Visiting the library

Lily returned to the dining hall to take a look at the situation, and just as she had hoped, the guards had taken care of the glass shreds. The dining hall was well cleaned, and except for the broken window, everything looked perfect. The guards were still outside the dining hall, and Lily gave them the next set of instructions.

"I will be going out for some time. Take care of the mansion in my absence. If anything were to happen, inform the head butler. If Lord and Lady Bradford return before me, tell them what happened here." The guards nodded at her, registering her every word. Although she was just the matron in the Bradford mansion, she held more power than they could even imagine. So, they could not ignore her instructions.

Lily gave the same instructions to the head butler, Marco. Although the man was younger than her by seven years, he was a friend to her, a friend she had made the moment he had started working in the Bradford mansion. "Take care of the mansion in my absence." 

"Sure, Madam Lily." The butler smiled at her, assuring her not to worry. But that was one thing Lily could not do, not after witnessing what Samantha could do. The girl's powers were making themselves known slowly, and Lily had to find a solution before Samantha's life fell in danger. She was too capable and strong than anyone she had ever known.

Lily retrieved the cloak she had worn in the morning and draped it around her. 'I hope I will find the answers I am looking for.' She thought to herself and left the mansion. However, even before she could cross by the mansion gates, the gates opened, and in entered a carriage driven by her son.

Nigel stopped seeing his mother's state, and he smiled at her. Only after seeing her son, did Lily remember that Nigel and the two girls were visiting the capital that day. The realization hit her hard, and she shook her head vigorously. Her weird action did not go unnoticed by Nigel, and he climbed off the carriage wondering what had happened to his mother.

"Mother, are you alright?" After a closer inspection, he even noticed her frown and worry lines that marred her forehead.

"I am fine. Don't worry." She tried to assure him, but she knew that she had failed when her son looked at her skeptically. "Are you here for the girls?" She queried absent-mindedly, lost in her thoughts. She did not notice the small smile that landed on her son's lips and the way his eyes gleamed for a moment.

"Yes, Mother. I am here to take Samantha and her friend to the capital."

Lily shook her head, not knowing what to do. 'I cannot allow Samantha to leave before I return. What if something were to happen to her?' With that thought in mind, she lifted her head and held her son's hands. "Nigel, listen to me and listen to me carefully. You cannot take the girls to the capital today.

Her sudden rejection made Nigel lose his smile, and he frowned in confusion. "But why, Mother? Is everything alright?"

"I cannot tell you anything before I confirm it myself." Her words only added more to his perplexity, and he did not know what had happened for his mother to reject him. "But the girls are not coming with you today."

"Mother...."

"That's it. I will not listen to anything else." Lily glared at him, seeing her son object, her frustration getting the better of her.

Nigel was taken aback by his mother's strange behavior. It was rare of her to lash out at him, for she was a very patient woman. It was true that she had scolded him several times. But never had she reproved him this openly, in front of the guards who were watching them. Without another word, Lily walked away from her son towards the place she had in mind.

Nigel stood gaping at his mother, who not once glanced at him as she left the mansion. He did not know what had happened for his mother to behave this way. But whatever it was, did not seem to be good. 'I should wait for Mother to return. Something is definitely wrong.' He thought to himself and got on the carriage, driving it inside.

Meanwhile, Lily strode as swiftly as she could, avoiding the crowd on her way. Although a lot of familiar people attempted to chat with her, she rejected them with a polite smile and hurried across the road that led to the village library. She was glad that the library was not far away from the Bradford mansion, for she was already huffing and puffing the moment she reached her destination. She wiped the sweatdrops off her forehead and stared at the building before her.

Although the library was old and dilapidated, it still was quaint, and Lily marveled at the architecture in front of her. Even though centuries had passed since its construction, it stood firm without showing any signs of collapsing. Unlike outside, where the temperature was soaring as the day proceeded, the interior was cool. Lily was hit with cold air the moment she entered in. However, that did not bother her much.

Lily had no idea what she was looking for. But she knew there was a book inside the library containing information about all the non-human species that graced the land of Oryn. The librarian was nowhere in sight, and Lily did not know where to search for the book. The library was huge, thousands of books filling the two-floor building. 

Lily had to find the book. But going through more than a thousand books in the library was impossible, and Lily did not have that much time either. Right at that moment, the librarian walked out from behind the rack in the second row. He was startled to see a visitor at this time of day. "I apologize, Lady. I did not expect a visitor at this time. It is usually empty at this time, and even at other times, people rarely visit this building." The man continued talking heartily, his white messy hair making him look younger than he actually was.

Lily knew who the man was. She had seen him walk around in Soren. But she did not know that he was the infamous librarian the people talked about. The man had made quite a name for himself since the time he had taken charge of the library. She smiled at him politely, waiting for him to finish speaking. "Yes, Milady. How may I help you?"

"I was looking for a book."

"That is a given, Milady. We are at the library and look around you." He gestured with his hands. "Do you find anything else other than books?" He joked but Lily was in no mood to appreciate it. She ignored his words and decided to get to the point right away.

"Do you mind telling me where can I find that book that has details of all the special beings that walked on our land?"

As soon Lily enquired him, the librarian's smile vanished, and he stared at her for a few moments, trying to read her. His intense look made the old woman conscious, and she fidgetted in her place in discomfort. 'Why is he looking at me that way?' She wondered.

"May I ask the reason why you want that book, Lady?" He queried, his serious expression still intact.

"Just out of curiosity. I heard that we have such a book in our library, and I wanted to see what it contained." Lily lied to him, not knowing that the man had seen through her lie.

"I see. In that case, I will have to disappoint you, Milady."

"Why, Kind Sir?" 

"We do not have that book. It was stolen a few days ago."