Chapter 13
The next day.
Lucy headed to the library to meet Bartholomew.
Her face was full of anticipation.
Only five days remained until the imperial banquet. Finally, with Bartholomew’s cooperation secured, she could start preparing for the event in earnest.
“Young Master Bartholomew!”
Seeing Bartholomew standing at the library entrance, Lucy called his name cheerfully.
Bartholomew, however, looked sullen. His eyes were deep-set and, upon seeing Lucy, he let out a small sigh.
Is he in a bad mood?
Lucy guessed by observing his expression.
No… this isn’t just bad mood…
Entering the library with him, Lucy asked,
“Do you regret it?”
As if confirming her question, Bartholomew’s shoulders stiffened.
“But you said you’d do it yourself.”
“……”
“A gentleman should always keep his word, right? Isn’t that so?”
With every word she spoke, Lucy stepped closer to him.
Bartholomew instinctively leaned slightly away from her.
Soon, he glanced at Lucy, who was practically within his arms.
“Alright, just give me a bit of space.”
Only then did Lucy realize she had been too forward and felt embarrassed.
“We’ll have to be close anyway to dance together, so why not get used to it now?”
“About that dance…”
“Ah!”
Bartholomew tried to speak, but Lucy cut him off.
“Young Master Bartholomew, there’s a reason I asked you to meet me in the library.”
Lucy led the way, and Bartholomew followed.
“There are folk songs here…”
Lucy trailed off while scanning the shelves.
Curious about her sudden pause, Bartholomew stood beside her.
As he glanced at the books on the shelf, Lucy clenched her fists tightly.
Are you kidding me?
She checked the titles again, and it was the same as before. She couldn’t read a single word.
My intelligence is so low I can’t even read books?!
She could read simple words, but any book requiring actual intellect was completely unreadable.
Lucy looked around desperately and finally found a book she could read.
“The Adventures of Pip and Squirrel”
Seriously?
A children’s storybook was the only thing she could make sense of. Her current intelligence level only allowed her to read such books.
“Is there a problem?”
Bartholomew asked, narrowing his eyes at her.
He had been unable to understand her behavior since entering the library.
Lucy whipped her head around to look at him. Her eyes sparkled so intensely that Bartholomew took a step back.
But it was already too late.
Lucy grabbed both his hands and said, her voice trembling with emotion,
“I’m so glad you’re here, Young Master Bartholomew!”
“Let go of my hands while you talk.”
Bartholomew’s calm voice slightly deflated Lucy’s momentum.
She had asked him to find a book compiling the empire’s folk songs, and he had brought it. They sat side by side on the sofa.
“Young Master Bartholomew, I’m really sorry.”
“Again?”
“Please read this book for me.”
Bartholomew raised his eyebrows.
“You can’t read the letters?”
A member of the royal family? His expression seemed to question this.
Lucy felt wronged. It was because of her negative stat, not because she was illiterate.
Seeing her embarrassed, Bartholomew calmly asked,
“Do you want me to start from the beginning?”
“Please find the folk song from the southern region that talks about a scarecrow.”
Though Bartholomew didn’t understand why she wanted that song, he found it and read it aloud.
After checking the lyrics, Lucy nodded.
“Young Master Bartholomew, I asked you to be my dance partner. We will dance to this song.”
One of Bartholomew’s eyebrows raised.
“Do they even play folk songs like this at the imperial banquet?”
“You have to request it separately,” Lucy replied.
Bartholomew thought for a moment before speaking.
“Why do you want to dance at the banquet?”
Lucy blinked.
“Well, I have to catch the Emperor’s attention at the imperial banquet.”
For Lucy, this was essential to seeing the game’s true ending, but Bartholomew had no way of knowing that.
“You’ve probably heard the rumors, Young Master Bartholomew, but I’m the imperial court’s ugly duckling.”
“……”
“I live in a separate residence, not the palace, and His Majesty pays me no attention.”
“……”
“So this time, I want to earn some points. Who knows? It might change how people think of me.”
Listening quietly, Bartholomew asked,
“Haven’t you ever thought this would be a useless endeavor?”
Lucy widened her eyes at him.
“I thought that maybe I’d have to work hard from childhood to catch the Emperor’s attention.”
Bartholomew looked down at the book and continued,
“Haven’t you ever thought that no matter how hard you try, it would be futile?”
Lucy hadn’t expected him to ask that. He seemed to understand her situation perfectly.
“Right. It was useless effort,” she said with a bitter smile.
It was obvious that she had strived to win the Emperor’s favor. The game had detailed it explicitly.
Despite her efforts, the Emperor was always cold to her, and Elisha had subtly tormented her.
While playing the game, she hadn’t fully realized it, but now, inhabiting her body, she truly felt how pitiful her situation was.
“But doing something is better than doing nothing.”
She couldn’t just do nothing and remain trapped in the game forever.
“Someday, won’t my effort pay off?”
At Lucy’s hopeful reply, a slight smile curved Bartholomew’s lips.
“I hope that day comes.”
Lucy noticed the smile but only nodded.
“Do you have any siblings, Young Master Bartholomew?”
She still hadn’t discovered his true identity. With the opportunity to be alone with him, she decided to find out more.
Lucy secretly wondered if Bartholomew might be Alexander’s brother. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be in line to inherit the family.
The game was such a bad one that it might not have revealed Bartholomew’s sibling setting anyway.
Lucy didn’t trust the game at all.
“No.”
Bartholomew answered briefly.
So he’s an only child?
Then who exactly is Alexander?
Lucy was confused.
After a brief pause, she cautiously asked,
“May I ask what illness you have, Young Master Bartholomew?”
She feared that he might have a terminal condition. Bartholomew received treatment in a special care ward and had coughed up blood during seizures.
Perhaps after his death, a relative like Alexander would inherit his position—he might be a supporting character meant to disappear before the game truly began.
Bartholomew looked up from the book at Lucy.
“Why do you want to know?”
His tone was somewhat sharp, and Lucy swallowed nervously.
“I’m worried.”
“Worried?”
“Yes, after seeing you cough badly the other time, and with that suspicious medicine… I’m concerned and curious about what might happen to you.”
Bartholomew stared intently into Lucy’s eyes.
“So you’re asking why you’re worried?”
Lucy said matter-of-factly,
“Because I only have you, Young Master Bartholomew.”
“……”
“I told you—I need you, not anyone else.”
Bartholomew was momentarily speechless. His ears flushed red.
