Bluebird Lady and The White Lion Family

  ✿  It was the first time I went to the library in the mansion. In the meantime, the maid lent me books. The library was an antique stone building in Romanesque style next to the annex. When I pushed the heavy door with both hands, a quite surprising sight unfolded. A wooden desk with subtle and atmospheric lighting and warm sunlight. And a bookshelf full of accumulated wisdom. It was like something out of a novel, well this was inside a novel after all. There was also a library in Eagle’s mansion, but it was nothing compared to this place. I couldn’t help but admire it unknowingly. “Wow, the smell of books…” Hearing the sudden words, Ricardo quietly placed his finger on his lips. Sophina also felt awkward and covered her mouth with her hands, shuddering. Actually, there weren’t that many people in the library, but it wasn’t polite to shout out loud. Moreover, since it’s a place where all the people in the mansion could go in and out, it was better to act politely. ‘Was it because it’s been a while since I’ve been at a library like this? Which was why I made a mistake.’ I tiptoed and walked gently so that I wouldn’t make any sound. Then, I pulled out a chair carefully like a child eating a late night snack in the middle of the night without my mother’s knowledge. Ricardo was also next to me… ‘You’re also probably here to find a book to prepare for the banquet, right?’  I was thinking about what to do first. ‘Like Cinderella’s fairy grandmother.’ They show up when you need them and give you the right help. Definitely, being friends with Ricardo seemed to have a lot of good points. There were some awkward corners. ‘I need to take a closer look at why you keep helping me!’ Sophina, resolutely clenched her fists, then glanced at Ricardo, who was sitting next to her. ‘But aren’t you sitting too close?’ Perhaps because it was in such a quiet environment, I was worried that even the breathing sound would permeate in someone’s ears. ‘But what are you writing?’ Sophina stared at Ricardo, who was writing something with a common quill pen on the desk. “Hey, what are you doing?” Then I lowered my voice and whispered. “You could check out the book according to this list.” Then he spoke softly like Sophina did, and even filled the paper with letters. From the time we first met, I thought that Ricardo had a soft voice, but as he whispered a little, it became a low bass that exuded a mature feeling. What if Ricardo became a full-fledged adult? Suddenly, I was curious about that. ‘A decadent sexiness with wide shoulders, straight back, and fine muscles…?’ But, I don’t think it’s a 19-rated novel? You have to have that much sexiness to be called a male lead. Sophina held the corner of her lips as it was about to rise, and tucked her hair behind her ear. As I was immersed in my own world in the midst of that, I forgot reality. “You won’t get this?” Ricardo’s voice sounded a little reproach. He handed the completed list to Sophina, and gently raised an eyebrow. ‘I guess I was spacing out too much. I didn’t even know you were giving it to me.’ So I hurriedly took the paper. Then I tried to raise the corners of my lips to smile and pretend nothing happened. “…Oh, I should. Thank you.” Sophina had a short time of self-reflection after blinking. ‘Was I too impure?’ Let’s get to work! After making up my mind, I quickly got up from the chair with a paper in my arms. “Then I’ll bring the books!” Sophina, who headed to the library, was shocked to see the number of books written on paper. ‘Wow, that’s a lot.’ Even looking through it roughly, the thickness of the book was enormous. Sophina took out the books one by one in alphabetical order. The books piled up one after another on the floor. Because there was nowhere to put them. The problem was the books at the top. ‘It’s too high… Where’s the ladder?’ I looked around. Just then, I found a wooden ladder at the end of a bookshelf. Sophina, who dragged the ladder in front of her, put her right leg on the foothold. I had to climb quite high, so I stepped slowly like a turtle. Soon, I succeeded in climbing to the top of the ladder. ‘Why do I have to suffer like this?’ Sophina pouted and grumbled inside. Why didn’t I have the ability to have many eyes to see for me? I had to personally check the titles of the books as well. In particular, the books on the top were reflected in the light, making it difficult to see the letters. Fumbling through the library, pulling out and inserting the books. Then, someone approached from behind. At someone’s sudden popularity, Sophina held onto the bookshelf and turned her head. The owner of the footsteps was Ricardo. I swept down my chest and spoke in a trembling tone. “What? When did you get here?” “What are you doing?” Instead of answering, Ricardo spoke coldly. He glanced at the paper in her hand and moved to the other side of the library. Then Ricardo picked out the books, which Sophina had not been able to find. The place where the book was taken out became an empty space. Through the hole in the bookshelf, the back of Sophina could be seen. Ricardo stared at her like that. Meanwhile, Sophina was spurring her work by inflating her white and soft cheeks. Her face, as she pointed her finger at the list, suddenly turned bright. “Now, if I just pull out this book…” Without realizing it, she gently lifted her toes and reached out to the side. I couldn’t get the book with a black cover, so I swung my arm even more narrowly. The ladder wobbled very slightly, probably because the center of gravity was shifted to the other side. It was a pretty precarious situation. ‘It really takes a lot of work.’ Ricardo, who was watching Sophina from the other side, sighed quietly. Then he sneaked up to her and knelt down. Without a word, he bowed his head, pretending to find the book beneath her, holding the ladder tightly. Thanks to this, the ladder did not even move. Now that she was able to take out the book stably, she sensed the strangeness that the ladder didn’t even shake and looked down. The round and white back of the head. It was definitely Ricardo. Shu Pena opened her mouth with a tone that exuded her curiosity.Spena opened her mouth in a mysterious tone. “…You’ve been holding it all this timeㅡ” I said with a bit surprise in the tone of my voice. “Oh, I forgot this book.” Ricardo picked up one of the books in front of him and handed it over to her. However, I was unable to take the book he was giving. “Ah…” Sophina’s lips parted slightly apart, and a short exclamation leaked through them. Ricardo’s eyes, as clear as a blue lake, contained my reflection… ‘I think my expression looks a little different today.’ His normally elongated eyes strangely look soft, perhaps because of his mood. It was refreshing to look down at him, who I had always looked up to. Sophina blinked blankly. Along with her small movement, her blue eyelashes also fluttered. Likewise, Ricardo, who was glancing up at her, slowly licked his lips. “I think I’ve found everything, so let’s go back.” He pushed the book he was holding once again as if asking her to take it. The bitter, subtle smell of paper tickled the tip of Sophina’s nose. I immediately came down the ladder with the book in my arms. Only then did Ricardo tuck his knees and stand up. Ricardo walked toward the front without looking back. ‘Why are you walking so fast?’ Sophina, who was left alone, hugged the pile of books on the floor and followed him. It hasn’t been long, but the library has become quiet. Not even one little ant could be seen, enough to make a noise. ‘My arm felt numb.’ I wiggled my tingling fingers at the increasing weight. At that moment, somehow, Ricardo turned his head a bit and glanced at me, he seems to have noticed it. Then he approached me and… ‘What…?’ I raised the corners of my lips and tried to look somewhere else. Soon after, the slight surprise spread during the day. “Huh?” My arms became lighter. It was thanks to Ricardo taking a pile of books as if he had read my mind. ‘Why are you suddenly helping?’ I hastened my steps, rummaging through the only book in my hand. ‘He’s not taking care of me because I look pitiful, right?’ The cause of my embarrassment said something insignificant. “Look carefully and walk. Thanks to someone, I’m going to have a hole in the back of my head.” There was a subtle playfulness in his pleasant voice. “Then will my wife feed me?” “No?” Sophina’s eyes reflexively widened and shook. Even Ricardo didn’t lose and counterattacked. “Was that a question?” “If you listen carefully, it’s a statement. And I’m very serious right now.” Sophina muttered fast enough to be heard and protested. At that, Ricardo smirked and coughed, pretending it wasn’t. ‘Did I say it too timidly? Why are you laughing?’ I scratched my head and made a grumpy expression. In the midst of the argument, the two reached the place where they had originally settled. I dragged a chair across from Ricardo and sat down. He put down the books and suggested them in a voice that exudes an intelligent feeling. “First, I think you should come up with a budget and detailed plans while referring to this book.” “Yes!” Sophina affirmed cheerfully with twinkling eyes. But after a while, her deer-like eyes rotted sadly like a frozen fish that would soon die. “You got the calculation wrong.” …Do I also have a bird head? Sophina’s mind went blank in the feast of complex numbers. The unit itself was different because it was a large-scale banquet. Moreover, how many other rules must be followed at a banquet… It was the first time that I was strict about the color of food to be served. ‘Still, I was confident in myself. I got compliments on the report.’ I’ve rarely experienced this before, but wasn’t there any buff for the second time in my life? But I didn’t know the buff would be stupid. “It’s a lot more complicated than I thought…” Sophina wrapped herself with her hair and bit the flesh inside her mouth painlessly. I began to think that way… ‘Was the beast a genius who took charge of this job?’ My respect for those who I had never even seen their faces grew. In the meantime, a strange question arose. ‘Maybe it was an important character in the original.’ Sophina’s eyes shone as she had reached that point. She gently poked Ricardo with her elbow. “But who has been preparing for the banquet before?”