Annalise stood at the top of the staircase as she looked at the empty hallway. She could still hear Sera and the other maids cleaning her room but instead of heading inside the bedroom, she headed towards the stairs leading to the upper floor.
Lord Kenric had permitted her to look around the castle as long as she would stay away from the basement. Only then did she find out that there was also a basement in the castle and it was where the three Lords lived which meant that the ground and upper floors were completely inhabited.
She finally made her way to the second floor and started looking through the hallway into the rooms. There were only three bedrooms on this floor, unlike the first floor which was completely filled with bedrooms. There was also a parlor room, a huge study, and two totally empty rooms.
She soon found herself on the third floor only to come across two wooden doors in the entire hallway. One was on her right and the other was on her left. She first opened the door on her right as it was much closer to her. To her dismay, it turned out to be empty.
The next room was not a room at all, it was the grand hall that was surely used as a ballroom. Though it had lost its grandness over time, Annalise could still imagine a marvelous hall filled with hundreds and probably thousands of people as they enjoyed the evening together.
The next floor was even more confusing as there was only a single door in the entire hallway and for the very first time, she found a place in the castle that wasn't dusty or covered in the cobwebs. Even the door appeared shinier than the others she had seen on her way.
As curiosity took over her, Annalise didn't try to hold back as she opened the door and stepped inside the paradise. Unlike the rest of the castle, this place was filled with sunlight as some of the windows were left open. But it was not just a room, it was the most tremendous place she had seen in her life.
Huge wooden shelves were lined all across the huge hall containing thousands of books. As far as her eyes could see from where she wa standing at the entrance of the library, there was nothing else but books.
Annalise walked deeper into the room, her eyes and fingers scanning the shelves and the variety of books they were holding. Even the library in the Royal Palace was no match to what she was currently seeing.
She kept walking and walking, moving past more and more shelves, and finally found a place after a dozen shelves where a few couches were placed around a small wooden table. There were wooden spiral stairs built next to it that led to the upper portion of the library which only made her more astonished.
She was too focused on what was in front of her that she completely forgot to pay attention to her sides. Only when she heard the soft sound of papers turning, did her attention go towards the huge window next to the stairs.
What, or whom, she found there sitting on the window sill was just as breathtaking as the library. The first thing she noticed was his long silver hair that was left loose other than a few braids on the sides. Only his side profile was visible to her but she still noticed his long eyelashes, full lips, and sharp jawline.
He too was wearing a white shirt but with the upper three buttons left open which left little to imagine what lay underneath them. Along with matching trousers and boots, he appeared to be basked in pure white from head to toe.
There was an air around him that felt calming. He seemed to be oozing an aura that could draw anyone to him and she was no different.
"Am I that good-looking?" he suddenly asked in a soft voice that sounded like sweet music but his eyes didn't even leave the book that he was reading.
"Beautiful."
Annalise corrected him without thinking straight and the reality of what she had just said only struck her after it was too late. A gasp escaped her lips as she hurriedly covered her mouth with her hands but there was no going back for her as the man had clearly heard her.
A small twitch appeared at the corner of his lips as he closed the book and finally turned to look at her. Their gazes collided together and Annalise finally got to see the color of his eyes. He also had blue eyes but unlike her ocean blue eyes, his were icy blue.
She watched in a trance as the man stood up from where he was sitting on the window sill and started walking towards her. He only stopped a foot away in front of her, his tall frame towering over her.
"I'm Valerius Sylvio, the first of the three Dark Lords. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Annalise." The man introduced himself with a little bow of his head, causing Annalise to break out of the trance as she too bowed in greeting. "Same here, My Lord."
"Let's put aside the formalities. Shall we? I'll be more comfortable if you will call me just Valerius since I'm also using your name to address you." Valerius suggested as he found himself fascinated by the beautiful eyes and hair that Annalise possessed.
Annalise just nodded her head in acknowledgment but didn't say anything. She wasn't sure what to say and as she felt his gaze fixed on her while she herself gazed at her feet, the pressure intensified and so did her heartbeat.
"You are beautiful, Annalise." Valerius suddenly complimented her and noticed the surprise on her face that she tried her best to hide before muttering a small 'thank you'.
"There should be one for me too, right?" He suddenly asked out of the blue, making her confused about what he was implying.