Sevastian led Elysia down a series of hallway. The palace walls were carved intricately, the floor covered in plush, patterned rugs. But Elysia barely noticed any of it, her mind still racing because of her encounter with the dragon lord.
Sevastian walked beside her in silence, but he occasionally glanced at her. His eyes gleaming with concern. They soon arrived at a large oak door which Sevastian pushed open, revealing a study. The room had some tall bookshelves lined with countless books, a large wooden desk sat in the center.
A man stood near one of the bookshelves, his back turned to them. He was dressed in simple yet elegant clothing. His hair was dark brown, neatly tied up in a ponytail, and as he turned around to face them, Elysia noticed he had a smile on his face.
"Kael," Sevastian greeted, stepping into the room. "It's good to see you."
"Sevastian," Kael replied, his voice friendly and calm. "Likewise." He turned his gaze to Elysia, his smile widening. "And this must be Lady Elysia."
Elysia blinked, taken aback by how young Kael looked. She had expected the governor to be someone older, but this man was young, he looked a bit older than her. She nodded, unsure of what to say.
"Indeed," Sevastian said, noticing the surprise vividly evident across her face. "Kael, this is Elysia. Elysia, this is Kael, the king's appointed governess for you."
Elysia took a moment to gather herself before speaking. "It's nice to meet you," she said softly.
"The pleasure is mine, Lady Elysia." Kael said, his smile still infact on his face. "As appointed by the king, I'm here to help you learn to read and write, as well as the ways of Valeria and assist you with anything else you might need."
"Thank you, I appreciate your help," she said, with a slight bow.
Sevastian cleared his throat, drawing their attention back to him. "I'll leave you in Kael's hands for now, Lady Elysia. I have some matters to attend to, but I will return later to take you around the palace."
Elysia nodded. "Thank you," she said, her eyes sparkling.
Sevastian gave a small bow. "You're welcome," he said before leaving the room, the door closing behind him with a thud.
Kael gestured to a set of comfortable chairs near the window. "Shall we sit?" he suggested. "We can get to know each other a bit better." He noticed how tense she looked. He shoulders stiff and her hands clasped tightly together. He believed that getting to know each other might help ease the tension between them.
Elysia nodded as she followed him to the chairs, taking a seat opposite him. Now seated, she couldn't help but study Kael more closely. His eyes were warm, and his smile seemed to put her at ease. There was something about him that made her feel safe, like she could trust him.
Shaking the thought away, she heard him say, "So, Lady Elysia," he began. "Tell me a bit about yourself. I'd like to know more about the person I'll be working with."
She hesitated for a moment, unsure of where to start. "I'm just... Elysia. There's not much to tell." She admitted, biting on her lower lip.
She heard a chuckle escape his lips. "Why don't we start with something simple? Where are you from?" He asked, cocking his head to the side.
Elysia took in a deep breath, trying to think of how to answer. "I'm from a small village," she said. She bit harder into her lower lip, not wanting to recall her past again. "It's not really important where, I lived there with my family until... well, until I ended up here."
"I understand," he said, gently nodding his head. From the change in expression, he knew she didn't want to discuss about it. "It must have been difficult for you, leaving everything behind." He added.
Elysia bit her lip, feeling a lump form in her throat. "It was," she admitted, her voice barely a whisper. "But I didn't have a choice. Things... things happened, but here I am," she said, fumbling on her fingers.
Kael didn't press for more details, instead he nodded understandably. "We would start off with the basics of how to read and write. So, do you have any idea of how to read or write?" He asked, flipping open the pages of the book he had with him.
"I know some letters and words," she admitted, her eyes flickered with a hint of embarrassment. "But I'm not very good at it. I was never really allowed to learn properly." she said, her eyes lowing to her fingers once more.
It wasn't uncommon for girls to be denied an education. In fact, it was quite a surprise if a girl who wasn't from an elite family was educated at all. Elysia never had the luxury of learning beyond the basics of reading and writing.
"That's perfectly fine, we all start somewhere anyways. The important thing is that you're willing to learn now." Kael said, giving her a reassuring smile.
"What will you teach me first?" she asked.
"We'll make sure you're comfortable with the alphabet and recognizing each letter. Then we'll move on to simple words, learning how to sound them out." He explained. Opening the book, he handed it over to her.
Elysia nodded, taking the book from him, her eyes scanning through the page that was opened. "What should I do?" She asked with uncertainty, her green eyes moving between the book and Kael.
"Do you recognize this alphabet?" He asked, his finger pointed towards the book.
Elsyia bit the inside of her cheek, "Is that a letter 'B'?" She asked, her voice abit uncertain.
A laugh erupted Kael's lips, he placed his hands over his stomach as he laughed hard. "What, did I get it wrong?" He heard her ask in a small voice.
Immediately clearing his throat, he straightened up. "Of course not, you were absolutely correct," he replied, a smile tugging at his lips.