She didn't have time to really settle down even after meeting with the head butler and staff, immediately being rocketed into a series of chores related to the capital ball that was happening in two weeks.
When Duke Azel said she would have to 'figure something out', he really did mean it, because it took the entire day just to parse through documents of artisans sponsored by the Azel Dukedom to find people who could possibly create a dress in time, as well as jewelry, custom perfume…The list went on and on.
The second day involved actually going out to meet them personally, since there was no time to wait for letters.
None of them seemed to like Callisto all too much, which she didn't fault, but it made her life more difficult.
All the while, she received an unreasonable amount of letter invitations to salons that she had to write back to, and that didn't even count the hours of etiquette practice, pedigree review, and studies that she had to do because Cordelia didn't.
The only solace she had was relieving stress through practice, in the wee hours of the morning when no one would perceive her, and she didn't have to play nice.
She was particularly skilled in creating pressurized spaces, and learned how to send shockwaves with every swing of her spear.
On the last day before the royal caravan would be back in the capital, Callisto finally had enough time to visit the royal library as she had wanted for so long.
According to 'Blooming! Enchanted Fate,' there was a hidden book within the library that had extra lore regarding the creation of the world, along with secrets about each of the characters.
It was very much a game mechanic thing, something to add to the worldbuilding, but regardless, Callisto wanted to check and see if it existed in the actual world or not.
"Um…milady…I believe you are banned from going to the Regus Castle by the Duke." The coachman stuttered under Callisto's intense daze, ducking into himself as her face darkened.
"Well, the duke isn't here, is he?"
"N-no, but-"
"There are two options for you. One: you take me to the royal castle. Two: You get fired and tossed out of the estate, and I take myself to the royal castle. Either way, I'm getting what I want, so the choice is yours."
"..."
"Right this way, milady."
People really straighten up when they're being threatened. It was no wonder why [He] did it so often.
A quick carriage ride later, Callisto stood in front of the iron gates of the Royal Castle, an ornate building surrounded by grandiose gardens.
She could see some of the mana trees from the Azel Dukedom had been brought here, surrounded by two-toned roses, with morning glories weaving throughout the branches.
A quick nod as guards immediately allowed her entry into the vast halls of the palace, and that's when Callisto realized she had no idea where the library was.
All the doors look exactly the same, and there were so many hallways that she didn't even know where to start.
At the sight of the duke's daughter, servants scattered like the plague, and after just a few minutes, she didn't see a single servant, no matter where she went.
"Okay, now I don't even know how to get out of here…"
Callisto mumbled to herself, her feet hurting after spending way too much time walking in heels. After what seemed like hours of walking, Callisto finally saw a young boy in the distance, walking the halls as if he owned the place.
And he did. It was Nox's younger brother, Esra. A little bit of a delinquent from the low expectations set on him, Esra Regus was the only other person that acted out against Ethyl in the original game.
She was hesitant to call out to him, but seeing that no one else would help her, she didn't really have a choice.
"Greetings Prince Esra, I'm Callisto Azel, of the Azel dukedo-"
"You're the girl who keeps following my brother around! How much more desperate can you get? Pfttt."
Alright. This was going to be a challenge. She was bad with kids, and even worse with entitled brats.
"Do you know where the library is?" She ignored the previous statement, hoping to move along the interaction as quickly as possible.
"Why the heck would I tell you?"
Her eye threatened to twitch, as annoyance compiled from mindless walking and Esra making her feel fed up.
She looked around, making sure that no one was around. Callisto got into a squat, at eye level with the young prince.
"I'll give you anything you want if you stop being so annoying and tell me where the damn library is."
He glared at her, gray eyes just as annoying as his brother's.
"What would you have that I wouldn't? Get lost, ugly."
Alright, that was it. As soon as the boy turned around, she gave a swift karate chop at the neck, and before even a peep could sound, he slumped onto the ground.
She grabbed the unconscious body and ran into the nearest room.
"Prince Esra has passed out! Someone help him!" Servants flocked towards her like fish to a bait, and as soon as the problem was out of her hands, she grabbed the nearest servant, who tensed under her grasp.
"And by the way, where exactly is the royal library?"
------
"Lady Callisto, you're not allowed access to these premises."
Once again, she was faced with a furious denial. Callisto had no idea what Cordelia did to those books, but whatever it was, it made the royal librarian pissed.
"But I have a letter from the Duke Apparent that gives me permission for entry."
"Let me see that," He snatched the letter from her hands, breaking the seal and reading the contents.
He looked between her and the letter suspiciously, like he couldn't believe it was real. Reluctantly, the librarian took a key from his waistband and unlocked the door.
"You can't leave my sight, you hear?"
"Of course." No way. She had every intention of sneaking the book out of the private library.
The librarian stared at her as she found the right bookshelf and climbed up the ladder to reach the shelf.
Bookshelf number ten, Section V, third from the left...10V3.
Incredibly cheesy, and Callisto tried not to think about it as she found the book, a short, unmarked journal, noticeably different from the books around it, but too small to find in the massive library.
Her breath caught as she slowly opened the book, praying that it would contain the information she was looking for. Opening it up, it felt like a light was shining out of the pages, as if it was left by a god themself, and-
Nope. It was just a regular book. Worst, it was a book about the glorious history of the Regus family, an incredibly biased retelling of a war fought over some jewel mine.
Did she grab the wrong book? But the book she grabbed was so different it was criminal.
As she flipped through several of the books around the shelf hurriedly, she noticed a small piece of paper sticking out between the pages of the small notebook.
She grabbed the note with her free hand and continued to search, not thinking anything of it, until she read the contents, eyes widening with every sentence.
She shoved all the books back into place, including the notebook, and she rushed out with barely a sound, eliciting an annoyed response from the librarian.
But Callisto didn't pay him any mind. After all, she had found the answer.