Ranette hesitated after her sudden recommendation, “The One With The Blue Cape.” She hid her face again behind the book, and she clutched it like a shield, her red eyes occasionally peeking out to see if I’d reacted.
“‘The One With The Blue Cape’? What’s it about?”
Ranette’s finger gripped the book together, and for a moment, I thought she’d hide away again. But then she mumbled, “It’s about a knight… with a blue cape…”
This world... I hate it.
From the name of the title, I guessed it would either be a biography of some sort of figure, or a fiction novel. I walked over to the shelves with “fiction” inscribed to its golden plate, and scanned the spines of the books there.
I found it and tentatively grabbed it from the low shelf. “Is it this one?”
“Y-Yes!”
I wasn’t sure if fiction was going to be part of my reading list for today though. I needed more information I could actually use to secure my position in this world. However, seeing as how she went as far as recommending it, I might as well.
Surely this book wasn’t her only favorite. To curry some favor, I decided to indulge her a bit.
“Looks interesting.” I held the book in one hand and turned to Ranette. “Do you have any more recommendations?”
Ranette nodded slowly, still looking a little unsure of herself. She started moving toward the shelves, motioning for me to follow.
…
The small pile of books in my arms grew steadily larger as Ranette flew through the aisles like a very jittery bird. I didn’t know how or why, but she became more and more enthusiastic as time passed on.
“T-T-This one, I think you’ll like!” she said before dropping a massive 300-page book on top of the already massive pile I was carrying.
Had it not been for my etiquette lessons in balancing, I would’ve buried Ranette under these tomes.
I was relieved to see that she wasn’t as nervous as before. But I had to be honest, the collection she was giving me might be more than I could take.
“A-Ah! How could I forget this one?! H-Here you go!” She threw another book with amazing precision to the top of the pile.
“U-Umm, Ranette?” I tried talking to her through the piles of books I was carrying. “Isn’t this a bit much—”
“Oh, this one’s perfect! You should read it too!”
She’s not listening!!
At this rate, I might get crushed by the very thing I loved most.
…
I set down the Tower of Babel on a nearby table, letting out a relieved sigh for my life. Looking back at it now, how was I supposed to read all of these?
Ranette sat across from me, face still half-obscured by a book. But I could tell she was paying close attention to me, clearly waiting to see my thoughts on her favorite books.
I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. On one side, I could just swallow it and begin reading through the books she gave me. But that way, I wouldn’t actually be able to read the things I wanted here. We also didn’t have all week since Mother said we would be leaving tomorrow morning. On the other hand, I could just politely turn down her offer and read the things I actually want.
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…But what kind of cousin would I be if I let her down like that?
I psyched myself up and got ready to read Ranette’s recommendations. Sure, I wouldn’t be able to read what I wanted, but there was always a next time! Breaking her heart now just to get there faster would be a detrimental thing to do.
“Alright, thanks for all the recommendations! I’ll start reading then.”
I could see Ranette’s eyes lit up. Or was it just the shine reflecting off her lenses? Either way, she looked thrilled about it, so I felt a bit relieved.
I separated the pile into two, just to make sure it won’t topple over like a bad game of Jenga. After separating things neatly, I picked up the first book and began reading. I also intentionally lowered my reading speed to make it seem like I was actually reading, since, my eyes were pretty fast. Didn’t want Ranette to think I wasn’t paying attention to her books.
Hopefully, some of these contain some useful intel.
………
……
…
Romance.
All of them, are romance novels.
My brain needed some time to process this. Surely, there had to be some sort of mistake. I flipped through a few pages, hoping I was just imagining things. But it just gets worse with every turn. Some of the scenes even got weirdly steamy…
This… This couldn’t be right.
Even The One With The Blue Cape! I thought it was some sort of hero story, or some really hyped-up biography of a renowned knight. But no, even that was a romance novel! It was just the story of a typical “princess being rescued” from the perspective of the princess!
My eyes darted to Ranette, who was now perched on the edge of her chair, her face barely visible over the rim of the book she held. She was staring at me, barely hiding the fact that she's gauging my reaction.
I turned back to the table, desperately rifling through the pile again. There had to be something useful here. Books about maths, politics, economics, anything!
But no. Each and every single of them were love-related. Fate was cruel.
My eyes darted to Ranette, who was now perched on the edge of her chair, her face barely visible over the book she held. She was staring at me with a barely hidden anticipation. I didn’t know what to do, I couldn’t break her heart with the truth.
It wasn’t that I hate romance novels. It’s just that, fiction novels in general were definitely not made for me. My eyes can absorb tons of information in a jiffy, but that’s that, it could “absorb” information. That meant that for any and all fiction novels that I read, I couldn’t even have time to imagine the scenes in my head! By the time I tried, I’d already flipped three pages ahead.
Fighting my instinct to blitz through these books was hard enough, but now I was stuck with stories I couldn’t even enjoy properly!
Based on her looks, and from what Tenard discussed, I thought Ranette would be more of a diligent and scholarly type. Not saying she couldn’t have her hobbies, but this? This was overkill.
“U-Um…” Ranette’s soft voice broke through my spinning thoughts.
“Y-Yes?”
“D-D-Do you… like them?”
“Uhh…”
I glanced at the pile again, then at her face. My instinct screamed to tell her the truth, to admit that I couldn’t stomach this torture any longer. But those hopeful, dark red eyes. The way she fidgeted with the edge of her book like a cute hamster…
What kind of monster would I be to destroy that?
So, against every instinct in my mind and body, I decided to smile. “They’re all wonderful! I can’t wait to read more!”
Ranette’s head tilted slightly. “Really?”
She lowered her book, peeking at me more fully now. Then, with a slow blink, her eyes locked onto mine.
For a moment, I thought the conversation was over. But then she added, “You don’t have to force yourself, you know.”
I froze.
Ranette adjusted her glasses, glancing away like she hadn’t just dropped a boulder on my head. “I… um… I have a Talent, [Emphatic Vision]. It lets me sense people’s emotions when I look them in the eyes.”
There’s a Talent for that?!
Oh no. Oh no, no, no.
What do I do?! What do I say?! Is there a way to bluff against a Talent like that?!
But before I could panic any further, Ranette offered a shy, understanding smile. “I-It’s okay, Lady Carine. E-E-Everyone has their own t-t-tastes…”
Relief flooded through me, nearly making my shoulders sag. She wasn’t offended! I thanked the lords above for this blessing. But just as I thought I would escape unscathed, she dropped the hammer.
“S-so,” she continued, her tone suddenly brighter and her glasses shining further, “we’ll j-j-just keep reading! I-I’m sure we’ll… find a book you love from my recommendations soon…”
…wait what?
I stared at her, dumbfounded as she began rifling through the stack of novels. “T-there are many genres in romance alone. Maybe you’ll love… this depressing one?” she pulled a book from the pile with the precision of a master Jenga player.
“R-Ranette,” I stammered, my voice cracking slightly, “I-I think I have plenty of books already—”
“D-d-don’t worry!” she interrupted. “We’ll find the one for you, L-Lady Carine. I just know it.”
This enthusiasm. This reluctance to listen. They all seemed familiar. Then it hit me…
Like uncle, like niece.
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image [https://i.imgur.com/RdC5Gde.png]