The imperial palace was not an easy place to get lost in, but it wasn't simple to understand either… especially if you were a curious girl wandering its corridors without a map, and without official permission.
Arwa, with light and cautious steps, was sneaking through the stone corridors behind the northern wing, where she had heard from one of the maids that "the old library" only opened on Saturdays… and today, luckily, was one of them.
She pushed open a half-closed wooden door and entered a quiet hall that felt like the womb of time. The tall shelves embraced the ceiling, and the moving ladders hung like spider threads between them. The air was a blend of dust and ancient perfume.
"Woooow…" Arwa murmured, looking at the books as if she had found a hidden treasure.
She began to wander, scanning titles she had never heard of:
"The Art of Healing with Sun Elixir," "Secrets of Royal Bones," "The Herbs That Saved Dynasties"…
"It's like I've entered the world of imperial medicine…" she whispered as she opened one of the heavy books and blew the dust off its cover.
"Are you interested in medicine?"
The voice came from behind, making her heart leap.
She turned around in fright to find an elderly man standing behind her, holding a feather duster, his eyes gleaming behind thick glasses.
"Ah… I'm sorry! I didn't mean to intrude!" she said, quickly closing the book.
"I'm the librarian, miss," he said kindly. "No one comes here unless they're curious… and that's to your credit."
She laughed shyly.
"I found myself reading without even noticing… some of these books seem very rare."
"All of them are original," he said proudly. "From Emperor Vidal I's library. Even the imperial healing recipes are here… some only known to direct heirs."
Her eyebrows rose in surprise.
"Really? Are they still used today?"
"Not by everyone…" he muttered, then stepped closer and whispered as if revealing a secret:
"But someone is reopening their pages in secret."
Before she could ask more, a creaking sound echoed from the far left corner of the library. A strange squeak, as if a shelf had moved without being touched.
Arwa froze.
"What was that?"
The librarian frowned. "Nothing… perhaps the books are moving on their own, as they do every night."
"Whaaat?!" she said, laughing nervously.
But he didn't laugh… instead, he picked up his duster, turned without a word, and disappeared behind a long shelf.
"Am I… alone?" she whispered, glancing around.
Then another creak.
She rubbed her arms and told herself:
"It's just wood sounds, that's all… Arwa, don't panic, it's fine… totally normal… normal like how Kyle always wears black… totally normal!"
She walked slowly, looking for the exit, but the hallways twisted before her. Every passage looked the same. The shelves were identical, the ladders moved up and down on their own, as if the place was reshaping itself every moment.
Then—suddenly—she bumped into something cold and metallic.
"Aaaah!!" she screamed and fell to the floor.
She opened her eyes to find she had hit a brass statue of an old man holding a book and a sword. It was leaning, and nearly fell on her face.
"Oh… damn it… I almost died because of a statue! That would be the worst death in any story!" she muttered as she tried to lift it.
But every time she pushed one side, the other side tilted.
"Stay still, you old brass man! I won't lift you alone… enough!" she said, fumbling and feeling the floor.
With one final push, she steadied the statue… then it tilted again toward her, but she managed to slip away at the last moment and fell.
With her fall…
A small door behind one of the shelves opened, as if the statue had been guarding a secret.
"What… in the name of the sun?"
She stood, brushed the dust off herself, then looked at the dark passage the door revealed. It wasn't lit. Only a cold breeze crept out… and a soft sound of breathing.
"Is someone… there?"
She stepped once, then again. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw something… no, someone.
Standing at the end of the hallway, tall, with golden hair like sun-washed strands, wearing a royal shirt with golden buttons and a refined vest, but…
His eyes were covered with a black cloth.
Arwa froze in place as his deep voice came out calmly:
"You're lost… aren't you?"
She swallowed hard.
"I… I didn't mean to enter… I was just… the books… the statue…"
He stepped forward with confident strides, and said in a cold tone:
"Strange that you reached this part of the library. No one comes here… except those who are meant to."
Before she could reply, he raised his hand to point at the shelf behind her:
"This place reads you… before you read it."
Then he stepped closer, his voice almost a whisper:
"Let me introduce myself. I'm… Rafithan. Crown Prince… and son of the Emperor."
Arwa stepped back, but didn't hide her astonishment.
"But… you look somewhat like Kyle…"
Rafithan smiled a faint smile, but it wasn't entirely comforting.
"Kyle is my cousin… and my soul's twin since childhood… though he's three years older than me."
Arwa blinked, then whispered:
"Why do you cover your eyes?"
He didn't answer.
Instead, he turned and said calmly:
"Come. I'll show you the way out… before the library closes on you and traps you among its books."