Chapter 240: Questions of the Heart
[Temple—Hallway Outside Ceremonial Hall—Lavinia’s POV]
As everyone else was busy talking or basking in their own congratulations, I slipped away like a thief in the night. Marshi padded silently at my side, his golden eyes alert and sharp. I smirked, feeling a thrill of mischief.
"Hah... did you see that, Marshi? Your master is a master of stealth," I whispered, hands on my hips as I walked down the polished hallway. "Not a soul noticed me slipping away."
Marshi’s ears twitched, and he gave a small, approving nod.
I continued forward, my grin widening. "Now... time to uncover the mysteries behind the Divine Library."
But then—a prickling sensation at the back of my neck. Goosebumps rose along my arms. My heartbeat quickened.
"Why the hell do I feel like someone is following us?" I muttered under my breath.
Damn it. I really hoped it wasn’t Papa. The collapse of my carefully plotted escape would be catastrophic. And nobility? Please—today I had no patience to unleash my snarky temper all over again.
"Marshi..." I whispered.
He growled low, rumbling in his chest like distant thunder. His golden eyes glimmered as if confirming my suspicions.
"Yes," he seemed to say with that steady gaze. "Someone is here."
I drew my sword with a flourish, the cool metal sliding smoothly into my hand. Just as I was about to glance behind me, Solena swooped in, landing squarely on Marshi’s back. Her wings flared as she batted him lightly, a perfect SLAP across his face, as if to say, Where are you going, you foolish divine, without me?
I couldn’t help laughing. The absurdity of it made my shoulders shake, though my senses remained sharp.
And then...
A smooth, firm hand slid over my waist, warm and familiar. My breath hitched.
"Where do you think you’re going, my Crown Princess?"
I spun around and of course... there he was. My heart leapt. Osric. The mischievous glint in his eyes, the easy confidence in his stance—it was like he had appeared from my daydreams.
I threw my arms around him, hands settling on his shoulders, and pressed close. "Osric..." I murmured, voice soft but filled with relief.
He smiled, brushing his lips briefly against my temple before pressing a quick kiss to my cheek. "Did you miss me?" he asked, voice gentle but teasing.
I slumped into his chest, letting out a small, content sigh. "Yes... so much. You weren’t here today... and it felt... empty. Like the hall was just... hollow without you."
He chuckled, deep and warm, wrapping his arms around me as if anchoring me to reality. Then he pressed a tender kiss to the crown perched atop my head. "I missed you too. It felt like an eternity without you."
I squinted, trying to mask the smile creeping across my face. "Oh, c’mon, that’s overdramatic. You’re exaggerating."
"No," he replied simply, lips curling into that infuriatingly charming smile. "Not at all. Every moment away from you today... every clapping, every ceremony... it meant nothing until I saw you again."
My chest fluttered, warmth flooding me from crown to toes. Even Marshi and Solena seemed to sense the shift in energy between us, quieting down and watching with silent approval.
I leaned up just enough to glance at his face. "You really do have a way with words, don’t you?"
He raised an eyebrow, leaning slightly closer, their foreheads nearly touching. "Only for you, my Crown Princess. Only for you."
And with that, the tension of the hallway—the eyes of nobles, the weight of the crown, the unseen threads of power—faded for a moment, leaving just the two of us.
I let a small laugh escape me, shaking my head against his chest. "Alright, alright... but don’t think that lets you follow me everywhere. I’m still in charge of discovering the library’s secrets."
He pressed his forehead to mine, voice low and teasing. "Oh, I wouldn’t dream of stopping you... as long as I get to stay by your side while you do."
My heart skipped another beat. The Divine Library could wait. For now... this fleeting warmth, this stolen moment with him, felt more powerful than any magic or blessing I had ever known.
I tilted my head slightly, gazing at his lips, and whispered, almost shyly, "I... I feel like kissing you."
He flinched, blinked rapidly, and then his gaze darted around the hallway, almost comically careful. "Patience, my princess... this is a holy temple."
I groaned, pressing against him in a hug, letting my frustration show. "Gosh... sometimes I sound like a complete pervert, don’t I?"
He chuckled, a deep, warm sound that made my chest flutter. "Well... I suppose I am in love with a pervert princess, then."
I gasped, "How dare you?"
Then quickly laughed, shaking my head. "Alright, I shall forgive you; only you have the right to call me that."
He leaned in and pressed a soft, teasing kiss to my other cheek. "I know," he said simply.
Then his fingers brushed a stray strand of hair behind my ear, lingering as if he wanted to feel the warmth of me a moment longer. "Now... tell me. Why do you want to go to the Divine Library?"
I hesitated, then let out a small shrug. "I... I don’t really know. I just... I feel like something is calling me. Something... hidden."
His brow furrowed, deepening the lines of concern on his face. "Calling you? What do you mean by that?"
I blinked, unsure how much to reveal. My mind spun, tangled with the memory—or was it a vision?—from earlier during the Benediction. Should I tell him? Could I even explain it without sounding insane?
But... he was Osric. My boyfriend, my best friend, my protector, and the Grand Duke of the Empire. He would understand. He had to.
I took a deep breath, meeting his eyes. "Today... during the Divine Benediction ritual... I saw something. A glimpse."
His brow furrowed deeper, his eyes narrowing slightly. "A glimpse?"
I nodded. "Yes... I think it was the future... but... somehow, it felt like a memory to me."
He tilted his head, trying to read me, his voice tense. "A memory? Lavi... I don’t understand. What are you saying?"
I swallowed hard and continued, my words spilling out with the urgency of someone who couldn’t hold it back. "I saw... Papa holding me in his arms at the altar... and Rey... he was there, in robes, standing where the High Priest should have been."
Osric stiffened, his body visibly flinching, a shock running through him like a thunderclap. Yet I couldn’t stop. I had to explain everything.
"And... I... I was lying there. Dead. Pale... in Papa’s arms."
He exhaled sharply, the air between us crackling with tension. I saw the storm of emotions flash in his eyes—shock, fear, and a hint of disbelief.
I pressed on, feeling a strange urgency in my chest. "I thought it was the future... but for some reason, it felt like a memory. As if I had experienced it... somehow. And... I think... maybe the Divine Library has the answers. Maybe it can tell me what that vision really was."
He remained silent for a moment, studying me, his hand tightening slightly over mine at my waist. Finally, his voice dropped, low, almost reverent.
He remained silent for a long moment, his gaze locked on mine, fingers tightening slightly over my waist as if holding me closer could anchor him against some invisible storm. But... something was off. I could feel it. A tension coiling around him, more tangible than any fear I had sensed before.
I reached up, cupping his face gently in my hands, trying to draw him back. "Osric... what’s the matter?" I asked softly, brushing a strand of hair behind his ear. "Did... did you imagine me... dead... in Papa’s arms?"
His eyes flickered, sharp and stormy for just a heartbeat, and I caught it—the shadow of fear, raw and unfiltered.
"Lavi..." he whispered, voice almost strangled.
"Hmm...?"
He swallowed, hesitating, then finally said, voice low and tense: "Can I... ask you something?"
"Of course... what is it?"
His gaze dropped to my lips, then back up to my eyes, steady but trembling with unspoken weight. "If... if one day... you were to find out that... I had chosen someone else over you... in the name of... protection... even if it meant... that it somehow... caused your death... what would you do?"
The words hit me like shards of ice. Silence stretched between us, thick and suffocating. My heart pounded so loudly I thought he must hear it too.
I stepped back slightly, releasing myself from his hold, though my hands still lingered against his chest. "Why... would you even think of doing such a thing?" My voice wavered, a mixture of hurt and disbelief.
He looked at me, eyes dark, almost unreadable. "I... I’m not saying I would... I’m only asking, Lavi. Just... tell me... what would you do?"
Something inside me tightened. The words... the weight behind them... it felt familiar. Too familiar. Like something I had felt before, long ago.
My mind spun. Papa had asked me something strange... something similar... not long ago. A question with a shadow behind it. A question that felt like a warning.
And now Osric carried that same fear, that same shadow. Why did the thought of the Divine Library make both of the most important men in my life stiffen, tense, and almost... afraid?
A chill ran down my spine. Something was being kept from me. Something... big. Something that they didn’t trust me enough to know.
And yet... I had to know. My curiosity, my instincts... they wouldn’t allow me to turn away, not now, not ever.
I drew in a deep, steadying breath, my eyes scanning Osric’s, searching for any hint, any clue, any truth. But all I saw was tension, worry... fear.
And in that silence, with my crown still pressing lightly against my head, I knew one thing for certain: the secrets of the Divine Library were more dangerous than I had imagined... and the answers waiting inside might change everything.