Library (2)
Lia watched Norman leave until he disappeared in the next corner while wondering why the other Lia did not choose him instead. The novel Lia could have done better and still be alive if she only chose Norman or any other guy for that matter. But instead, every guy who was not Eldric were all faceless and nameless to her. All side characters seemed to have faded into the background. Lia would not be this clueless if her novel counterpart paid attention to more important things.

‘Thank you so much, Lia,’ she thought with a roll of her eyes. ‘It’s not like Eldric’s all that grea–,’ she had not finished the thought when memories of Eldric resurfaced, like that one during the witch hunt. Or the one in the tent. Or that time when he comforted her after the assassination attempt. Or the more recent event when he would support her in her studies. Lia’s hand found her pendant on her neck.

‘Let’s not go to that territory today, self.’ And she pushed the door open.

With tentative steps, Lia made her way inside the library. She showed her passes at the bored-looking librarian at the entrance and was granted access. There were a handful of scholars inside, not more than five. Perhaps they were all still in the field or their classes. She was glad she came during the idle hours.

What made her giddy, though, was the sight of those scrolls and bounded papers. She made her way through rows of shelves, familiarizing herself with the sections.

She thought of getting all kinds of books, but the thought that someone might find it suspicious that a would-be physician would be poking her nose needlessly on the politics was enough to deter her.

Still, she took note of the shelves. She grabbed a couple of random medicine-related books and studied them. When she wandered around the history section, she sneaked in a couple of books, hiding them among her medicine ones.

The book she got mentioned an old kingdom in the north. But there was not enough information about it. It took her a couple more trips to the library to collect enough data about this country.

According to the books, the Sallan kingdom was the smallest land among the countries surrounding it. This place was known for people who had unusual hair colors. Compared to the people of Kaeje who had darker hair, those who lived in that small country had lighter shades. Some historians called it closer to white. Because of this, along with their advancement in arts and sciences, they were feared by their neighbors. But they were not ambitious and preferred to live in peace.

Until a harsh summer season came. Sallan and the rest of the northern region suffered from a massive drought. The crops that kept the country alive for many years soon took a hit. Soon, the people starved to death. The monarchy was on the verge of collapse as the kingdom was in shambles. In this time of need, other countries offered help but in one condition: Sallan would become part of them.

The king refused to give up, but many people were dying. Their small country was bound to fall apart under the pressure of these natural and man-made attacks.

A dashing young king from Kaeje came in and offered something different — marrying the princess. He had been courting her and even asked for her hand in marriage, but the princess chose to remain in her land. The king proposed that while Sallan would be under Kaeje, the people would have their autonomy with their princess as the governor.

Everything was all good until the then queen passed away along with her child. Another queen took up the throne and ordered the independence to be relinquished from them.