The Baby Has No Strength to Hide! - Chapter 25

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 25
The next morning, Ailienn found herself being led by Kaiuus to the Central Library.
She’d been captivated by its enormous scale at first, but that soon wore off. Sitting still to sketch crooked lines had made her restless, and yawns kept escaping her.
But today, Kiki had transformed into human form and stood beside her. Apparently, Kaiuus insisted she needed to learn the Imperial Language to become a truly refined young lady, so there was no escaping it.
“Come on, write it now. How do you write the character for ‘il’?”
“This… looks like a bug?”
“No, that’s ‘it’, not ‘il’.”
“Lili, this is so hard.”
“At least you should be able to write your own name.”
“Why not just call me Ailiennette from now on? I’m Ailiennette, the tiny one.”
“Just write, seriously.”
Ailienn’s petition for a name change was crushed beneath Kaiuus’s cold gaze. She thrust out her lower lip and refocused her efforts on writing ‘il’, though she couldn’t fathom why knowing how to write her name was supposed to be so wonderful.
“By the way, you know what?”
“What?”
“Why did you tell Lili yesterday, ‘Someone like you isn’t needed in our house’?”
The sudden, out-of-nowhere comment made Kaiuus frown. No matter how hard he racked his brain, he couldn’t recall saying anything that cruel to Ailienn recently.
When they’d first met, perhaps—but not now.
“I said that to you?”
“Yes, you got so angry at Lili and said, ‘Go away!’ And Lili was sad because of it.”
“As if you’d really be sad about what I said.”
Kaiuus let out a scornful laugh. The usual Ailienn would’ve shot back something like, “Why should Lili go? If anyone’s leaving, it should be you!” with sharp retorts.
He’d meant to brush it off with a laugh, but something about Ailienn’s reaction seemed oddly off.
“Did you have some kind of bad dream…?”
“Your Grace!”
Just then, an attendant came rushing over urgently.
“What is it?”
“The young lord of the Ferte Earldom has arrived.”
“Without an appointment? What does he want?”
“He says there’s a matter to discuss. Shall I show him this way?”
A matter to discuss—Kaiuus let out a hollow laugh.
Chester, the second son of the Ferte Earldom, had such a carefree nature that he’d often run away to Kaiuus when his tutoring sessions grew boring. Normally, Kaiuus would have had him come here, but—
“So the character for ‘il’ looks like five worms in a row.”
He hesitated, mostly because of Ailienn.
“Tell him I’ll be there shortly. Have tea prepared at the gazebo in Dongik Garden.”
“Understood.”
The gazebo in Dongik Garden was the farthest point from the Central Library—a deliberate choice to keep Chester and Ailienn from meeting.
“So that’s the end of lessons for today, then?”
Ailienn, who’d been eavesdropping on the exchange between Kaiuus and the attendant, asked with eyes suddenly bright.
“Write each of the words I assigned you ten times, then play. Understood?”
But this demanding teacher would never let her off so easily. Her round, pale face quickly filled with disappointment.
“I’ll check your work when I return. Today’s snack is whipped cream and wafers.”
“Wafers!”
Kaiuus had chosen the perfect bribe: sweets. Having secured authority over Ailienn’s snacks from Callisto, he could encourage the production of her worm-like characters through an endless supply of sugary treats.
“Okay.”
Wafers were one of her favorite snacks. As he watched her pick up her pen and start scribbling, a slight smile crossed his face, and he quickly left the room. With Chester’s impulsive nature, it wouldn’t be surprising if he came looking for him at any moment.
The instant Kaiuus was gone, Ailienn dropped her pen onto the desk with a clatter and went limp. Slumped in her chair, she turned her gaze toward Kiki, who sat expressionless with her chin propped on her hand.
“Kiki.”
“Yes?”
“Lili’s so tired.”
“Is that so?”
“Could you write the rest for me?”
Ailienn boldly made her request and slid the notebook and pen toward Kiki. Looking down at them, Kiki’s mouth curled upward before she instantly transformed into a black cat.
“That’s mean!”
The black cat elegantly jumped onto the desk and began licking her paws. When Ailienn puffed out her cheeks, Didi’s resolve weakened, and the flying squirrel hugged the pen—which was longer than its own body. Clinging desperately to it, the tiny creature swayed like it was waltzing before finally collapsing onto the paper.
“Squeak…”
“No, no—Didi, you’re doing your best. Lili is moved to tears…”
If Kaiuus had been there, he would’ve scoffed at how the identical-looking creatures were playing together.
With no choice left, Ailienn picked up her pen and began grunting through the production of more worm-like characters. It was tedious and she didn’t want to do it, yet as she filled the white paper, she felt a certain satisfaction.
[Sniff, sniff…]
In the midst of her brief moment of concentration, a soft crying sound reached Ailienn’s ears. Her head popped up like a startled rabbit’s, lifting from where she’d been burying her nose in the notebook.
“Wailing again!”
What sort of crybaby was wailing like this in the library?
Ailienn tilted her head, then returned to her writing with renewed focus. Strong Ailienn would never lower herself to the level of a weeping fool.
‘If tears got on it, that would be troublesome.’
With her tongue poking out in concentration, the words came quickly enough. By the end her patience had worn thin and the letters were squirming like earthworms, but it was good enough. Satisfied, Ailienn slipped down from her chair.
“Now let’s go play!”
[Sobbing, sobbing!]
The crying only grew louder, as if the creature had understood Ailienn’s words.
[Sobbing, choking! Gasping sob!]
Ridiculous. The weeping had crossed over into outright wailing. And it sounded even clearer than before.
Kiki and Didi looked up at Ailienn. Ailienn planted her hands on her hips.
“This won’t do. We have to find who’s crying.”
If she left it alone, the whole vast library would fill with tears. Could you sail a boat in that? The thought amused her, but books mustn’t get wet, so she supposed she’d have to give this little crier a piece of her mind.
Ailienn set off toward the sound with long strides. Kiki followed like a shadow, yawning as if bored, while Didi clung fast to Ailienn’s leg, trembling.
The crying came from the deepest part of the library, the Old Archive Section where dust lay thick and white since few people ventured there. Towering shelves twisted into a labyrinth, so dim in places that even daylight couldn’t penetrate.
“Who’s there!”
Ailienn rounded a corner of the bookshelf and shouted. The crying stopped as abruptly as it had begun.
…….
Ailienn narrowed her eyes and looked around, but only silence greeted her. Old shelves, ladders, and scattered piles of paper on the floor—nothing else. No person to be seen.
“Did they run away?”
Ailienn had just begun to turn back when—
[Choked sob.]
A soft, cold presence and a sniffling sound came from directly overhead. Ailienn lifted her gaze and her mouth fell open.
“Huh?”
Perched atop the bookshelf sat a faintly translucent old man, wiping his tears with a handkerchief. He wore round spectacles.
“How are you up there?”
When Ailienn pointed at him, the ghost startled, lost his balance, and tumbled to the floor like a feather. Being a ghost, he made no sound.
[Can you… can you see me?]
The ghost adjusted his spectacles in disbelief and thrust his face close to Ailienn’s. His mustache was quivering with shock.
“Of course! Kaiuus has sharp eyes!”
Rather than fear, Ailienn showed only delight as she waved her plump white hand through the ghost’s body. It passed right through him.
“No matter how hard I hit, it doesn’t hurt you.”
[Please don’t hit me, even so.]
“Of course not. Kaiuus doesn’t hit people.”
“Chirp!”
“Nor flying squirrels, nor cats.”
Kiki and Didi bobbed their heads in approval. Kiki had actually seen Ailienn strike Callisto once, but chose not to mention it. As long as she didn’t hit flying squirrels and cats, that was enough.
[What a kind child you are!]
“Naturally.”
Ailienn nodded with composure at the ghost’s praise, though her nostrils flared with pride.
[My name is Norman. Before I died, I was the librarian of this library.]

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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