Chapter 42 – Episode 42. Champagne and Citrus Sauce Should Not Be Eaten Together (4)
Breakfast was a decent pumpkin soup.
Astrid personally had a chimney-like desire to eat spicy soup, but there are things she wants and shouldn’t want in this era, but unfortunately, spicy dishes were the latter.
‘It’s not too bad though… ‘
“Astrid.”
Leopold, who was eating soup across the street. Astrid, who had been eating the soup silently with a spoon, instead of raising her head, only slightly raised her eyes to stare at Leopold.
“… Avoid drinking as much as possible.”
“I think so. After getting sick once, the constitution seems to change. Thank you for your concern.”
Leopold hesitated when he heard that his constitution had changed after he got sick.
Leopold knew very well that Astrid had collapsed, had fallen down the stairs and had not regained consciousness for a month. Even so, the fact that he hadn’t even visited the hospital left Leopold with a sense of debt.
I put it off for a day or two, so that’s how it turned out. He had to make up his mind to go because it took a week to get there.
‘It’s not just that.’
Burden.
Leopold was reluctant to Astrid. Rather than being reluctant, he hated Astrid. Hadn’t Leopold himself been ill for three days because of Astrid? As Astrid made the 10-year-old crown prince stay at his place for three days, leaving aside the reaction of his surroundings, even Leopold himself, the crown prince, couldn’t treat Astrid well.
Besides, I couldn’t understand Astrid, who was the main culprit who made it so cold-hearted.
“Anyway, thank you for your consideration.”
Astrid, who had eaten the last spoonful of pumpkin soup, split the bread in half and sifted through the bottom of the soup. Astrid finished her meal cleanly, skimming the soup to the last drop with bread, and set her tableware down on her table, where her attendant came and cleared the plate.
“It was a delicious soup. I really enjoyed the meal.”
Astrid lightly greets the attendant.
Taking a direct hit from her white smile, the attendant bowed deeply with her face blushing.
‘Astrid… Said hello?’
Leopold’s eyes, who were watching her, had a small, but noticeable difference. Leopold was no different, but Astrid was a born aristocrat, so she wasn’t the kind of woman to say thank you to these attendants.
Moreover, Astrid must have been even stricter in this master-servant relationship since she walked the battlefield right after receiving the protection of the stars.
It was strange for Leopold to see her say hello to her attendant.
“Yeah, I heard you two spent the night together.”
“Kheuk.”
After breakfast, it was a light tea time with the emperor Kreuz.
Steam rises at the table where Kreuz, Leopold, and Astrid are sitting together.
Astrid, who was drinking her tea, coughed as if she had heard it, and Leopold took out her handkerchief from her table and handed it to Astrid.
“I simply put the drunk Lady Mitterien in the guest palace, Your Majesty. Please refrain from saying words that could be misunderstood.”
Leopold responded calmly, but Kreuz, who was watching the two of them, didn’t seem to have any intention of doing that.
He had a smile on his face that was so funny, so no matter what Leopold said, Kreuz seemed unwilling to change his mind.
“Lungs, Your Majesty. There are many ears to hear.”
In the end, even Astrid came forward to dissuade him, and then Kreuz shut his mouth.
“It doesn’t matter anyway, does it? Even if it’s an academy, only Leopold is obliged. Astrid, you are not obliged.”
Again, Kreuz’s words were not wrong. He must graduate from Leopold, the crown prince, to inherit the throne only after he graduates from the academy, but Astrid had no such obligation.
So, from the point of view of Kreuz, it can only be seen that he followed Leopold because he went.
“Your Majesty, but private relationships such as marriage and engagement are prohibited while attending the academy. For the next 4 years… “
From Leopold’s point of view, Kreuz seemed eager to marry the two of them at any moment. For some reason, it is clear that Kreuz likes Astrid so much that she wants to marry her right away.
“What does that matter?”
“Yes?”
The academy was barred from private relations until graduation. If caught, school rules will be applied as soon as they are caught, and in severe cases, sanctions such as expulsion will be imposed.
So, like Leopold and Astrid, they chose the academy as a way to buy time somehow, not to break off their engagements, but to find plausible reasons for each other to break up their engagements.
However, when Kreuz said that such a rule had nothing to do with it, the two couldn’t help but be stunned.
“Am I not the emperor? Come on, Leopold. Tell me Are the academy rules on top, or am I on top? If I ask for an exception, can you refuse?”
At those words, Leopold shut his mouth.
*
“Looks like you’re trying to get married somehow.”
“It seems so.”
【Isn’t that obvious? You, you’re not trying to talk nonsense about whether marriage is impossible or not, right?]
‘No. I will definitely keep my promise.’
She tried hard to pretend she didn’t hear the real Astrid’s voice blaring in her head, but when she ignored it from a while ago, she was only slowly matching her rhythm because the real Astrid was starting to riot.
【Besides, Your Highness must be thinking of getting married as well!】
‘No, where are you looking?’
She is usually kind to her fiancée. Although Leopold was kind at first glance now, it was a kindness that felt distant somewhere. It’s far from sincere kindness, so in the end, it’s just kind enough to treat others… That was just about it.
【Last night, you kept your virginity until the very end despite your behavior! There is no doubt that you value it.]
The real Astrid explained what happened and how it went. So she didn’t bother vomiting at what she said about her being a fox or being a bitch. She really didn’t know what to say if she acted that way.
Besides, the real Astrid wasn’t smart enough to make up such a lie so naturally.
‘Now I have to find a way to get back quickly. It’s going to be really big trouble if I stay like this.’
【I’ll cooperate too, so let’s find a way to get back quickly.】
“-I wish I could, but are you listening?”
“Yes?”
Leopold seemed to have said something.
Leopold, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, was staring at Astrid.
“Excuse me. I watched the flowers in the garden for a while because they were so beautiful.”
“A flower… “
Words that didn’t suit him came to his lips, and he managed to swallow them. Sorry anyway Astrid is also a woman, so it’s rude to say that. Leopold stared at Astrid again and said.
“I have something to talk about, do you have time?”
“Yes… ?”
Why.
What kind of discussion
“It’s not something to talk about here, so I’ll visit the Grand Duchess of Mitterien around dinner time.”
“… All right.”
*
It was morning when Astrid left the imperial palace.
Before the sun was yet to rise, Astrid’s carriage left the imperial palace and headed for the Grand Duke’s house in Mitterien, and Astrid called for the attendant who rode with her.
“Please change the destination.”
“Where can I take you?”
“Please go to the Imperial Library.”
It would take time to enter the Grand Duke’s family and come out again, and it would be best to act quickly when he made up his mind.
【Hey, did you have any intention of going back?】
‘What a strange noise again.’
【I thought you were trying to beat Her Highness first.】
No way.
Never.
‘I? To Leopold? It’s impossible. Don’t worry, it will never happen. Rather, have you ever been to the Imperial Library?’
【Didn’t I tell you?】
‘What?’
【Heroes don’t study. What do I go to the library for?]
It was so bold that I didn’t even think about it that way.
While having a conversation with the real Astrid, the carriage left the downtown area and entered the outskirts. It’s just that the words are good, it’s marginal, and it’s a little less bustling.
Soon, a huge building appeared.
A high-rise building that was not small even compared to the imperial palace, and looked like it could easily exceed 10 floors at a cursory glance, appeared.
“This is the Imperial Library. After returning, can I report that Lady Mitterien went to the Imperial Library?”
“Do by that way.”
If the VIP’s destination has changed, of course it would be appropriate to report it, Astrid nodded her head kindly.
【This is the Imperial Library. First time here… Ugh, the smell of books.]
‘I’m proud of it.’
As befits an imperial library, there was a side door large enough for people to enter and exit at the front gate, guarded by a huge iron gate. Apparently, the iron gate was just a decoration or used when a high official was in procession, and it seems that this side gate was actually used for people entering and leaving, so Astrid approached the side gate and talked to the figure who appeared to be a guard.
“My name is Astrid von Mitterien. I want to go into the Imperial Library, can I go in right away?”
Her guard looked at her for a moment, then opened her eyes wide.
“Now, wait a minute!”
Then, he hurriedly rushed into the security room and came out with the list. A list in one hand and a pen in the other.
“Hey, you can write your name and purpose of visit here. You have already obtained permission to use it, so you can go in immediately after filling out the form!”
“Thank you.”
The Imperial Library was built in a style similar to that of the Imperial Palace.
It is a library that only a few authorized people can use, so few people actually use it compared to its size. There were few people.
“Excuse me.”
“Yes, what are you doing?”
Since most of the users were high-ranking nobles, most of the librarians were courteous and courteous. The librarian nodded with a commercial smile on his face when Astrid started talking to him.
“I’d like to find some data on summoning magic or space magic, are there any?”
Summon or space.
Astrid thought that it was most likely that she was drawn here from another world because someone had summoned her or was involved in space magic.
I thought it was necessary to find out from the basics how the magic was activated and what effect it had.
“Summoning or space magic… If so, there are related books on the 3rd floor. However, since they are not developed magic, most of them are basic concept books.”
“Even that is enough. Thank you.”
After bowing lightly, Astrid left for the third floor, and the librarian, watching her from the back, smiled slightly.
“Oops.”
Purple hair exposed at the root of the hair.
When the librarian placed her hand on her hair, the purple hair soon turned brown again.
“I almost got caught.”
