11 - What era did she live in now?

She changed into her nightclothes by the dim candlelight, and attempted to brush her hair in front of a blurry mirror, made of what looked like either copper or gilded metal - to be honest, it was a scene straight out of a horror movie.

So, Maria quickly gave up on that, grabbed the candlestick, and went to the table to pour herself some water from the pitcher.

But to her surprise, it wasn't water; it was red wine.

Maria: ...felt even more unsettled.

"When we were eating, I couldn't help but notice that people here don't drink water. It's either beer or wine in their cups."

The system, which had been quiet for a while, replied: 'Yes, they mostly drink alcohol here. Clean water is hard to come by.'

Indeed, thinking about the moat outside, Maria felt a bit apprehensive about so-called "clean water" - who knows where it comes from, and even if it's groundwater, it's likely contaminated by surface sewage.

But the water she used during her bath seemed clean enough, so the castle's water supply should be safe, right?

In the end, Maria decided to have a little wine. She wasn't much of a drinker, but even she could tell that this wine was pretty average - heavy on the acidity, with some impurities, but luckily not too strong, so it was drinkable.

"I'll have to ask them to switch it out for plain water next time."

As Maria lay down in bed, she didn't immediately fall asleep. She'd had a good rest in the afternoon, so it was only around eight or nine o'clock now - too early for someone used to staying up late.

She decided to try accessing the system's library, intending to find a book on European history to read. Even though the system said the two worlds were quite different, it should still be somewhat useful to her, right?

Unfortunately, although it's called an encyclopedia library, the history books here only cover periods that have already passed. The closest timeframe available is from before the 13th century in the distant world. There's absolutely nothing from after the 13th century.

'The history that hasn't happened yet can't be shown to you, and even some books related to that content won't be available.'

They can't disrupt the balance of this parallel world. Even if Maria were to read about history before the twelfth century, she would find that all the content is speculative. The Roman Empire might have been glorious, but the entities that caused its split weren't the same as in history books. Take the Iberian Empire she's in now, there's never been such a country in Earth's history.

Maria quickly resigned herself to this fact, even though it was a bit disappointing.

But it also dawned on her that since history stops in the mid-twelfth century, it likely means she's in the late twelfth century.

Thinking about the unpleasant dinner she had tonight, Maria asked the system to find her a cookbook.

The system didn't disappoint. With her newfound cooking skills, Maria instinctively knew what to do when she opened those recipes. She could even sense where they were lacking and how to substitute one ingredient for another.

It was a fascinating feeling, so she got engrossed in it. By the time she had flipped through most of the book, half of the candles on the table had burned down.

Finally, the system chimed in to remind her: 'Even though you're in good health now, staying up late reading can still damage your eyes.'

Maria realized her eyes weren't feeling too great at the moment. The lighting conditions were terrible - the dim candlelight not only provided weak illumination but also emitted a bit of smoke. Reading under these conditions for too long would definitely lead to nearsightedness.

She obediently closed the book, blew out the candles, and snuggled into bed, massaging her temples to coax herself into sleep.

Before long, she was drifting off.

But just as she was about to doze off, a noise from the corner jolted Maria awake.

Tonight's sky had a moon, not full, but still quite bright.

By the light streaming in from the balcony, Maria saw a small creature darting across the room.

A mouse!!!

Maria quickly wrapped herself tightly in the blanket.

Don't blame her for being scared; most girls and even some guys are afraid of mice.

She regretted not having Julia and Lucia stand guard tonight. If they were here, she could have asked for their help in catching the mouse. Those two maids seemed like they had a bit more courage!

But they weren't there, and Maria could only plead with the little light on the bedside table that flickered in the darkness like a firefly to stay on a little longer.

After a brief standoff, the mouse finally left, and Maria couldn't resist the pull of sleep any longer.

Meanwhile, in another luxurious room in the castle, on the deep blue sheets, a blond man with closed eyes was sweating profusely. He kept panting, as if caught in a nightmare or a sweet dream.