Chapter 9: A Chance Encounter with Lord Valerius
Annalise stood at the top of the staircase as she looked at the empty hallway. She could still hear Sera and the other maids cleaning her room but instead of heading inside the bedroom, she headed towards the stairs leading to the upper floor.
Lord Kenric had permitted her to look around the castle as long as she would stay away from the basement. Only then did she find out that there was also a basement in the castle and it was where the three Lords lived which meant that the ground and upper floors were completely inhabited.
She finally made her way to the second floor and started looking through the hallway into the rooms. There were only three bedrooms on this floor, unlike the first floor which was completely filled with bedrooms. There was also a parlor room, a huge study, and two totally empty rooms.
She soon found herself on the third floor only to come across two wooden doors in the entire hallway. One was on her right and the other was on her left. She first opened the door on her right as it was much closer to her. To her dismay, it turned out to be empty.
The next room was not a room at all, it was the grand hall that was surely used as a ballroom. Though it had lost its grandness over time, Annalise could still imagine a marvelous hall filled with hundreds and probably thousands of people as they enjoyed the evening together.
The next floor was even more confusing as there was only a single door in the entire hallway and for the very first time, she found a place in the castle that wasn’t dusty or covered in the cobwebs. Even the door appeared shinier than the others she had seen on her way.
As curiosity took over her, Annalise didn’t try to hold back as she opened the door and stepped inside the paradise. Unlike the rest of the castle, this place was filled with sunlight as some of the windows were left open. But it was not just a room, it was the most tremendous place she had seen in her life.
Huge wooden shelves were lined all across the huge hall containing thousands of books. As far as her eyes could see from where she wa standing at the entrance of the library, there was nothing else but books.
Annalise walked deeper into the room, her eyes and fingers scanning the shelves and the variety of books they were holding. Even the library in the Royal Palace was no match to what she was currently seeing.
She kept walking and walking, moving past more and more shelves, and finally found a place after a dozen shelves where a few couches were placed around a small wooden table. There were wooden spiral stairs built next to it that led to the upper portion of the library which only made her more astonished.
She was too focused on what was in front of her that she completely forgot to pay attention to her sides. Only when she heard the soft sound of papers turning, did her attention go towards the huge window next to the stairs.