The road of the capital gave a smooth ride for our carriage once more. With only a slight bump here and there, I was given the right to sit comfortably once more.

But of course, I was anything but calm.

My body was stiff as I leaned casually on the carriage’s plush seat, not saying a word since I boarded. The windows on the carriage doors were covered by velvet curtains, perhaps for privacy, but thanks to my eyes, I was able to basically ignore their existence as I stared out into the cloudy skies outside.

By the way, this ride marked the third time I had ridden inside a royal carriage, all in the span of one month.  Although that sounded like a feat, I had a feeling that it might bring me more trouble than anything.

I turned my eyes ever so slightly to look at the man who invited me here.

The blonde guy was wearing a fine suit along with a not-so-subtle smirk. His eyes were still locked onto me. I quickly averted my eyes away, fast enough that he shouldn’t notice that I looked at him in the first place.

Seriously, ever since I greeted him at the academy gates, with three directors of the academy right behind me for some reason, his eyes didn’t leave me for one second. Not gonna like, it gave me the creeps.

I doubt he had anything creepy in his mind, but whatever was swirling in there was bound to be something annoying.

But, I shouldn’t complain too much.

Really, I should be grateful instead.

The reason I was stiff wasn’t that I was nervous, like I did with Munith.

Sure, I was in a carriage with a royal family member again, but I felt like I could afford to be more lax around him… as weird as that may sound.

No, I was stiff because I was trying to hide my excitement. My excitement for the destination.

The Royal Archives.

The one birthday gift that ruled them all.

It was the one thing I requested after fulfilling the Third Prince’s goals, getting into the Honors class. Of course, I did far beyond that and claimed first place, but that was more of a personal achievement.

The reward I asked for was the right to visit the Royal Archives. Something I had wanted ever since I discovered my Talent Symbols.

If there was a place that held an answer, it would be there. And at last, the promised day had come.

My excitement was only contained by this stiff face of mine.

“Is something the matter?” a voice echoed inside, breaking the silence of the carriage. It was the Third Prince, leaning back on his own seat, his smirk ever eternal.

I turned to face him fully.

“Why do you ask?” I said as calmly as possible.

“Well, you don’t exactly look too thrilled to be here. Did I catch you at a bad time?”

The hell you mean I’m not thrilled?! 

I get to skip extra classes and visit the royal archives?!

I’m absolutely stoked!

“I am thrilled…” I answered.

“…Right.”

—

The carriage rolled to a smooth halt. The crack of whips outside signaled the end of the trip. After several moments, I heard several footsteps approaching our carriage.

The carriage door opened, and the cold scent of grass entered. A royal knight stood there, extending her hand towards the prince.

“Your Highness, welcome to the Royal Archives,” she said in a commanding yet respectful tone.

The prince gladly took the gauntlet invitation and descended from the carriage first. The same knight offered her hand towards me.

“Lady Sareid. We have been expecting you as well,” she said, giving me a professionally warm smile.

I gladly took her hand as well and followed after the prince.

Stepping foot on the cobblestone ground, I turned to the side to finally look at Setus’s ultimate library.

“Here we are,” said the Third Prince. “The Royal Archives.”

Before us stood a structure that looked more like a fortress than a library. It was both tall and wide, narrow windows banded in iron lattice. Setus flags waved proudly against the strong wind from every angle. 

Oh god, I am giddy.

In fact, I was vibrating with anticipation as Feyt the moment I saw that building. Thankfully, Feyt had no classes, so he was alone in his dorm room. So, I let all my excitement and glee flow through Feyt, all to protect my dignity and integrity as Carine.

The carriage rattled to life once more with another crack of a whip, leaving us with the knight.

The knight stepped in front of the prince and gave a respectful bow. “Your Highness, Lady Carine. If you would please follow me, I will lead you to the main entrance of the archive.”

“Please do!” the prince said with glee.

The knight nodded and turned on her metal boots, walking along the cobblestone path. The three of us began to follow suit.

When we finally reached the main entrance, I spotted two more royal knights awaiting us in the distance, their spears crossed over the narrow yet grand doors. Once we neared the entrance, the knights uncrossed their weapons and walked in sync to open the door for us. 

We didn’t have to slow down at all to finally enter the archive.

The inside of the archive was as grand as the outside. Luminite chandeliers, ones with quality I hadn’t seen since the last palace visit, hung silently high up in the air. Endless shelves containing various items acted as walls. From where I stood, I could count three floors of walkways circling the perimeter.

The thing was, the building was a lot taller from the outside, so there was bound to be more.

But even after we entered, our pace never seemed to slow.

Before long, I saw another pair of grand doors, protected by two royal knights once more. Once we got close, they uncrossed their weapons and opened the doors for us.

And then… we still continued walking.

We reached another set of protected doors. The two knights followed the same routine as the two pairs before.

By the time we crossed the threshold of the third door, our pace finally slowed.

As the door closed behind us, the air seemed to turn thick, almost like an airlock. The temperature in this section was also colder. The shelves here held fewer books and scrolls, yet they seemed to hold much more value if they were stored this deep in the archives.

This totally looked like where I might find my answers.

After several more steps, the knight guiding us came to a halt.

“We have arrived, Your Highness.”

The prince hummed lightly, glancing around as if mildly impressed.

“You’ve done your duty admirably,” he said. “From here, we can manage on our own.”

The knight blinked, as if surprised, then continued with hesitation in her voice.

“Your Highness, I should remain here to ensure our guest won’t—”

“—Oh, please. Don’t worry about her! I can keep an eye on her myself.” Then, his tone lowered, almost commanding. “Besides, I would need some time to have a private talk with her.”

There was a long stretch of silence.

Then, reluctantly, the knight bowed.

“As you command.”

Her metal boots echoed down the corridor until the sound disappeared entirely.

The prince turned to me.

“Alright, we’re finally here!” he said. “Feel free to read whatever you fancy! Just on this section though…”

In that instant, all the excitement that flowed within my bodies halted.

Just this section?

Slowly, and reluctantly, I asked. 

“What section is this, exactly?”

The prince smiled.

“Why, old family history, of course!”

All the blood drained from my faces.

He continued, utterly pleased with himself.

“The archives here detail noble houses outside of the royal family ever since Setus became a kingdom. Their origins, their rise, their contributions, their decline. Alliances, marriages, everything properly recorded.” He gestured proudly to the towering cabinets around us, arms wide like they were his audience.

“Huh?”

“Though some records might be a little old and, frankly, unreadable… I thought you might enjoy reading about your roots!”

He sat on a nearby chair, leaning back so casually.

“I shall be waiting here, so please, take your time!”

I stood still.

Not moving at all.

My face was so frozen, it died twice.

I have a tiny hunch…

A reaaaally tiny hunch…

That he might’ve assumed too much about my goals.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep