Chapter 163
Chapter 163
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 163
Chapter Title: The Scandalous Memoir
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I had no idea what part of it had caught her interest, but even after hearing the explanation of the portrait, Elizabeth refused to tear herself away from it for quite some time.
"Hmmm..."
She crossed her arms, furrowing her brow with her eyes narrowed to slits as she intently examined the part of the portrait where I was depicted. For some reason, there was this ominous vibe that made me hesitate to disturb her, like I'd end up hearing something unpleasant if I did.
"Um, Miss Sera?"
"...Yes? Yes, what is it?"
"No, never mind."
I'd wondered if she was always this into paintings, so after about ten minutes, I glanced at Sera. But even she looked flustered, alternating her gaze between Elizabeth and the picture, which told me this was just weird behavior for today.
"Sorry, I got too caught up in the painting."
It took about twenty minutes before Elizabeth finally pulled her eyes away from the portrait.
Realizing how blatantly absorbed she'd been, she flushed faintly at the cheeks, dipped her head slightly, and fiddled with the hem of her apron as she quietly apologized to us for making us wait.
"Nah, it seemed like you were enjoying yourself, so that's good."
"...You're not teasing me?"
"Teasing? Why would I?"
She seemed flustered, but was there something tease-worthy about it?
I hadn't said anything odd, and twenty minutes staring at a painting was perfectly reasonable.
Everyone gets hooked on something now and then.
I could stare blankly at a maid outfit for hours myself, so I empathized completely.
That was no accident when I picked maid outfits first.
"Well, if that's the case, fine..."
She made a reluctant face, as if unconvinced by my sincerity, and let it slide.
Then she whipped her head around, taking in the study interior she'd overlooked while fixated on the portrait.
"...The study isn't as big as I thought. I figured it was at least twice this size."
"We only used it in winter until last year. We mostly stay on the estate, so we didn't stockpile that many books."
"I see..."
She'd caught the eye of His Majesty the Emperor and Her Highness the Crown Princess, so she was stuck here in the capital all year this time. Normally, she'd saunter up around October, attend the New Year's events, and head back to her father's territory.
"So, what do you want to check out first?"
"Hmm... Hard to say when I don't even know what's here yet."
"Science over there, crafts next to it, philosophy on those shelves in the back, magic books there, novels here, and finally religion and history over on this side."
"Pretty serious collection for such a small space."
"It's just easier to find things this way."
All told, just ten bookshelves.
It was so compact that you could see every shelf at a glance. You could shove books in haphazardly and still find them quick, but organizing like this felt satisfying.
It was like stepping into a little library, and seeing everything neatly sorted just put my mind at ease.
"How many books total?"
"About 700 per shelf, so around 7,000... a bit less."
"Nicely stocked. Must've cost a pretty penny."
"No other hobbies, and skipping hunts or horseback riding lets you pile up mountains of books."
A single horse cost about thirty books, and its yearly upkeep added another thirty.
And that was for a docile, strong-blooded mount good for riding or carriages?
The gap only widened.
"So, which of these would you recommend?"
"Hmm..."
I slowly scanned the shelves, pondering what might work.
Crafts and philosophy were out, and religion or science didn't grab me much either.
They were fine reads, but not fields that truly hooked me. Not recommendation material.
"History... no, novels would be good."
Novels it was, after some thought.
Elizabeth raised an eyebrow, shot me a sidelong glance, and spoke up.
"Novels? Unexpected. I figured you'd go for sewing or design books."
"Those aren't for fun. They're study material."
Unlike other books made for info or education, novels were born for entertainment, so they stuck in your head better.
Plus, unless you're some deranged expert, most folks prefer novels or light reads over specialist tomes. Anything's more fun when it's easy.
For recommendations, novels were tops.
"In that case, hit me with one. Introduce me to your favorites."
"Got it. Follow me."
Elizabeth seemed fine with novels too, nodding readily and trailing after me.
I stepped lightly toward the novel shelves, stood in front, narrowed my eyes, and slowly browsed.
This one too stimulating, that one lacked twists, this... fun enough but too short.
Decent books, but each missing just that little something, making it hard to pick.
"Hmmm..."
"Ha...?"
As I examined the shelves, Elizabeth—browsing beside me—suddenly shuddered, let out a hollow laugh, and widened her eyes.
"What's up?"
Wondering if something was wrong, I lightly touched her shoulder and asked. But she ignored me like she was entranced, reached out, and carefully pulled a book from the shelf.
"William."
She called my name in a slightly stiff voice and thrust the cover toward me.
Memoirs of a Wanton Woman
"Is this your taste too?"
"Oh, crap..."
Why the hell was that here?
Didn't I toss it...?
I'd been busy since buying it and forgotten, but it should've stayed in my room...
"Ah..."
No way...
A chill ran through me as I stiffly turned to look at Emily.
Emily met my eyes, her ears turning pink, then averted her gaze slightly, lips twitching as she mumbled softly.
"...I just put the book in the study like always?"
"......"
I want to die.
Emily was too competent, and now I was suffering for it.
Standing there, flushed with embarrassment and trembling, I watched as Emily cautiously flipped through the book, skimming the contents.
"You have more niche tastes than I thought."
"I get the misunderstanding, but it's not like that. I don't even know what it's about. Bought it as camouflage."
"Camouflage? Isn't it usually the opposite? You'd use an excuse to hide something like this."
"On Founding Day, when I was prepping a surprise gift for Emily in secret, I used it to distract her."
"Oh... that time..."
"See? Emily remembers too."
Emily furrowed her brows slightly, recalling the moment, and nodded.
Spotting my escape route, I hammered it home.
Elizabeth seemed to buy it at first, nodding, but then eyed the book sharply, smirked, and wagged it teasingly.
"Fair enough, but why do you still have it?"
"That... got busy and forgot."
"Hmmm~ Sounds convenient. Like a prepared excuse."
"No, it's not!"
No matter how I explained, she wouldn't hear it. In this unreasonable mess, I let out an indignant yelp.
"You two, look at this. I've never seen anything so vulgar and extreme."
"Whoa... this is really..."
"Th-the title didn't prepare me for how stimulating it is..."
But Elizabeth ignored me, pulled Sera and Emily close, and shared the novel's contents with them.
Their faces gradually reddened as they stared at me with trembling eyes and hesitantly spoke.
"You mustn't get into such extreme writing, Young Master..."
"Your clothing designs are already so bold and experimental, and now this in books too."
"It's really not like that..."
I squeezed my eyes shut and slumped my shoulders at the three who clearly weren't buying it.
"Haa..."
I sighed and covered my face with both hands.
"Aah..."
I wanted to die of embarrassment.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ After Elizabeth caught me with the naughty book, I mustered otherworldly willpower to hold back from bolting and recommended some novels I actually enjoyed.
She teased now and then—"Why isn't this memoir on the list?"—but mostly listened seriously.
We wrapped up the recommendations, poked around the study a bit more, and nothing else eventful happened.
We had lunch together, enjoyed another light tea time, confirmed the snow had stopped during it, waited for the roads to clear, and then Elizabeth headed back to the palace with Sera.
Nothing major, but a pretty fulfilling day.
We'd braved a blizzard, watched Elizabeth visibly flustered, seen her oddly obsessed with the portrait, and chatted plenty about books.
My image took a hit from that undisposed novel, but... whatever, it was fun.
They weren't the type to distance themselves over something this minor. I could clear the misunderstanding in time.
"Sigh..."
No, I had to.
Otherwise, I'd be stuck as the guy with weird tastes.
I had no clue how to fix it yet,
but what could I do? It was my karma, a bitter trial I had to swallow sweetly.