A Butterfly Through the Mist - Chapter 31

The old town, where a large bookstore had opened, mainly consisted of one-story buildings, unlike the new town with its department store. Though the old downtown appeared worn out at first glance, it was full of hidden gems, to the point that even the new town couldn’t quite surpass it.

Simply put, if the new town was a place in the sun, the old town was a place in the shadows, with its streets lined with entertainment venues.

Tilia glanced at the streets that changed their atmosphere distinctly within just two blocks, then turned her head forward. A tall man walked ahead of her with perfect posture, unmistakably noble in every way.

The women in dresses with deep necklines stole glances at him, something that even an uninvolved observer could easily sense. Yet Ilex, as if used to such attention, paid no mind and walked toward his destination.

Before long, the bookstore revealed itself. As Ilex was about to enter through the door of the new bookstore, covered in advertisements, he turned as if only then realizing he had company.

“What are you doing?”

Standing by the door, he gestured lightly toward Tilia, who had been standing at a distance. The gesture meant for her to come inside. But Tilia only looked at Ilex’s figure, which seemed to belong in an illustration from a popular novel, her gaze uneasy.

‘Will it be okay?’

Tilia had a simple reason for deciding to accept Ilex Davenport’s help. As he had said, she truly wanted to learn Ontaroan properly.

Regardless of her doubts about him, she needed to use him to achieve her goal. Ilex Davenport was undeniably better at Ontaroan than she was. If she studied using the books he selected rather than some mediocre ones, she could get much closer to passing the exam.

‘But still…’

A strange sense of unease held her steps back.

‘Will it really be okay? Will there really be no trouble?’

Tilia looked at Ilex, still doubtful, and let out a deep sigh.

‘Enough. Right now, I have no choice but to accept his help.’

Recalling her inadequate Ontaroan, Tilia walked toward him. With one hand in his pocket and the other holding the door, Ilex pulled the door further open as Tilia approached.

The new bookstore had a different atmosphere from the start. The books, neatly arranged on shelves that seemed to reach the ceiling, looked brand new. As Tilia looked around the expansive space, which gave a strong sense of openness, she unknowingly muttered aloud.

“Why open such a large bookstore in the old town? Surely it would’ve been better near the department store.”

“Because the bookstore isn’t the main business,” Ilex replied nonchalantly to her rhetorical question. “There’s a sleazy social club that gathers beneath this place. The bookstore is just a front to hide the filthy basement.”

He casually revealed the hidden truth, then gave her a light warning. “So, unless absolutely necessary, don’t come here alone. Those lunatics don’t care if it’s day or night.”

As Tilia watched his back while he walked across the bookstore toward the foreign language section, she squinted. How did he know there was a secret social club below?

‘Isn’t the lunatic who can’t tell day from night actually you?’

As she recalled Ilex’s flamboyant rumors and the rather significant incident from that day, her eyes were filled with suspicion. Ilex, who had found the section with Ontaroan books, looked at her as if asking why she wasn’t coming over.

Ahem. Tilia cleared her throat and walked over, pretending not to think too much.

Apparently, in the short time he had been there, Ilex had skimmed through the corner’s books, and without hesitation, he pulled a book from the shelf.

“You already have the grammar down perfectly, so you don’t need a basic conversation book.”

Thud, the book he had chosen landed in Tilia’s hands.

“It seems like you don’t know how to properly use endings or choose the right words…”

Trailing off, his large, sturdy fingers ran over the book’s spine before he pulled out another.

“A newly published novel would be better than a classic. Your goal is to acquire the language, not to learn literature. Of course, it’s not as effective as direct conversation, but indirect experience is still experience.”

Thud, thud. The books he selected once again landed in Tilia’s hands.

“You want to use everyday vocabulary well, right? Not for travel, but for daily life or conversations?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

With her response, Ilex’s arm moved again. He easily took a book from a high shelf, one even Tilia couldn’t reach even on tiptoes, and again dropped it into her arms.

Thud, thud, thud… And the books kept piling up.

As Tilia, her arms aching from the weight, hastily read the titles of the books stacked in her arms, she suddenly remembered her wallet.

“I don’t need this many.”

Finally coming to her senses, Tilia quickly spoke, shoving the books back into Ilex’s arms. He took the stack effortlessly with one hand, even though it had been enough to make her stagger.

The ease with which he held them, along with the slightly bewildered look on his face, annoyed her a bit. Tilia grabbed the top book with a curt expression.

“I just need this one.”

But contrary to her words, her eyes remained fixed on the books he held.

If I read all those, my skills could improve a lot.

“……”

Just as Ilex, seeing her regretful expression, seemed about to say something, a loud voice rang out in the quiet bookstore.

“Hey! They say your sister is that pretty, right?”

Tilia, who had been looking at the books, instinctively turned her head.

It seemed what Ilex had said was true. Men smelling of alcohol were coming up the stairs, which led to the basement of the building she hadn’t even known existed.

Are those the club members he mentioned, the ones who party endlessly?

As Tilia looked disapprovingly at the obviously lowlifes, her eyes suddenly widened in recognition of someone.

“Hey, tell us! Is it true? Is your sister really pretty? Sweet? Naive?”

One of the men in the group had a particularly familiar face.

“How old is she? Doesn’t your father care about his daughter quite a bit?”

It was none other than her biological brother, George Ambrose.

‘Damn it.’

Seeing George’s appearance in yet another dirty place, Tilia hid behind Ilex’s back.

Any other hiding place would’ve been better, but this bookstore, emphasizing openness, had no tall bookshelves except against the walls.

Naturally, Tilia hid behind the closest tall presence, biting her lip nervously.

She had left home pretending she was visiting Judy’s place. Last night, she had avoided violence with the excuse of meeting Lady Wells. If she were caught alone in the bookstore now—no, caught with a man, no less.

‘…I don’t even want to imagine it.’

She had no idea what kind of torment awaited her. Tilia hugged the book she held, anxiously waiting for them to pass by.

“No matter how pretty your sister is, Brad, can she compare to Lady Ambrose? Was it Tilia? Didn’t you say George, your sister, is a scholarship student at the Royal Academy?”

“A scholarship student, my ass. She probably cheated her way in.”

“How could she cheat there? Didn’t you hear about the scandal recently?”

Though Ilex seemed puzzled by Tilia’s strange behavior, he continued to shield her. Hearing their conversation, he seemed to grasp Tilia’s situation.

“……”

Ilex looked at George Ambrose, his expression calm, as if indifferent, without giving away any thought or plan.

But at that moment, Tilia couldn’t care less about what was on his mind.

‘Please, just pass by, hurry.’

All she wanted was to avoid the disaster of George Ambrose spotting her. The men continued their chatter as they walked across the spacious bookstore.

“Remember Gregory Myers, the guy we drank with before? Apparently, he got expelled for cheating on an exam. The Myers family, no less, and he got expelled!”

“I heard it wasn’t just for cheating. They found a heretical book in his room.”

Heresy?

While waiting for George to leave, Tilia’s eyes dropped as she heard the mention of heresy.

She didn’t know why that particular scene came to mind.

The old library bathed in sunlight. Ilex Davenport, leaning against the window, holding a book titled Fundamentals of Theological Ethics.

As she recalled the contents of that book, a scoffing voice echoed in her ears.

“Anyway, the Myers family is done for. Not only did the Count try to bribe the Academy’s dean, but they even found forbidden books in his eldest son’s room. By now, they’ve probably issued an arrest warrant.”

More than just an arrest warrant, surely. Tilia, who had been diligently studying the introductory book last week, knew well the severity of the punishment that awaited the Myers family.

If a book directly opposing the temple’s authority was found, not only would their lands be confiscated, but even their title could be revoked. Just as that man had said, the Myers family’s downfall was inevitable.