"There she is! Catch her now!"
An angry scream echoed in the alley. I grabbed the annoying dress and ran as fast as I could.
It is the capital, without a doubt.
Whether it's good or bad luck, even the back alleys are wide.
After I sneaked out the back door under the guise of having a dress fitted at the tailor's shop, my cousin's bodyguards proved annoyingly observant.
You damned bastard, do you think I'll give myself up easily?
She crossed the maze of alleys and hurried towards the shortcut.
I have studied the escape route dozens of times from maps, and I can even take it blindfolded.
The problem is Erica's limited physical fitness.
My breath was already rising to my chin, and my legs were swaying.
Really, I never asked to move into the body of a character in a novel!
Until recently, I was a regular librarian.
A junior employee in Korean society, she is more familiar with the fatigue of chronic overtime than with the freshness of youth.
This was the case, until I read that novel, “A Romance in the Royal Library.”
A vulgar romantic fantasy love story, in which Carlex, the Duke of the North, nicknamed “The Sword of the Kingdom of Ruberia,” and the elegant, beautiful Countess of Frisia, overcome adversity and achieve their love.
I thought it would be a good diversion during a boring mandatory overtime shift, but the moment I closed the book, a bright light exploded.
This was actually my last memory...
When I opened my eyes again, I had already become the secondary character, “Erica Dale.”
And not just an ordinary secondary character, but a low-level secondary character (E) who joins the rebellion due to her infatuation with the rebel leader, only to later end up with a fate of execution.
It is true that her end comes at the hands of the hero on the execution platform, but the weight of her character does not exceed “one of the members of the rebel group (E).” Not (A) nor (B), but (E)!
Isn't the general rule in this field that you should at least be a rival villain if you move into the world of a novel?
I didn't even have time to complain to heaven.
I was too busy thinking about how to escape Erica's unfortunate fate.
Her father, Baron Dale, her only family member, had long since died of an incurable illness.
In the ancient baron's mansion, there were only the nanny who had raised her since childhood, the elderly housekeeper, and a young maid.
As a final blow, Baron Dale's family had no male heir.
Cousin Ferdi, who used Erica's misfortune as an opportunity, seized the Diel family's wealth and lands, and even took on the title of baron.
When he first entered the Baron's family, he pretended to be gentle, saying that he would take care of me like his sister, but he quickly turned the tables like a palm.
He wanted to marry me to an old baron, claiming that he had found a suitable husband for me!
Pretending that the weak-hearted Erica needs a guardian to rely on other than him.
I even heard that he even received a large dowry behind the scenes.
What a despicable man.
If this marriage is that good, let him get married himself.
While I was thinking as a sister whether I should put poison in his glass of wine, the governess surreptitiously suggested to me:
“Don’t you remember, ma’am? Our master said that if anything should happen, ask the director of the Royal Library, Sir William, for help.”
This is correct. Erika had a connection to William, a minor character in the original novel and an influential figure in the kingdom.
Although this relationship was never shown in the original script to the point that I didn't even know it existed.
“And also, there seems to be this thing… if you ask the manager…”
What the nanny handed me was one piece of paper.
Announcement of 154th periodic recruitment for the position of Honorary Librarian in the Royal Library
The repository of human wisdom, the center of science and knowledge
The Royal Library invites young noble women who want to study culture and broaden their horizons.
Targets: Female nobles of the Kingdom of Ruberia, aged 17 years and above.
※ Accommodation is available in the administration building and a nominal monthly work allowance is paid.
Monthly salary with available housing! These are ideal conditions for escape.
Most importantly, all employees of the Royal Library enjoy the privilege of immunity.
It is a huge right that allows you to avoid the penalty for the crime of high treason, i.e. death.
This is because the Royal Library is a bastion of knowledge, and the threat of the authorities has always accompanied documentation and research operations.
It's not absolute, and there are several conditions to actually activate it, but it's better than nothing.
Thus, in order to ask Director William for help, I lied to Ferdi and told him that I agreed to marry the old baron.
But since marriage was a once-in-a-lifetime event, I pretended to be miserable and asked him to let me wear a nice dress, and to send me to a tailor shop in the capital.
Verdi quickly agreed, and even gave me a carriage, but sent two guards with me to watch me.
After arriving at the tailor's shop in the capital, she escaped out the back door under the guise of taking a break while she was being fitted for the dress.
“Can't you catch just one woman?!”
“I think it went that way!”
The sound of the pursuers' footsteps was getting closer and closer, as if they were about to grab my head.
I ran and ran barefoot, holding my shoes in my hands.
The soles of my feet were hurting from the rough stone path, but I didn't have time to notice it.
After running to the brink of exhaustion, I finally saw the Royal Library.
The majestic, elegantly atmospheric Royal Library, built of pure white stone, shone like an oasis discovered in the desert.
I quickly opened the huge door and entered.
For a moment, the bright light obscured my eyes.
As I blinked slowly, my vision returned.
The first to appear were countless books.
Giant bookshelves filled the walls of the library without space.
In the warm sunlight streaming from the glass ceiling, suspended dust particles were floating.
Finally the tension eased.
She collapsed, sitting on the floor.
One's professional inclinations cannot be deceived.
Truly, when I am in a library, my heart calms down.
After I regained my breath for a while, I got up and put on my shoes.
Now is not such a time.
I don't know when Verdi's guards might arrive. It's a bit strange that there are no visitors or even employees, but I have to find the director's room first...
“Are you sure she came here?”
At that moment, the library door opened violently.
She immediately hid behind one of the bookshelves.
Verdi's guards came in, complaining and making a fuss.
"Yes. I definitely entered here."
“Why are you standing around waiting like an idiot? Find her now!”
How stubborn they are.
I lowered my body and climbed the spiral staircase leading to the second floor.
After the second floor, on the third floor I saw quite a few doors lined up.
It seems that the third floor and above are not ordinary reading rooms.
“Sir, why don’t you come out while we have a nice talk?”
A harsh voice echoed off the high ceiling.
I peeked down to the ground floor from between the railings of the staircase, and saw a man who appeared to be an employee of the Royal Library rushing toward Verdi's guards.
“Gentlemen, please be quiet in the Royal Library. Jogging is not allowed here.”
“What? We are here to search for a precious noble lady.”
“And who are you to interfere? Will you take responsibility if we don’t find the lady? Huh?”
The guards became angry and made more noise, while the employee was confused.
I took the opportunity and hurriedly ran up to the fourth floor.
The fourth floor was filled with silence accumulated over the ages.
Even the air seemed heavy and serious, as if it refused to receive any visitors.
At the end of the long, wide corridor, there was a single door decorated with antique carvings and gold.
But what caught most attention was the strange symbol engraved on the door.
In the shape of a blooming flower, it shimmered faintly like a night lamp.
I walked towards him as if I was enchanted.
Looking closely, I saw graffiti written thickly around the icon's frame.
Although it was a language I had never seen before, it was not strange.
It felt as if my body remembered and understood her.
As if magnetically attracted to me, I traced the letters engraved on the door as I felt them.
“The book is the door to new worlds.”
At that moment, the writings flashed golden for a moment, then faded.
This sentence accurately described my current situation.
I was transported to another world through a book.
Maybe, beyond this door, I can find a way back?
As if enchanted, I grabbed the doorknob.
Knock
The latch turned, and the door opened as if waiting.
Beyond the door was a book warehouse decorated with fine furniture, porcelain, and antiques.
On the single bookshelf, there were dozens of thick, leather-bound volumes.
Thick velvet curtains covered the window, perhaps to prevent the sun from damaging the books.
I was afraid that Verdi's guards would catch me, so I quickly closed the door first.
Since I couldn't see, I pulled the curtain tight first.
Bright sunlight flooded the room.
I scanned the room with my eyes, and stopped at a small table in the middle.
On a soft pillow, a small compass was shining golden.
“Why is this here?”
Without thinking, she touched the relief on the compass frame, which depicted two snakes devouring each other's tails.
In the center of the needle, there was a green gem encrusted.
“It's beautiful...”
As I was muttering, light suddenly burst from the gem.
“What… what is this?”
Even the needle, which had been stationary, was now spinning like crazy.
I suddenly became frightened, thinking that I had damaged the compass by touching it unnecessarily.
While I was trying to put it back in place, I heard the door open behind me.
Not possible. Did those stubborn people even follow me here?
“Strangers are forbidden from entering the Magic Book Depository.”
But the voice I heard was that of a sarcastic man, deep and low in tone.
I froze and slowly turned my head.
“It looks like a thief has set foot here.”
A man in a purple coat was leaning against the door, staring at me.
I knew his identity intuitively.
Dark black hair, sharp cobalt blue eyes, clear facial features and an aristocratic air.
*Cobalt (Co): A hard, lustrous, silvery-gray transition metal with strong magnetic properties and high resistance to heat and corrosion.
Most importantly, a presence as heavy and arrogant as the heart of this world.
I can know it with one look.
Carlex Reinhardt, Grand Duke.
He was the hero of the novel “A Romantic Encounter in the Royal Library.”
[To be continued in the next chapter]