CHAPTER 108
"I'll bring the young lady here."
It was only after the servant left that I spoke to Lewis.
"You talk with Miss Yaniels, but you don't seem to be close enough to be friends. You did that on purpose, right?"
"Of course. I wanted to get in."
I knew it.
Thinking about how kind Charlotte was to Lewis, I said, "Please treat her like a friend normally."
Don't just call her a friend when you need something. That's too cruel, isn't it?
But Lewis looked at me with a strange expression.
I wondered why, and then he spoke up.
"Don't you dislike that?"
"Huh?"
"You don't like it when I'm close to other women."
I was startled by his words.
"Wh-When did I ever say that!"
"Rosaline."
"That was-!"
Just as I was about to shout in embarrassment, there was a knock on the drawing room door.
"I'll come in."
I thought it was Charlotte, but it seemed to be a maid from the mansion. The door opened, and a maid carrying a tray entered.
Charlotte appeared after the maid handed us the tea.
"Oh..."
She looked a bit surprised. No wonder, since Lewis was here too.
"I didn't expect the Marquis to come as well."
Lewis, however, greeted Charlotte calmly.
"I have something I really want to know."
"What would that be?"
"Have you ever seen old records in the imperial library?"
"Huh?"
Oh no, if you ask like that, Charlotte won't understand.
I stepped in to help clarify.
"I was looking for something in a specific field, but I couldn't find any clerks' records, only books."
I was genuinely curious.
"Could it be that they're not stored in the imperial library?"
"Oh, the old records?"
"Yes. Miss Yaniels, you're very interested in history, aren't you?"
Maybe Charlotte would know!
I looked at Charlotte with hopeful eyes.
Of course, there was a good chance she didn't know either, but it was worth asking.
"I am interested in history."
Charlotte answered seriously.
"Knowing about the past is fascinating. There are things to learn from it."
"So, have you read them?"
Lewis asked Charlotte, who was seriously discussing her reading preferences.
Charlotte shook her head.
"I haven't. At least, not on that floor."
"That floor?"
Wait a minute, this sounds strange.
"Isn't the imperial library just one floor?"
From my memory, it was definitely just one floor.
Charlotte shook her head and said something unexpected.
"The imperial library doesn't end with just that one floor."
"Then?"
"It has a basement."
Did it have that...?
While I was trying to recall, Charlotte continued speaking.
"If you look at the very corner to the right of the entrance, there's a square wooden cover on the floor."
"Oh! I think I've seen it."
I remembered.
I thought it was just the floor. So, that was a door to the basement?
"When I first got my library pass, I asked the crown prince about it."
Charlotte's voice was full of certainty.
"Whether there were actual historical records and important documents."
"Oh, I also asked if there were important documents when I got my pass!"
At that time, I was told there were no confidential documents to hide.
"He said there were no hidden records in the imperial library. The royal family has nothing to hide."
As expected. Philip seemed to have said something similar to Charlotte.
"So he said I could see them if I wanted."
Charlotte fell silent for a moment, as if recalling the memory, then spoke again.
"They're stored in a separate space, and he asked if I wanted to see anything, but I said no."
So the conclusion was this.
"So I didn't get to check what was down there."
It seemed like we had to check that place.
But I already returned my library pass, didn't I?
"I returned my library pass long ago. How do we check it...?"
"Shall I lend you mine?"
As I muttered while thinking of a way, Charlotte asked.
"I still have my pass. There's no name written on the pass, so you can get in as long as you have it. Shall I lend it to you?"
"Hmm... That doesn't seem like a good idea."
I hesitated for a moment before declining.
Charlotte's eyes widened as if she didn't expect the refusal.
Don't be hurt. There's a compelling reason for this!
"I need to check the library because of the investigation with the Marquis, but it wouldn't be right to use your pass for that."
What if Philip starts thinking Charlotte is in cahoots with Lewis?
I wanted Charlotte to stay out of this matter.
For her safety!
"Ah... Could it be dangerous?"
Charlotte looked worried.
"Miss Elsner isn't going to be in danger, is she?"
"Selina won't be in any danger. I'm here."
Lewis answered with a confident smile at Charlotte's worried words.
* * *
A basement...
I left the manor after learning there was a space in the imperial library I didn't know about.
"Let's go right away."
Lewis spoke to me as soon as we got into the carriage.
"Go to the library right away? How?"
"With magic."
Magic? Enter a place without a pass using magic?
We might get in, but...
"Even if we find something there, it would be hard to use it as evidence, wouldn't it? It'd be like confessing we entered without permission!"
I really abide by the law.
Sneaking in like this makes me feel a bit...
Is this okay?
"What's the problem? The important thing is to get in. We'll worry about the aftermath later."
Just do it now and let the future us deal with the consequences?
"Think carefully."
Lewis explained to me, who was worried.
"Even if we sneak in, there's no guarantee we'll find what we're looking for."
"R-Right?"
"We might not find anything about why my father's blood needed to be stored. If that happens, we'll just leave quietly."
"Hmm... What if we do find something?"
"If we find something related to the late emperor, it won't be a small matter. The fact that we entered the library would be trivial in comparison."
"Entering without permission would be overshadowed by the bigger issue?"
"Exactly."
Wow, what on earth is going to happen...
Depending on whether we find something or not, Lewis's plan seems so unpredictable.
It feels like there's a dark cloud looming over us, but maybe that's just my imagination...
* * *
Soon after, Lewis and I arrived at the imperial palace.
"We're going to leave some traces to avoid suspicion while we're in the library."
Lewis spoke as we passed through the main gate.
"I usually visit the palace for meetings or to see Michael."
I nodded as I listened to him.
"But meetings aren't common. The Magic Tower is a separate entity from the royal family."
"That's true. The Marquis doesn't often have meetings with the nobles."
"So we'll pretend to meet Michael and head to the library."
Ah, this is how we'll create an alibi!
When we visited the department where the court mages worked, Michael appeared soon after hearing we were looking for him.
"Selina's here too? What's going on?"
"Let's sit down and talk."
Following Lewis's words, we all sat in the drawing room.
"What's the matter?"
Michael asked again, and Lewis cast a soundproof spell before explaining the situation.
"We need your cooperation."
"In what way?"
Michael looked puzzled.
Lewis and I told him what we heard from Charlotte earlier.
After listening, Michael let out a short exclamation.
"Now that you mention it, it makes sense. There's no way there wouldn't be a place in the palace to store such documents."
"So we're going to check the imperial library."
As soon as Lewis finished speaking, two small dolls appeared in the air.
They were palm-sized wooden dolls.
As they were placed on the floor, their appearance gradually changed.
"Wow, it's us?"
Even the clothes were the same. They looked just like us.
"Pretty accurate, right?"
Lewis smiled lightly at me and spoke to Michael.
"Play with them. Until we come back."
"Got it. But try to come back soon. I can't leave for too long."
Even though we came without prior notice, he's helping us like this. Michael is truly an angel...
I squinted my eyes.
"Michael, it feels like you have wings on your back. You're so dazzling."
"Really?"
"Really?"
"Do you think so?"
Our lighthearted conversation was cut short by Lewis.
He urged me.
"We have to go now."
"Got it. We'll be back soon! Just wait a little, Michael."
As soon as I promised Michael, the scenery changed.
Through Lewis's teleportation magic, we arrived directly at the imperial library.
Gasp. Come to think of it, there was a librarian here.
I held my breath, fearing we'd be caught, but it was in vain because the library was quiet.
Not because there were no visitors, but because it was utterly silent. As if no one was there.
Was the librarian gone too?
"You can talk."
Lewis whispered.
"I checked, and no one is here."
You can even know that with magic?
Lewis speculated based on his reasoning.
"If no one visits, there's no need for a librarian to be here all the time."
Come to think of it, it was only Charlotte and I who visited before.
Now that we both stopped coming, maybe...
Perhaps the system changed to have a staff member check the library a couple of times a day.
That would be good for us.
"Where's that wooden floor..."
I took the lead. After all, I'd been here a few times.
I quickly arrived at the spot Charlotte mentioned.
A wooden cover the same color as the library floor.
Even now, it didn't look out of place.
Clunk.
Lewis easily opened the cover with magic.
Inside, there was a space bigger than expected.
Lewis and I stepped onto the stairs leading to the basement.
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