Chapter 70
Well, to be fair, even Kiara found it rather burdensome to eat at a heavy ebony desk lavishly adorned with gold and silver. But Laine didn’t seem to care in the slightest.
“Whether you’re eating, reading, or writing letters, they all look pretty much the same anyway. Just different in how you use them. Just set it here.”
He even began brushing aside the books piled on the desk with casual flicks, letting them fall to the floor without a second thought. Startled, Kiara instinctively moved closer to pick up the fallen books.
“Ah, um, those precious books…”
“I said it’s fine! Oh, watch out! Duck!”
Laine suddenly barked the warning in a stern voice, and Kiara, baffled, quickly lowered her head. In that instant, one of the heavy books that had fallen to the floor shot through the air just above her, zipping back into its place on the bookshelf.
The force with which the large volume cut through the air was so intense, she thought she could feel her long hair flutter from the gust it left behind.
“Ah, that one’s especially fast. I can’t count how many times I’ve been knocked out by it myself. But you’re quite nimble, aren’t you? Could it be you’re particularly attuned to magical energy?”
Laine let out a hearty laugh, but all color had drained from Kiara’s face in pure shock.
At this rate, no wonder Maeve or anyone else wouldn’t just barge in here. The place was practically littered with hidden weapons.
Once the books had more or less sorted themselves out, the two of them sat across from each other at the desk for dinner.
The food in the basket was so abundant that even three or four people could have shared it and still had leftovers. But Raelin merely tended to them from the side, declining Kiara’s offer to join despite the invitation.
“…I just find this desk a little…”
“The head maid despises anything magical. Truthfully, most people in Altnebra are like that. They’re always afraid it might be cursed.”
Kiara didn’t insist further. She remembered how Raelin had recoiled at the sight of her blood when she’d cut her hand some time ago.
Still, it felt oddly unfamiliar that someone who had served a witch like herself would be so averse to magic.
Then again, in a place where even books could become deadly weapons, who could say what else in this library might be dangerous?
While Kiara eyed the desk warily, Laine cheerfully pulled a bottle of wine from the basket and grinned.
“Oho, Pruvnas vintage! Raelin, is there no goat cheese? The kind baked in ash from last time? That would pair excellently with this. Oh, and there was some cheese left in the storage, wasn’t there? The steward said so…”
Throughout the rest of the meal, Laine kept chattering away so incessantly that Kiara forgot all about her earlier unease.
It seemed Laine was talkative by nature, perhaps overly so. Even Raelin, who could usually hold her own in any conversation, looked visibly worn out by the end of it.
But for Kiara, who had been isolated in the northern tower all this time, just having someone share a meal with her was enough to make her happy.
Eventually, the long meal came to an end, and Kiara began preparing to return to the tower.
“I should be going now.”
“Ah, is that so? Then allow me to escort you. The lunar eclipse has passed, but it’s still dark outside.”
The two stepped out, and above them hung a faint sliver of moonlight thin as thread. It was the first time in days the moon had shown itself again. As she looked up at its delicate glow, Kiara opened her mouth to speak.
“Then… when should I come next?”
“Anytime you like. I’m here in the library every day, from just before dawn until the stewards go around checking the lights at night. Now that the lun ar eclipse is over, that’ll be quite late, I suppose.”
Laine, having come all the way to see her off outside the library, beamed as though the promise of next time was a delight. His glasses glinted faintly in the soft moonlight.
* * *
Back in her quarters, Kiara parted ways with Raelin and ascended the tower alone. She stepped into her room, now darkened, and was met by the sound of a man’s voice.
“You’re back.”
“Eek!”
She had assumed no one would be there. Startled by the unexpected voice, Kiara let out a small scream and looked around the room.
Discussion
0 CommentsNo comments yet.