The doorknob was freezing cold.
Elisa took a deep breath, cast one last look down the empty corridor, and slowly pressed the doorknob.
The door gave way with an almost imperceptible creak.
She stepped inside.
The room was small and dimly lit. There was only a table, a few old chairs, and a wooden cabinet pressed against the wall. It didn't look like a place the king would willingly set foot in.
But he wasn't there.
Elisa frowned.
She was certain she'd seen him go inside.
Suddenly…
A sound.
Thud.
As if something heavy had been closed directly beneath her.
She looked at the floor.
The wooden boards concealed a small opening between the cracks.
Her heart began to race.
—There's a cellar…
She knelt and searched for the source of the noise.
In the corner of the room lay a worn rug. When she pulled it aside, it revealed a dark wooden trapdoor reinforced with iron.
It was ajar.
So that was the way in.
Elisa swallowed hard.
Every rational part of her mind told her to turn back.
But her curiosity was stronger.
She lifted the trapdoor just enough to see a narrow stone staircase descending into darkness.
She picked up a small candlestick forgotten on the table, lit the candle, and began to descend.
Each step seemed colder than the last.
The smell of dampness filled the air.
When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she shielded the flame with her hand until it nearly went out, so she wouldn't be seen.
Ahead was an underground corridor.
The walls were ancient, far older than the castle itself.
It was impossible for this place to have been built recently.
At the end of the corridor, voices.
Elisa approached slowly.
She hid behind a stone pillar.
She immediately recognized the king's voice.
—…no one can find out before the ceremony.
Another voice answered.
Deep.
Unknown.
—Does the princess still suspect nothing?
Elisa's heart stopped for a moment.
They were talking about her.
—She believes what we've told her since she was a child, the king replied.
—And if she finds the records?
—She won't.
We destroyed almost all of them.
Elisa raised a hand to her mouth to hold back any sound.
The records…
The incomplete books.
The torn-out pages.
Arthur had been right.
Someone really had erased part of History.
—Even so… the unfamiliar voice continued. —The ancient prophecy says that "the heir will find the truth among the forgotten pages."
The king let out a low laugh.
—Prophecies are nothing but stories to frighten children.
Elisa had never heard her father laugh like that.
It was cold.
Empty.
Unfamiliar.
—Just make sure the librarian remains silent.
The librarian.
Arthur.
Elisa's stomach churned.
—He knows too much.
—If necessary…
The other voice paused.
—…we'll give him the same fate as his grandfather.
Elisa felt the blood drain from her veins.
Arthur's grandfather…
Hadn't he died of old age?
Or was that what everyone believed?
Without realizing it, she took a small step backward.
The stone beneath her foot slipped.
Crack.
The sound echoed through the corridor.
The voices stopped immediately.
Silence.
—Someone's there.
Elisa froze.
Footsteps.
Coming closer and closer.
She extinguished the candle completely.
The corridor plunged into darkness.
Her heartbeat seemed loud enough to give her away.
The footsteps were coming toward her.
Closer.
Closer.
Then a hand seized her arm.
Before she could scream, another hand covered her mouth.
—Shh…
The voice was low.
Familiar.
Arthur.
Without saying a word, he pulled her through a narrow passage hidden between the stones.
The two of them crossed a tunnel so cramped that they had to walk hunched over.
Behind them, they heard soldiers enter the corridor.
—Search every corner!
—No one leaves this place!
Arthur grabbed Elisa's hand and kept running.
Only when they reached an ancient wooden door, hidden behind roots that pierced through the stone wall, did he stop.
They were both gasping for breath.
For a few seconds, there was nothing but silence.
Then Arthur looked directly at her.
His normally calm face was filled with fear.
—I told you not to look for answers on your own.
Elisa was breathing with difficulty.
—My father… he…
The words simply wouldn't come out.
Arthur closed his eyes for a moment.
As if he knew exactly what she'd heard.
—There's no turning back now.
—What's happening, Arthur?
He took several seconds to answer.
Then he said only:
—The kingdom you believe in never existed.
And for the first time, Elisa wished it were nothing more than another story from the library's books.