Aisha stood quietly behind the prince, her eyes drifting toward the books spread across the table. One by one, her gaze lingered on their worn covers, her curiosity slowly growing.
The prince noticed her glances but he pretended not to.
A few minutes passed.
Aisha leaned forward slightly, peeking at the open pages like a curious little cat, her eyes shining with interest. The prince reached for another book, intending to switch his reading. But as his hand brushed the stack
Thud.
One book slipped from the table and fell onto the floor.
Before the prince could react, Aisha quickly bent down and picked it up. Her eyes skimmed the open page, and without thinking, she softly murmured,
"…This is about the Great War between humans and demons…"
The prince froze.
He slowly turned his head toward her. "You… just read that," he said, his voice calm but sharp. "How?"
Aisha blinked, realizing what she had done.
"You can read?" the prince asked. "Even village children can read books?"
Aisha nodded gently. "Only a few people can read in the village, Your Highness."
The prince narrowed his eyes slightly. "Then where did you learn?"
"From my mother," Aisha replied honestly. "She taught me. She brought old books home and always read stories to me."
The prince was silent for a moment.
"…That's a good mother," he said at last.
He turned back to his book, then spoke again casually, "From now on, you can come with me to the library."
Aisha's eyes widened. "…Really?"
The prince glanced at her. "I can tell you like books, don't you?"
Aisha wanted to shout yes. She wanted to read every book in this place.
But she knew her position.
So she stayed silent.
The prince let out a small sigh. "I already know. So tell me what kind of book do you want to read?"
Aisha hesitated, then answered softly, "Magic books."
The prince stiffened.
"…Magic?" He looked at her in surprise. "Why do you want to read those? You know only nobles, royalty, elves, and beastmen can use magic. You don't even have mana."
He thought for a moment.
She can't use magic anyway. It would be useless to her…
But if she's busy reading, I'll finally get some peace.
"…Fine," he said at last. "Go to the second floor. On the right side. Look for shelf number seven. All the magic books are there. You can read whichever you like."
Aisha's face lit up like sunlight breaking through clouds.
"Thank you, Your Highness!" she said, bowing deeply.
Without wasting another second, she turned and hurried toward the staircase, her small footsteps echoing softly through the vast library.
For Aisha, this wasn't just permission.
It was the beginning of something that would change everything.
The prince returned to his book and continued reading, acting as if nothing had happened.
Up on the second floor, Aisha reached the section he had mentioned. Tall shelves surrounded her, packed tightly with countless books. Her small hands brushed over their spines as she searched.
Water magic…
She checked one book after another, but there were too many. Just as she was about to move to another shelf, something caught her eye.
One book was different.
It faintly shone with a golden light.
Aisha froze.
Slowly, carefully, she reached out and pulled it from the shelf.
The moment she saw the title, her breath caught.
Secret About the System
Written by the Prince's Great-Grandfather
Aisha's heart started beating faster.
This book… it feels important.
She hesitated.
The prince had told her she could read any book, but this felt different. This didn't seem like an ordinary magic book.
I shouldn't read something this important… she thought and tried to place it back.
But the moment she moved, the book suddenly opened by itself.
"What?" Aisha gasped softly.
Her hands froze. She hadn't moved. She hadn't opened it.
The pages turned on their own.
"How…?" she whispered.
On the first page, words slowly appeared, glowing faintly.
If you can read this book, then you have been chosen.
Only those chosen by the book itself can see it.
Aisha's eyes widened.
Chosen… by a book?
More words appeared.
You may wonder why a book would choose you.
It is because I, the King of the Karki Empire, willed it so.
Aisha swallowed.
The king…?
Then she realized.
This must be the prince's great-grandfather.
The writing continued.
I wrote this book and sealed its power.
I do not wish for others to discover the truth hidden within it.
Therefore, I placed magic upon every page.
Confused, Aisha quickly flipped through the book.
Blank.
Every page was completely empty.
"There's… nothing?" she murmured.
Her chest tightened.
Slowly, she returned to the first page.
The moment she did, new words appeared.
This book is a puzzle.
Only those who solve it may read it.
With each answer, the truth will reveal itself
one page at a time.
Aisha stared at the glowing letters, her heart pounding.
Without realizing it, she had stumbled upon something that would change her fate forever.