In the private reading room of the Valeria Royal Library, emanating a faint scent of ink, Astrid, completely unaware of Amalia's current situation, gently caressed her black-stockinged legs while propping her cheek with one hand as she flipped through the book in her hands.
A slender silver pendant hung from the woman's neck, following the smooth fabric of her court dress. The vivid red gem at its lowest point, nestled against fullness, shimmered under the light with a flowing quality like a stream, harmonizing with her silvery-white long hair to form an elegant and refined portrait of nobility.
As Evelyn had said, the book recommendation she gave indeed recorded much history Astrid wanted to understand, especially information regarding the World Tree and the Fountain of Eternal Youth, filling in the missing clues in her theory about the gods' apocalypse.
