Chapter 31
Lucy shouted boldly.
Yet, there was no stopping the blush creeping up her ears.
The man looked at her silently.
He alternated between glancing at the adult book she held carefully in her arms and her gradually reddening face.
The moment he let out a small chuckle…
Dding!
[%Affinity fluctuation detected!]
[#$@ ^%! ga +^(sseumnida.]
[Affinity: ? → #@ Affinity: ?]
Lucy’s eyes went wide.
Unlike usual, a system window full of errors appeared before her.
‘Why is the system window…?’
Why was the affinity window—which usually only reacts to the male leads in the game—appearing now?
And why was it so garbled that she couldn’t read it properly?
‘Anyway, if the affinity window appeared…’
It meant this man was one of the male leads.
Lucy carefully examined the man in front of her.
He was a man who had given her a sense of déjà vu since the first time she saw him.
Not Cecil, not Logan, not Patrick—so there was only one male lead left.
Lucy’s eyes gradually widened.
‘Alexander.’
Alexander Faraday.
The true heir of the Faraday family.
He had appeared right before her eyes.
‘Why?’
Alexander was supposed to appear only after Lucy turned seventeen.
In other words, it was far too early for him to appear now.
‘So that’s why the system window glitched?’
Lucy was confused.
He was supposed to have the backstory of studying abroad in a foreign country.
Yet here he was, openly in the empire.
‘Did he come back early?’
Or…
‘Did he not go abroad at all?’
If so, why hadn’t he revealed himself as the heir of the Faraday family while being in the empire?
What would happen to Bartholomew now that Alexander had appeared?
The man, Alexander, slightly tilted his head as he watched Lucy staring at him as if he were a ghost.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Hearing the question in his curious voice, Lucy snapped back to reality.
‘I can’t act like I already know Alexander.’
He hadn’t introduced himself by name or status first.
So Lucy couldn’t ask him any of the questions she had about him.
‘Should I try saying my name first?’
But it would be awkward to suddenly reveal her name in this situation.
Moreover, Bartholomew officially held his position, so it was possible he might hide his identity from her.
‘Better to observe the situation for now.’
Lucy decided to approach cautiously.
At that moment, her gaze fell on the book Alexander was holding.
One of the books in Alexander’s hands glowed faintly with a purple light.
‘That’s…’
Lucy realized it might be the special book she had been searching for all day.
To think Alexander was holding the very book she had finally found.
Alexander noticed Lucy’s gaze fixed on the book.
He raised his eyebrows slightly and asked,
“Is there a book here that interests you?”
Lucy, still flustered, quickly composed her expression.
“Yes.”
She nodded and pointed precisely at the book glowing purple.
Seeing the book, Alexander wore a slightly troubled expression.
“Oh.”
He slightly lowered the ends of his eyebrows and looked at her.
“This book is one I have been desperately searching for and finally acquired, so I’m afraid it would be difficult for me to give it up.”
Alexander drew a firm line.
From this attitude, Lucy could confirm that he was indeed a high-ranking noble.
Even though a gentleman’s virtue dictates yielding to a lady, he politely expressed regret that he could not comply.
At the same time, Bartholomew came to mind.
Having grown up in the Faraday family without learning basic etiquette like ballroom dancing, he was very different.
Alexander, on the other hand, exuded the distinctive air of a refined noble.
Yet Lucy realized she could not back down despite Alexander’s refusal.
‘That book will be my link to Alexander.’
She needed to build a relationship to learn the story between him and Bartholomew.
Even in her previous playthrough, Alexander had been a character whose inner thoughts were difficult to uncover.
He had a unique wall around him, and pushing too far would drastically lower his affinity.
He was similar to Patrick yet belonged to a different category.
Patrick’s affinity would drop if someone fell for his superficial charm, but Alexander’s affinity would plummet if someone tried to probe into his secrets.
Lucy steadied her expression.
“I was looking for that book too.”
“Not the one you’re holding now?”
Only then did Lucy realize she was clutching the adult book so dearly.
She quickly set it down nearby and cleared her throat.
“It was just a momentary mistake.”
Lucy decided to boldly play her hand.
“This bookstore is the fifth one I’ve visited today alone.”
“For this book?”
Lucy nodded.
“If you find it hard to give it up, how about lending it to me?”
Alexander’s eyebrows rose slightly.
“You’ll read it first, then lend it to me?”
Lucy looked at Alexander earnestly.
She had to find a way to create another opportunity with him.
Alexander paused for a moment, contemplating.
He studied Lucy silently.
Although Lucy didn’t know, he too felt reluctant to let her go just like that.
That day at the night market during the fireworks festival, he had seen Lucy with Bartholomew.
He had been surprised that Bartholomew was there, and that Lucy had a partner with him.
Bartholomew, who only ever went between the mansion and the temple, had suddenly appeared in public.
Alexander wondered what could have prompted him to venture outside.
At the same time, he felt a threat.
It was not favorable for Alexander that Bartholomew, as the Faraday heir, made appearances in various places.
Originally, Bartholomew did not have that kind of character.
He had always obeyed the Duke’s orders like a puppet.
Alexander was not pleased that Bartholomew had started to defy the Duke’s will.
While pondering the cause, Alexander suspected that the woman in front of him might be the reason.
The way Bartholomew looked at her was not ordinary.
And today, by chance, he had met her.
At first, he simply observed quietly.
Her struggles to pick out an adult book caught his interest.
It was unexpected for someone who looked like a noble lady.
Eventually, not because of Bartholomew, but out of pure curiosity, he helped her.
Seeing her flustered while desperately searching for the book, he found it amusing.
Alexander looked at the book in Lucy’s arms.
<Flower of the Wind>
Judging by the title, one couldn’t tell it was an adult book.
Yet the idea of a woman enjoying such a book made him smile.
She was an interesting woman in many ways.
Perhaps Bartholomew had felt the same curiosity toward her.
His desire to know more about the woman in front of him grew considerably.
However, he was not in a position to form relationships easily.
Unexpectedly, a chance arose only when the woman herself suggested borrowing the book.
Using the book as a pretext, he could now interact with her.
If they merely shared the book, he could draw appropriate boundaries while getting to know her.
Judging so, Alexander nodded.
“Very well.”
Lucy, anxiously awaiting his response, brightened.
Her passion for the book was more earnest than he had expected.
Thinking they shared similar tastes in books made him even more interested.
Lucy seized the opportunity and spoke.
It was the perfect moment to naturally introduce herself.
Yet Alexander was quicker.
“Let’s meet here at the same time tomorrow.”
“Excuse me?”
“I will bring the book then. Please read it.”
Alexander created a chance to meet again, without revealing anything about himself.
Lucy pondered briefly.
If she tried to dig deeper now, she might even lose the chance to meet him again.
She nodded.
“Alright. See you tomorrow then.”
Lucy accepted his proposal nonchalantly.
Watching her, Alexander faintly curved his lips into a small smile.
“Then, until next time.”
Alexander left the bookstore, looking forward to their next meeting.
