Binding Fate: Betrothed to the Otherworldly Duke

Chapter 23: Holy Encounter

Walking back to the library with Kat by my side, I tried to settle the nerves that had been creeping up on me all day. I figured the library was still the best place to be, far from the Duke's guests. The last thing I needed was an awkward conversation or the pressure to feign interest after everything I had been through. The memory of their sudden visit to Verdantvale still left me uneasy, especially since it was after their visit that I gained the ability to understand the language of this world. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about them and their sudden visit, especially given the way Mikhail had spoken about them the night before.

As I stepped into the library, my feet moved on autopilot, leading me straight to the bookshelf I had been browsing earlier, just before lunch. It was the section on the history of an ancient battle between gods. Despite not being particularly religious, I couldn't help but be fascinated. This world had magic, real magic, and apparently, it had once had direct contact with divine beings. My scientific mind was still struggling to process it all. But maybe, I thought, those "divine beings" were just some kind of off-world species—aliens, perhaps. I wasn't sure, and that's why I needed to keep reading.

As I turned into the narrow aisle between the towering bookshelves, I nearly collided with a figure draped in white. My heart skipped a beat, the color draining from my face as I stared at the veiled woman. For a moment, I thought I was staring at a ghost. My breath caught in my throat, and my hands trembled until I remembered—the Duke's guests were here. The High Priest and the Saintess. The memory of them suddenly made my heart resume its normal rhythm, but I couldn't shake the unease.

"Pardon me," I said, forcing a casual tone, though I could still hear the pounding of my pulse in my ears.

The veiled figure turned to me, her voice cold and cutting. "Who are you?"

There was something about the way she asked, something that felt like it reached deep inside me and demanded an answer.

"Samara," I blurted out before quickly correcting myself. "I go by Mara."

Feeling an odd compulsion to curtsy, I did, just as another figure approached from the end of the bookshelf. "What's going on, Saintess?" a familiar voice asked, and I recognized the man immediately—it was the priest from Verdantvale. I instinctively curtsied again and introduced myself as Mara. His eyes bore into me, filled with judgment he wasn't even trying to hide.

"Are you a new maid here?" he asked with a condescending edge that made my skin crawl.

I stiffened, trying to keep my face pleasant despite the insult. I wasn't wearing a maid's uniform, far from it. Kat had insisted on dressing me in another gorgeous gown that had once belonged to the former Duchess. But just because they were holy figures didn't mean they were kind. "I'm a guest of Duke Aster," I replied, forcing the words out with as much grace as I could muster.

The priest scoffed. "The Duke hasn't mentioned any other guests."

His words stung, and I wondered why Mikhail hadn't told them about me. Was it to protect my privacy, or was there something else? I clung to Kat's earlier explanation: Mikhail and his brother kept to themselves and didn't care for the politics of the capital.

"To protect my privacy," I responded.

The reaction was immediate and unexpected. The priest's eyes went wide, and I noticed the Saintess gripping the book, which she held even tighter. The air between us grew heavy with tension. I wanted nothing more than to excuse myself from the awkward conversation. "I didn't mean to intrude on your time in the library," I said, taking a step back, but before I could turn away, the Saintess's hand shot out and gripped my arm—not gently.