Villainess Reborn: SEASON ONE

CHAPTER SEVEN

TATIANA LORIEL

The royal library was larger than Tatiana had expected it to be. She ran here when she just woke up but was not able to get a good look at it since she was busy trying to figure things out.

An open space filled with large bookshelves facing her direction greeted her. The marble floor glistened against the sunlight and colorful lights reflected on it. Large arched windows with colorful chasm glass surrounded both sides of the library. Tall cypress trees are seen from the inside, and natural sunlight illuminates the library.

There were potted plants above the window sill and in the corners of the room. Tatiana sucked her breath from seeing such a beautiful view. It felt like there was a library in the middle of the forest, which made her dreamily gaze at it with awe.

This might become her favorite place in the forest. Aside from it having a breath-taking view, there were no people here. William had told her beforehand that the palace workers clean and maintain the royal library in the morning before anyone is awake and at night when it is closed, so it is rare to see people in the library.

The library was large and there were probably thousands of books or more. The bookshelves were two floors high and could only be reached by using the stairs. The smile on her face faded when she realized that she would need years to read the books that she needed.

"I guess I need to start rampaging through it if I want to get something done," she whispered to herself and sighed. She lifted her awfully heavy dress and walked towards the front shelf.

The extravagant dress was unnecessary when she was just going to the library. Her make-up and hair were also done by the palace workers, which took a really long time, excluding the fact that she had to bathe in milk and petals.

She never knew that being royalty would also become a pain for her. She thought that if she was a princess, everything would be easy for her, and she wouldn't have to worry about what she would be having for dinner. But there is no easy way in life. She never expected that she would have a hard time being rich and royal.

She gasped as she looked upon the shelves. The massive number of books started to overwhelm her. She doesn't know where to start looking or what to read. Not too long after that, she started to feel dizzy and decided to sit on the bottom of the wooden stair ladder.

"I can't do this," she complained, "This is even harder than doing part-time jobs right after school."

She wiped the sweat off of her forehead using the back of her forearm and closed her eyes. Her hair was long and heavy and she would really love to tie it in a bun but she didn't have a scrunchie. She doubts that they even have it in the book. Her dress was puffy and suffocating. She felt like she was attending a party. It was also uncomfortable and heavy to wear since it was hard to move in.

"Sister?"

She looked over to the other side and saw a boy with locks of curly hair. His eyes were round but sullen and his face was thin and pale. His soft features made him look like a girl but his outfit said otherwise. She was wearing checkered shorts, a white tunic as a top, and a pair of black shoes with white socks.

The boy looked way younger than her. His eyes looked at her with wonder as he hugged thick books between his arms.

Tatiana was initially shocked. She thought that she was alone in the library. Turns out that there was another person here. She awkwardly raised her hand for a wave and smiled unsurely.

A flash of fear and confusion appeared in the boy's eyes as he started to become fidgety.

"Were-were you using the library?" he asked, "I'm sorry, I was not notified. If-if you want to use it for yourself, then I could leave."

The boy looked around as if he was looking for help and started to march away, but the books were too heavy and he tripped when he accidentally stepped on the back of his shoe. He landed on the floor with a thud, and the books scattered away.

Tatiana immediately got on her feet and went to the boy. He cupped his knee as he whimpered and hissed in pain.

"You should be careful," Tatiana said, worried about the boy. She checked his knee and other parts to see if he was injured anywhere else. Fortunately, there weren't any other injuries aside from a slight scratch on his knee. "Are you hurt anywhere else?"

The boy gazed at her while she helped him stand up on his feet then proceeded to pick up all the books that were scattered on the floor. She blew the dust away and gave it to the boy.

"Here," she said, handing over the books. The boy stood frozen, but was later snapped back into reality when Tatiana nudged at him. He opened his arms to receive the book, but he still seemed to be out of it.

"This won't do," Tatiana said, and gave him only a book or two. "You might fall again. Why are you carrying so many books all by yourself? Where are you going? I'll help you carry these."

"H-huh?" the boy asked. Tatiana tilted her head in wonder. "Oh, yes. This way."

The boy slightly limped towards the table. Tatiana almost gasped when she saw the wooden table that was filled with books and papers.

"You read all of these?" she asked, looking over the piles of books that looked like mountains. The boy nodded silently and placed the books on the table. "You must be very smart then."

The boy, who was unable to control his mouth, spoke out.

"Sister, I heard that you lost most of your memories," the boy asked, "Don't you remember me?"

He looked up and stared at her. Tatiana felt familiar with him, but she couldn't wrap her finger around it. Suddenly, she remembered a scene from the novel. The princess had a half-brother who was next in line for the throne. A character that was called weak and helpless but had the intelligence of a general.

a person who was one of the main characters and the villainess's half-brother.

Elliot Loriel, Tatiana's younger half-brother and prince of Aragon.

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END