“Would you like some help?” Aden offered, remembering too late that he would not be able to read the titles in order to properly aid her.
“No. I would like to not be bothered.”
Thinking of nothing further to say, Aden returned to his chair.
As the day wore on, the wood beneath him seemed to grow more and more uncomfortable—as did the icy silence from the other side of the room.
But what could he get her to engage in? The only thing he knew about her was that she enjoyed reading.
He stood again. “Lady Bielsa,” he said, “what is your favorite book in this library?”
The shuffling behind the shelf stopped. “Why do you ask?” she responded suspiciously.
“To determine the quality of this library, of course.”
She stepped around the shelf, bringing him into view. “How does knowing my favorite book have anything to do with the quality of the library?”
“I asked for your favorite book inthislibrary.”
“That still seems like an unfair assessment,” she replied.
“Why don’t you answer my question and then we will find out.” Aden had no idea where he was going with this, but he was delighted that she was finally engaged.
She disappeared behind the shelf again. “I don’t know this library very well, so I don’t feel comfortable answering that question.”
“Oh.” Aden turned back toward the chair, hoping his voice sounded uninterested. “I take it you are not as well-read as I had assumed.”
“Excuse me?” She reappeared. “This is merely a holiday villa. We don’t spend much time here, and we use it as extra space to store the books that don’t fit into the library at home. If you are going to judge the quality of a library, it should be that one. Not this one. Also,” she continued ranting, hardly pausing to draw breath, “I don’t think you should be judging a collection of books to begin with. Who are you to make an unequivocal decision based on a personal opinion? You keep claiming to be so in love with reading, but I haven’t seen you even open a book.”
Aden was speechless. He had wanted to poke her out of her high-and-mighty attitude, and he had absolutely succeeded. “I... uh... you are right.”
“Of course I’m right. You can’t just stare at my face and instantly assume that I am stupid.”
“I wasn’t—” Aden was confused as to what she meant, but she did not give him a chance to explain.
“Stories are not meant to be critiqued like some student’s first attempt at calligraphy. They are meant to be enjoyed, studied, learned from... savored.” She slowed down at the last word, emphasizing her point. “What’s your favorite book, anyway? TheManual of Weights and Measures?”
Aden couldn’t stop the smile that spread to his face. “Why, because I like judging things so much?”
“Obviously.” She sounded pleased at her own cleverness.
“I have read theManual of Weights and Measures, I’ll have you know,” he said. “My father made me study it in preparation for being a just leader.”
“And?” she asked.
“And what?”
“Is it your favorite book?” A giggle accompanied her words.
“Absolutely not. It was dull and boring. I had to jump around the room every few pages just to keep myself from falling asleep.”
She laughed outright at that.
Aden smiled as his heart beat a funny rhythm in his chest. He could not even recall what this woman looked like, but he was beginning to like her in an entirely new way.
Chapter 18
“Ah-ha!” Isa could not contain her cry of delight when she finally found a scroll with Floutast’s unmistakable signature near the clasp.
