Chapter 65
Though Laine’s expression soon returned to normal, Kiara remained tense, blinking silently.
With a sigh that sounded half like a lament, Laine finally spoke again.
“Anyway, since you mentioned a mage… you must be referring to Maeve. That one at least has some sense. Which is saying something, considering he’s surrounded by nothing but brainless brutes trying to show off their strength.”
“Ah! Y-yes, Maeve — that’s right.”
Kiara nodded eagerly, relieved to hear a familiar name. Laine gave a small nod of agreement and gestured toward a bookshelf behind him.
“He asked if I could show him these books, saying the materials in the royal library weren’t enough for his research.”
“Um…”
Kiara’s gaze followed the direction of Laine’s pointing finger, but since she couldn’t read, she had no idea what the books were. Still, judging by their ornate, gold-embellished spines, she could at least guess that they were incredibly valuable.
As if confirming her assumption, Laine clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“Out of the question. These volumes contain the royal history of Altnebra from before the Empire was even unified. They exist only here, in the Altnebra Royal Archives and nowhere else in the entire Empire. This one is a treatise on the first Red Witch. This, here, details the contract between the Red Witch and the first Grandilgale Emperor. And that one outlines their life together as consorts!”
“I-I see… I didn’t realize they were so precious…”
While Laine passionately described each book, Kiara tried her best to follow along, glancing from one shelf to another as he pointed.
It did seem Maeve was researching the soulmate bond, just like Ael had said.
‘…But if the truly important books are all locked up in this royal archive, then what are we supposed to do?’
Kiara pouted, her lower lip sticking out in frustration. She was merely lost in thought, but her expression must have come across as sulky, because Laine gave a helpless shrug.
“Even if I wanted to show them, I can’t. These books can’t be taken outside, and no one may enter the royal archives unless they are of Altnebra royal blood or descended from the Grandilgale line.”
Laine let out a heavy sigh. From the look on his face, one might think he genuinely wanted to show the books to Maeve. Apparently, when he said he was at least reasonable, he had meant it. He actually seemed to like him.
If that was the case, maybe she could persuade him. Kiara hesitated, then cautiously asked:
“Would it be possible… just to lend them to Maeve, as a special exception…?”
“I said that’s not possible, didn’t I? These books are from before the Empire was even unified! Can’t you tell how well-preserved they are, even after all these centuries?”
Laine pointed a firm thumb toward the bookshelf again. Following his gesture, Kiara glanced once more at the book spines and then down at the pristine white marble floor beneath them, nodding in reluctant admiration.
“You must’ve maintained them very carefully.”
“‘Carefully’ doesn’t even begin to cover it… It’s probably easier to just show you.”
Striding over to the shelf, Laine narrowed his eyes and ran his index finger along the spines until he selected a single volume and slid it from its place.
“Watch closely.”
“Eek!”
Laine, who had spent so long emphasizing how precious the book was, suddenly let out a deep sigh then hurled it to the floor with all his strength.
The force of it was enough to make his robe sleeves flap. Startled, Kiara shrieked and squeezed her eyes shut.
But then…
“…Huh?”
There was no sound. No thump, no smack, not even a dull thud.
Curiosity overtaking her fear, Kiara cracked open one eye… then blinked wide in shock.
“See?”
Mouth agape and lost for words, Kiara turned to find Laine casually shrugging as she pointed across the room.
Instead of lying in a battered heap on the ground, the lavishly gilded book floated gently in midair.
And that wasn’t all.
“…Oh my gods…”
As Kiara stared, slack-jawed, the book gave a delicate flutter then began to drift through the air.
It moved as if gliding through water or like a butterfly on the breeze. Then, with a soft tap, it closed itself neatly and slipped right back into its spot on the shelf.
Laine let out a pointed sigh, as if to say, Well? There you have it.
“The protection spell is so strong, any book you take out just floats back to its place before you can so much as blink.”
“Th-then how do you…read them?”
“If you place it on a specially enchanted table, it’ll tolerate being opened for a while. Even then, the time limit’s short. You have to be quick.”
The way he grumbled made it sound less like he was talking about grimoires and more like he was dealing with a particularly fussy cat. As he let out another exaggerated sigh, clearly exhausted by the situation, Kiara hesitated then asked again.
“Th-then what if Sir Maeve were to come here himself…”
“Why do you think I went on about the royal bloodline?”
Laine exhaled long and slow, his tone turning bitter.
“No one outside the royal family of Altnebra can set foot in the archive. Or even in this inner courtyard. It’s the same magic, the same restriction as the books.”
“…Magic?”
Then…what about Raelin? What about Laine? And most of all, what about Kiara herself? How had she managed to come in here?
Kiara furrowed her brow, visibly straining with thought, as if the sheer depth of her confusion might summon an answer. Her expression must’ve been a sight, because Laine, clearly enjoying himself, let out a small laugh before offering the punchline:
“Well, aren’t you supposed to be the future Queen of Altnebra?”
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