Behind the shelves, I could faintly hear the prince humming to himself.

The sound echoed softly through the quiet section of the archives, bouncing off rows and rows of dusty cabinets.

Honestly, the man sounded way too relaxed, almost as if he was enjoying doing nothing at all.

Meanwhile, I was currently experiencing the death of my dreams and resisting the urge to shout the word ‘Disappointed!’ out loud. 

Figuring out that standing still won’t do me any favors, I began wandering between the shelves.

My eyes darted here and there, and there were a lot more books here than I expected.

Each cabinet was packed with books, both thin and thick, scroll-bound or in cases, and folders labeled with family crests and names that seemed unfamiliar. Some of the stuff here looked so old that it might become one with the dust if I so much as blew air at it.

I scanned each and every record that had a title or at least a crest on them, and deep down I knew that whatever I was searching for, it ain’t here.

Eventually, though, something caught my eye.

One of the books had a name that was… familiar.

The Sareid family.

That was fast. Thought I had to dig deeper and all to find it.

The book was high up, so I had to bring in a ladder and pick it up for myself. I slid the book out of the shelf, dragging dust from adjacent books with it. Though I believe some of the dust got in my eye, it didn’t really irritate that much.

When I got down, I took a closer look at the book.

It was thick, as heavy as a mallet. You could say the same for many of the other books here, but unlike many of the others, this one looked a little cleaner. The cover wasn’t as dusty, and the space left behind by the book in the shelf seemed to have very slight drag marks.

It almost looked like someone had been reading it recently.

Yeah, it’s definitely the prince.

I stared at the book in my hands for a moment, holding back a sigh.

I came here to read about Talents, man.

Not my family drama.

Still… I guess this was partially my fault.

I never actually told him what I wanted to research. All I said was that I wanted access to the Royal Archives. Apparently, the prince interpreted that as “I want to read some family drama.”

Let me tell you this, Your Highness.

You’re way off.

Damn, he looked so proud of inviting me here, too…

I glanced between the shelves again.

Despite the overwhelming number of books here, I already knew the truth.

None of them would tell me anything about Talent Symbols.

The prince probably had to pull some serious strings just to get my request approved in the first place. It wouldn’t have taken so long to be approved otherwise. I remembered the face he made when I told him my request; it was that of an employee being told to double their quotas overnight. Didn’t know he had that face in him.

Judging by the number of guards we passed on the way here, this place must be locked down tight. So he cut some corners just to get me in without sparking some political incident. 

I’m starting to think I probably should’ve picked a better birthday gift.

With no other options left, I carried the book over to a nearby chair and sat down.

There was a very, very small part of me that refused to give up, or was I just that stubborn?

If there was even the slightest chance that my Talent Symbols were somehow tied to my heritage… Perhaps this trip wouldn’t be as much of a waste of time after all.

…

This trip is a waste of time.

Well, not entirely. I did manage to learn more about my family. Though most of it was about achievements, economic growth, territorial sizes over the generations… things like that.

The Sareid family, apparently, was one of the oldest noble houses in the kingdom.

The first ever head of the Sareid family was a great commander who helped secure a large portion of land in the southern frontier for Setus. Parts of that land eventually became our own territory.

According to the record, she was known as a tactful and disciplined leader who was loved both by the army and her people. 

After her passing, she was succeeded by her son. He didn’t exactly slack off either. 

The second head of the Sareid family helped establish several major trading routes throughout the region. Some of those routes apparently became the economic backbone for other noble houses that rose much later. 

On top of that, he organized a mercenary company to deal with the rampant bandit problem that plagued the area at the time. The project was apparently very effective. Bandit activities dropped drastically within a few years. The company disbanded not a year later, though.

The records did add a small note about the methods used.

Apparently, they were considered “inhumane.”

“…”

I’ll just pretend I didn’t read that part.

After him came his daughter.

Unlike her father, who expanded trade, she focused on influence.

Within a decade, she arranged a chain of political marriages that tied the Sareid family to several rising houses and some established ones. According to the records, several border disputes were mysteriously resolved in Sareid’s favor not long after.

Then came her successor.

Then the next.

And the next.

The book went into a surprising amount of detail for each generation. Some heads of the family only ruled for a few years, while others remained in power for an entire lifetime.

But every single one of them had something written beside their name.

A battle won.

A trade route secured.

A city established.

A territory expanded.

It was like reading a very long list of overachievers. Made me a little self-aware, actually.

Of course, the book didn’t skip over the incident either.

The one that forced the Sareid family to take its infamous vow to only ever have one child. It was a major historical event, of course they were going into detail about it.

The twins’ heir situation was explained in great detail. The battle for the heir title. How the family’s great amount of supporters were split in ideals on who should succeed. Several battles were already waging, both physical and intellectual.

The record didn’t go too deep into the emotional side of it, but it clearly documented the aftermath, specifically about the vow and the political fallout.

The Sareid family was soon divided into two parts: the main branch and the sub-branches. The latter consisted of relatives who weren’t directly part of the main lineage.

Trust in the family dropped sharply, both inside and outside the region. Several heads succeeded one another across generations, but the situation never truly improved. At least, not until the position finally passed to my grandmother.

Despite the backlash and the shame surrounding the event, the records described her as a steadfast leader who kept the family stable during a very turbulent time.

One of her more notable accomplishments was the creation of the Sareid sword style. A combat style designed specifically for one-on-one encounters. It focused on disarming opponents, diffusing dangerous situations, wearing down the enemy’s stamina, and ending fights with certainty.

Even if it might take a while.

After that section, the scroll continued for a few more lines, detailing some of grandmother’s further achievements, and some of the branch family’s achievements…

Then… it stopped.

The remaining space was blank.

There was nothing about Father succeeding her as the next head of the house. Which meant this record was probably pretty old. Or at the very least, it hadn’t been updated in a long time.

I slowly closed the book.

It wasn’t a bad read.

Actually, it was pretty interesting. Sure, it made me feel pressured to achieve the same things as most of the heads listed here had, but knowing more about my family wasn’t all that bad.

However…

It’s not what I need, dammit!

I need answers, not a history lesson!!!

I leaned back in the chair and stared at the ceiling. If my lips weren’t frozen together, I would’ve had them hung open. 

By the way, that entire reading session took about five or so minutes, my typical reading speed so far. 

I still didn’t even know if there was a time limit to my stay here, even though the prince did say to take my time. But what do I even do with all this extra time? Stalk my friends’ family history?

That question then raised another.

Why did he even bring me here in the first place?

This was pretty deep inside the archives, I mean, we passed several guarded doors just to get here. Then he even dismissed the knight who was supposed to keep watch over us, just so he could “watch me himself”, which he wasn’t doing a very good job of.

From where I sat, I could see him through the small gaps between the cabinets and books. He was lounging at the table near the entrance of this section, leg up on a table, leaning back in his chair, holding a book by the middle with one hand and the other draped over the backrest.

He looked completely relaxed, like a parent who left their kid at a playground and called it a day.

He wasn’t even looking in my direction, probably absorbed in whatever book he was holding.

Why did he even come here for?

Then…

I slowly blinked.

Was this… intentional?

I slowly look up again. Several floors of walkways circled the walls above me.

The shelves surrounding me were filled with noble family histories, but the ones higher up definitely weren’t the same. Many of them had different bindings, different types of containment.

The prince’s eyes had been off me ever since I walked between these shelves. If this wasn’t a chance being quietly offered, I didn’t know what was.

Of course, there was also the possibility that this was a trap.

Maybe the moment I tried climbing those stairs, he would suddenly appear behind me and call me out, ask what I was doing, then use it as leverage or blackmail to make me do more favors.

Yeah… he would totally do that, wouldn’t he?

Still…

It was a chance I couldn’t ignore.

When else would I ever be allowed this deep into the royal archives? Probably never. At least not when I was still a student at an academy.

After taking a deep breath, slowly, I pushed myself up from the chair.

The chair barely made a sound.

I waited a moment, then I peeked through the shelves again.

The prince hadn’t moved. He was still lounging, humming, and reading. His smirk hadn’t faded at all.

…Alright then.

I’ll take your offer, Your Highness.

I’ll thank you later, assuming this isn’t a trap, at least.

I began walking toward the staircase, keeping my posture low and my steps silent.

The days I spent sneaking to the library had come in handy once more. Perhaps my craving for books was preparing me for this day.

I shan’t waste it.

Worthwhile books…

Here I come!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep