Raytan had been a surprisingly meticulous instructor today. Before he left, he even gave Sezh an assignment to practice writing her wrong answers correctly ten times each. Although he did tell her she didn’t have to complete the extra assignment if she didn’t want to, she readily accepted the challenge anyway.

Luna had worried that the other princes and princesses led by Bern and Lilian would soon visit the West Library again to seek revenge. But when Sezh informed her that Raytan said she would be studying at Lise’s palace from now on, Luna finally breathed a sigh of relief and was overjoyed to hear the news. Sezh also was excited and curious about how the tutoring sessions would be conducted over there.

Is there a dedicated study room in Lise’s palace?

Aside from changing the venue of their meetings, the fact that Raytan was also giving her homework now showed that he did care more about their interactions and that they were becoming closer when compared to before.

After she returned to her palace, Sezh set about completing all the difficult homework problems he had assigned her as well as the extra assignment to correct her work from earlier. The additional work did give her a bit of a headache, but she truly enjoyed the rewarding sense of accomplishment she felt every time she successfully finished another task.

Moreover, Sezh recalled how Raytan had reacted when she had presented her work to him. Upon realizing that she had answered his questions correctly, he had looked at her as if he was surprised by her growth. She couldn’t explain why, but his recognition made her feel strangely happy and validated. Life was mysterious in that way. No one would ever recognize her for what she did, but Raytan did.

Sezh roused early the next morning and readied herself to head over to Lise’s palace. She made sure to review yesterday’s lessons twice and checked over her homework thrice in preparation for today’s meeting. All the while, her nose irritated her. It had been acting up and bleeding again since the morning. Luna surmised that the blood vessels in Sezh’s nose might have been weakened from her repeated injuries, so the healing process was taking longer than usual. In the meantime, she plugged her nostrils with more wads of cotton to stem the blood flow.

The thought that she might encounter Lise while sporting such an ungainly appearance somehow bothered Sezh, because she didn’t want to seem so unsightly in front of Lise who was always so elegant and beautiful.

“…”

As she arrived at the path leading to Lise’s palace, Sezh furtively glanced around to check if the grounds were clear for her to enter. Thinking back on Raytan’s instructions from yesterday, she realized that he had never explicitly told her where exactly to meet, only to, “Come to my mother’s palace.” Fortunately, none of the guards stopped Sezh as she entered the abode. Raytan must have informed the guards in advance to expect her arrival.

But where should I go now?

She stopped in the middle of the palace’s main hallway as she deliberated with herself, unable to decide which direction she should proceed toward next. As she worriedly looked from side to side, a familiar and melodic voice interrupted her thoughts.

“Good morning, Princess Sezh.”

Sezh turned her head towards the voice’s owner.

“Oh, Lady Lise.”

The young princess picked up her skirts and curtsied, politely greeting Lise with the same grace she had shown her. Secretly, Sezh had hoped that they wouldn’t meet since she didn’t want Lise to see her looking so absurd with cotton stuffed up her nose, but there was no helping it now. Sezh’s cheeks flushed, and she shut her eyes tightly in embarrassment. As soon as she mustered up the courage to open them again, she took in Lise’s appearance but noticed that something was peculiar about her today. While she still looked as radiant as ever, the aura surrounding her felt slightly different from the normally angelic demeanor she carried. Her light purple dress was slightly disheveled, and her face bore some marks of exhaustion. She seemed like she hadn’t slept well.

“Lady Lise, are you alright?” Sezh furrowed her brows worriedly. “You don’t look well…”

“I’m alright,” Lise gently assured her. “I just didn’t get enough sleep last night.”

“Is there anything I can do to help you…?”

“That’s alright. I’m always like this when the bed changes.”

Sezh was taken aback by Lise’s words.

Did you just say that you slept elsewhere yesterday?

Perhaps because she noticed Sezh’s odd expression, Lise continued her explanation.

“I was away yesterday, but now I’ve returned from enjoying a nice night with His Majesty.”

Sezh’s face turned red as a beet. If she had been the same, naïve twelve-year-old Sezh from before, she would have just nodded agreeably and accepted Lise’s words at face value. But now, at seventeen years old, Sezh was certainly well aware of the meaning underlying the silver-haired woman’s remarks. She was tired because the emperor hadn’t let go of her the entire night.

“Ah, I see…” Sezh nodded awkwardly.

“Raytan will be here soon. You don’t yet know where you two will be studying, right?”

“Yes. I’m not sure where I should…”

“Then, I’ll show you where to go.”

Lise smiled broadly as she offered to guide Sezh to her destination. Then, she nodded to the younger girl as if beckoning her to follow her lead.

They headed down a corridor opposite from the room where they had last dined together to celebrate Raytan’s eighteenth birthday.

Was this palace always this wide?

Sezh tilted her head in confusion.

The palace where Lise and Raytan currently resided was the one that the reigning emperor had used when he was the crown prince. He had been the previous emperor’s only son, and the previous emperor had greatly favored him as a result. So dearly did he treasure his sole heir that he built an entirely new palace for his only son’s exclusive use.

Hence why this palace was located in the innermost part of the Imperial Palace. The central location not only signified how important the residence was but also ensured security could be easily maintained and that the occupants would be well guarded from any threats either inside or outside the palace. Since she possessed such a prestigious residence that was so dear to the current emperor, the other concubines naturally envied and resented Lise.

Though Sezh was aware of the palace’s importance, she was still surprised at how grand and spacious the interior was. She hadn’t expected the floor plan to be as large as it was, given how little one could see of the layout from the outside.

“Is it far?” Sezh asked.

“Oh, not at all,” Lise replied. “We will be there soon.”

As they walked, Lise gave Sezh a brief introduction to the palace’s history, though she already knew its origins well.

“This palace was built by the previous emperor during his reign,” Lise said, “when the current emperor was just the crown prince. He had this place made exclusively for him.”

“Yes… “

“The room where you will be having your lessons with Raytan will be the library, which is located in the innermost part of this palace. You’ll be able to concentrate on your studies without anyone bothering you there.”

The library used by the current emperor when he was the crown prince… I can imagine how amazing it must be. There will surely be a lot of books to explore, and as Lady Lise mentioned before, there won’t be any uninvited guests to disturb us. Really, I’m truly grateful for her consideration.

“We’re here,” Lise announced as they arrived at a pair of grand, double doors. “Shall we enjoy a cup of tea until Raytan arrives?”

“Yes,” Sezh nodded. “That sounds wonderful.”

Lise ordered a nearby maid to prepare some tea and refreshments while Sezh preoccupied herself with perusing the library’s extensive collection of titles on all sorts of topics. The West Library was not at all a small or insignificant library, but it paled in comparison to this one. As Bern had called it, the West Library seemed more like a warehouse for books, while the library in Lise’s palace was richly detailed to suit its purpose.

The room itself was wide and spacious yet filled with all the necessary accoutrements to ensure its occupants had enough reading material and places to enjoy said texts. Compared to the shelves in the West Library, the bookshelves here were taller and grander, fully stocked with an assortment of books. Even the desks and chairs were made from the finest goods and designed in such a way to be ergonomic while also pleasing to the eyes.

“Please have a seat, Princess Sezh.”

Lise ushered Sezh to make herself comfortable whilst also pulling out her own chair and settling herself at one of the small reading tables. Sezh’s curious eyes couldn’t stop glancing around the library in awe even as she took her seat.

“Do you like it?” Lise smiled.

“Yes,” Sezh nodded enthusiastically, “very much.”

“That’s great.”

Lise beamed brightly. As she tilted her head and looked back at Lise, a strange thought flashed through Sezh’s mind.

I wonder why Raytan always visits the West Library when he has this amazing library at his disposal.

Lise didn’t miss the curious expression on Sezh’s face and proceeded to softly inquire what had suddenly bothered her so.

“What’s wrong? Is there something troubling you, princess?”

“Ah, no…”

Sezh shuddered nervously as she looked back at Lise. She wasn’t sure if she would be overstepping boundaries by broaching the topic. Raytan must have had a reason for visiting the West library more than this one, right?

“Please be at ease and speak comfortably to me.”

“Alright… I was just wondering, does big brother Raytan often visit this library…?”

Sezh asked her question as politely as she could. Lise was silent for a moment and blinked a few times as if lost in thought. Then, she answered her in a slightly subdued voice.

“No, Raytan doesn’t usually visit this library.”

“Is that so… I thought he’d come here often because he likes to read…”

“He does like reading books, but he hardly reads the ones in this place.”

“Ah… Alright…”

Should I ask why? Can I even ask about it?

Sezh hesitated to continue their conversation, but fortunately at that moment one of Lise’s ladies in waiting entered at the opportune time. She carried the tray of refreshments that Lise had ordered. A cup of warm milk was placed in front of Sezh while another full of hot tea was placed in front of Lise. Lise quietly took several sips from her tea before parting her lips to speak again.