Beauty with the Book | Nichojoo| &Team au

Chapter 2

   Euijoo didn't know how he was standing in his room right now. After that intense encounter with the prince, he could've sworn he either passed out or died. His heart was beating louder than he ever recalled, even when he had traveled overseas and the boat was nearly shipwrecked. His hands were shaking as he recalled how close he was to the prince and all his terrifying glory.

  He knew he was able to make it through lesson one, or rather, Euijoo recited things and gave Nicholas assignments to complete but ended up completely ignored for hours. It was almost like speaking to a wall. Even after Euijoo stopped actually trying to teach to have a normal conversation he was only met with glares and snickers.

  It got to the point that he found counting the grove marks more entertaining than talking to Nicholas. And there was something disturbing about them. They stopped looking like lines purposely manipulated into the woodwork and more like the desperate claw marks of a trapped animal. Maybe, if his head didn't explode, he would ask the prince what happened.

 It was only by a miracle that Nicholas had a meeting to attend so the silent treatment ended early. Euijoo remembered saying goodbye only to, of course, be ignored. And the air instantly felt lighter when he was alone once again. He flopped on his bed, running his hands down his face and through his hair. 

 The happenings of that day ran through his mind. Euijoo's eyes were glued to the ceiling as he laid on his back. He couldn't help but feel nervous even though he was alone. And it was because he couldn't get the burning image of the prince's eyes out of his mind. He felt like they were still burrowing into his soul, probably insulting him at the same time. Or just reading him to an absolute point, even better than he knew himself. 

  Well that's what it felt like to Euijoo. It reached the point of frustration when after trying to distract himself by planning tomorrow's lesson or writing to his family, he was still thinking about Nicholas. He knew he was supposed to be teaching him but he somehow walked out of that room feeling like his rival. It tired the young man out.

  Finally, he gave up on trying to stay in his room to distract himself. He remembered Alaina had said the library was always open to him and he just needed to keep it clean, which he was fine with. It would be perfect to lose himself in a good book and maybe a nice cup of tea to unwind.

  The sun wasn't near setting yet which left plenty of daylight. With a new goal to relax properly, Euijoo left his room to head to the library. He roamed the grand halls of the castle, still finding it astonishing. The marble and wood structure ceiling stretched so high it was almost impossible to see where it ended. 

  Fancy statues and artwork were peppered along the pathway to be admired by all who saw. There were also large yet ornate vases decorated with the same roses and purple flowers Euijoo had seen coming into the castle gates. The floor was a shiny marble and echoed with each step that was taken on its crisp surface. It was beautiful but also confusing as there weren't many signs on where to go. It took a few tries but Euijoo finally found the library again. 

  This time he took a deep breath and smiled widely, a full toothy grin on his face. The last time he was here it was to face a stubborn prince. Now he was here on his own accord in his new favorite room. The smell of old books and pen ink filled his lungs as he took in a deep breath. He almost wanted to dance around but knew it would look ridiculous. 

 So the young man settled on speed walking with a light bounce in his step. He didn't need to have a certain destination, anything would do. The walls were lined high with rows and rows of countless books he couldn't wait to get his hands on. The dark wooden shelves stood proud like a forest of knowledge waiting to be explored.