Chapter 28

The next task wouldn't commence until the last day of our stay, which meant we had three days to ourselves in the palace. Now logically you would think this meant we could leave the palace and then come back when the last task for the preliminaries would commence, but for some reason they withheld our results from the debate which they promised would be released before the next task.

I had written back to Connor in the mean time, deciding to take him up in his offer to help in the opening of the store. I trusted my staff enough to know that they would be fine sailing on their own.

But of course, I still got daily letters about new furniture, events for promotion, the amount of orders received and the like, so I had found myself mostly catching up with as much letter writing as possible.

The other letter I got- not at all business related- sat idly on my dressing table. Something I would rather avoid for now.

"Mads, let's go to the library" Crystal had said this the moment she walked in, hair tied up as she flaunted another one of the boutiques dresses.

"The library? I've been meaning to visit" I replied and stretched my arms, letting out a loud yawn.

Lady Sarah had also turned away from her needlework as she turned her head and said.

"I heard that's a hotspot for the prince" she said in excitement.

"Thats why we're going and we should take Madeline since he seems to like her" Crystal emphasised the word 'like' with a laugh.

After everyone had witnessed the way he treated me at the debate nobody assumed he liked me at all. After all, he basically almost ended me.

"You don't need to rub it in" I replied, pulling on a pair of boots, "well then, shall we head off?"

The library doors were enormous, engraved with golden crows which were a mark of intelligence. The doors were open, apparently we weren't the only ladies poking about with our free time. The two guards who guarded the place looked drained when they saw Crystal.

"I've been trying to get information off the guards, but they won't tell anything" she informed me.

"Really?…" I replied sarcastically.

"Yep!"

The library itself was a masterpiece. It was two stories with huge stairs that lead to the second floor and bookshelf's that stood high enough for me to strain my neck. On each wall was a long ladder to read the inaccessible heights of the bookshelf's.

"It's amazing…" I breathed.

"It is quite beautiful…" Crystal said, voice uncaring as she began her search.

I followed her, but my eyes trailed the books rather obviously. I had to get the prince off my back. I would prefer a chat of sorts, but… I couldn't help but feel apprehensive at the idea.

The thought of him sent me through a loop of emotions. Mostly anger, of course, but I also saw him as an enigma. An enticing bottle of liquor that I could not handle. Which may make me come off as a heavy drinker but I was light weight through and through.

Regardless, I decided I needed to understand him somehow. So I decided to get some reading done on vampires and half-bloods if possible.

Crystal had walked off a head of me and I decided it would be a while before she noticed my lack of presence.

"Now where would I find book on magical people?" I hummed as I looked up and around.

I didn't expect a voice to answer that.

"Third aisle".

I jumped and let out a barely contained shriek. Behind me stood a monstrously tall man, covered completely in a cloak. His shoulders so broad that I jumped away in shock. His face was covered mostly by his hood, but I caught a glint of amber as a strong smell of oak emitted from him.

There's no way he was even human.

"Thank- Thank you" I stammered as I collected myself, "you caught me by surprise".

He didn't reply and simply continued to stare at me.

"You can't be a noble lady" he somehow summarised and I did my best not to feel insulted.

"I'm not. Let me introduce myself, I am Madeline Colter, we're a merchant family in the south!" I held out a hand with a bright smile, finding the giant man intriguing.

"Colter?" He glanced at my hand for a few seconds too long and just when I deemed he didn't want to shake my hand, he lifted a long sleeve that trailed on the floor, revealing a large hand with veins- no- large tree like roots playing the role of veins. "Isn't that the pharmacist?"

"Yes- that's my brothers company" I replied taking a glance at the interesting roots as my hand, now looking very childlike, shook his.

"I see".

"I'm sorry, but I must ask- are you a forest elf?" I asked as my mind struggled to settle on a magical species. Elves were soft and feminine, but he was neither of those things. He did however have veins that replicated that of forest elves.

He hesitated, uncomfortable at my forward ness.

"Sorry- that was rude of me. Please don't force yourself to tell me" I raised my hands apologetically, "so books on magical people are on the third aisle, right?"

He nodded slowly.

"Thank you very much!"

I headed off to the aisle, finding it with much ease and immediately started looking for the word Vampire. It was the largest section.

'Records of the Harmon Empire Royalty' - Nope.

'Dealing with teenage rebellion in vampires' - No?

'The Sexy Vampiric duke and me' - No again.

'Dracula and his bride' - No!

'The Vampire who visits me at night' - Who… Who even wrote these?

'Characteristics of vampires'.

I let out a breath of relief and pulled the book eagerly. For some reason I thought I would struggle pulling that out, but I didn't. Strange.

I only barely glanced at the first page before I heard a harsh whisper.

"Madeline Colter!" It was Crystal who glared at me from the far end of the aisle, arms crossed.

I let out a sigh and tucked the book under my arm. From the way she pointed ahead I assumed the prince would be sitting by the window and majestically reading a book.

He wasn't even there.

Instead I found her spying on the ginger haired man. I had found him as interesting as I did uninteresting. Just as I did most people who offered nothing to my business.

"Maybe we can find out where the prince is from him?" Crystal asked.

"Okay… then ask"

"No" she became meek.

"Then how do we find out?" I sighed.

"Can't - Cant you ask?" She pleaded me with her usual puppy dog eyes and I gave in.

"Alright. Alright".

I approached the ginger who was immersed in a book of statistics. It suited him in some ways.

"Excuse me?" I called him and his head lifted slowly, gaze meeting mine in question and then recognition.

"Lady Colter!"