Chapter 6

Liana's POV

I couldn't believe my ears. Her words echoed in my ears, and no matter how hard I tried to push it out, it just wouldn't budge.

They were stuck in my head, like a radio playing on loop, and honestly, I wasn't too sure how long I could take it for.

I stared at her, waiting for the slightest shift in her expression. Maybe she would burst into a wide grin after a couple of seconds, with the words I was only messing with you on her lips, but it never came.

In fact, as time slowly ticked by, I realized that little imagination I just had, might never happen.

Shit.

“Wait.” I shook my head slowly. “Are you serious? Did you really mean that?”

“I'm sorry.” Her face fell. “I really wish I could help you, but I don't have the right to do that.”

“So what do you have the right to do then?’ my voice came out louder than I wanted. She flinched, and I knew that I should have felt bad for scaring her, but I didn't. Instead, it only infuriated me all the more. “tell me! Serve me food like? Lock me in here and tell me bullshit?!”

“Please calm down.” Maya's voice cracked. “I'm only a maid and I follow his orders. If it were up to me, I would've answered your question, but it's not.”

“What if I asked you another question?” I knew I should listen to her side of the story, and probably drop the isuue, but I just couldn't. I was probably exaggerating, but I wasn't sure I would be able to breathe properly without getting the answers I wanted. “Would you answer me then?”

“I think you need some rest.” Maya's voice was quiet and barely audible. “You've probably had a long day and you've barely eaten. All of this will just stress you out and….”

“I'm not hungry…” the words had barely slid past my lips before my stomach picked that exact moment to let out a loud rumble. It was louder than the last, and my reminder that I had barely eaten a spoonful before I started barraging Maya with a million and one questions.

“Please.” Maya pleaded. “Once you're fully rested, I'll see what I can do.”

I wasn't one to be swayed easily, but I would be lying if I said her offer was something I could easily turn down. After holding her gaze for what seemed like forever, I gave her a small nod, before facing my meal again.

Maya left shortly after, and once I was done, another maid had come to clear out what was left of my meal. My thoughts had been that Kieran would at least pop up to say hi or see if I was awake, but I couldn't be anymore wrong.

Hours passed, and there wasn't a trace of the man.

Where the hell was he?

I got on my feet, with an idea etched at the back of my mind. Before I could talk myself out of it though, I headed into the hallway.

Kieran might have left me all alone in this huge mansion, without any knowledge or whatsoever, but if there was one thing that was common to all places, it was a Library'.

Kieran was bound to have one in here and I could at least keep myself occupied before I bled to death out of boredom.

“Hi, excuse me.” I had barely rounded the corner before I stumbled into a guard. “Could you point me in the direction of the library please?”

“Sure.” I could swear that the way he stared at me was familiar, and I couldn't shake off the feeling that I had seen him somewhere before. Perhaps it was when I was being led in here by Kieran earlier, but the hallways didn't exactly look familiar. “I'll take you there. It's a bit of a walk from here though.”

I nodded in response, as he made his way in front of me.

As the guard led me towards the library, I couldn't help but admire the palace. It looked even prettier than the last time I walked through here and I….

“Hey.” The guard turned slightly, before catching a glimpse of me. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“You know that guy that brought me in here yesterday?” He nodded. “his name is Kieran right, can you tell me more about him?”

“No.” His response was firm and curt. “We're almost at the library, just a little bit more…”

“But you have to know something.” I cut him off abruptly. “Right? I'll take anything at this point, I'm not picky. His last name, details about his family or what he does, anything would be gold right now.”

Silence. All I got was pin drop silence, save for the sound of his boots kissing the wooden floors.

My shoulders sagged in defeat when I realized I wasn't going to get anything from him.

It was strange and also Infuriating. Were they all under a curse to not speak? Would they die or vanish into thin air if they answered my questions?

“We're here.” He finally announced, stopping in front of a huge double door. “The library is on the other side. Knock yourself out.”

Those were his last words to me before he stalked off in the direction we both came.

I waited till he was out of sight, before pushing open the doors and slipping into the room. It was bigger than anything I'd ever expected. Huge bookshelves lined the walls, and from a first glance, I could already make out the section I would most likely drown myself in.

Romance.

It didn't take long for me to forget about Kieran with the number of books around me, but at the same time, I eventually got tired of reading.

“I'm tired.” I muttered to no one but myself, before slapping the book shut. I'd made sure to bookmark it before that, so I didn't have to worry about figuring out where I'd stopped later.

I got out of the comfy chair I was seated on, before heading deeper into the library. Ot was nothing short of a labyrinth, with more and more books showing up at almost every corner.

I was exploring, but there was only so much books one could see before getting tired, and right now, I was beginning to get to my limit, until I stumbled upon something.

A lock..

It was tucked in between two tiny books, and if I hadn't stared in that direction at the right time, I would have definitely missed it.

My eyes scanned my immediate surroundings, for anyone who could be lurking around. It was only common knowledge that the palace was heavily guarded, but for something that looked like a secret, I wouldn't be surprised if they'd installed extra protection over here.

Once the coast was clear, I reached for it. The lock protected a door, and the door in question had a slot where a code was required.

I barely had an idea where I was, so how the hell was I going to figure this one out?

I bit down on my lower lip, as my brain struggled to come up with a code. It could be anything, Kieran’s birthday, the day he lost his virginity, or even his phone passcode, how was I supposed to figure it out.

I decided to start out small, playing it safe along the line. I tried the numbers 1 to 9 in a sequence of four, but it didn't work.

That was the most commonly used cofrs, but I guess this one was an exception.

I stared at the lock, anger and frustration setting in. I'd been in here for a while, and I knew it wouldn't be too long before the guard came back for me.

If I didn't do this now, I wasn't sure when next I was going to get the opportunity.

I sucked in a deep breath, before using the numbers 1234. My breath hitched in my throat as I waited, and just when I'd given up, the unexpected happened.

It worked. It freaking worked.