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There are moments in life when you feel like you'd just faint then and there.

That, to be precise, is exactly how I feel as I raise my face up to stare at the five floors occupying Queen Annabeth's shady archive room.

After the rather heated argument yesterday night with devil incarnate and him telling me of Laira being Derek's sister, I couldn't claw away the guilt seeping into my bones. It had kept me up all night as if the nightmare about Layla wasn't enough.

The breakfast in the eerie dining hall this morning had been rather dull with only Derek making any efforts to strike up a conversation at all amidst a hatred-filled Zander who refused to acknowledge my presence and an almost ghost-like silent Avyanna.

But during entire duration, I couldn't even meet Derek's eyes without feeling terrible. I know Zander noticed it too. And he took immense pleasure seeing me all guilt-ridden. Bloody moron.

Sighing, I focus back on my surroundings.

The archive hall looks like a library. Arrays of books and transcripts lined up in the wooden bookshelves maring the grey walls of the five floors. There's a long swivel staircase on the right corner of the archive hall which connects to each floor.

The lighting here is dim. So very dim that even with it being morning, it felt like night. I couldn't for the life of me spot a single window in sight. Maybe there's none to begin with but there's a huge chandelier-like lamp hanging from the high ceiling at the top of the fourth floor that elicits a faint white glow. But the problem here is,

"Do we have to search through all of these?!" My voice echoes, ringing in my ears like a thousand bells.

Beside me, Derek chortles, "Depends on what you want to look for, mon chéri."

From the barest of time—if you consider yesterday's bumping into each other or the next to silent breakfast a few moments ago as barest—I've come to know Derek, I realized that he's a very fun going man. Frank to the bones and a flirt. Zander is very much the same too, well to everyone except me.

Whipping my head to the side, "The thing we need to search for is confidential and the information is not to be shared to anyone." I give him a sorry smile.

It was true though. Mentioning about the mission meant having to mention about Mellisa. And there's only one thing all of us kings and queens valued the most, that is keeping Mellisa's existence unknown to the world.

Derek shrugs, "Chill, I know. Zan told me. I wouldn't even try to think about what it is. As the second-in-command, I respect confidentiality above everything else."

I nod in understanding. Ursula would do the same. There's a reason I trusted her the most among my council members. She'd never pry into matters that didn't concern her.

"Now for whether you have to look through them all, don't fret. Zander will be assisting you in a while so he'd most definitely know where to look." His hazel eyes then shift to mine in curiosity, "I have a question though. May I ask?"

I chuckle lightly, "Ofcourse."

"Do all the merfolks have colorful hair?" His head tilted to the side in wonder as if he were thinking about something, "I bumped into another girl yesterday night, bet it was my bumping into pretty ladies day. She had purple streaks in her hair. She was at the breakfast today as well." Then not so noticeable, he gestures through his eyes at the said girl who was scanning the archive shelves with her sharp amber eyes a few feet away, her back facing us.

If she heard Derek, she didn't show it.

"Not all merfolks have colorful hair. It's just few of the mermaids and sirens who have wholly coloured hair but all the nymphs have colorful streaks." My eyes then shift to the girl he'd been showing, "Also, that's Avyanna. The High King's second-in-command. She's my companion. Did you say hello?" My lips quirks up when he rolls his eyes at Avyanna's lack of reaction to us talking about her as if she isn't here.

"I did say hello and introduced myself yesterday night when I bumped into her. Only to be straight-up ignored. She nodded her head and then walked past me back to her room. My male-ego was vastly pricked." He placed a palm to his heart in mock hurt.

"That's true agony." I laugh taking in his agonized face when she continues to feign ignorance.

Avyanna is really good at it. Derek should've known better than to try to charm one of the most dedicated and strongest commanders in all the five kingdoms. Besides, I don't think I'd ever seen her pay heed to any suitors after what happened with her mate.

She had many suitors, to put it lightly. Afterall, she was famous for her courage and beauty. But I think after Julian, her mate's death, she just turned emotionless. I couldn't blame her. Anyone would feel that way after having to kill their own mate who they loved so much, for being a traitor. Although underneath the tough bravado, she's a lovely person at heart.

"I don't get it." Derek's voice snaps me out of my reverie. I glance his way to find him scanning my face with precision.

My brows furrow at the sudden seriousness on his face, "What?"

He stared at me silently for a moment before letting out a sigh, "I don't know why Zander thinks you do. Because I'm completely sure you don't look anything like my sister."

That makes me raise my eyes to him.

His sister? Laira? I remember Carla telling me how I was a spitting image of Zander's late wife. But I'd never considered it.

A sudden pang of guilt shoots through me. If Derek knew I was the reason Charlotte was able to kill his sister. Right now, he was all friendly because he thinks I'm a member of the raverian court. I'd asked Avyanna to not mention the truth either. So many lies.

My throat clogs up and I look away feeling my heart sink. Derek would hate me if he knew, just like how the merfolks did when I'd let Layla. . . .

I shook my head against the clawing emotions. My rash decisions had always caused my people trouble more than aid. I wasn't even worthy to be their queen. I wasn't even supposed to be the queen in the first place.

'But you are. And you've got to live with it.' My subconscious chided.

I let out a sigh. Live with what you have, isn't that what those saintly people said? I think it's high time I followed their priestly words, no matter how mockingly boring it seemed.

"What are you both on about?" A voice I'm all too familiar with asks.

My head turns to the direction of the source. Zander is standing leaning against the wooden door frame of the entrance clad in black jeans and a grey turtle-neck t-shirt, his dark brooding eyes accessing me with a hardness never known.

I hated it. No matter how hard I tried to pretend that his hatred clouded gaze didn't affect me, I knew deep down it suffocated me. But I would be damned to show it up front.

So, pulling my lips into that sarcastic smile I knew the best to adorn, "It's none of your concern."

Zander straightens himself from the doorframe and approaches us. From the corner of my eyes, I see Avyanna step next to me.

"Anything you do in my castle is my concern, fish." He doesn't say the next words but it was so evident in his eyes, Because I wouldn't make the same mistake of trusting you like my mother did.

Hardening my gaze, "That just gives me all the more reason to leave this place the soonest so I can avoid it and you altogether."

Zander's eyes turn stony, "Let's get started already then. So that becomes possible."

Derek glances between us in confusion. Probably thinking why we both act so cross with each other. We'd been the same on the dining table too. Either we don't speak at all. And if we do, it's just to insult each other or bicker.

"I and Avyanna here will take our leave so that y'all can look for whatever it is you wish to find." Derek's voice cuts mine and devil incarnate's glaring contest.

I turn to the demon second-in-command as walks over to Avyanna and hoops his arms with her. She just stares before gently prying his hand off hers. Oopsy daisy. Poor Derek.

Turning to me, "If you need any assistance, I'll be right outside."

With a bow, she proceeds to walk out but I stop her.

"It's okay, Avyanna. You can go on a stroll around the kingdom or something. You're here for vacation. Not duty." I smile assuringly but all she does is nod before walking out.

I see Derek scratch the back of his head and saunter behind her after a ginger 'bye, good luck' to me and Zander.

Sighing I focus back on the task at hand to find Zander staring. His arms are crossed across his chest as his stormy grey eyes access me silently.

Giving him a hard stare, I shift my eyes to the wooden shelves all around. For the love of macaroons, how are we going to look through them all?

"Where are we supposed to look?" I ask keeping my eyes on the shelves, anywhere but at him.

We'd never been left alone before. Well, except for yesterday's "teleport trip" to the clock tower but it had been different. We were both revolted then. Today just seemed too silent.

Zander ignores my presence to walk past me towards the swivel stairs.

What the-

Not having any option, I follow him up the iron stairs. He ascends and ascends before stopping on the second floor.

I trudge behind him like a loyal pet as he scurries over to the shelves on the east wing of the second floor.

A wooden banner hangs from the ceiling. 'Cimanora' which means 'Capture' in ancient language is written on the wood in black paint.

Oh, so there were segments? Thank goodness.

As Zander scans the titles on the first shelf, I walk over to the second one in this wing.

"We should look through the shadow creature's strengths and weaknesses too. It'll help Mellisa while capturing Thanatos." I mutter reading the titles written in ancient script.

Vampyre Cimanora (vampire capturing)

Serino Cimanora (Siren capturing)

Devosi Cimanora. (Demon capturing)

These books. . .how did Queen Annabeth find them? They could be such a threat for every creature if a wrong someone got their hands on it. But I think no one would really dare barge into the underworld unannounced. The demons serving here had no access to the archives. Only Queen Annabeth did before. Now Zander and Derek.

Involuntarily, my eyes shift to Zander as he picks up a thick leather covered book from the shelf.

Siren capturing.

There's a book on how to capture sirens here and he never tried to do that to me despite his oh-so-great hatred for me? I don't understand him.

As my eyes calculate his every move like a hawk, I see him pause on his scan through the shelf and glance my way.

I don't break the eye contact. Just stare in confusion. He does too with venomous eyes but then he starts approaching and I don't know what happens to me but I feel my throat go dry.

Gods, why does this feel so strange?

Running my fingers through my blue locks, a trait I do when I'm clueless or nervous, I break the eye contact and turn back to the books on the shelf.

Not a minute later, I feel a presence behind me. I don't attempt to move as he grows closer until I feel the heat of his body against my back, not quite touching but still there.

Sheesh. Marilla, move already.

But me being the stubborn ass I am, don't move. Instead I stand as if his close proximity isn't affecting me and watch his hand reach out for the book past me on the shelf.

My eyes narrow when his grip settles on the book I had a hold on. I didn't even intend on picking it up actually but as he tries to pull the book from my grasp, my hold only tightens on it.

"I saw that book first." I snarl rather childishly.

He just ignores and tries to snatch the the thing from my hand. Angered, I cling my claws into the leather cover.

"Give it to me, fish." His hot breath fans my ears as he says the words making a shiver run down my spine. Damn mate bond.

Ignoring the stupid tingles, "No. I saw it first." I fume, turning my head sideways to pass him a murderous look.

It happens to be a huge mistake because he turns his head my way the same time I do and due to him stepping closer to me earlier, his face is just inches apart from mine.

My grip on the book freezes and I see him go very still himself. I could feel his warm breath tickle my lips by how close our faces were and I know he could feel mine too.

My head suddenly seemed to stop working altogether but before it could mess with my rationality, I frown a huge ass scowl. Flattening my palms over his chest right above where his heart pulsates vividly just like mine, I push him away from me.

Zander stumbles back a few steps surprised by the push but steadies himself in a span of seconds. Blinking his eyes repeatedly as if to get out of a haze, he glares at me.

"What the fuck is wrong with you-"

Before he could complete his sentence, the loud thudding of the archives double door is heard through the silentness of the hall. And the next moment we hear Derek's panic-striken voice boom,

"Zander, the delfs are causing a riot in the castle grounds!"

Do you have any theory on why does Derek think Marilla doesn't look like Laira at all but Zander is sure she does?

Any guesses on what Marilla must've let Layla do that caused the merfolks to hate her?