Please Don't Propose! - Chapter 1
Translator and Editor: Hue and Tea
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Chapter 1
The long war had lasted three years and was finally over.
The streets were filled with flowers, and music was playing.
“The war is over! It’s finally over!”
The people let out their anger and disappointment. They all hoped that this hard-won happiness would last.
Negotiations with the Randos fail. Silent war: the war is not over.
But what was it really like?
Thoramd and the Country of Lando.
Tensions had always been high between the two ideologically different nations, and they reached a boiling point when the world-destroying weapon NOK-ONE was revealed to the public.
A bomb so powerful that once dropped, an entire country would simply disappear.
And its creator, Nergal Galine.
Unfortunately or perhaps fortunately, Nergal died before the weapon was completed, and the NOK-ONE project was abandoned.
〈……You must not tell anyone what you saw. Never.〉
That was as far as the world knew, but unfortunately, they didn’t know the rest.
That in his lifetime, Nergal had created a complete schematic of the Ring of Rust, and that his only child had seen it.
And on top of that, his daughter had an eidetic memory: the ability to remember things completely, like a photograph.
Fourteen years later.
Kennery, a port city on Toramd.
“Mmm.”
The harsh sunlight interrupted the silence. I rolled over, puzzled that my hand hadn’t overreached the end of the bed despite stretching my arm out.
“……?”
My wrists should have been out of bed by now. I slowly opened my eyes and saw a large bed.
……? Where am I?
Swoosh.
The sound of water outside the room stopped me in my tracks.
There’s someone here besides me.
I drank alone with Lord Costas yesterday, and then…….
and then……. My God.
I can’t remember what happened next. This meant I have a memory lapse.
Clunk.
The sound of running water stopped.
The minute hand of the clock moved three times, and then the bathroom door swung open. At the same time, a thin mist of steam wafted out.
“……Sir Costas.”
As expected, it was Lord Costas who emerged from the bathroom. His hair was darker than usual due to the wetness. His face was small. His eyes and nose were very three-dimensional.
His red lips parted slightly in a seductive way, and his gray eyes were hauntingly beautiful.
What a perfectly handsome man.
He remained young and boyish, but his body was that of a man. Before I could fully examine him, he hastily pulled on his black shirt. The moisture he hadn’t wiped off clung to his clothes, revealing his upper body.
“Are you finally awake?”
He said in an affectionate voice.
“U-um, Sir……?”
“Are you all right? Do you feel any pain?”
The lord approached the bed. His hand stopped short as he reached toward my body. Instead, he placed his hand on my forehead.
My body flinched at the warmth.
“Tell me if anything hurts, Bibi.”
The way he stared at me was odd.
“Oh, no it’s nothing, I-I’m fine, so…….”
“Are you sure you don’t feel any pain?”
“No. N-nothing.”
“That’s good.”
The Lord said, releasing a sigh.
“But, Sir. Yesterday…….”
“Yesterday……. I was happy. I mean, it was pretty good…….”
Damn, I’m screwed…….
It had been a few days since Lord Costas had come to the library.
Costas.
His full name was Costas Dite Orsi. He was known to the public only a year ago, because of a newspaper article.
Lieutenant Costas Orsi, Valedictorian of the Academy, Saves the World.
The horrors of war were still fresh. The newspaper said there had been a collision between his ship and an enemy vessel.
It was a very dangerous situation. Neither side wanted war, but neither side wanted to be the first to back down. ……
One mistake could have triggered a new world war.
……But the situation was resolved by a lieutenant who had been on the ship for about three years at most.
That lieutenant was none other than Costas Dite Orsi, the Marquis’ heir apparent.
I will do my best for the peace of the country.
The interview with Costas was unremarkable.
It was later said that the newspapers hesitated to publish the interview, fearing that it would frighten citizens who had not yet forgotten the horrors of war.
But what happened when they did?
The newspaper was sold like hotcakes.
Costas Dite Orsi. The new hero of the empire. Everyone was crazy about him…….
Costas Orsi was that kind of man.
Top of his class at the academy, from a noble lineage, the son of an admiral, and very good-looking.
Even the citizens who resented the soldiers welcomed him as long as he showed up.
Does it make sense that Costas Orsi has been coming to the library since a few days ago?
“Ban the development of weapons!”
“Ban it! Ban it!”
“No more wars!”
“No more! No more!”
Swoosh.
I heard the sound of blinds being pulled down.
“Those damn protesters, what the hell are they doing in front of the library, is the library just nothing but a trash place?”
The director said angrily.
“Director. Shhh! Lord Costas is talking to Bibi.”
… I can hear you all.
“I’d like to find a book by Cherod, but…….”
I looked at Sir Costas in front of me. Kennery was a big city, and the library often had unusual visitors, but never a celebrity.
“The …… statue had spoken.”
“I see. I’m so curious.”
My seniors murmured at the sound of Lord Costas’ deep voice, so I could hear them.
His lordship, on the other hand, glared at me.
“Oh, what I mean is the book by Cherod.”
“Oh, I-I’m sorry, if it’s Author Cherod you are talking about…… are you referring to the writer of religious studies? There are five of them, which one are you looking for?”
“Please find all five books.”
“Can you give me a moment?”
My hands fidgeted. He wore a military uniform, a rare sight in a library. And a famous officer at that.
Why did he have to come all the way to the town’s national library when the fleet command headquarters had books?
“For religious books, you can use the Classification 200 here.”
“…….”
“If you’re interested in the sociology of religion, you might want to look in this section.”
I bent down and pulled out the books Sir Costas was seeking from the lower shelves. The titles were all written in esoteric religious terms.
But when I held it out to him, he didn’t respond. When I turned to look at him, he was staring at me, instead of at the book.
“Sir?”
“It’s nothing.”
He looked confused for a moment, then took the book from me.
“Sir, is there any problem?”
The lord looked at the book.
“Yes, there is.”
Oh no. I was hoping there wasn’t!
“W-what’s the problem?”
“You just said there were five books by Dr. Cherod, and you are missing one.”
“……Oh, that one is a thesis, and it’s not available for public viewing.”
“How can I see it?”
“It’s a little complicated.”
It was complicated, but it was easily accessible if you wanted to read it. The problem was that I, the librarian, had to decide whether they could read it or not.
I thought about passing it on to my seniors under the excuse that I was busy, but they would be eager to get a closer look at Lord Costas anyway.
“I’ll ask the other librarian, can you wait a second?”
“No, I don’t need to see it, I just need this book. Thank you. ……Bibi.”
He glanced at my name tag. My heart skipped a beat and almost fell out of my ribcage. But, I managed to pull myself up.
“Yes, yes. Okay then, So, if there is anything else you need help with, let me know.”
He gave me a quick bow, then turned back to his desk.
“So, how was it?”
“Huh, Pardon?”
“W-what do you mean? Why are you so surprised?”
My seniors had been waiting for me all this time.
“He’s even more handsome up close, isn’t he?”
They seemed to have forgotten that they are librarians. The director looked at the book from behind and frowned upon hearing the loud noise.
“It was nothing, and you’re giving me a scary glare from behind, so why don’t you go back to your seat?”
“This-.”
The seniors hurriedly returned to their seats. But why did the lord…….
‘Is he sitting there?’
He chose the seat closest to me.
‘Is it perhaps…….’
I wondered if he knew who I was.
“S-sir.”
Unable to hold back, I cautiously called out to him.
“What’s wrong, Bibi?”
“Um…is there any chance I’m going to the warehouse?”
“The warehouse? Oh, don’t worry. Not today.”
I tried to excuse myself in the name of the errand but failed.
“Well, what about errands?”
“Huh? Nothing?”
This one also.
“Shouldn’t I sweep the hallway?”
“Not at all.”
“How about cleaning up the library……?”
“Bibi.”
“Your job is organizing the library!”
Finally, the director sighed heavily.
“You don’t have any, so just do your job.”
“What?”
“Don’t think about going anywhere.”
“Okay…….”
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lalaela
She starts the whole chapter by saying she’s a daughter of an inventor of a crazy massive war weapon and that she photographic memories and remembers it, then proceeds the story with
“Why did he have to come all the way to the town’s national library…”
Uhm MAYBE HE HAS OTHER PURPOSES? Yeah the “posessive thing may be a second factor in him chasing after her. So far I’m getting a hint at him having a “mission” of sorts to retrieve information on that bomb