This morning, I awoke earlier than usual, took a quick bath, changed into clean clothes, and dashed down the stairs at full speed to eat my breakfast.

Maa would have been in my room waiting for me to wake up if I had waited half an hour. I awoke earlier than usual because I had received Maa's permission to enter the library the day before.

Is the library that fascinating?

Of course, it is. At least for me.

The library has always been the most enigmatic space in this house. Not only is it the largest room in the manor, but it is also the only room to which I, as well as everyone else in the manor, have been denied access.

The reasons I couldn't get into the library were twofold: first, I didn't have the key, and second, I was too young. The reason no one else in the manor has entered the library is because of their social standing. Only the owner of the house, "which I presume to be my father or grandfather," and his fellow noblemen are permitted to enter the library.

When I asked Maa why, she said that this sort of thing happens all the time, because books are valuable after all. A rare book once owned by a noble could provide a commoner with enough money to live like a prince for the rest of his life.

I expressed my interest in the library to Maa a year ago, but because I wasn't exactly a man of letters at the time, she simply dismissed my request, claiming that an illiterate had no place in a library.

But the me of today is not the same as the me of a year ago; she can no longer use my ex-status as an illiterate against me.

So, two weeks ago, I asked Maa if she could give me the key to the library since, now that I can read, there was no reason to keep me from using it.

Her response: No.

Why? Because I was too young.

I was expecting this level of reluctance from her, which is why I devised a different strategy.

Instead of politely asking, why not show her openly how boring I was in this house? After all, it was nothing but the truth, and I'd read "Nobility and Powerhouse" so many times that I knew it backward and forward.

Maa's lessons were so boring that after we finished, I always ended up falling asleep in the middle of the day, and since I had gotten enough sleep during the day, it was nearly impossible to sleep when it was bedtime. I'd only be able to sleep until dawn, only to be woken up less than two hours later by Maa, who expected me to take a bath, get ready for breakfast, and then attend her lesson. Every day was the same torturous circle.

My strategy was simple: I would fall asleep in the middle of her lesson, wake up late, and go on a mini-hunger strike. It wasn't very effective at first, but it gradually wore down Maa's defense. It took me thirteen days to obtain her approval.

So that's why I'm so thrilled.

Today I will be given my well-earned reward.

“May I know where you are going in such a hurry ?” Someone called.

Maa's voice was heard, and she was dressed in her usual attire of a long black skirt and a white shirt. She was about to take the stairwell when I arrived. I'm sure she was on her way to my room.

“Good morning, Maa. I was feeling a little hungry this morning, so I came here to eat breakfast a little earlier than usual.”

I had already reached the ground floor by the time I said that; because I was shorter, I had to raise my head to meet her gaze.

"I see." She then reached into her pocket for a blue handkerchief and extended her hand toward me. And started wiping out my still-dampened-from-bathwater hair.

“Winter is getting closer, you should avoid walking around with hair this wet.”

“Understood,” I said, the cutest smile I could muster on my face..

“It's finished here.” She reinserted the handkerchief into her pocket. “You said you were hungry; nothing is ready yet, but it will be ready in half an hour.”

“No problemo, I can wait.”

Maa went to the dining room after hearing my words. Most likely to prepare the cutlery for me.

I quickly followed her into the room and took my usual seat on the table.

The dining room is a once again luxurious room with a long table and a beautiful chandelier hanging from its ceiling.

It's been years, and I've always eaten alone at this table. I've often suggested Maa join me, but she's always declined.

Manner and Etiquette, was it?

After a few minutes, I leaned back in my chair, bored, and let my mind wander aimlessly.

Maa's footsteps were getting closer.

“Young Lord, I have something to tell you,” she said with a serious tone—well, her tone is always serious, but today it seemed more serious than usual.

“Oh~What might it be?”

“Yesterday, I received a letter from the main house.”

Huh from my family then. I was always aware that she received and sent letters to them, but she never once mentioned the contents of those letters to me.

“Oh~and?”

“They called me back to the main house to help them with something.”

“How much time do you think it will take?”

“Three months at most.”

“Three months ~huh...”

Actually, now that I think about it, If she does leave, it will be the first time in my life that I will be without her.

Sure I will miss her, but this is an opportunity for Maa to wean herself off of me. And an opportunity for me to do the same.

“... Young Lord?”

“Ah~ Sorry Oh you were saying ?”

“I said that I would leave tomorrow..”

That’s fast! Too fast.

“I see, I guess it can't be helped. Don't forget to bring me a souvenir..”

“Yes, Young Lord, I won’t.”

“More importantly, I hope you didn’t forget our deal yesterday?”

“Is it a deal? Young Lord, I believe, does not fully grasp the concept of making a deal; it is supposed to be a fair trade in which both parties exchange something of equal value. What you did over the last few weeks was more akin to blackmail than a trade.”

“I receive access to the library, you receive a healthy and motivated Young Lord. Quite a fair trade if you ask me.”

I glanced at her face and saw her with a warm smile on her face.

“I will be missing you Young Lord for the next three months.”

“So am I Maa, so am I”

“But just because I won't be there doesn't mean you can do whatever you want.”

“Of course, I'm going to be a good boy. Did I ever act like a spoiled brat?”

“I will grant you access to the library, but you must promise me that you will never skip breakfast, lunch, dinner, or sleeping time. Can you do it?”

“I swear by Djeem the accursed's authority that I will never skip or miss breakfast, lunch, or sleeping time,” I said, raising solemnly my right hand.

“Good.” She said satisfied with my performance.