SWNOVELXO Chapter 42
Chapter 42. Champagne and Mandarin Sauce Shouldn’t Be Eaten Together (4)
Breakfast was a simple pumpkin soup.
Personally, Astrid had a craving for something spicy, like a hot stew. But in this era, there were things you could hope for and things you couldn’t, and unfortunately, spicy dishes belonged to the latter category.
“Still, it’s not bad,” she thought.
“Astrid.”
Leopold, sitting across from her, was quietly eating his soup. Without lifting her head, Astrid raised her eyes to look at him.
“Try to refrain from drinking too much.”
“I plan to. It seems like my constitution changed after being sick. Thank you for your concern.”
At the mention of her constitution changing, Leopold’s spoon paused midair.
He knew about Astrid’s fall—how she’d tumbled down the stairs and remained unconscious for a whole month.
It was something he was well aware of. But he hadn’t visited her, and that left a lingering sense of guilt.
He’d intended to visit, but kept putting it off. Since the journey to her residence took a full week, it wasn’t a trip one could make lightly.
“But that’s not the only reason,” Leopold thought.
The truth was, he found Astrid burdensome.
No—rather than burdensome, he disliked her.
Astrid had once made him so ill that the 10-year-old Crown Prince had been bedridden for three days. It’s no wonder he’d grown to harbor a grudge.
Moreover, he couldn’t understand her. She was the reason for his suffering, yet she’d always treated him with such cold indifference.
“At any rate, thank you for your consideration.”
Astrid scooped up the last spoonful of her pumpkin soup, tore her bread in half, and used it to wipe the bottom of her bowl clean.
Not a single drop of soup remained as she placed her dishes neatly on the table. A servant approached to clear the table.
“The soup was delicious. Thank you for the meal.”
Astrid’s gentle thanks left the servant’s face bright red as he bowed deeply, flustered.
“Did Astrid… just thank a servant?”
Leopold’s eyes briefly flickered with surprise. While he was courteous, Astrid was a natural-born aristocrat. She wasn’t the type to express gratitude to servants.
Even after receiving the blessing of the stars and fighting on the battlefield, Astrid had maintained strict boundaries when it came to the servant-master relationship.
But here she was, thanking a servant.
Leopold found it curious.
***
“So, I hear the two of you spent the night together.”
“Cough!”
The setting was a light tea time with the Emperor, Kreutz. Steam rose from the teacups as they sat together—Kreutz, Leopold, and Astrid.
Astrid, who’d been drinking tea, suddenly coughed, choking on the tea. Leopold quickly pulled a handkerchief from the table and offered it to her.
“All I did was let a drunken Lady Miterien sleep in the guest palace, Your Majesty. Please refrain from making such misleading remarks.”
Leopold’s response was calm, but Kreutz’s grin showed no sign of fading. He seemed to find the situation endlessly amusing, with a wide smile plastered across his face.
It was clear that no matter what Leopold said, Kreutz had no intention of changing his mind.
“Y-Your Majesty. There are many listening ears around,” Astrid intervened, her face tinged with embarrassment.
Only then did Kreutz close his mouth.
“What does it matter? It’s not like the Academy’s rules apply to you, Astrid. Only Leopold is bound by obligation there, not you.”
Kreutz’s words weren’t wrong.
Leopold, as the Crown Prince, was required to graduate from the Academy in order to inherit the throne. Astrid, however, had no such obligation.
To Kreutz, it seemed as if Astrid had merely followed Leopold there of her own volition.
“But Your Majesty, students at the Academy are prohibited from engaging in personal relationships like marriage or engagement during their studies. For the next four years…”
Leopold glanced at Kreutz, his eyes sharp with suspicion. It felt like Kreutz was trying to rush them into marriage.
“And what’s wrong with that?” Kreutz shrugged.
“Pardon?”
The Academy’s rules explicitly prohibited romantic relationships. If caught, students could face expulsion or other disciplinary actions.
To buy time, Leopold and Astrid had agreed to use the Academy’s rules as an excuse to delay their engagement.
But Kreutz’s words left them stunned.
“Am I not the Emperor? Now, Leopold, tell me. Which holds more authority—the Academy’s rules or me, the Emperor? If I request an exception, do you think they’d dare refuse?”
Leopold’s lips pressed into a firm line.
***
“It’s like he’s trying to force us to marry.”
“It does seem that way.”
【Of course he is! Are you seriously going to pull that ‘we shouldn’t get married’ nonsense now?!】
“No. I’ll keep my promise.”
He tried to ignore Astrid’s inner voice, but it had become impossible to silence. The more he ignored it, the louder it grew, until he had no choice but to play along.
【Besides, it’s obvious the Prince is thinking about marriage too.】
“What part of him makes you think that?”
Typically, a man would show kindness to his fiancée. Leopold’s kindness was polite, but distant—the kind of kindness you’d show a stranger. It was not the warmth of genuine affection.
【Didn’t he respect your boundaries last night despite your “fox-like” behavior? If he didn’t care, he wouldn’t have done that.】
She’d already heard from the “real” Astrid what had happened the night before. The accusations of “fox-like” behavior and being called a “mutt” weren’t wrong, so she didn’t argue.
Besides, the real Astrid wasn’t clever enough to concoct such elaborate lies.
“I’ve got to find a way back to my world,” she thought. “If I stay here any longer, I’ll be in real trouble.”
【Fine. I’ll help you. Let’s find a way back as soon as possible.】
“…Are you listening?”
“Pardon?”
It seemed Leopold had said something.
Leopold’s eyebrows furrowed slightly as he stared directly at Astrid.
“My apologies. The flowers in the garden were so beautiful that I got lost in thought for a moment.”
“Flowers, huh…”
Leopold barely swallowed the words that had reached his lips. It didn’t suit her, but saying so would be rude.
No matter what, Astrid was still a woman, and he knew better than to make such remarks. Instead, he fixed his gaze on her and spoke again.
“There’s something I’d like to discuss. Do you have time?”
“Pardon?”
Why?
What is it about?
“This isn’t the place to talk about it. I’ll visit the Miterien Ducal residence around evening.”
“…Alright.”
***
Astrid left the Imperial Palace in the morning.
Before the sun had reached its peak, her carriage departed from the palace and made its way toward the Miterien Ducal residence.
However, midway through the journey, Astrid called for the attendant riding with her.
“Change our destination.”
“Where shall I take you, my lady?”
“To the Imperial Library, please.”
It would be inefficient to return to the ducal residence only to leave again. Since she’d already made up her mind, it was best to act on it right away.
【Hah, so you did plan to head back after all?】
“What kind of nonsense are you talking about now?”
【I thought you were planning to make the first move on His Highness.】
“That’s never going to happen.”
Never.
“Me? Make a move on Leopold? That’s absurd. It’s absolutely out of the question, so stop worrying about it. By the way, have you ever been to the Imperial Library?”
【Didn’t I already tell you?】
“Tell me what?”
【Heroes don’t study. Why would I ever go to a library?”】
The sheer confidence in that statement left her speechless. Somehow, it was so absurd that she couldn’t even be annoyed.
While exchanging words with the “real” Astrid, the carriage veered away from the bustling city center and into the quieter outskirts.
Though “outskirts” was a relative term, as the area was only slightly less lively than the main district.
Eventually, a grand structure came into view.
A massive building that could rival the grandeur of the Imperial Palace. By rough estimate, it appeared to be at least 10 stories tall.
“We’ve arrived at the Imperial Library. Should I report that Lady Miterien stopped here before returning to the residence?”
“Yes, do that.”
It was only natural to report any change in the destination of a noble’s carriage, so Astrid nodded without hesitation.
【So this is the Imperial Library, huh? First time I’ve been here… Ugh, it reeks of books.”】
“That’s something to be proud of, huh.”
Like the Imperial Palace, the library had a grand iron gate at its entrance.
However, there was also a smaller side door, clearly meant for everyday use. It seemed the grand iron gate was more symbolic or reserved for when high-ranking officials visited.
Astrid approached the side door and addressed one of the guards stationed nearby.
“I’m Astrid von Miterien. I’d like to enter the Imperial Library. May I go in now?”
The guard looked at her for a moment before his eyes widened.
“P-please wait a moment!”
He hurried into the guard station and returned with a logbook and a pen, holding one in each hand.
“P-please write your name and reason for visiting here. Your entry has already been authorized, so you may proceed as soon as you’ve signed.”
“Thank you.”
The Imperial Library’s architecture mirrored that of the Imperial Palace.
Only a select few were granted access to the library, and as such, it was rarely crowded. When Astrid entered, the only people present were staff members and librarians moving about. There were few visitors actually reading books.
“Excuse me.”
“Yes, how may I help you?”
The librarians, well-accustomed to dealing with nobles, greeted her with polite, practiced smiles.
“I’d like to look up materials on summoning magic or spatial magic. Would you have any such materials available?”
Summoning or spatial magic.
Astrid suspected that her arrival in this world was either due to someone summoning her or a spatial magic spell gone wrong.
She needed to understand the basics—how such magic was triggered and what effects it could produce.
“Summoning or spatial magic… You’ll find related books on the third floor. However, since they aren’t well-developed fields, most of the books are introductory texts.”
“That’s more than enough. Thank you.”
Astrid nodded and headed to the third floor. The librarian, watching her walk away, gave a small smile.
“Oops.”
A strand of purple hair peeked out from the roots of the librarian’s scalp.
When she reached up to touch it, the purple color faded back to brown.
“Almost got caught,” she muttered.