Chapter Forty Nine

The air in the royal library was thick with the scent of aged parchment and leather-bound tomes.  Sunlight streamed through stained glass windows, casting an ethereal glow on the towering shelves overflowing with knowledge.  Ryan, his steps heavy with fatigue, entered the chamber, his cloak billowing behind him.

He reached the designated chamber, a room reserved for scholars and those with royal permission. His eyes scanned the room, finally settling on a group of elderly scholars hunched over ancient scrolls.  He approached them, his every step echoing in the cavernous silence.

"Greetings, scholars," he said, his voice respectful.  "I am Grand Duke Ryan, and I require your assistance."

The scholars looked up, surprise flickering across their wrinkled faces.  The head scholar, a man with a long, white beard and spectacles perched precariously on his nose, cleared his throat.