raise my voice.

I spoke in the same tone I always used as management assistant.

“The library is open to all students. Use for purposes other than reading or study is discouraged. If you have no business here, you are disturbing other students.”

They fell silent for a moment.

It was a management assistant’s warning.

Not a viscount’s daughter rebuking those connected to a marquess.

Simply the library management assistant enforcing usage rules.

“…What are you?”

“The library management assistant.”

I gave the same answer, in the same tone.

The same words I had spoken to Katia in the courtyard.

They glared at me, but perhaps judged that escalating matters inside the library would not be wise.

With a click of their tongues, they left.

The door closed behind them.

Viola wore an odd expression.

“…You’ve got nerve.”

“I merely conveyed the library’s regulations.”

“Those two will remember you. This might become troublesome.”

“I am aware.”

A viscount’s daughter admonishing those affiliated with a marquess.

It was enough to make me a target of petty harassment.

But as an action taken in the capacity of library management assistant, there was no breach of rank.

Viola stood.

“I don’t trust you.”

“Yes.”

“But you don’t seem to be the Saint’s dog either.”

With that, she left the library.

The sound of the door closing echoed in the quiet room.

From hostility to suspension.

She still did not trust me.

But she no longer regarded me as harmful.

That was sufficient.

No further connection was necessary.

I returned to the counter and opened the catalog ledger.

Today I had planned to check the shelves at the back of the closed stacks.

If I kept my hands moving, I would not dwell on unnecessary thoughts.

As I reached for my pen, I sensed a presence in the corner of the library.

Someone stood in the shadow of the shelves.

Since when?

Had he been there the entire time during my conversation with Viola?

Deep blue eyes watched me from between the shelves.

Gilbert Weiss.

I had thought he was absent today.

Instead of his usual seat, he had been standing in the shadows.

When our eyes met, the corner of his mouth moved slightly.

He looked as though he might say something.

“…No. It’s nothing.”

He said only that and walked to his usual seat.

He took a book from his bag and sat down.

The same familiar movements.

But just before sitting, he glanced back at me.

“You don’t realize it, but—”

His words trailed off.

He shook his head and opened his book.

Perhaps I should have asked what I did not realize.

But I did not.

If I asked, I would take another step away from being a mob.

I sat back down at the counter and opened the ledger.

Pen in hand.

Had I been dragged in?

Or had I stepped in on my own?

I no longer knew.

I had only picked up a handkerchief.

Aligned dates.

Spoken library rules.

None of it was extraordinary.

And yet, those “ordinary” actions felt as though they were beginning to shift something.

I wanted to believe it was only my imagination.

I looked out the window.

The evening sky was tinted pale crimson.

The usual after-school color.

From the back seat, I heard Gilbert turning a page.

A quiet library.

The familiar scent.

The familiar light.

But today, the air felt slightly different.

I did not know what had changed.

I only knew it was not the same as yesterday.

I lowered my gaze to the ledger.

My hand moved more slowly than usual as I copied the classification numbers.