Maintaining Face — Pt. 2

"What are you doing?"

Aithne stopped dead in her tracks, having heard the head librarian behind her. Ros Innes was accustomed to being overly cautious over the Princess when she stepped anywhere close to the witches and wizards in her home.

In a way, he was quite protective over any member of the royal family, born to a long line of nobility that proudly worked with the Centhoses for centuries. After graduating, he had inexplicably found himself back under the hand of the employers of his ancestors.

"I had assumed that our guests would like to know that the Emperor is here," she replied, turning around to face him.

"You should have come to find me first," he began, holding up his hand to silence her incoming protest so he could continue. "I will not have you stepping foot in that room without me being nearby. If you were to be hurt by anything they might be doing, then it would be my fault for letting them use this space."

While it was fun to tease and harass the librarian on occasion, he was one of her greatest allies and supporters. There was a time and place for such matters and it appeared as if Ros was not interested in such comments. That did not mean she would not prod at him before alerting the witch and wizards in one of the private study rooms.

"Lighten up a bit," she smirked. "I'm sure you would be glad to not have to deal with me in the case of my untimely demise."

The librarian raised an eyebrow, not exactly liking where the conversation was heading. "We are not getting into this."

"Oh, please―"

"Your highness, no."

The playful look melted away from her face, only leaving a pout behind. It seemed as if he were not in the mood to be toyed with so casually, and the Princess was not quite used to not getting her way.

Mr. Innes walked past her, resting his hand on the door handle and glaring at her for a heartbeat too long. He had not said anything, yet Aithne knew exactly what would have been spoken. Don't do anything stupid. It was a phrase that she had become quite accustomed to after having him in her residence for nearly a year now.

After a faltering moment, he opened his mouth slightly, as if he was on the brink of speech—then, he seemed to immediately reconsider, shifting his eyes away and striding out of view. Ros had been doing this a lot more recently. Aithne had noticed that he obviously had something on his mind, yet never did he bring it up with her. It was a bit concerning given the fact that they have always been open with each other, especially when it was something they have been mulling over for a while.

Pushing her thoughts aside, she followed her librarian to greet the witch and wizards. In order to keep them out of the way in case someone did visit or if anyone not permitted the knowledge of Aithne's deeds were to come this way, she had given them the space of her private study.

Very few were allowed in this part of the library, but even fewer were allowed to step foot in this room. Even though the Princess was rarely seen visiting the area, it was designated as one of the few spots she could find peace and quiet.

"I hope everything is going well," Ros greeted. He remained expressionless as the Princess entered the room behind him.

"To what do we owe the pleasure, your highness?" Leland asked with a concerned smile, ignoring his greeting.

A smirk crept onto Aithne's lips as she glanced over at Ros which disappeared quickly. "I come with a warning. The Emperor is here and will most likely be wandering all about the palace. You will have to postpone any studies until he leaves."

The room went silent as everyone's sly expressions dissipated like smoke in wintry air. Perhaps Aithne had not realized the severity of her words at the moment.

After all, the Emperor had granted her a palace for which to hide away in order to protect her from anyone who suspected that she had his favor. Where there was fear, there was also respect—for doing anything to get closer to an end goal. Aithne knew better than to let their anxious looks fool her. So she waited, her eyes upon them expectantly, until one finally spoke.

"Well then… Thank you for notifying us. We will make our leave."

"No need. You may stay if you wish, simply do not practice magic openly and stay out of the library. I have already taken the pleasure of introducing you three as my guests for the night, so do consider your options well before deciding." Her words were sweet; her eyes glittering with faux sympathy, and yet a stony note indicated she was not quite leaving them options.

The three looked at one another for a few moments, reaching an unspoken conclusion. It was an offer they could not refuse. Not only that, it was clear the Princess had already made up her mind—a deadly habit of hers, though no one was about to question it just yet. She was kind enough to allow them to solace behind stone walls, and so they were indebted to her.

"Make yourselves at home. Feel free to wander as you please. I will send some of my staff to find you when your rooms are ready."

Ros stepped aside, holding his hand out towards the door as a gesture for them to leave. Before Ainthe could react, the librarian's eyes met her own. He had something to say. She held her breath for a moment, harboring an odd amount of dread as their "guests" departed in a slow trickle. She was unsure why anxiety began to fester at the thought of an upcoming conversation, yet two things were clear: Ros seemed tense and not exactly in the best of moods: which was never a good sign.

Once they were alone, Ros shut the door, his hand lingering on the handle for a moment as he gazed blankly at the back of his palm. It was oddly quiet, the feeling just before a thunderstorm was about to roar overhead. A heartbeat before he spoke, he took a few steps toward the center of the room, resting his hip against the back of a couch.

"We need to talk before you leave for the capital."