“I've got so much work on my hands... It must be because I'm cute.”
I mumbled seriously as I stared at the piles of documents piled up on my desk.
Losing my mind due to the large number of papers that needed to be dealt with was nothing but normal.
What wealth and pride am I seeking to endure all this suffering after proposing to establish a book club?!
We received investment support from the palace, so escape became impossible.
Since I took responsibility, I had to follow up on the general workflow.
I prepared the book club curriculum report and set the study schedule.
It also sent invitation letters to scholars and professors to take up teaching, and then held several interviews and meetings with the scheduled faculty members.
Meanwhile, I was sending out invitation letters to potential book club members and checking their responses, and a week passed in the blink of an eye.
Daily overtime became my staple, and I even doubted whether I had truly moved into this world.
I felt like I was still a librarian, but with the background changed to a fantasy romance novel.
“Ah, if I die from exhaustion, will I return to my home world?… Or is it enough for me to read a book set in the modern era while working overtime?”
Since I was transported into this world while reading “📚 Secret Love Meeting in the Royal Library”, wouldn’t I come back to reality if I read a book like “📚 Frantic Overtime in the Library”?
“Erica, what were you just mumbling to yourself? Are you okay?”
I don't know when I entered. Rose was standing behind the desk, watching me carefully with her arms crossed over her chest.
Don't you think I've lost my mind a little due to work pressure?!
I smiled a playful smirk, pretending I was fine.
“Nothing, I was just talking to myself. But when did you come, my dear?”
“A while ago, I was worried when you did not answer my repeated knocks on the door. I was afraid that something bad had happened to you. But...”
Rose murmured as she studied my face.
“I see you were really tired. Poor thing...”
She held my hand tightly and sent me a look of sincere sympathy.
“If you are going through anything difficult, open your heart to me at any time. I am your dear friend.”
I was overcome by a wave of emotion at her tender words.
“Really, I only have you, Rose. So, will you save me from this place?”
This is overtime prison.
I want you to contact the Capital Guard and ask them to get me out of here and take me to headquarters.
Rose avoided my pleading gaze and slowly withdrew.
“This is outside the scope of my duties, Chief Librarian.”
Really, it completely separates the personal from the practical.
Then Rose remembered something and snapped her fingers.
“Oh, I almost forgot. There is a visitor looking for you.”
“Visitor? Who is she?”
“Miss Rena of the Douglas family.”
As soon as I heard the name, I reflexively stood up.
"Miss Douglas? I was waiting for her answer because it didn't come. Is she out now?"
Rose gently patted my shoulder as if to calm me down.
"I asked her to wait in the drawing-room. But did Miss Douglas ask for the interview?"
"No. I haven't heard from you. Do you think she came up with something to do with the book club?"
The other ladies told me they wanted to attend the book club through letters.
This is the first time one of them has come in person.
Rose patted her palm with her fan that never left her side.
"I exchanged a few words with her, but she is not an ordinary woman. The bourgeois Douglass may have collapsed, but they have long enjoyed a prominent position in science. Over the generations, they have produced outstanding scientists and competent public servants."
“Really? Thank you for that information. I’ll keep it in mind.”
When did she fully complete her research on the Douglass family?
I nodded, admiring Rose's precision in her work.
“Well, I'll fetch Miss Douglas, Chief Librarian, then.”
These days, Rose speaks meekly to me when we're alone, but is very respectful in formal matters.
كانت روز على وشك الخروج عندما توقفت واستدارت.
She delivered the advice with an unusual look.
“Convince Miss Douglas that if you win her heart, you will be able to lead the book club to success.”
***
I was waiting anxiously for Miss Douglas, and a little while later I heard a knock at the door.
I hurried to open it, and was greeted with a bright smile.
“You're welcome, Miss Douglas.”
Rena Douglas.
She is a woman in her mid-twenties, with unwavering calm and composure.
She was wearing a simple, no-frills navy blue dress, and her long, light brown hair was neatly tied back.
She was wearing glasses, a rarity among noble ladies, and the blue eyes sparkling with intelligence behind the golden frame were eye-catching.
Rina grabbed the hem of her dress and greeted me with impeccable politeness.
“I apologize for coming in without notice, Chief Librarian, Miss Dale.”
“It's okay. I'm happy to meet you. I'll make you a cup of tea. Please have a seat.”
I guided Rena to the sofa, then took out the tea leaves and tea cups from the cupboard.
I put the tea leaves in the teapot and poured hot water.
A sweet and refreshing fragrance spread throughout the office.
While the tea was steeping, I shot Rena a glance.
Although my taste is quite different from this, most people were either surprised or interested to see my overly luxurious office.
But she sat upright, her gaze directed forward.
I offered her a cup of golden-black tea and we exchanged pleasantries.
“I hope you like the tea.”
Aina raised the cup with one hand and held the saucer with the other.
She smelled it first and then tasted it slowly, tasting it very elegantly.
She put the cup down and smiled slightly.
“The tea tastes great and smells delicious.”
“That's very kind of you. Thank you.”
I also drank the tea, and continued to watch her without her realizing it, from behind the cup.
Although she was from a decadent bourgeois family, her morals were impeccable.
It was clear that she had received a rigorous education, as befitted a family of great scholarship.
The information about her suffering after the death of Baron Douglas appears to be true.
When I sent out the book club invitation, I learned that she lived in the public housing area.
It seems that she has no maid, her fingertips are rough.
Her dress is simple and unadorned, and she does not see any earrings, necklaces, or hair ornaments.
But she showed no shrinkage, but was calm and collected, her dark blue eyes sparkling with intelligence.
With the friendliest smile I could muster, I started the conversation first.
“Miss Douglas, thank you for visiting the Royal Library. What brings you to me?”
“I'll be honest with you.”
Her blue eyes looked at me firmly.
“What is the purpose of starting a book club?”
Her sharp question took me by surprise like an arrow, and I was speechless for a moment.
“What do you mean?...”
Before I could find a response, Lina continued speaking calmly.
"When I looked at the book club curriculum, I did not find materials on etiquette or culture for noble ladies, but rather similar to academy materials. Of course, it is not bad to learn these materials, as they are good for satisfying intellectual vanity."
Her cold and harsh criticism suddenly aroused a feeling of rebellion in me.
“Intellectual arrogance? Your words are too harsh.”
I held my nerves and suppressed the anger in my voice.
“I created the book club to provide a little help to young ladies to develop their dreams and choose a new path. Please do not misunderstand my sincere intentions.”
I felt Rena's cold gaze watching me.
Her gaze was sharp, as if she wanted to discern whether my intentions were sincere or not.
“The children of nobles learning these subjects in the academy are either to enter the world of politics in the future and hold government positions, or to manage their lands, meaning it is necessary knowledge for them. But it is useless knowledge for the poor ladies who do not even have land, and who gave their community parties but could not find grooms.”
Rena paused to take a breath, then narrowed her eyes.
A hidden threshold rippled in her blink.
“You said you wanted to help them develop their dreams? Don’t you realize that those are false dreams? How are you going to take responsibility for the frustration of a dream that cannot be achieved?”
Her voice was excited, but her posture remained conservative, and her mirrored glasses glinted coldly.
But why did I feel the bitterness and frustration in her eyes behind the glasses?
Her refusal to even dream is undoubtedly due to her circumstances.
Baron Douglas was a respected scholar with a loving personality.
But he was defrauded after he loaned money to a relative to finance a project, and then he fell ill and died.
Rena was then engaged to the son of another noble family.
With the death of the head of the family, the family's situation deteriorated rapidly, and she received a notice of unilateral cancellation of the engagement.
Even relatives ignored her, and I heard that Rina is currently living with her elderly mother in difficult circumstances.
I raised the cup of tea and took a sip, then stared at her quietly.
“I am also from a noble family, and I ran away to escape a forced marriage.”
My story seemed to surprise her, and her shoulders shrugged a little.
It must have been surprising.
I smiled bitterly.
The widespread image of me, Erica Dale, as the chief librarian of the royal library, and the lady of war shooting arrows of fire, is garish and fantastical.
“There was no eldest son in my family, so my cousin legally seized the land and title at that time. I felt deeply frustrated and helpless. I was angry at the fact that I could not protect anything with my strength.”
I stopped talking and looked at my hands for a moment.
The backs of my hands are rough, and my fingertips are stained with black ink.
Because of my daily archery training, my palms had a lot of cuts from the bowstring.
I am not ashamed of my rough, callus-filled hands.
On the contrary, I am proud of them.
They are the ones who made a way for me to live in my own strength, even if not completely. And they will continue to do so.
“So...I wanted no one to go through the same thing as me so I decided to create a book club that helps women protect themselves.”
Rena's expression softened slightly.
“I understand your good intentions, Miss Dale, but what I'm asking about is what comes after the book club.”
She frowned slightly and continued speaking.
“In Ruberia, the poor lady has no way to become self-reliant other than marriage. She cannot farm or trade like the common people. How will the book club benefit the ladies then?”
I looked at Rena with tenderness and a warm smile.
I haven't told anyone yet. Neither Her Majesty, nor Carlex and the Crown Prince, nor even the library staff, are aware of the true purpose of the book club.
This is because the ladies, who are responsible for managing the book club, must know about it first.
Because the true goal will not be achieved unless I convey to them my sincere intentions, and they devote their hearts to it as well.
“My real goal is...”
Loving translation