61. The First Friend I Made (2)
61. The First Friend I Made (2)
[Chapter 61] - First Friend Made (2)
After the tour of the mansion ended, and news arrived that the adults had stepped away for a moment, Titania had no choice but to stay with Viola. Viola, looking as if she hadn't anticipated this situation either, stared at the empty dining room and tilted her head with an "Ueh?" sound.
"Where did everyone go?!"
"Ah... The Count-nim, the Countess-nim, and Her Majesty the Queen said they were going to their rooms for a moment to talk among themselves as adults. Would you like to stay here with Lady Viola for a while, Princess?"
Even if she went back to her room, Mother wouldn't be there, and for some reason, Ainsel wasn't on her necklace either. Titania, who had been bored after waking up completely from the mansion tour, began to ponder the maid's suggestion. Watching her, Viola asked Titania, fidgeting with a very nervous expression.
"P-Princess... would you like to come play in my room for a bit...? I have delicious snacks... and some fun things, too. And I wanted to get closer to you, Princess..."
Delicious snacks, and fun things. For the bored Titania, there was no better bait than this. And... since Titania already knew that Mother would prefer her to go rather than not in this situation, there was no reason to refuse.
"By any chance... do you have egg tarts?"
*
"Princess, what are your hobbies? It's not much, but I think I have everything here in my room! Toys... and social games..."
"Huh? Hobbies...?"
Immediately after entering the room, Titania's mind went blank at Viola's sudden question. Come to think of it, she had never had anything like a hobby before. In the first place, she hadn't had the time to have hobbies.
She had classes every day, and in the time without classes, she spent it with Mother. She had no memory of ever doing anything that could be called a hobby. She thought hard, hoping, 'Isn't there at least one thing?', but there really wasn't.
"Hmm... I don't think I have any."
"What?! Really?!"
Warak! Titania took a slight step back at the force of Viola rushing toward her. Viola, surprised by her own momentum, stumbled, thought for a moment, and headed toward a bookshelf packed with books.
"Hmm... then how about you start picking up some hobbies now? Like reading books, for instance...?"
"I read books every day, though...?"
"Not those boring books you only use for classes. I haven't read this one long enough to recommend it much, but...! Hup!"
Viola jumped in place and started pulling out books one by one from a spot that barely reached her height. Then, she pulled out another book hidden behind the others and held it out to Titania. What kind of book could it be to be hidden away so securely...?
"This is a book I learned about from a young lady I met when I held my first children's tea party last year. It's the sweet nectar and driving force of my life right now!!"
"I don't believe in religion..."
"I-I'm not proselytizing!!"
Startled, Viola quickly held out a book to Titania. Titania examined the book she was handed, but since there was no title on the cover, she couldn't gauge what kind of content was written inside.
"I guarantee that if you read it once, Princess, you'll fall head over heels for it just like I did! It's such a fun book! I even joined the social club that young lady is in because of this book!!"
"...It's not like the doctrine of some weird religion, is it?"
"I told you it's not!!"
Titania asked her to at least explain what kind of book it was, but Viola adamantly refused, saying that would ruin the thrill of reading it for the first time. Because of this, Titania couldn't shake her suspicious gaze.
At Viola's gaze, which sparkled as she urged her to read it quickly, Titania let out a small sigh and opened the book to the middle. Thinking she would just read it to see what it was about, she opened the book—
[As she felt his touch on her chin, their lips overlapped. His large hand, which had been gripping her shoulder, slowly descended and swept down her back. Soft, sucking, squishy lips-]
"...?!?! W-what is this?!"
Titania's face turned bright red, and she stared at Viola with wide eyes. Although Titania had absolutely no knowledge regarding sexuality, she still knew. This was not a book for children like her to read.
Titania quickly closed the book, threw it onto the bed, and glared at Viola. Viola was busy looking at Titania, giggling as if that reaction were simply amusing.
"Hehehe, how is it? Isn't it fun? I had the same reaction as you, Princess, when I first read it. I was so surprised I threw the book at the face of the young lady who introduced it to me."
"It's not fun!! You shouldn't read things like that!!"
Viola approached the bed, retrieved the book Titania had thrown, returned to her spot, and looked at the book in her hand. Then, she began to chatter away to Titania about the book.
"Calm down, Princess. This is just a romance novel. By any chance, have you never read a book like this even once in your life?"
"N-no...! And books like that don't come into the royal palace! Get it away from me right now!!"
"No, I'm confident that this book is definitely in the royal palace library, too. After all, this is a novel that could be called essential reading for young ladies!"
"Essential reading for young ladies...?"
Viola held the book high above her head. That sight was similar to the picture of the person in mythology who held up the stone tablets and parted the sea, so Titania stared at her blankly with her mouth agape.
"Yes! It's an essential book passed down secretly among young ladies! It's no exaggeration to think that even my mother and Her Majesty the Queen grew up reading books like this!"
"E-even Mother...?"
At the mention that Mother had read it too, Titania's ears perked up. Had Mother really read a book like this...? Thinking that she would have to ask Mother later, Titania lifted her head and looked at Viola.
"Really...? Mother read such bad books too...?"
"I can't say for sure if it was this specific book... but they say all young ladies read romance novels and let love blossom. They even say the author of this novel is a noble young lady not much older than us."
Titania felt like she had been hit hard on the head with a hammer. Thinking that the person who wrote such strange text was her own age made her head ache. What kind of fun could there possibly be in a book with such vulgar words written in it...!
Viola, watching Titania frown, brought the book she had been holding above her head back in front of Titania. Then, she smiled and continued speaking calmly.
"The young lady who told me about this book said this to me... Young ladies need to read books like this to learn about love."
"Love...?"
"Yes, love. Since our love is always predetermined, we need to read books like this, at least, to learn about other kinds of love. She said proudly, 'Born as a young lady, shouldn't we at least dream of the love found in books?'"
"I-I don't know what you're talking about..."
Titania genuinely had no idea what Viola was talking about right now. She had never thought deeply about love until now, nor had she ever shared such stories with anyone else.
"If you want to understand what I said... I recommend you read this book. And if this book isn't to your taste, I won't recommend it to you anymore, Princess. But please know this: most young ladies enjoy novels like this as a hobby."
"U-uh-huh...."
Titania nodded, flustered. Since she was speaking with such a serious expression, she felt like she would become the bad person if she refused any further, so she couldn't say no. And it was just one book, a thin one at that, not even half the size of a textbook.
"I got it... Then I'll read it just this once. But, if it's really not fun, don't ever recommend books like this to me again. Got it?"
"Of course! Hehe! Instead, after you read it once, we'll talk about what you didn't like about it, okay?!"
Well... if it was just that much...
Titania pouted her lips and opened the book Viola had handed her once more. This time, not from the middle, but from the first page. She was curious about why such a novel was popular among young ladies, and even with Viola's claim that Mother had read books like this, Titania started to become curious about this thing called a romance novel.
And so, she opened the first page and began to read the first paragraph of the novel. The story was quite interesting. It was her first time reading a novel like this, and the fact that she could learn about the stories of nobles other than princesses piqued Titania's curiosity.
Page by page. Titania's expression began to change as she read through the book.
[A young lady of a crumbling noble house. The head of the family is a scoundrel, and the only family she has are pathetic people who only increase the debt.]
"Hmm-"
[A young lady striving to pay off her family's debt. And the young master of a successful noble house she met by chance.]
"Um..."
[At first, they had no interest in each other, but as they became increasingly entangled by coincidences, they faced each other more often, and as they experienced more incidents together, their understanding of one another grew.]
"Heh-"
More than half the pages of the book had passed, but there was still a lot of content she didn't understand. However, the scenes that were stimulating for a ten-year-old to read and the emotional descriptions that emerged as their hardships were resolved were enough to pique Titania's interest.
She had finished reading it without understanding even half of the book's content, but for some reason, she felt a tickling sensation in her chest. And it seemed this book didn't end with just this one volume; there was a sequel.
Titania looked over at Viola, who was diligently reading a book next to her, hesitating. She felt embarrassed for some reason to ask for the next volume. Titania, who was fidgeting, not knowing what to do, eventually—
"V-Viola... by any chance, is there a next volume...?"
"...Of course. Did you like the book?"
She had only answered with a smile, but for some reason, Titania thought Viola's smile looked devious. Titania felt embarrassed that she was being looked at with that expression, so she blushed and nodded carefully.
"C-can you give me the next volume...?"