Yustitia Ark Gate’s Monologue

Holding the stack of books Yuti-san had told me she no longer needed, I headed down the stairs toward the library.

Since I had to go around the courtyard to get there, they must have spotted me from inside it.

“Nova-onii-sama!? What are you doing!?”

The door leading from the courtyard opened with a clatter, and Aurora-chan stepped into the hallway.

Shia was right behind her.

“Well, I ran into Yuti-san over there earlier. I helped carry some books to her room, and I figured I might as well help return the ones she doesn’t need anymore too.”

“Now that you mention it, the librarian was complaining that Yuti hardly ever returns them. I’m sorry, Nova-san, my sister has caused you trouble…”

“No, no, it’s fine. This is nothing.”

I took Aurora-chan and Shia with me into the library.

When the librarian saw me come in carrying books, her eyes widened, and she immediately took them from me.

She said she would handle putting them back on the shelves, so when I told her there were more books to bring down from Yuti-san’s room, she thanked me and bowed deeply several times.

“Please let us help! Please!”

The librarian appealed to me so fervently that I nodded, and she disappeared into the back.

After we waited a little while, all the librarians who had been in the library, along with several nearby butlers and maids who were free, had gathered together.

And so I headed toward Yuti-san’s room with Aurora-chan, Shia, and a whole crowd of other people.

I had obviously never led this many people anywhere before, so it was a little intimidating.

We eventually returned to Yuti-san’s room, but perhaps she had heard all the footsteps approaching, because she seemed to have been staring at the door even before we entered.

The instant I opened it, my eyes met Yuti-san’s widened ones.

“W-We’re back, Yuti-san. Um… everyone said they’d help.”

“…Th-thank you?”

“All right, then let’s take these books here… Huh?”

That was when I noticed something.

There was no presence behind me.

When I turned around, Shia and Aurora-chan were there, but the librarians and servants had not entered the room.

The librarian was staring intently at me, as if silently calling me over, so I approached her, and she whispered into my ear.

“I’m sorry, but could you please hand the books to us? Yustitia-sama dislikes having large groups of people enter her room…”

“Ah, understood.”

Come to think of it, Yuti-san had looked almost frightened when I first opened the door.

The servants who had known her for a long time must have been aware of that.

With Shia and Aurora-chan helping, we passed the books out to the servants one after another.

Once we had handed over all of them, the room looked a little cleaner.

Well, there were still plenty of books scattered around everywhere.

“Then we’ll be going now. Yuti, make sure you clean up after yourself once in a while.”

“…Understood.”

Yuti-san answered while shrinking in on herself, and Shia nodded before leaving the room with Aurora-chan.

I was the last one left, so I said goodbye as well.

“Well then, Yuti-san, I’ll be going too.”

“Nova-san, thank you very much.”

“No, don’t worry about it. It was actually fun seeing so many different books, and moving around with that many people was a new experience for me.”

“I see.”

With that, she fell silent.

We continued looking at each other without saying a word.

Just as I was wondering whether it was okay for me to leave now, Yuti-san opened a drawer in her desk, took something out, and held it toward me.

It was pure white stationery.

“I imagine you have already received some from the other two, but please take this as well. There may come a time when you need something from me.”

I accepted the stationery from Yuti-san’s hand.

It was magical stationery bearing the crest of House Ark Gate.

“Ah, thank you.”

“Then.”

The moment I put the stationery into my pocket, Yuti-san said that.

I nodded and left the room.

Until the door closed behind me, I could feel her gaze following me the entire time.

I stared at the closed door.

More precisely, I continued staring at the lingering image of Nova-san, who had just closed it.

I did not particularly like dealing with people.

Ever since I was young, I had spent so much time watching other people’s expressions.

Because I had to.

“Nova Fols…”

I spoke his name aloud.

I did not like letting people into my room.

It felt as though they were intruding upon the world that belonged only to me and the books that never said anything to me, and I hated that feeling.

But I had not felt that way while Nova-san was in this room.

I thought it was probably because, when I was around him, I did not have to think about so many complicated things.

Things like succession to the position of family head, political backing, or maintaining the balance between the sisters.

The family head had destroyed any need for me to worry about such troublesome things.

That was why I had sworn loyalty to Leticia Ark Gate.

Ever since that day, there was no doubt in my mind that she was the master I should serve.

But Nova-san was the first person who made me feel that I did not need to worry about those troublesome things—not because he destroyed them, but simply because they did not seem to matter around him.

“…Sta…tionery.”

That was probably why I had given him stationery that I had never given to anyone outside my sisters.

I hated troublesome things, but I felt it was fine to give it to Nova-san.

He would surely only use it when he truly needed to, and knowing that he possessed the stationery did not make me feel unpleasant.

I turned back to my desk and resumed my work.

The hand turning the pages of my book and the arm moving my pen across the paper both felt lighter than usual.