Thea coughed and tried to fan the smoke with her hand as she quickly took the blackened lumps out of the oven. A chorus of coughs followed around her from the kitchen staff. The lumps that resembled coal were supposed to have been cream puff shells, but they were far from edible now.

“I wouldn’t worry too much, my lady—kegh. It is a different recipe after all—kegh, kegh.” The head chef took the tray from Thea. “Allie, open that window—kegh—if you please.”

Thea tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear with flour-dusted fingers and sighed. “I’m okay. It is disappointing but not completely unexpected.” In truth, Thea hadn’t gotten her hopes up. Even with her most recent success, she figured this new recipe that the chef was walking her through might not turn out right. Though, it did sting when “not right” became “completely ruined and inedible.” Her failure was a bit harder to ignore now that she’d quite literally tasted success for the first time baking sweets.

“Sorry to leave you with a mess, Chef Loren,” Thea said as she backed out of the busy kitchen. The cooks were in full prep mode for lunch, but Thea needed to head out before she was late meeting the head librarian.

“Don’t worry about it, my lady,” said Loren as they waved her out. “I’ve seen my fair share of overdone things. It’s no problem.”

Thea nodded, smiling apologetically, and stepped out. “Ugh, I don’t know what could have happened,” she mumbled to herself, rubbing the heel of her hand across her forehead. She headed to the washroom and cleaned her hands. She looked over herself in the mirror to be sure there was no flour in her hair or any that had made it past her apron.

She quickly made her way upstairs then, sweeping down the hall where her and Luin’s new room were situated across from one another. Her concern had only grown over the past few days. Luin had continuously refused to show interest in following her on errands or even going down to the kitchen with her this morning. The only things he did consistently were to accompany her on walks through the garden when Thea needed to get some fresh air and on her visits to the various rooms in the manor that contained books. As Thea peaked through the door that Luin preferred to leave open during the daytime, she saw him still in the position she’d left him in earlier, though the book in his hands had changed.

Well, that stack of books has grown again. Thea stifled a sigh. Luin was still picking out books for her to read. She wasn’t truly upset with having to read them, but it was odd, and she worried that the root of this behavior stemmed from some anxiety or issue Luin was having. Perhaps it was time to try and broach the subject.

“Thea?” Luin looked up from the page he was reading.

Thea stepped into the room fully. “Sorry to bother you. I’m just heading out to the academy to speak with the head librarian. He’ll be introducing me to my work and responsibilities from here on out. I just wanted to let you know.”

Luin’s lips pursed in thought, then he hopped out of the chair he was sitting in. “I want to come with you.” He grabbed hold of Thea’s hand and looked up at her expectantly.

“Oh,” Thea said. “I didn’t realize you’d want to go. You’ve seemed so content with staying in the manor lately.”

“Can I not go?” Luin’s expressions had become somewhat more animated lately, and now he was showing such disappointed, doe-like eyes, that Thea couldn’t help but smile.

“You can. It should be fine just for today. I’ve actually been thinking of when I might take you to the academy. I wanted you to see it for yourself before you decide if you’d like for me to sponsor you to attend there.”

Interest flashed across Luin’s eyes. “I’d like to see it.”

It was the first time he’d shown interest in anything except the layout of the manor and gardens and her family’s book collection for days. Part of the anxiety Thea had been holding onto since Luin had holed himself up in the manor loosened and she took a deep breath. She gave Luin’s hand a squeeze. “Alright. Shall we go?”

***

The carriage ride took no time at all, though the carriage wasn’t allowed to go farther than the front circle. The rest of the way would be on foot, though the academy’s well-kept, brick paved walkways. Everywhere, small trees and shrubs dotted the academy’s landscape, shading at least half of the walkways in dappled light. The days were growing warmer all the time, so the shade was quite welcome.

“It’s quite a nice campus,” Thea said, her eyes glancing back to Luin who trailed behind her, his own eyes taking it all in. “We’re headed to the very center of it now. That’s where this kingdom’s central and largest library is. It’s even larger than the one in the imperial palace.”

Thea couldn’t help but smile at the thought of the academy library. It had been what had inspired her to work as a librarian in the first place. If it hadn’t been for her desire to help the other districts and commoners access branch libraries, she would have stayed at this one, losing herself among the gilded shelves, returns, and paperwork with ease. While she did regret having to leave the east district branch, she was glad that things looked more promising there than when she’d first begun to work there. She felt confident that Gina and the new assistant librarians would continue to tend it well and help increase access and demand for the books there.

If there was one thing she was hesitant about with coming back to the main branch, it was the head librarian himself. He could be difficult to handle at times and was quite eccentric. Thea had developed a knack for handling his moods and the odd and half-unexplained tasks he handed out. The head librarian had grown quite attached to having her work with him as a result, but she’d managed to follow her goals regardless of his attempts to lure her back.

Well, I’m back now. Somehow, I don’t really want to see the smug look on his face when I walk in.

They turned the corner, passing a gorgeous head-high hydrangea bush in full bloom, and the library came into view. The building dominated a central plaza in the middle of the academy. Open space paved with bricks surrounded it. In size, it could have been compared to a small palace. But the way the architecture rose on columns with decorative moldings and tiled roofs, it was more like a temple—a temple to literature.

“That is a library?” Luin muttered.

Thea just barely heard him. “Yes, that’s the central library. If you attend the academy, you’ll be able to access it any time you wish. It has many more books than the east district branch, and even some the palace library doesn’t have.”

Thea had just begun to climb the steps of the building, when she heard Luin say, “I’ll do it.”

“Huh?” Thea stopped and turned.

“I’ll do it,” Luin repeated. His expression seemed resolute, and his fists were clenched as he gazed up at the library building. “I’ll attend the academy.”

“Are you sure? You don’t have to rush your decision if you don’t want to. You’ve barely seen the campus. Surely, you’d want to take more of a look around first?” Thea felt conflicted. She was excited that he’d agreed but also worried that he was being too hasty.

“No, I’m certain.” Luin met her eyes and gave her one of his rare smiles. “You can still show me around later though. I think I’d like to meet this head librarian you’ll be working with as well. May I come along rather than sit outside the room?”

“I…well…I suppose you could, but I’d have to get permission from him first.” Thea pressed her lips together but then sighed and returned Luin’s smile. “Let’s get this part over with so I can show you where you’ll be studying then.”

Thea walked through the foyer and into the main floor where a central lobby and the main circulation desk were situated. Several librarians, noblemen out of the line of succession for their families, milled about behind the desk at various tasks.

Thea approached the desk and caught the attention of one young man. “Might I ask where the head librarian is at this time? I have a scheduled meeting with him, though I know he is prone to wander even when he has an appointment.”

The man’s polite smile twitched in one corner and his eyes squinted ever so slightly. “I did hear that he was expecting someone today. And you are correct. He is not in his office currently. I believe he was recently seen in the bronze research room. Would you like me to lead you there?” The slight stiffness of the man’s expression clearly read that he’d like to avoid leading them there if at all possible.

Still up to his old antics and reputation, I see. There went the hope that the head librarian had improved in her absence.

“No, that won’t be necessary. I know the way.” Thea gave the man a sympathetic smile as she headed around the desk and into the right wing of the building.

The research rooms were located on the second floor and mainly contained subjects of ongoing research. The bronze research room was one focused on the continent’s ancient history. It was quite an odd room to be among “current” research, but the fact that archeology and literary historical research were quite new fields meant that new discoveries were being found and written on all the time from the collection of texts and artifacts that were holed up in that room.

Thea took the stairway at the back of the right wing of the building, one that was utilitarian rather than the opulent and ornate main staircase back in the center. It came out to a wide hallway lined with doors. The one central to the hallway on the right was the one she was looking for.

“Stay here in the hall for just a second. I’ll go in and greet the head librarian and ask if you might come in as well.” At Luin’s nod, Thea steeled herself and pressed her thumb to the mana stone on the door. As she thought, she was still registered to the rooms of the library. It seemed the head librarian hadn’t removed her approval from them as he should have done after a year of her being stationed elsewhere.

The door eased open silently. Thea was unsurprised when she saw stacks of books and several open and messily overlapping on the central work table. Her eyes passed over the mess and came to rest on the figure at the back of the room near the windows. The curtains were parted ever so slightly, and the incoming ray of light fell across a man in antique-style robes. He leaned back in an armchair so far he was practically laying in it, and he’d propped his slippered feet against the edge of one of the desks. He held a thick, old tome above his face so loosely in one hand that one might worry that one slip and it would come down and blacken his eye or break his nose. Pale, wintery blue hair streamed over the arm of the chair from where he had its length tied back.

Thea shook her head. “Aren’t you lucky, Sir, that I already knew you wouldn’t be using your office. I could have used its vacancy as a reason to think you’d canceled our meeting and return home quite certain that you didn’t truly want me to work for you again.”