CHAPTER 40: IN HIS CUPS

The walk to the library was peaceful. Once again, I took in the sights of this little section of Podros. It was a fairly calm day out. Townspeople were out and about going about their business, Adventurers gathering outside of likely areas; the blacksmith’s shop, the armorer’s shop, the potion shop, the Adventurer’s Guild, all to receive Quests or items to help them complete them. Most groups of Adventurers had a few Paladin trainees with them, young men and women dressed in ostentatious silver armor, each looking to get some on-sight experience. The weather was nice, the sun was out, and the wind carried scents of bread and coffee through the morning air. It was nice!

Things started getting less nice as I got closer to the library. As I passed familiar landmarks–the tiny cafe which was usually packed with Rogues and Rangers for some reason; the Monk dojo a few blocks down; the local Cleric Chamber–my steps got heavier. Slower. Far less enthusiastic.

To put it simply: I was a nervous wreck.

What if I got there and she shouted at me to leave again? What if, when I walked in, she handed me a Voided Contract slip? What if she rejected me? Hell, what if she wasn’t even there?

I didn’t have much time with my musing, something I wasn’t sure whether to chalk up as a positive or a negative. My steps led me to the statue in the middle of the town center’s roundabout. This district was where the Order of Paladins was headquartered... as well as where the library was. I turned to my left, where the Order of Paladins building was, then to my right, where the library was. Then, with a heavy sigh, I looked up at the statue depicting some old Paladin from however many years ago.

"There’s no way out of this, is there...?" I asked no one in particular. When no one responded, I turned to the library and headed in.

The inside of the library looked just as judicial as the outside. Marble column, dark wooden furniture, bookshelves all the way up to the glass dome overhead. Scents of coffee and old wood permeated the air, though the only scent I was looking for was one of lavender mixed with patchouli.

"Lloyd May! It’s a pleasure. How may I help you?" The attendant at the desk called. It was a young woman dressed in a fancy-looking suit-vest outfit.

My reputation as a 5-Star Adventurer meant that when I entered places like a tavern or a weapon shop, I was immediately recognized and given the red carpet treatment. That reputation didn’t carry over to places like the library, though. I didn’t care at all for fame like other Adventurers, but I had secretly hoped that I could use my reputation to get the attendant working the front desk to tell me where Isobel was.

"If I did that, she’d probably think I was a creep..."

"I’m just here to browse. Is that alright?"

The lady nodded. "Absolutely! Was there anything you wanted to look for in particular?"

"What would Isobel be looking at...? Ah!"

"Something about Noble Houses. Anything, really. I’m studying the field. Do you have anything relating to that?"

"We do, though most of our selection in that particular field of study has been checked out by a single patron. She’s still in the back reading right now. Perhaps you can study alongside her? It’d be a great way to spark up a new friendship, hmm?"

"Isobel!"

"I think I might just do that. Thank you!"

I won’t say I ran to the back of the library, but I certainly powerwalked. It was funny. Before I entered the library, I was terrified of the possibility of rejection. Now that I was here, though, I wanted nothing more than to see Isobel–rejection be damned! Love was terrifying, indeed.

It wasn’t long before I found her. She was seated alone at a wooden table surrounded by a stack of books the same color as her dress. She had a tome the size of that Noble House Ownership book open in front of her with a pen and pad by her side to take notes.

"What’s that book about?" I asked, sitting at the seat opposite her, chest pounding.

"Oh, hello. I’m reading a book about money management." She laughed softly. "My brother always said I was terrible with money, so I thought I’d learn how to be a little less terrible."

"Well, I’m not terrible with money. Never have been. Back at the orphanage, they had us study textbooks like that as part of our curriculum. If I weren’t an Adventurer, I’d probably be an accountant. Or a financial advisor to some wealthy noble."

Isobel clicked her teeth. "It isn’t right to gloat to a woman, you know."

"This isn’t me gloating." I grabbed her hands, chest pounding even harder, but I ignored the sensation. "It’s my way of letting you know that I can help you. The things you can’t do, I can help you with. We can work together. That’s what healthy relationships entail, no?"

Isobel blushed, looking away from me. "This is all happening pretty fast. Are you... are you sure...?"

I brought Isobel’s hand to my mouth and kissed it. "I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind, Isobel. I have so much to explain to you. So much to tell you. But before I do any of that, I want you to know how much I care for–"

"You’ll have to excuse him, ma’am," A familiar voice called from behind me. I turned, stunned to find... Isobel? She smiled wryly down at me, "He was in his cups last night. He might still be drunk if he’s confusing you for me."

I warily turned back to who I thought was Isobel, only to find an older woman no younger than fifty staring back at me. She had silver wavy hair, fine lines under her eyes, and thin-framed steel glasses. Unlike Isobel’s black dress and boots, this woman wore a floral black shirt with beige pants and black slip-ons.

"Come now, Lloyd May. We don’t spend our mornings sexally harassing the kind people of Podros now, do we?"