Light from the Shadow

Chapter 11

"My respect for Mr. Rishi goes up again!" Maria said as she helped Ayna with her hair. She had tied it up into a high ponytail.

"Talk about something else, Maria." Ayna grumbled.

Maria laughed and hummed a happy tune instead. "By the way, Princess. Those books over there had been sitting on your desk for quite some time. Do you need me to help you return them?" she pointed at the book with her head. She knew those books were owned by the Grand Library. There were special tags on the cover.

"You just want to go and meet him, don't you?" Ayna eyed her maid suspiciously.

"Ah, you found out?" Maria giggled.

"Go prepare our breakfast." Ayna said and the maid quickly left for the kitchen.

Ayna walked to her desk and touched the books mentioned by Maria. They were brought by Rishi the night he came to check her condition after her magi attacked him the day before. She had read all of them. They were about magi, healing arts and the likes. Was he serious about helping her? This power... Am I really allowed to use it?

***

Qwentine was eating his dinner with his son at their home. It was steak again today. He had told him not to spend all his gold on meat. They were expensive after all. But Rishi would not listen and still brought home meat every few days. Qwentine was extremely grateful for him. He wondered what he had done to deserve a son like him. He watched his son ate and noticed his crooked glasses.

"Your glasses. What happened?" He asked.

Rishi adjusted them. "It fell down the other day." The punch he received from the knight the other day had dented the frame. Luckily the lenses were left unscratched. They were protected with magi after all.

"Should I ask for a new one for you? They look uncomfortable." Qwentine offered.

Rishi nodded. "Thank you, Dad."

***

"Something on your mind, Jyaga?" The king asked while he signed some documents in front of him.

"Are you sure you are leaving the princess in the care of that librarian, Your Majesty?" Jyaga looked worried.

"He is fine." The monarch smiled. "Don't worry."

"But..."

King Ekua leaned back. "I trust him."

"How can you trust him that easily? Is it because he is the Head of the Grand Library? Because he could make the princess pass the test?" Jyaga's blood boiled whenever he remembered that night in the library. That bastard. "I don't trust that man at all. He is definitely hiding something."

The king looked at his crown sitting beside him. "I guess so... but don't we all have something we hide from others?"

***

It was early in the morning when Ayna left the palace with Rishi for her first day of training.

"Tell me why are we here again?" She asked as the two of them walked into the woods not far from the city. Growing up as an heir apparent, she rarely left the palace ground and never without guards.

"Training, Your Highness. We can't risk innocent people getting hurt because of you, can we?" Rishi replied as he continued to lead the way.

"Right. I am the trouble maker." She grumbled but felt relieved too. It actually felt nice to have someone knew about her condition. Her doubt. Her fear. She watched Rishi's back as they travelled deeper into the woods. The man in front of her was the Head of Grand Library, a highly regarded position in the kingdom. Why someone like him would go all the way to help her, she wondered.