CHAPTER 100: ROMANCE NOVELS

When Lilith woke up, the clock read a few minutes past twelve, and the prince was no longer beside her—or anywhere in the room. She stretched, took her time freshening up, and prepared for the day. Once she was ready, she made her way downstairs to the kitchen, where she found Fiona and Eldric already at work, preparing lunch for the prince and the nobles.

With nothing else to do, Lilith joined them, helping with the meal while they chatted casually. An hour later, the food was ready, and the three of them sat around the table to eat.

"Eldric and I were planning to go to the market tomorrow to get a gift for Madam Thalia," Fiona said with a gloomy sigh, her lips forming a slight pout. "But this horrible snow just won’t let us leave the palace."

Lilith frowned and glanced between them. "A gift? Why are you getting a gift for her?"

"Her birthday’s coming up soon," Eldric replied.

"Oh, that’s wonderful. I had no idea! I’d love to get her something too," Lilith said, smiling.

"Hopefully the snow eases up before the weekend, so we can actually go to the market," Fiona added, stirring her food absentmindedly.

"I hope so too," Eldric murmured in agreement.

Then Fiona’s tone shifted slightly. "By the way, my sister told me what happened in the dining room. Are you alright? She said you looked really shaken."

Lilith swallowed, her smile faltering slightly. She cleared her throat. "Yes... yes, I’m alright. The incident just stirred up some awful memories, that’s all."

"I’m glad you’re okay," Eldric said with a warm, reassuring smile. He wanted to ask more but held back, sensing her discomfort.

"And that lousy bitch caused a scene like it was her food you spilled," Fiona muttered, scowling.

Eldric nudged her elbow sharply. "Fiona!"

"What?" she said, blinking at him.

"Don’t call her that," he scolded quietly.

"Why not? She is a lousy bitch, and everyone knows it," Fiona said with a shrug, utterly unbothered.

"Someone could hear you, and I don’t want you getting into trouble," Eldric whispered under his breath.

Fiona rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

Lilith stared at them, confused. "What are you talking about, Fiona?"

"You don’t remember?" Fiona asked, raising a brow as she stabbed a piece of chicken with her fork and popped it into her mouth. "She yelled at you, called you names when the food fell."

Lilith’s brows drew together. "Why would she do that?" she murmured, more to herself than anyone else.

"No idea. Maybe because she’s just a mean bitch," Fiona said bluntly.

"Fiona," Eldric warned with a sharp look.

Lilith’s mind drifted. Why would Kathryn act that way? Then a memory surfaced, Kathryn had been standing by the prince’s food just before the incident. Could she have done something to it? Lilith shook the thought away. Kathryn was desperate, yes—but not stupid. She wouldn’t dare poison the prince. Not when she knew there’d be no escaping his wrath.

She exhaled slowly, forcing herself to focus on the conversation.

"What are you two doing after lunch?" Lilith asked, hoping to steer the topic somewhere lighter.

"I’m definitely going back to bed," Fiona replied, stretching her arms with a dramatic yawn. "I barely slept. I need to make up for the lost hours."

Lilith turned to Eldric. "And you?"

"Probably read a book," he said with a slight shrug. "I’d love to take a walk, but unless I want to freeze to death out there, it’s not an option." His chuckle earned matching ones from both girls. "What about you?"

"I think I’ll visit the library," Lilith replied. "I’ve been meaning to for a while now."

"That’s a great idea. I’ll come with you, might as well pick out a new book myself," Eldric said, and Lilith smiled in agreement.

Fiona groaned dramatically. "You’re both so incredibly boring."

Lilith and Eldric laughed at her comment.

A few minutes later, Fiona excused herself and returned to her room for a nap, while Lilith and Eldric made their way to the second floor, where the palace library was located.

As they pushed open the tall double doors that stretched from floor to ceiling, Lilith’s eyes widened in awe. The sight before her stole the breath from her lungs.

She had expected the library to be big—but not this big. It was ginormous. The floor was covered in fine marble stones, and the tall wooden shelves were arranged neatly, reaching so high one would need a tall ladder to reach the topmost rows.

In the center of the room stood a large table with four chairs set around it. Lilith ran her fingers across its glossy surface. Not a speck of dust clung to it, which meant the library had been cleaned recently.

"This is beyond wonderful," Lilith whispered, her eyes wide as they roamed the magnificent space.

"It is indeed," Eldric replied, a soft smile playing on his lips as he watched the wonder in her expression.

She turned to him. "Have you been here before?"

"Yes, quite a lot, actually," he said.

"No wonder you’re hardly amazed by the beauty of this place," she teased, turning back to admire the room. She walked over to the nearest shelf, running her fingers along the smooth wood.

"You can tell the type of books by the labels at the top of each shelf," Eldric pointed out. "This one says ’Historical Books.’" He moved to the next. "And this one is ’Books on Medicine and Potions.’" He turned to her. "So, what would you like to read?"

"Definitely not a historical book," Lilith said quickly, shaking her head. Eldric laughed. "Probably a novel. A romance novel," she added.

"Very well, my lady. Follow me," Eldric said with a playful tone, leading her to the back of the library where another section of shelves stood.

Lilith looked up, confirming the label: Romance Novels.

"There has to be at least a thousand books here," she murmured.

"It’s actually one thousand, four hundred and fifty," Eldric corrected proudly.

Lilith arched a brow at him. "How do you know that?"

"I was bored one day and counted them," he said, wearing a smug smile.

"That’s... quite something," Lilith replied, returning her gaze to the books. "How many have you read from here?"

"About a hundred. Which honestly isn’t much. I haven’t had the time or interest to read lately. The last one I finished was about a month ago."

"A month isn’t a bad timeframe to finish a book," Lilith said thoughtfully.

"It is for me," he chuckled. "I usually finish a book in a day. Sometimes two, depending on how long they are."

"That’s impressive. I can’t imagine finishing a book in a day, no matter how captivating it is," Lilith replied with a shake of her head.

"Everyone is different." He looked up at the shelf. "So, which one do you want?"

"I don’t know. Since you’ve read a good number of books, I’m trusting you to recommend one for me—a good romance novel," Lilith said.

Eldric smiled. "How wonderful. I know exactly what to give you." He walked away and returned with a ladder, climbing up to the tenth level of the shelf. He pulled out three books before making his way back down.

"Here you go," he said, handing her two of the books while keeping one for himself.

"Thank you." Lilith took the books and turned the first one over to read the title: TheMaiden’s Knight. She did the same with the second: Sailor’s Bride.

"I’m sure you’ll enjoy them. And if you don’t, I’ll buy you a scarf to make up for wasting your time," Eldric said with a grin.

"That won’t be necessary. I have a feeling I’m going to enjoy them," Lilith replied, still looking at the books while Eldric began walking back toward the table.

Suddenly, a creaking sound caught Lilith’s attention. She turned toward the source, narrowing her eyes at the shadowy gap between two shelves. There was nothing visibly out of place, but she was sure the sound had come from there. She wondered what could have caused it.

Curious, she stepped closer, cautiously making her way toward the space. The darkness made it difficult to see, so she stretched her arm out, trying to feel for anything unusual.

"Lilith!"

She jerked her hand back, startled by the sudden call. Turning around, she saw Eldric standing a few feet away, his brow raised as he looked at her.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Me? Nothing," she said with a nervous laugh. "I thought I heard a sound coming from there."

"Probably just the wood creaking. I didn’t hear anything, though," he replied. "I’m heading out—do you want to come with me?"

"Yes, of course," Lilith said, quickly walking over to him.

"You must have misheard. There’s nothing there," Eldric assured her with a smile, though his eyes briefly flicked toward the space she had just been investigating before he looked away.

Together, they made their way out of the library.