Chapter 56
Then, the day before Luirene’s holiday, word came that the former Marchioness had quietly summoned Marquis Glair to her chambers in the middle of the night. The next day, as she left the mansion with Eneka, Luirene thought that by the time she returned from the bookstore, the mansion might be turned upside down.
Because of that, her mind drifted through empty air all day. Even through the ride on the omnibus, even the moment she stepped into the bookstore with Eneka. Fortunately, Eneka hadn’t been able to hide her excitement from the moment they reached the city square, and by the time she entered the bookstore, she was nearly in a fever.
“These are kept up just as good as the books in the mansion’s library! Damn fine work!”
She must be dizzy with excitement. Luirene left her to explore on her own and opened the back door and windows to air the place out. Her heart was wandering somewhere far away, but her body moved on its own—probably because these were tasks she’d done since childhood. Sweep the dust. Wipe the window frames. Moving by inertia gradually simplified the flow of her thoughts.
Once she’d tidied the most urgent spots, her mind felt more at ease than before.
There was no need to be anxious already. She still didn’t know whether the former Marchioness had told the Marquis the truth. If she had, it was simply something beyond her control. The world was full of things that happened by force beyond resistance, and her love affair with Hitaon was only one of them. Even if she were cast out of the mansion, that didn’t mean there would be no way at all to see him.
“Luirene, now I understand why you’re so skilled with letters despite being a commoner.”
“Well? Do you like it?”
“Of course! I couldn’t possibly like it more! Being here makes me feel like I could write even the most difficult ancient poetry with ease.”
“Really?”
“I mean that’s how it feels. I’m not from that era—how would I compose ancient poetry?”
Even in her excitement, she shrugged her shoulders with that same coy, sassy edge. Luirene smiled quietly and let her explore the interior further. About thirty minutes later, Eneka, who’d been weaving between the bookshelves, sidled up to her.
“I want to learn how the bookstore works.”
“Then let’s start with some simple things today before you go.”
“Nice. What should I start with?”
“There’s a lot that goes into running a bookstore, but three things are key. Managing the ledger, bringing in books, and caring for the books and shelves. Once you know these three, you won’t get too lost.”
Time flew by as Luirene pulled the ledger from the drawer, kept locked with a key and showed her examples, wrote down notes so she wouldn’t forget how to order books from outside suppliers, and dashed between the bookshelves teaching her the methods of book care one by one.
“Oh my. Luirene? Aren’t you Luirene?”
A voice called out suddenly. She went to the front and found Madam Marella, who ran the spice shop nearby, standing there.
“Yes. It’s me. Madam, it’s been so long.”
“How long has it been! We barely saw your face anymore—everyone thought you’d closed the bookstore for good!”
“Circumstances had me staying at the Glair Marquisate for a while. I’ve been under their care.”
“Is that so? Have you come back now?”
“Ah, no. Not exactly. This friend of mine will be running the bookstore in my place, so I brought her here to introduce her. Eneka, this is Madam Marella. She runs the spice shop nearby.”
At the introduction, Eneka responded with an awkward greeting. Luirene figured she might as well introduce her to the other nearby merchants while they were at it, so she took Eneka and headed out.
She’d worried since Eneka wasn’t the most sociable, but she followed along better than expected. Every now and then, though, she couldn’t hide a mortified expression, so it seemed she was putting in considerable effort in her own way. Luirene swallowed her laughter and let it slide at the right moments.
“The handover’s done, and we’ve introduced you to the neighbors. Shall we call it a day and head back?”
“Luirene. Do you mind if we stop somewhere briefly before returning to the mansion?”
“Where to?”
“It’s been so long since I’ve been out—I want to go see my family’s faces. If you don’t like to go, you can head back first.”
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