Our Make-Believe Ends Here - Chapter 9

Volumes I & II are available uncensored on ko-fi!

Luirene was an abandoned child.

She didn’t know who her parents were. The only thing she knew was that she had been left in front of a bookstore, tucked inside a basket made of layers of cheap cloth.

The one who took her in was Hopper, the elderly owner of the bookstore, who opened his shop in the early hours of dawn.

He decided to take in the newborn that had unexpectedly appeared before him for two reasons: winter, with its cold season, was approaching, and among the countless shops scattered across the city, the one who left the baby had chosen his bookstore. Perhaps it was a customer who frequented his shop.

Whether father or mother, he thought he would only look after the child until the day they returned, overcome by longing. That protection, held at arm’s length, and that sense of responsibility became Luirene’s roof.

Raising the baby was not particularly troublesome. Perhaps because he had been living in silence ever since parting from his wife, the sound of a baby crying echoing through the bookstore was oddly endearing. Whether due to the goodwill he had always shown to those around him, the neighboring shopkeepers frequently came by to help him wholeheartedly as well.

The name Luirene came from the protagonist of a book Hopper was especially fond of.

Whether influenced by the origin of her name, Luirene had a book in her hands from a young age.

The customers who came to the bookstore were so varied that Hopper couldn’t leave his post from open to close on business days. Naturally, with him as her guardian, Luirene’s days also began and ended in the bookstore.

While other children ran and played, experiencing nature and scenery firsthand, Luirene grew up absorbing the dust lodged in the bookstore’s corners and the knowledge generated from its winding letters.

They say books are nourishment for the mind and repositories of knowledge. Though she grew up in a small, confined environment, Luirene’s world was never narrow. Rather, enriched by imagination, it was created wider and deeper than that of her peers.

Of course, burying oneself in books without social interaction would easily lead to foolishness, but fortunately, the shopkeepers who frequently visited to look after her allowed her to avoid that problem. Instead, the more she grew, the more she helped with Hopper’s bookstore work, becoming skilled at leading conversations from a young age.

Growing and growing, Luirene eventually reached adulthood. Hopper, who had never once shed a tear while caring for her, wiped his eyes for the first time on the day she came of age.

Was it the overwhelming relief of having raised her safely? All the pain and frailty he had suppressed came rushing at once. His frequent cough was lung disease; his knees, which could not walk without a cane, had stiffened into stone from the accumulated weight of the years.

As Hopper’s health deteriorated, running the bookstore gradually became Luirene’s responsibility. Though she worked hard by his side and learned, she lacked the seasoned skill to perform as well as Hopper. The daily ledger clearly showed declining sales, and Luirene’s worries deepened.

Then, one day, an unexpected opportunity arrived.

It began with a visit to the bookstore early one morning by a person from the Glair Marquisate.

The person from the Marquisate highly praised the bookstore Luirene had inherited from Hopper, noting how well-maintained it was and the abundance of rare, valuable old books. They proposed a contract to supply books on a regular basis. They added that it was the highest elder of the Marquisate, the old Lady Glair, who had expressed this intention.

The money the old lady offered with the deal was close to a year’s worth of the bookstore’s sales. And it was a one-time payment. Even delivering books just once would cover a year’s income. Luirene, who was struggling not only with running the bookstore but also with the cost of Hopper’s medical treatment, agreed immediately.

From that day on, she worked as a book courier, visiting the Glair Marquisate once a month. As she grew more skilled at the work, she even learned where and how Hopper had procured the rare books others would search far and wide for.

But unfortunately, less than two months after Luirene started her work as a book courier, Hopper passed away.

‘I’m glad I brought you in. I can leave knowing I trust you.’

Before his last breath, Hopper held Luirene’s hand and said those words. Wiping her tears, Luirene vowed to protect this bookstore no matter what.

They say when someone leaves, another takes their place.

Around that time, the old Lady Glair became that ‘someone’ for Luirene. The former Marchioness, now remaining more as a supporter and advisor to the household than a person of real power, had a love for books that matched Luirene’s own.

When there is a core common interest, the quantity and quality of conversation quickly deepen. Luirene grew quite fond of the old Lady Glair, who treated her kindly and cherished her.

As she peacefully traveled back and forth between the bookstore and the mansion, maintaining their connection, unexpected bad news arrived. The old lady had collapsed due to old age.