Chapter 43: The Secret Within

Chapter 43: The Secret WithinAriana had been playing with Jack for a bit when soft patters of rain began to fall. It was more like a drizzle, just a sign that it would be raining soon. She looked up, not particularly surprised—this happened often. It was spring, after all. She had forgotten how frequent the rain could be during this season. With a soft sigh, she turned to Leah and signed gently. "Take him. He’ll be needing some rest." But Leah’s expression shifted into one of concern. It was still work hours, and she could easily handle that after. "Queen Ariana, please... you don’t have to worry about that..." she trailed off. But Ariana signed again, this time with a distant look as a new thought struck her. "Take me to the royal library. I could feed my thoughts a little while I read. You could take Jack.". At least something to stop her from overthinking. Leah smiled softly and nodded. "Very well, my Queen." She turned to Jack. "Jack, let’s go. You need some rest." They all walked ahead through the hallway as Jack murmured in protest, "But Mama, I don’t want to sleep... I can sleep at night..." His voice faded when he saw the warning look on his mother’s face. That single glance was all it took to silence him. Ariana smiled widely. She understood him all too well—she used to feel the same way as a child. Back then, when her mother told her to rest in the afternoon, she would feel as if she were being punished. It always seemed like the best time to play. A slow smile curled on her lips as her expression softened. She watched Jack drag his feet as they climbed the stairs in silence. Then, his voice broke the quiet. "Mama, why are the stairs so long? Oh, how I wish there was a place that could just move us up while we stand..." His voice echoed softly, then fell silent once again under his mother’s look. They continued up the winding stairs. They finally reached the upper floor, and Ariana noticed the tall windows lining the walls. From there, one could see the outside of the castle. The drizzle had grown into a steadier pour, and the clouds above darkened even more. Jack glanced up at his mother. "Mama, do you think the door of ghosts will open? My teacher said evil spirits come out at night, but it has already gotten dark during the day." "Jack, there’s no such thing as ghosts. It is simply darker now because of the rain. And why would your teacher say that?" Leah’s tone held a trace of disapproval. "She says we should always pray. That if we don’t, the ghosts that lurk around might enter our rooms," he replied. As his words hung in the air, a small smile tugged at Leah’s lips. No wonder Jack always reminded her to pray each night. Still, she couldn’t help but feel it was a bit much for a young child. Ariana, however, remained quiet. In her heart, she did believe there might be such things as ghosts. After all, if vampires and werewolves existed, then perhaps there were even more things out there—things they had yet to understand. They moved on until they finally stopped in front of a wooden carved door that already showed how old this place was—a rarity in use. Leah bowed respectfully. "This is the royal library, Queen Ariana," she said, bowing again. Jack smiled brightly and followed suit as he spoke softly. "It was a great pleasure meeting you, my Queen." Ariana smiled gently. Leah’s face warmed as she spoke softly. "We will take our leave. I will arrive in a short while, my Queen." Ariana nodded as she moved to the handle of the door and finally opened it. Just as she did, a soft breeze pushed past her—like the smell of ancient history. ’More like old books’ scent,’ she said to herself, even though the place looked very clean—a testament to the fact that the maids did their work. Even so, it seemed no one had arrived here in such a long time. A soft breath escaped Ariana’s lips. The library was large, and the perfect rows of books on each shelf needed no words to tell that this was truly a royal library. She walked inside. The place was calm except for the soft sound of rain, which had grown heavier. The clouds cracked as thunder rumbled through the sky. Ariana began to have doubts if this was the best place to be. What if ghosts... She stopped in her tracks, unable to believe she was actually feeding her thoughts about ghosts. She walked toward a shelf and stared straight ahead, noticing how long it was. She wondered if the books could even be finished by a person for centuries to come. She moved her hands, twirling through the books as if playing some ancient strings. Her eyes finally stopped on a book. She slowly reached out to touch it—but her body jerked backward in shock as she heard a loud— THUD!! Her eyes flew open as her heart began to beat loudly in her chest like some ancient drum. "W... who was there...?" Her breath trembled slightly as her head whipped to the side, earning a cracking sound. She moved toward the door quickly—she needed to get out of here. But just as she was about to reach it, she noticed a book lying on the floor. Her breathing began to calm. She had been so caught up with thoughts of ghosts that she hadn’t realized it was just a fallen book. She had almost broken her neck—way to go with these intrusive thoughts of hers The book looked heavy, which explained the loud sound. It looked like some ancient dictionary. She bent down to pick it up, her eyes widening as she realized she couldn’t carry it with one hand. "Tch." She shifted her other hand and managed to lift the book. Because of its weight, she moved it to the nearest table. ’This better have beautiful information for it to be this heavy,’ she thought to herself, pushing both hands out with slight force, as if that would help relieve the strain the book had caused. She opened it, lips parting as she stared at the blank pages. She closed her mouth and flipped through it again. The book was blank—pure blank. She turned the page, hoping the rest would have words... but to her surprise, nothing. Still blank. KABOOOM!! Thunder cracked louder as Ariana’s head snapped toward the far end of the library window. For some unknown reason, her heart began to thud. It was as if even the weather was warning her to leave. She needed to get out of here. She turned back to the book to close it, but to her surprise, the once-blank pages now bore words. They looked foreign—some ancient, historical script. Her gaze moved downward, where a line was written low, low beneath: ’The Secret is buried within.’ That was all it said. She flipped the page over, but it was blank again. Turning back, the words had vanished, leaving only empty pages. ’B..But she had seen words just now..oh lord’ Ariana’s chest rose and fell quickly as the harsh rain outside made everything feel even more ominous. If she came here again, she would bring Leah with her. This library must be haunted, given how long it had gone unused. She swallowed hard and moved toward the door—then heard a whisper: ’The secret is buried within.’ Ariana’s face paled as she grabbed the door handle and pulled it open. She left the library immediately, slamming the door shut behind her. Her lips trembled slightly. "Was she truly cursed? Why was she hearing voices?" Real voices. The rain had already begun to calm down now. She pressed her lips into a thin line as her eyes roamed the hallway—nothing escaped her gaze, not even the ceiling. Her hands pressed against the wall as she moved quickly; the only sound was the soft thud of her boots on the floor as she walked down the empty corridor, which seemed to be watching her. She needed to change into something more comfortable—and maybe take a quick rest. Her mind was starting to play silly tricks on her. She hadn’t been sleeping well these days. Just as she reached the stairs, her eyes caught something through the window. She moved softly, pressing her face against the glass to have a better view. Outside, carriages stood by the open gate—someone had arrived. She couldn’t quite tell who it was. Curling her body to the side, she pressed her forehead to the window, her cheeks flattening amusingly against the glass as she tried to get a better look. At that moment, she must have looked funny—no one would have believed that was their Luna. If anyone saw her, they’d mistake her for a village woman peering through the hut window, eager not to miss the husband-and-wife fight in the other compound. A man moved forward, holding an umbrella. The downpour had reduced significantly. He opened the carriage door, and a long leg stepped out. Ariana’s breath caught as her gaze fixed on the figure. "Z... Zavren." He was back. She pressed her cheeks harder against the glass to see better, but the man kept part of his face hidden beneath the umbrella. "You can remove the umbrella now, mister...." She groaned internally, unable to get a better look because of the coverage. She decided to pull away and welcome him—it had been days, and finally, he was back. But her body froze when she noticed a lady standing nearby. Her brown curls bounced just above her shoulders. She wore a light blue gown that matched the small umbrella she held—more fashion than shelter from the rain. In fact, she was not even under the rain as she seemed to be standing under a shield. Ariana saw the woman speak, a smile playing on her lips. Her heart trembled. Her breath came out shaky as she pressed her cheeks harder against the cold glass, not minding how deeply they kissed the window. Finally, the man moved the umbrella aside and stepped forward. Zavren was now fully in her view. Ariana held her breath, her heart racing. To her surprise, Zavren walked towards the lady, he took the lady’s hand and pressed a light kiss on her knuckles, still holding it. Ariana decided to leave. She couldn’t stand to watch any longer. For some reason, her chest tightened with an unfamiliar ache, and her breath shuddered through her nostrils. Just as Ariana turned to leave, Zavren’s gaze snapped up...Still holding the lady’s hand, his eyes locked onto Ariana’s, freezing her in place.