A knot of unease tightened in her chest. "Where could he be at this hour?" she whispered softly to herself, slipping from the bed and pulling her robe around her shoulders for warmth.
The castle halls were quiet, bathed in the soft glow of moonlight spilling through the tall windows. The silence felt heavier without Niklaus by her side. Emily padded barefoot through the corridors, her mind racing with worry and curiosity. She knew he had been restless, plagued by the looming shadow of her fate, but this... where had he gone in the middle of the night?
As she wandered deeper into the castle, a faint light caught her eye. The door to the library was slightly ajar, and the flickering glow of candlelight seeped through the crack. Emily's heart stilled for a moment. Quietly, she approached, pushing the door open gently.
Her breath caught in her throat at the sight before her.
Niklaus was there, standing in the middle of the room, surrounded by towering piles of books, ancient scrolls, and yellowed manuscripts. The soft glow of the candles around him cast shadows over his face, illuminating the deep lines of tension etched into his features. He was hunched over a table, rifling through the pages of a grimoire with feverish determination, his eyes scanning every word as though salvation lay hidden within those worn pages.
Emily's heart swelled with both sorrow and admiration. He looked like a man possessed, driven by a singular purpose. It was as though he had been searching for hours, and the desperation clinging to him was palpable. He wasn't just reading—he was hunting. Hunting for something, anything, that could save her.
She stood there for a moment, watching him in silence, her throat tight with emotion. The sight of him, exhausted yet relentless, sent a wave of warmth and love coursing through her. This man, who had every kingdom at his feet, was tirelessly scouring ancient texts to save her.
With a soft breath, she stepped further into the room, the sound of her footsteps finally pulling him from his trance.
"Niklaus," she called softly, her voice gentle, though laden with concern. "What are you doing?"
He didn't look up right away, his fingers still flipping through the brittle pages, his focus intense. His voice, rough and edged with exhaustion, filled the room. "I'm searching," he muttered, his eyes glued to the text before him. "Searching for a way to make my wife live. To live a long life—by my side, with our children." His voice broke slightly on the last word, betraying the vulnerability he tried so hard to conceal.
Emily's heart clenched at the raw desperation in his voice. She swallowed against the lump forming in her throat, her vision blurring with unshed tears. Slowly, she crossed the room to him, her hand trembling as she reached out to touch his arm.
"Niklaus," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "You can't—"
He looked up at her then, his dark, stormy eyes meeting hers with an intensity that stole her breath. For a moment, neither of them spoke, the silence between them heavy with shared fear, love, and the unbearable weight of uncertainty. In his eyes, she saw everything he couldn't say—the terror of losing her, the rage at being unable to protect her, and the relentless determination to find a way.
It broke her heart.
Without a word, she sank down beside him, her hand brushing over the leather-bound grimoires scattered across the table. She could see the frustration in the way the pages had been carelessly turned, the desperation in the way he had piled them around himself. He was drowning in his search, and yet, he wouldn't stop. Not until he found something.
Silently, Emily began flipping through the ancient texts as well, the candlelight flickering around them, casting long shadows across the room. They sat together, side by side, searching through dusty pages filled with forgotten magic, curses, and spells, their hands moving in unison, their hearts beating as one.
The silence stretched between them, but it wasn't empty. It was filled with unspoken promises, with the weight of all they had yet to say.
Emily's eyes stung with unshed tears, but she forced herself to keep reading, to keep turning the pages, even though she knew, deep down, that there was likely no answer to be found. But if Niklaus could keep fighting for her, then so could she.
Minutes passed, then hours, and still, neither of them spoke. The night wore on, the candles burning low, but their search didn't wane. There was a grim determination in both of them—a refusal to give up, to accept what seemed inevitable.
And even though no solution came that night, the act of searching together—of fighting this battle side by side—was enough to strengthen the fragile thread of hope that bound them.
In that quiet, candlelit library, amidst the ancient books and forgotten spells, they fought not just for Emily's life, but for their future. For their love. For the chance to live, together.
Emily didn't need to say it aloud, but she knew in her heart: no matter what fate had in store for them, no matter how dark the days ahead might be, they would face it together.
For in that moment, with Niklaus by her side, she knew she would never be alone.
The library was bathed in a dim, flickering light as Emily's eyes blurred from the hours spent pouring over countless texts. The quiet ticking of the clock told her it was nearing 4 a.m., yet she refused to rest. The weight of the hours pressed down on her, but she knew she couldn't stop. Not now. Not when time was running out.
Niklaus, his eyes haunted with desperation, was hunched over a pile of old manuscripts, flipping through the pages with an intensity that made her heart ache. The desperation in his every movement spoke volumes. He was a king, a warrior, yet here he was, frantically searching through the ancient grimoires like a man possessed. He was looking for a way to save her—his wife, the love of his life, the woman cursed to die in less than 25 days.
She rubbed her sore eyes and decided to stretch her aching body. Needing a moment's reprieve, Emily wandered toward the far corner of the library, her fingers lightly trailing the spines of the books. She wasn't expecting much. They had combed through every text they could think of, and hope was dwindling.
But as her hand hovered over a particular volume, the title caught her eye—The King of All Realms.
Something about the words made her pause. Her heartbeat quickened as she pulled the book from the shelf, the heavy tome dusty with age. She didn't know why, but a strange sense of urgency tugged at her as she opened the book, the old parchment crackling beneath her fingertips.
She began to read, her curiosity building with each line.
"If the bloodline of Aurelius ever produces a male child born under the King's Star, that man shall possess the powers of nature and be destined to rule all realms."
Her pulse quickened. A vague recognition stirred inside her. She read on, her eyes skimming the ancient text with growing intensity.
"This man shall drink blood to sustain his life, though his full powers will not manifest until he bonds with a woman of the Crescent bloodline."
Emily's breath hitched, and her mind began to whirl. Niklaus drank blood… could it be him? Could he be the man described in this prophecy?
She turned the page, and her heart nearly stopped.
"The man's powers shall fully awaken only if he mates with the woman of the cursed Crescent family before she turns 24."
Her vision blurred as the pieces began to fall into place. Niklaus. The curse. Her own bloodline. Was this the answer they had been searching for?