I took a quick shower to remove all the dirt and sweat that was caked on my body from hours of training. I wanted to be in my best condition when spending time with Becca for the rest of the night.
After I was smelling clean and had put on a new set of clothes, I started heading to where Becca was. One of the maids had let me know, as I was returned from training, that Becca was currently reading books in the library.
I wondered what she was reading on her free time. Was it some research to learn about something or was it just reading fiction to pass the time?
I used to be a huge studier when I was in college trying to get my engineering degree and I was also an avid reader of web novels at the time, so if she was currently doing either of those, then it would mean one thing that we shared in common.
We have not known each other for very long, hell we have only had two real conversations so far, but I felt that we might be kindred spirits.
As I thought this, I started walking a little faster to the library with a spring in my step. I could feel the edges of my lips naturally curling up.
When I neared the entrance of the library, I saw a maid that was standing right in front of the door.
As I approached her, I said politely, "excuse me, could you move aside for a moment so that I can enter?"
However, the maid instead put her hands in front of her to stop me. I was surprised that a maid would so easier go against my wishes. Not that I have any desire for complete obedience from my servants, so I stopped to hear her out.
She then quickly stated, "please wait a moment my Lord. Let me explain. The duchess is currently in the library. She made me promise her that no one would come in and disturb her for the next 6 hours. There is only 15 minutes left until that 6 hour time period is up, so it may be best for you to wait a little bit before going to talk to her."
I was surprised at this revelation. "She was in there for the last 6 hours?"
The maid nodded her head. "Yes, my Lord. She only came to the entrance once to ask me to get her something to drink."
I was surprised by her diligence. What was she so focused on?
"Ok, I understand that she doesn't want to be disturbed, so I will be in the library but I will not go to greet her until 15 minutes have pasted."
"Ok my Lord." The maid smiled at me and lowered her hands.
I was glad that this maid seemed to respect Becca. Maybe what I told the other maid earlier today was already having a positive effect.
Now, to enter the library without disturbing Becca, I decided to use my instant transmission spell. Because of the nature of my spell, I was able to sense the layout of the library by feeling the areas where I could not teleport.
Becca was sitting at a table near the center of the room. Luckily, there were a lot of bookshelves between me and her, so I chose the one that would completely block me from being seen and chanted, "instant transmission."
I teleported without making a sound behind a solid bookshelf. I held my breath for a few seconds, but it didn't seem like I had alerted Becca. Now that I had silently teleported into the library, I slowly peaked my head from behind the bookshelf. What I saw made my heart warm.
Becca was leaning forward reading a book. She had her hair tied up in a ponytail and she was wearing big round reading glasses. She was so effortlessly beautiful.
A few strands of her hair were coming undone in places and I could distinctly see the fatigue in her eyes from reading for 6 whole hours, but the scene captivated me.
I was not sure what she was studying so hard for, but her working diligently all by herself made me dream of a future where I could be seated next to her.
A future where we both worked hard together and supported each other whenever we got tired.
I had a goal to change the laws in the entire Duchy and maybe even the whole Kingdom in the future. I knew it would be stressful and there would be times when I would be overwhelmed. In 6 months, I should be able to learn what Becca's dream is. It would be nice if we could both help each other achieve our goals and aspirations.
However, there was still this animosity that she felt for the original Nicolas. As long as I could overcome that, I think we could make a good team.
As I was lost in my day dream and staring into space, a sudden movement startled me. I looked forward and saw that Becca had fallen asleep. She was supporting her head with her arm propped up on her elbow, but her head was slowly sliding off her hand.
If nobody interfered, then her head would have hit the desk.
"Instant Transmission"
I teleported to the seat next to her just in time for her head to softly land on my shoulder. Luckily, I made it in time and she did not get hurt.
After I took a small sigh of relief, I noticed the warmth that came from her made me feel comfortable like a blanket. This feeling washed over me and made me realize just how isolated I had been feeling from having to act like another person after transmigrating.
In the back of my head, I knew that I had no true ally in this world. That if I was ever revealed to not be the real Duke, I had a real chance of being put to death. It was lonely.
I turned my head slightly to the girl sleeping on my shoulder. Was she also lonely studying here all by herself? Did she also feel that she had no allies? The way that her warmth was currently making me feel like I was covered with a blanket, I also wanted to become like a blanket that she could feel safe with too.