* * *

It seemed like it could be used as a weapon—it would surely have a deadly effect.

‘I can’t go back now.’

I pulled the book out and held it with one hand, flipping through the pages.

The paper turned easily, but nothing was entering my mind.

It was hard.

Even though I had expected it to be difficult, it was worse than I had imagined.

My body, deprived of sleep, and my empty stomach made the words blur into two.

The only things I could understand were the fact that the white part was the paper, the black part was the text, and the red part was an example of a magical rite.

‘Ugh.’

Staring at the confusing content for too long, I was starting to feel dizzy.

At least I could roughly understand the beginning.

It was about the reasons for drawing magical rites.

One was when a wizard needed to use magic that was too powerful for them to handle.

They would try to borrow the magic power contained in nature.

In such cases, the activation and strength of the magic would depend on the surrounding environment.

The other reason was when powerful magic was needed.

Even the greatest wizard couldn’t always use magic instantly, such as when casting a spell over a wide area or on multiple targets.

In such cases, they would draw a magical rite and pour their magical power into it over time.

The reason I was drawing this rite was the latter.

It was a spell to teleport a large number of people, so it would take a lot of time and effort.

‘Can I figure this out?’

I might not be able to understand the form of the rite, but maybe I could recognize the strange patterns in the forest.

“Lord Caldrich’s heir is indeed different. I can see you have an interest in magic.”

“?!”

My hand, holding the book, flinched, almost tearing the paper.

I was startled.

I hadn’t noticed someone had come up beside me while I was so absorbed in the book.

My father would surely have been pleased to see this.

Slowly lifting my head, I met the eyes of a man dressed in deep burgundy attire.

Only then did he bow and greet me.

“Who is it?”

But he didn’t introduce himself by name.

The way he called me “Lord Caldrich’s heir” made it seem like he knew me well.

But then again, most people working in this castle probably knew who I was.

“I am Neser, a knight of Fabian Valuncio.”

This man’s confident, slightly arrogant demeanor suddenly made sense with his introduction.

Ah, I see.

He’s my eldest brother-in-law’s knight.

I casually shifted the book I had been holding lightly in one hand to both hands, then let my arms drop as if it had suddenly become heavy.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Adrian… Caldrich.”

I hesitated between Caldrich and Valuncio, but since he addressed me as Caldrich first, I judged it would be fine to go along with it.

He didn’t bother to hide the look in his eyes that said he didn’t like me.

If I were an ordinary noble and not someone as broad-minded as I am, his blatant disdain could easily be seen as grounds for punishment.

I hadn’t been here long enough for him to hate me, but I had a pretty good idea why.

“Are you interested in magic?” he asked.

“Is there a problem if I am?”

With his attitude, there was no way anything polite would come out of my mouth.

I may act delicate, but I have no intention of appearing weak enough to tolerate this kind of insubordination.

Just because my body is frail doesn’t mean my spirit is, after all.

At my blunt response, his brows furrowed.

The reason he dislikes me is obvious: rivalry.

The second brother is already serving as a knight in the royal palace, making it unlikely he’d threaten the eldest’s position.

That leaves only the third brother—me.

He must have been complacent, thinking the third brother was harmlessly clueless until now.

But marrying into the family of Count Caldrich has given me solid backing, and perhaps my unexpectedly capable demeanor has stirred up his anxiety.

This kind of person would scoff if I told him outright that I wasn’t interested in titles or power.

He’d twist my words, questioning why I even mentioned it, accusing me of being defensive, or asking if I had a guilty conscience.

One word would snowball into endless arguments.

“I don’t have much talent, though.”

He still didn’t like me, but I saw no need to escalate things.

When I added that nonchalant remark, the corners of his eyebrows, which had slightly lifted, dropped just a bit.

How obvious—he looked relieved. Still, he’s far from sophisticated.

“…Adrian, let me give you a piece of advice.”

“What is it?”

“As the spouse of Sir Klen, it would be best for you to stay still and do nothing. Don’t try to get involved.”

“…!”

I hadn’t done anything yet, and here he was saying this.

And it wasn’t even from my eldest brother, but one of his subordinates.

This guy is making one big mistake.

Adrian Caldrich is the son of a count.

Of course, I possess pride and dignity as a noble.

Being unjustly targeted is already annoying enough, but to have a mere knight offer advice disguised as a threat?

What’s even more irritating is knowing it’s unwise to make an enemy of him now.

I’d love to challenge him to a duel, but that wouldn’t help my situation.

My hand trembled with frustration.

I desperately wanted to hit him—just once.

Could I find a way to strike him without turning him into an enemy?

As I looked down at my shaking hand, it felt like I was standing exposed in the middle of a harsh winter storm.

“…!”

And then, I spotted something perfect.

There it was!

The ideal weapon for striking someone!

Even better, it was something I could plausibly claim was an accident if things went as planned.

An idea that brilliant demands immediate action.

“Ah…”

“Adrian?!”

Feigning dizziness, I furrowed my brow and swayed.

Then, with all my strength, I flung the book I was holding forward.

Thwack!

“Ugh?!”

The heavy book made a dull, solid sound as it struck Nezer squarely in the stomach.

Thud!

“Argh?!”

The book fell, its corner landing squarely on his foot.

Nezer, caught off guard, clutched his foot and hopped around before collapsing onto the ground.

It seemed to have hurt more than I’d intended.

That probably stung quite a bit.

Whether it did or not, I made a grand show of collapsing to the floor with a groan.

“What happened?!”

“What in the world?! Madam! Are you all right?!”

The piercing scream that echoed through the quiet library likely drew everyone’s attention.

People hurried over, surrounding me as I lay on the ground.

Some helped me sit up, others checked my forehead for a fever, and one even fanned my face.

While I allowed them to care for me, I kept my expression dazed, squinting as though I could barely comprehend what was happening.

“Sir Nezer! What are you doing? How could you let Master Adrian collapse like this on the cold floor?!”

The librarian, who had initially greeted me with warmth, now looked furious, practically breathing fire.

She didn’t even notice Nezer, who was still clutching his foot.

They say quiet people are the scariest when angry—how true that is.

“My apologies,” Nezer stammered, his voice trembling as he held his foot.

He must still be in a lot of pain. I hadn’t expected such damage, so I felt a twinge of guilt.

This is a library, though, so it’s best not to cause more of a commotion.

It might be time to leave.

* * *