Chapter 64
“Oh? Yes… but how did you know?”
Only then did Kiara manage to open her mouth and ask hesitantly. The man, with a faint smile, gestured toward his eyes.
“The red eyes.”
“Oh…”
Kiara nodded, looking into the man’s eyes. What had looked blue earlier now seemed more like a deep green leaning toward teal. It was probably an illusion caused by the dim candlelight.
But hadn’t Ael said Maeve’s eyes were blue? Now that she thought about it, his hair also seemed a bit yellowish rather than silvery. Then who was this man?
The man bowed his head toward Kiara, who wore a puzzled expression.
“My name is Laine.”
“…I’m Kiara.”
Kiara, who was usually even more afraid of strangers, especially men, surprisingly bowed her head without hesitation.
Laine had a gentle appearance and aura, as if he were one with books, and that calm presence fit perfectly with the quiet library. Kiara didn’t even notice him approaching so closely.
Since Kiara loved books, it was only natural she didn’t feel threatened by him.
“So it’s true. It’s an honor to meet the Red Witch for the first time.”
Laine greeted Kiara with a bright face, looking genuinely pleased to meet her.
“Lady Kiara! Oh my, you’re so quick on your feet, and the path is dark, so you must be careful. Ah! You’ve met, then?”
At that moment, Raelin hurried in, catching her breath as she chased after Kiara. Seeing her facing Laine, Raelin’s face brightened.
“Did you introduce yourselves? This is Bronwell on this side…”
“Laine.”
Before Raelin could finish her introduction, Laine interrupted her.
“Bronwell isn’t a wrong name either, but please call me Laine if possible. It’s not a name I’m very fond of.”
It seemed Laine really hated being called Bronwell, as his previously gentle expression hardened coldly, making Raelin fumble nervously.
“Oh, y-yes… You’re Lord Laine, the president of the Altnebra Royal Historical Society…? Right?”
Raelin asked cautiously, as if afraid to get even the title wrong. Laine nodded and then asked again:
“By the way, why did you bring the Witch all the way here?”
“W-well….”
Perhaps because of being called the wrong name, Laine’s tone had sharpened, and Raelin hesitated to answer. Truthfully, she didn’t have any special reason for wanting to come to the library; she just couldn’t stand seeing Kiara trapped in her room and suggested going out.
Seeing Raelin at a loss, Kiara answered instead.
“I was feeling trapped… so she brought me out.”
Laine’s gaze shifted toward Kiara this time. The green in his eyes held kindness, giving Kiara some courage.
“Now that the curse… has been lifted, I thought maybe it’s okay to see the outside world.”
“A curse? But the royal marriage was never consummated, was it?”
Laine tilted his head in puzzlement, but this time, even Kiara couldn’t bring herself to answer. Laine stared quietly at her reddened face and then nodded, as if something had dawned on him.
“Ah, that’s right. Aeliel Altnebra Grandilgale. That was his name. So he really was the true Grandilgale.”
He clapped his hands as he listed Ael’s full name, then muttered to himself like an afterthought:
“…He was so completely unhinged that I must have forgotten. Well, even a mad lion is still a lion.”
Kiara was taken aback by the string of sneers. The subtle hostility in his tone didn’t match the gentle impression given by his large glasses and mild features.
Apparently, even Raelin who had known him from before felt the same way. She hesitated, only for Laine to speak to her kindly.
“Now that she can finally go outside again… it’s unfortunate the lunar eclipse has dragged on so long. I suppose you brought her out to at least see the front garden? You did well, head maid.”
Only after Laine’s reassuring tone did Raelin seem to relax, nodding her head slightly.
“…The garden in front of the library is quaint and pretty. And since it’s within the palace, it’s not dangerous either…”
“B-but… the knights… aren’t they here?”
Feeling the atmosphere had finally softened, Kiara brought up what had been bothering her for a while. She still felt uneasy for having come outside despite Ael’s warning. She’d come partly hoping that one of his men might be nearby but from the looks of it, it seemed only Laine was present.
“I… I heard that the mage from the Imperial Knights was stationed here…”
Raelin’s expression looked oddly uneasy, so Kiara cautiously began to speak, only to trail off into a mumble. She blinked anxiously, unsure how to continue, but Laine slowly shook his head with a cold expression.
“I believe you’ve misunderstood. The Royal Archives are only accessible to members of the royal family.”
Laine’s expression, which had briefly softened, turned rigid once more, leaving Kiara flustered as she stammered:
“B-but I was told the knights were at the Royal Library…”
“Ah, that must be the source of your confusion. The library and the archives are entirely separate places. I did hear that a couple of knights were tearing through the library’s collection…”
Laine adjusted his slipping glasses with a grimace, clearly irritated. The mention of the knights having carelessly rifled through books had clearly displeased him.
As Kiara watched the deep crease between his brows, Ael’s grumbling echoed in her memory:
‘Altnebrans are like that, stubborn as hell.’
She could now understand why he had to be summoned day and night.
If the resistance was this strong, they must’ve caused no end of trouble.
Discussion
0 CommentsNo comments yet.