The door creaked, echoing as I slowly pushed it open. A familiar friend greeted me: silence that stretched across the room. Absolute silence is music to my ears but it can also make you insane, especially when you’re surrounded by nothing but books.

I scanned the bookshelves, looking for an interesting book title to read. Elizabeth said that reading can be fun and exciting if I put my mind to it. Whilst looking for a book to read, an untitled book caught my attention. It was a blue book with no title whatsoever.

I grabbed it from the shelf and walked to the chair by the window as I opened it. There was no title on the inside, either. I quickly turned the pages up to the very first chapter as I sat down, the light from the outside illuminated the whole room, not leaving one corner unilluminated. I laid back onto the chair and began to read, “In an ancient village, lying in between two majestic mountains…”

♔♔♔

I’ve been reading for a while and lost track of time very quickly. Two things were certain: the moon is already up in the sky and I’m currently reading a chapter titled Ye Love of Old. This book told stories about the legends of our realm. Mother has always told to me stories before I go to bed. I didn’t know they were this well-known and even studied by the wisest people that came and went.

And I have to admit: I enjoyed reading today, which is completely unbelievable because I always hated it. It’s all thanks to my tutors who would make me read large books about history, my lessons, and a monarch’s duty. Those books gave me the reason to avoid books and, sadly, it happened. My sister was right, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was. However, my happiness was interrupted by a sudden and rather unwanted entry: Bethilda. After she entered the room, I cleared my throat and continued reading.

“Robert!” she called out to me, almost screaming. Her voice echoed throughout the room. “Robert, dear!” she continued, her shoes patted onto the floor as she quickly approached me.

I sighed, putting the book down. With hesitation, I turned in her direction.

“Oh, jolly! I never thought I’d find you here. I haven’t seen you anywhere in the castle, either,” she remarked as she stood in front of me. “I didn’t know you loved to read. James mentioned that you never liked the library.”

“As a fellow monarch, I do not doubt that you know that silence should be observed within a library. Even an uneducated person would know that through common sense. You, of all people, should know better,” I said, crossing my arms. “I should be the one asking why are you here? My sister mentioned you were taking care of Mother.”

“Oh, forgive me for disturbing the peaceful atmosphere,” she leaned her face closer to her fan, lowering the volume of her voice. “I forgot that the library is where silence is deeply observed, especially in your castle,” she explained. “I’m here because I have nothing else to do and I feel like I’ll die of boredom if I don’t find anything to keep me occupied.” She then sat on the chair right across from me.

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“What are you doing?” I asked, my brows furrowed and my eyes widened.

“Just taking a seat, child,” she replied, smiling.

“I know what you’re doing and I’m not a child,” I quickly replied. “What I meant by my question is why are you taking a seat?”

“Maybe we could have a little chat,” she crossed her legs as she leaned back into the chair. “I can see that both of us are here because we have nothing better to do so why not have a bit of a talk?”

“I came here to be alone and to have some peace, to rest my mind from everything that has happened today. I’m not here, waiting for someone to talk to,” I snapped.

“Well, son, sometimes, talking is better than reading. I don’t understand what you can get from these old things,” she scoffed as she grabbed the book I was reading and waved it in the air. “All they do is fill your mind with nonsense, making you hope in unrealistic things and forcing you to believe in imagination. There’s no realism in that aspect,” she continued as she dropped the book back on the desk with no sympathy, disgusted that she even touched it. “Talking with others can help you learn more about the world and you can get better lessons than from words on a page.”

My ears couldn’t believe what just came out of her mouth. A fellow monarch doesn’t appreciate or believe in the magic of books. As a part of the royal family, we’re obligated to read and dissect books. Examining almost every word on each page was the reason why I hated reading. But now, as I tried it once more, I appreciate the worlds that it showed me. But for someone such as Bethilda to think that reading is useless, I’m not quite sure if I should pity her or loathe her for her opinion. All I could do is give her a blank stare as I tried to process what I just heard.

“Would you rather fill your mind with nonsensical hope and daydreaming than learning something that you can use in the real world through personal communication?” she leaned in closer, smirking.

“First of all, it was my sister who suggested that I read and she’s one of the wisest people here in this kingdom. Frankly, I didn’t want to because I hated books because of how my tutor used them for my studies,” I started, pulling the book closer to me. “She said that books offer something different to a person and now that I’ve read something… I agree with her. A book can remind you of something that you think you already lost a long time ago. It gives you back the lost hope, the lost imagination, the lost child in you, which is why I have to disagree with your thinking that reading destroys one’s brain.”

She looked at me, stunned by my response. She was about to say something but I continued talking.

“And second, what I don’t like about other people is when they try too hard to shove themselves into me when I show no interest in what they’re about to say. I prefer to daydream than to listen to someone who thinks she’s above everything that indicated learning,” I added.

She remained silent and just stared at me, caught off-guard. She then grew nervous, moving her fan faster and she cleared her throat.

“Now, if you’d excuse me,” I stood up, putting the book behind my back. “I would like to return to my bedroom and continue my reading there. Have a good evening, Aunt Bethilda,” I smiled in contempt as I walked away, thankful that I escaped her once more.

♔♔♔

Now, on my soft mattress with my back resting against the headboard, a few pillows behind my back to keep me comfortable as I’m nearing the end of the book. When I arrived, Elizabeth was no longer here, probably had her dinner with James. So, I had the chance to have some peace all to myself. The door began to open and as I looked, it was Elizabeth. “Hello, dear sister!”