Chapter 24: An Unexpected Reaction

Sayoreinne, once again, made her daily pilgrimage to the library. She exchanged a brief, almost perfunctory greeting with Nell.

Nell immediately retreated, turning back to her work. It was the same routine as always. The end of the semester break was only two weeks away. Yet, this stark, cold interaction remained their norm.

Despite facing each other and exchanging greetings every day, nothing had changed. Sayoreinne thought there had been a slight breakthrough before, but it seemed to have been a mere illusion. Her days continued in the same monotonous cycle: greet Nell, read a few books, and leave.

Growing impatient, Sayoreinne had recently started spending more time at the library, returning after lunch and staying until closing, but to no avail.

She had naively believed that constant exposure would foster familiarity. Clearly, she had been mistaken.

Two weeks remained, yet at this rate, she’d never get close to Nell. It was time to take a different approach.

“Miss, your tea.”

As Sayoreinne pondered with a slight frown, Ahrin brought her tea and settled beside her.

Ahrin gently stroked Sayoreinne’s furrowed brow. Startled by the unexpected touch and a blush rising on her cheeks, Sayoreinne stared wide-eyed at her maid.

“You shouldn’t frown like that, Miss. Is something bothering you lately?”

Despite her calm tone, Ahrin’s crimson ears betrayed her own shyness. She had acted impulsively, willing to endure her embarrassment to ease Sayoreinne’s worries.

“Um, yes. There’s something… bothering me. Ahrin…?”

Ahrin snuggled closer, lightly wrapping her arms around Sayoreinne’s waist and resting her head against her. ‘Wait, what? Why is she being so forward all of a sudden?’ Flustered, yet also warmed by the girl’s affectionate gesture, Sayoreinne felt her face flush.

Lately, the merging of memories and personalities had ceased. Instead, both ‘Juseong’ and ‘Sayoreinne’s’ consciousnesses felt stronger and more distinct. As a result, while casual conversations and light touches like holding hands felt fine, anything more intimate had become increasingly uncomfortable. This hadn’t been the case before. Some might call him a prude, but for someone who had lived a life devoid of romantic relationships, these unfamiliar advances were overwhelming. So,

‘This is what happens then.’

Juseong embraced the clinging Ahrin. This cheerful, petite, and adorable maid, almost puppy-like, was undeniably cute. Her affectionate advances were certainly welcome. Though he felt a little guilty admitting it, holding this soft girl felt comforting, like cuddling a pet. He knew that ‘she,’ while pretending to be shy and deflecting, was secretly reveling in the sensation, her attention wholly captivated by the physical contact.

After a while, Sayoreinne gently pulled away. Ahrin, unable to meet her gaze, lowered her head, her face a deep scarlet. Seeing her usually boisterous maid so shy and flustered, her words stumbling over each other, always gave Sayoreinne a novel feeling.

Sayoreinne smoothed Ahrin’s disheveled brown hair.

“Why did you do that so suddenly, if you’re going to be so shy? I thought you didn’t like this kind of thing.”

“Um… You seemed upset, Miss, and I wanted to cheer you up. You said… that holding me made you feel a little better before…”

“Thank you, Ahrin.”

Sayoreinne pulled Ahrin into another embrace.

She felt grateful that she was no longer the person who would push this kind girl to her limits. Thinking of her mother still brought a wave of sadness, a tightness in her chest, and a prickling behind her eyes.

The hatred and resentment were still there, she wouldn’t lie, but they had lessened considerably, replaced by grief and longing for her mother. These feelings, though still potent, no longer consumed her. The perpetually angry and irritable Sayoreinne was gone.

‘Even though just a short while ago, I did something terrible to Ahrin.’

It had only been for a day, but the resurfacing of the original Sayoreinne had resulted in Ahrin being used as an emotional outlet. The look on Ahrin’s face that day was still vivid in Juseong’s memory.

In a way, she had changed so drastically that she could almost convince herself that it hadn’t been her, that she was a completely different person now. Her values and personality had undergone a complete transformation in just a month.

It had only been a month or so, yet she could barely recall how she had used to think and how readily she had hurt others.

‘But I don’t want to run away from it like that.’

Juseong didn’t want to make excuses, blaming it on a tragic past or emotional distress.

“And Miss… I… I don’t particularly dislike it. Actually, lately, you’ve been going out all the time, and we haven’t spent much time together…”

Ahrin’s words took Sayoreinne by surprise. Perhaps overcome by shyness, her voice trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished. The unspoken words hung heavy in the air, their meaning clear.

“Alright. Let’s go together tomorrow.”

The warmth of Ahrin’s body in her embrace was comforting.

“Wow… This whole place is filled with books.”

At the library entrance, Ahrin gaped at the towering bookshelves, her mouth forming a small ‘o’.

As a commoner and an orphan, Ahrin had learned to read, but her exposure to literature was limited to the few thin children’s books at the orphanage. This place, filled with thousands upon thousands of expensive books, was a source of wonder for her. She even took a deep breath, inhaling the unique scent of old paper and leather.

“That’s what a library is,” Sayoreinne replied, scanning the room. Nell was sorting returned books.

Sayoreinne nudged the still-awestruck Ahrin and pointed towards Nell.

“Ahrin, that’s Nell. Do as we discussed.”

“Leave it to me, Miss!”

“Ahrin, you mustn’t speak loudly in the library. Use a quiet voice.”

“…Yes, Miss.”

“Hello again, Nell.”

“…Hello.”

After the hesitant greeting, Nell, as usual, began to back away. However, a sudden resistance stopped her retreat.

“Excuse me.”

Ahrin had stealthily moved behind Nell and was now gently holding her.

“Huh…?”

“Good job, Ahrin.”

Sayoreinne grasped Nell’s wrist. She couldn’t let the semester break end without making any progress, so she had decided on a direct approach.

“Would you mind if we talked, even just for a little while?”

As if observing the situation, the red-haired librarian approached, inquiring about the commotion. Her name was Callie. While beautiful, her tall stature and somewhat stern expression made Sayoreinne slightly nervous. Nell, however, assured Callie that everything was fine and led them to a small lounge area.

Sayoreinne and Nell sat facing each other across a small table. Ahrin waited outside.

“…I have to get back to work… so please make it quick…” Nell said, avoiding Sayoreinne’s gaze. It appeared the two weeks of library visits hadn’t closed the distance between them at all.

Regardless, Sayoreinne now had an opportunity to speak, and she knew exactly what she needed to say first. The apology she had intended to deliver from the start but couldn’t because Nell kept avoiding her.

“First, I want to apologize.”

Sayoreinne bowed her head.

Nell seemed surprised by the gesture, her eyes widening and her mouth parting slightly.

When Sayoreinne raised her head, their eyes met.

“Apologize… you say?”

“Yes. As you’ve probably guessed, I want to apologize for having Soine and Miner bully you. They’ve returned to their families now, but I want to apologize on their behalf as well. I forced them to do something they didn’t want to, so the fault lies entirely with me. Everything… was my fault. I’m truly sorry. Please accept my apology.”

Having said this, Sayoreinne bowed her head once more.

For what felt like an eternity – perhaps only seconds or minutes – Sayoreinne waited for a response, her head bowed. Her neck began to ache. She expected Nell to ask why she had been targeted, but the continued silence unnerved her. Hesitantly, she lifted her head.

What met her gaze was a sharp, burning glare, an expression she had never seen on Nell’s face before.

Seeing that look, Sayoreinne realized, or rather, she should have realized it sooner, judging by Nell’s previous reactions.

…I underestimated this situation.