Teach Me! (2)

"WHEN I said teach me, I didn't mean like this!"

Towers of books are piled up at the table whilst another is on the ground, almost leveling up to the ones that are on the table.

All I wanted to know was about the history of the Temple of Light!

I glanced at the covers of the book, and thank heavens that I got the old Eris basic knowledge to understand the writings, and saw that there are a variety of books present.

One of it consists of the Royal family's history and another for the history of the kingdom itself up to the latest, but there is one book that seems to be some sort of a diary that had been written and carried through centuries.

There are books on the currency and economy of the kingdom since I did ask Avril to teach me those.

So yes, this is a LOT of books.

"This is not even half of what a noble should learn. This is only the basics."

"Basics?!" Are you kidding me?!

This is the basics?!

I am starting to regret my choice to let her teach me…

"Are you regretting it, My Lady?"

"If I am, would you stop teaching me?"

"No. The Countess already knows about this and gave me her approval."

Damn it!

I woke up early than usual because Avril said that she will teach me first thing in the morning and I was excited about it.

I get to learn all the things that the novel didn't mention and what's more what I thought at first was just a few books, but the moment we walked in…

I was greeted by this! Mountains of books and journals!

What is this dream suddenly turned into a nightmare?!

"Shall we start, My Lady?" Avril asked and I know she is teasing me.

I decided not to speak anymore and just sign my soul away.

The truth is, the room is beautiful. It is filled with books of all sorts and the interior has a wide space in the center, surrounding it are mountains of books that are on their respective shelves.

There is a ladder at the side for getting the books and there are lamps, a table, a chair and a large window near where the table and chair are.

I could get lost reading here but how can I enjoy that when my eyes glimpse at those books…

I feel like these are my exams all over again.

"Don't worry, My Lady. You have the library all by yourself today and no one will interrupt you as per the Countess orders."

That is not what I was worried about but thank you, Avril.

I sighed again, feeling my lifespan slowly decreasing as I sat on the chair and grab the nearest book. I placed it in front of me and read the title.

'Kingdom Of Alynthi: First Edition'

A history book?

"Ah, the history of the Kingdom. Good choice for the first read, My Lady." Avril spoke, causing me to break my eyes away from the cover.

"Does this contain all the accurate events that happened in the kingdom?"

Avril shakes her head, "No, but that book is one of the first that was published. It won't hurt you to read it."

Hm? It is not accurate but it was published?

"Why was it not accurate?"

"The reason for that is because the royal family committed many deeds, only those that they deem good are included."

Ah, so there are some bad ones.

I didn't speak after that and just opened the book, seeing the pages flutter as my eyes landed on the map that was drawn on the first pages.

I could see that the world of the novel is quite big with the kingdoms that are named Hydraea, Finea, Volkros, and Boliseus.

The four Kingdoms that co-exist with each other since the beginning of time and the four kingdoms that rule over the lands.

I flipped the pages and was first introduced to Hydraea.

Hydraea is known as the ocean of the continents as it houses the water element. Just like its name, it lives up to controlling only water and is known for its spectacular parades during festivals.

Next is Finea, which is known as the forest and the earth as it is more on the nature side. They are good at the earth element and had a peaceful bond between Hydraea, in which they are dubbed as the Twin Kingdoms.

Volkros is the fire and all of its form. They, of course, housed the fire element and always in a clash with Hydraea but surprisingly are at peace with Finea.

Lastly, Boliseus is the air. They host the air element and are at the very top of the mountains, sometimes they are hard to even visit because of the climate but the people who live there are adapted to the changes in air pressure.

Together, along with Alynthi as the Kingdom of Light, they formed the equality and balance that the world needs.

"Interesting." I muttered as I looked at the map.

I never knew that there is a relation to all of them, which made my heart race in excitement.

In the novel, Lovers In Bloom, they only dabble on this quite lightly when Hydraea sent a representative for the engagement of the Crown Prince to the villainess.

The name was never revealed though, not even a snippet. It was even somewhat forced that it was mentioned.

"Are you done reading about the Kingdoms, My Lady?"

I raised my head and nodded at Avril. She seems satisfied that I'm done reading it and flipped the page of the book to a later chapter.

I looked at the book and saw the history of Alynthi.

"Please read it out loud, My Lady."

I did as she asked and pointed at the very first line on the page.

"The history of Alynthi started when Lord Grecius, a warrior who seeks salvation after the war of Hydraea and Volkros, saved Alynthi from a curse. He was originally an immigrant born in the outskirts of Boliseus but he traveled to Finea for a better life and from there, he enlisted himself in the imperial knights of Findara, Finea's kingdom name."

Wait, so the founder of the kingdom wasn't originally from Alynthi?

And…a curse?

I read that paragraph again and confirmed that a curse was mentioned. I frowned but continued to the next paragraph.

"Lord Grecius attended a war between Hydraea and Volkros which happened for almost 200 years before ending in a peace treaty. The scars of the battlefield left Lord Grecius dead in his soul as he wanders around the world, then finding salvation in Alynthi.

"He discovered the curse that lies in Alynthi, the curse of light. The land was barren and the trees were dead when he stumbled upon it, describing it as a wasteland for those who have lost hope. Almost as if for conviction, he determines to save Alynthi and release it from its curse.

"He didn't just succeed, he gains recognition to the first god as the Temple was established in honor of the god. People came to Alynthi for redemption, as rumors spread across the land that Alynthi was blessed by the Sun God. From then on, people decided to live in the new prosperous land and was crowned the first emperor by the people of Hydraea, which he soon named the kingdom, Alynthi."

I finished reading it and my eyebrows furrowed deeply as I gaze at the sentences plastered on the page.

The history seems lacking like they left out many pieces of information and decided that this is the history they will tell to its people.

But, why?

"My Lady, have you noticed something?"

I snapped my eyes off the book and looked at Avril. She had placed a cup and a plate in front of me, which I didn't even notice that she had brought, as the humor is nowhere to be seen on her face.

"Avril, why did you want to read me this part?"

After I asked that, she turned her head towards me.

"Didn't you read it? You must know the answer to that question."

I shake my head, confused, "Yes, but why this page?"

Avril gave a small smile before her eyes snapped back at mine.

"My Lady, isn't it because books are not always accurate and they seldom never tell you the truth?"

"That too, but…"

"Ah, could it be you haven't figure out yet?"

I am still confused at what she meant as I looked at the book in my hands, recalling what I read in my head.

I don't know why but if I think about it, something lacks from it and it only showcases the good parts of how the kingdom was born, but life isn't all about the good parts.

"Maybe, there is something that they didn't include?" I muttered under my breathe.

Avril seemed to hear it as she gave me a piece of paper that seems to be from another book, but not the book from the mountains that she prepared.

"Would you like to dwell on this further?"

I want to say no but Avril's eyes are sparkling so brightly that I am afraid to turn it down...

Which may be a big mistake in my part.