Sir Collins stood at attention, mouth in an unhappy line as he reported, “An escort of the male variety tried to sneak in here last night. He was caught before he entered the hallway and confessed he was trying to get into King Edwin’s bed, but he wouldn’t say anything more. I had the guard drag him away.”
I just sighed, resigned to such shenanigans now. “Thank you, Sir Collins. You did well.”
I exchanged a look with James. We both knew who had likely sent the man. It seemed a very Valentina move, one designed to either discredit me or drive a wedge between us.
James groaned. “I really fucking hate her. Dearest, after we get the book and the meeting out of the way, we must focus on how to get rid of her.”
“Trust me, I’m all for it.” The sooner the better, in fact. “For now, let’s get that book.”
It was a rather peaceful walk to the other wing of the palace. A few staff paused to bow and say hi, and to the ones I knew best, I paused as well to say a few words to them. I wanted to make sure normal routines were being handled well during this transition. I heard no ill reports, which was a minor miracle, and I’d take it without asking questions.
The palace library was a massive beast existing within the heart of the building. It had been here since the very first stone was laid in construction of the palace, as the first king had been a huge advocate of learning. Of course, back then, all books were hand copied and preciously few in number. The library had started out with a grand total of twenty-three books, or something of that number. Ridiculously small by today’s standards. The library had been expanded many times over the years, taking over what had been the original ballroom, then again into what had been the guest quarters. Now, it was a behemoth with four stories, multiple wings, and a dedicated team to keep it all organized.
I’d been in here more times than I could count, although not in the restricted section, sadly. I hadn’t had the right authority. I greeted the staff by name as we sailed through. My note to the librarian had been well received, and an escort was poised to guide us the moment we arrived. We went up a level, then deeper within the stacks to where a secondary desk sat next to a locked door. With armed knights on either side, no less.
“Geneve, they’re here!” my librarian escort announced with a smile on his round face.
The librarian at hand scrambled to her feet, eyes wide before she hastily ducked into a curtsey. “Your Majesty! Welcome, welcome. What may I find for you?”
“Miss Geneve,” I greeted with a faint smile. “We’ve come to find a specific tome.Giffards’ Magic Treaty and Grimoire.”
She blinked first at me, then questioningly at James when he merely smiled, and then back at me. “I…do know the tome you’re referencing, but it’s in Old Tongue?”
“I know. I’ll need a dictionary to translate it, as well.”
“Oh. Um, one moment.” She practically flew to the index card system, which was only a six-by-six block of files, as this section only housed the very rare and older tomes. Then she pulled a card free before gesturing for us to follow her.
The key hanging around her neck opened the doors. Not even a single window penetrated this space, the only light coming from mage lights inside. An effort to help preserve the ancient texts, no doubt.
Miss Geneve led us quite confidently down the row, almost to the very end, and then fetched a large tome with fraying stitching. She used both hands, and I accepted it with both hands as well, as I was quite sure we were equally afraid to drop it.
A wave of relief washed through me knowing I held the precise weapon we needed.
“Miss Geneve, Edwin is now my husband and king,” James informed her. “Do give him full access to the library.”
She looked ready to swallow her tongue in surprise, those brown eyes nearly popping out of her head. “Gods above, I thought that was a rumor! Congratulations, Your Majesties.”
I gave her my best smile. “Thank you. And thank you for this, I need it. Where might a dictionary be?”
“I can direct you to our foreign languages area. Please come with me.”
If the angels themselves were giving us hints this time around, then no one wanted a repeat of the previous fiasco. It gave me a good feeling thatthistime, I’d put a thorough end to the whole business. Gave me a spring in my step, and I might have been whistling as I returned to the office. I couldn’t wait topass this over to the priests later today and get this ball officially rolling.
Sixty-eight
James
Our meeting with the priests was specifically for two reasons: to translate the book and to look into the demonic energy Vuheia had mentioned. For this, though, I needed a different temple than Vuheia’s. Specifically, I needed the temple of Asyn—the Mother of All. It was her priests who had spearheaded the research into the Demon King’s powers in my first life and come up with several good counters, so I had faith they could do it again. I just had to get things started.
Technically speaking, after a king took the throne, the first step was to visit the main temple of Asyn in order to be blessed. Granted, this visit was normally a grand celebration, including a short parade to the temple and back again, but I was doing an informal version today.
Edwin had already volunteered his sister, Lila, to help with the translation of the tome. He’d sent a note to have her meet us there, and she was as punctual as her brother, waiting at the bottom of the steps when we arrived. Superficially, Lila and Edwin were almost twins in looks, nearly of equal heightand with rich black hair and stunning blue eyes. Lila had her mother’s pixie nose, however, and didn’t wear glasses. Which was a miracle, considering her nose was normally in a book.
She lit up upon our arrival and barely waited long enough for Edwin to descend from the carriage before she caught him up in a hug.
Edwin laughed, hugging her back. “You’re this excited over a new project?”
“Well, that,” she admitted without batting an eye, “but also for you! Look at you, snagging such a handsome husband.”
