Chapter 32 Library (2)
The Library (2)
When you repeat death over and over, ominous thoughts inevitably creep in.
Vague anxieties like—what if this is my last regression? What if this death is my true end?
They were nothing more than needless worries, yet I couldn't help but feel uneasy every time I turned back time.
The ability of Infinite Regression didn't seem to demand any price from me. I could rewind time as much as I wanted and return to any point before death whenever I pleased.
That's why the thought that this power might vanish at any moment lingered in my mind.
It was like a candle flame that some capricious hand could snuff out whenever it pleased.
Or perhaps I was simply afraid of death itself.
Because with each death, it felt like something inside me was being whittled away.
"Hahk..."
I sucked in a sharp breath and jerked upright. Gasping roughly, I squeezed my eyes shut again.
Repeating deep breaths, I slowly steadied myself.
When I lifted my head, the princess came into view, watching me.
The rough splatters of blood on her cheek, the white dress half-soaked in crimson.
As she wiped the blood from her hands and smiled faintly, there was something eerily surreal about her.
"Are you alright?"
"...Yes."
As I spoke, the princess reached out. I took her bloodstained hand and slowly rose to my feet.
My legs trembled violently, but leaning on her, I managed to take a step.
"Here."
The princess handed me a crudely shaped blade. A uniquely jagged edge, like thorns or fangs, and a magical Brand carved into the hilt.
It was the same knife that assassin had used to kill me.
"Why... this?"
"Hm? Didn't you take it yourself, Miss Adel?"
She said it as though it were the most natural thing. There was something unsettling about her expression, and I reflexively turned my head away.
Unfazed, she tightened her grip on my hand.
The sight of her smiling while pressing the knife into my palm was deeply unnatural. When her chilling fingers brushed against mine, I flinched without meaning to.
"How does it feel? Like you've taken one step toward the truth?"
"...Is this the truth?"
"Yes. Though only a sliver of it."
The Emperor's Hand.
According to her, they were puppets of the Imperial House.
Servants of the royal family, mass-produced killing machines—tools to crush those who dared rebel.
It didn't feel real. That such things existed in this world, moving for the sake of the Imperial House.
But I couldn't deny it either. I'd seen them with my own eyes.
Perhaps my face betrayed my emotions, because the princess spoke again.
"I understand. I've been there myself."
"How... did you find out?"
"Hmm..."
At my question, she fell into brief thought. After a moment of contemplation, she glanced at my trembling hand and sighed before answering.
"I have a certain ability."
The power to read minds.
Her pupils gleamed faintly. Not metaphorically—actual golden light spilled from her eyes.
"You can read... mine too?"
"Ahaha. Sadly, no, Miss Adel."
The way she said it so sincerely sent a slight shiver down my spine. The ability to read minds—did such a thing really exist?
Come to think of it, my friend had once lamented that the princess didn't have much presence in the original work.
Maybe it was because of this very ability.
She showed no reaction, as if she truly couldn't read my thoughts.
"Ah, were you testing me just now?"
Her words made my skin crawl. Had her claim about reading minds been a lie? But the princess shook her head.
"I told you. I can't read yours, Miss Adel."
"Then how—?"
"Your face is just too honest right now."
At that, I lowered my head slightly.
My hand was still trembling, though less than before.
Come to think of it, my friend had once said that whenever I panicked, my emotions were written all over my face.
I bit my lip hard, trying to steady myself.
The dizziness in my head began to cool.
"Hm, you seem a little better now."
"...What exactly are the Emperor's Hands?"
Instead of answering, the princess rose from her chair. She stepped toward the corpse slumped against the bookshelf, its head resting in a pool of blood.
Grabbing its neck with one hand, she lifted it effortlessly. The strength to hoist a full-grown man like that was startling, but I forced myself not to show it.
"These are the weakest among the Imperial House's puppets."
Weak?
Those things that shattered Shields and mindlessly tried to kill people?
As if to refute my thoughts, the princess tightened her grip on the corpse's neck.
A sickening crack echoed, and the body crumpled to the floor.
At the same time, it began dissolving into golden motes, scattering slowly from the head down.
"Think of them as pawns in chess. Or perhaps even less."
"Just what is the Imperial House...?"
"Curious?"
The princess shook the blood from her hand and smiled.
I shook my head in refusal. It wasn't as if she would willingly tell me anything even if I nodded in the first place.
The princess... isn't on my side.
Now that my rationality had returned somewhat, I could properly assess the situation.
The princess had no intention of cooperating with me. If she had, she would have helped me before I was nearly killed by the Emperor's Hand.
It was only after I had completely neutralized the Emperor's Hand on my own that she finally offered her assistance.
Perhaps this was some kind of test. A test to see if I was truly capable of defying the Imperial House.
I had no intention of asking for help from someone who was testing me. And certainly not from someone who had left me to die under the pretense of an "exam."
"How curious. Most people would nod."
"...May I leave now?"
"Of course. You've done well today."
The princess nodded readily. I tried to push myself up from the desk, but my legs gave out, and I slumped back down.
It seemed the tension had drained from my body, leaving me weak.
"Irina."
"Yes."
The housemaid I had seen before emerged from behind the bookshelf.
Unlike her ordinary appearance last time, her chima was now lined with various weapons. Her demeanor, too, had grown much colder.
"Escort Miss Adel."
"As you command."
Red pupils.
Eyes similar to those of the Emperor's Hand. Did that mean this girl, too, was some kind of puppet of the Imperial House?
I don't know.
My head was a mess.
For now, following her lead was the priority.
Leaning on the maid, I walked slowly. Just before stepping through the door, the princess's quiet voice reached me.
"I'll be looking forward to your next performance."
It was the last thing I wanted to hear.
§
I collapsed onto the bed. My body ached, exhausted.
Perhaps because I had experienced death again after so long, my heightened senses refused to settle.
The pain—like a blade piercing through my skull—still wouldn't fade.
Knock, knock.
"Come in, Lily."
At my words, Lily carefully opened the door and entered. Sensing my fatigue, she approached with a deeply concerned expression.
"Lady Adel..."
"...Lily."
I tried to sit up to greet her, but I couldn't even lift a finger. Lily shook her head as if to say there was no need.
"You've been pushing yourself too hard lately. I'm worried."
"I haven't been pushing myself."
"No."
Her firm rebuttal left me speechless.
Despite usually being a bit clumsy and slow, she was sharp when it mattered most.
That was probably why, of everyone in that mansion, she was the only one who had truly stood by me.
"You are pushing yourself, Lady Adel."
I had no retort. It was true—I had been overworking myself these past few days.
I had spent sleepless nights combing through every book in the Duke's library. When that yielded no answers, I even ventured into the Imperial Library.
And there, I had died three times.
It was only thanks to the princess's intervention that things hadn't been worse. Without her, I couldn't even imagine how many more deaths I would have suffered.
After all, there had been at least ten corpses around her.
Looking back now, Lily was absolutely right.
"...You're not wrong."
I had been too fixated on Abel's rebellion against the Imperial House—on the fact that I might soon be opposing figures who wielded power akin to rulers of an empire.
That fear had left me restless. And so, I had pushed myself even harder.
"Lady Adel."
Lily, now seated beside me, gently brushed her fingers across my forehead. Her hand was icy cold. Or perhaps it was just that my skin was burning.
"Just because you walk fast doesn't mean you can accomplish everything quickly."
Strangely, that chill brought me comfort.
"The reason I came to trust you, Lady Adel, was because you took your time approaching me."
Was that really how it had been?
Early on, I had acted rashly, desperate to win over even a single person in the mansion. As a result, no one had taken my side.
But when I changed tactics and approached them calmly, Lily became my ally.
Even the other servants, who had been hostile at first, had come to accept that I, Adel, had changed.
"Don't be too hasty."
Because then, even what's possible will become impossible.
When Lily added those words, I gave a small nod.
She was right. Rushing wouldn't help me uncover the Imperial House's secrets any faster.
"...Thank you, Lily."
"Hehe, it's nothing."
I stroked her hair, and she beamed. Seeing that, I found myself smiling too.
"Oh, the Duke left you a gift."
"Hm?"
Lily pointed to something on the vanity. When I forced myself up to look, I saw a glass bottle—likely a diffuser—along with a note.
[You've seemed exhausted lately, so I prepared a diffuser to help you sleep. Before worrying about others, you should take care of yourself first.]
The handwriting was careless, as if scribbled in passing, but the concern was still palpable. Was this his response to the note I had left when I draped his coat over him?
For some reason, I let out a small laugh.
The diffuser appeared to be magically treated.
Something like this wouldn't be easy to obtain.
...I should thank him later.
Truly, for someone who didn't seem like it, he had his own subtle way of being considerate.