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“How handy!”

“It is.” Roar beamed. “And at risk of sounding too much like I’m trying to impress you, I have another thing to show you.”

“Roar . . .”

“Let me have my fun.”

I sighed, taking in the ring again. It all felt like too much, but he seemed to enjoy giving. How could I say no?

“As long as we’re not going to the ballroom to dance.” I patted my belly. “I am so full!”

“Then this surprise is perfect. Come with me.” He led me through the halls, none of which I’d recognized.

“Where are we going?” I gazed around us, taking in the tapestries and paintings, most of which depicted Winter’s Realm of Guldtown.

“You really must work on your patience.” He stopped before a set of double doors. “Though not tonight, for this is what I wish to show you.” Flinging open the doors, a familiar smell I knew in my heart met me.

Books.

“My library,” Roar announced as he ushered me inside. “And yours, while you’re here. Find as many books as you’d like and devour them until your heart’s content.”

“Stars alive!” I exclaimed, rushing deeper into the room lit by floating spherical faelights and candles along the outer walls.

Books climbed from floor to ceiling, sitting on more shelves than I could count. On one side, a map of Isila hung, though this appeared to be a far finer map than I’d ever seen. On the other side hung portraits.

I bit my lip. The same male and female fae with a young boy had been beautifully painted on the portrait. The male had bright red hair, as did the boy, just like in Roar’s study. “That’s your family, isn’t it?”

“It is,” Roar admitted. “Those portraits used to hang in the dining hall. I had them moved here because we used to eat together as a family and when they were gone, seeing them was too painful. But I still wanted to honor them with a place of beauty.”

He had done just that. Aside from the multicolored books, gold and crimson swathed the library, like the rest of the palace. It struck me as both regal and homey, and also had an unlit fireplace and chairs before it, waiting to be sunk into.

“What are your favorite types of books?” he asked.

I rubbed my hands together. “Tales of adventure. Of slaying dragons and fighting giants, ogres, and orcs. I like it when they have romance too.”

His lips turned up in amusement. “You ought to be a knight!”

In my flights of fancy, I’d often wished for that same thing. But I had been born nothing, and even being Roar’s fake fiancée had been more than I could ever imagine. Being a knight was far out of my reach but fun to think about.

“Perhaps I’ll study up,” I said, playing along. “You can teach me the sword, right?”

“Of course. But first, allow me to show you to the books you might enjoy.” Roar pivoted and walked down an aisle, stopping about midway down.

“This was one of my brother’s favorite stories.” He lifted a book from the shelf. It had an image of a dragon on the front. “It’s of the true dragons of the wilds, not the shifters, and an elf that learned to ride one of the wild dragons.”

“Scandalous!” Playfully, I covered my mouth with my hand.

“Brogan thought so, too. Imagine the reaction the shifters at the Dragon Court would have if an elf rode a wild dragon?”

“They’d have a fit.” I took it and flipped open the pages. After only a few lines, I found myself enjoying the tale too and shut it. “I think I’ll enjoy it.”

“My brother and I used to pass notes back and forth to one another in our favorite stories.” Roar stared down at the book in my hands; the corners of his eyes crinkled with fondness. “He used this one often.”

“Are you sure you want me to take it out of here?” After hearing about what happened to them, I figured the book must be one of his prized possessions.

“I’d prefer that someone else got enjoyment from the tale. I already checked each page for a note after his passing. Multiple times, I looked. There was none.”

“Thank you.” I held the book close to my chest. “Can I borrow a couple more? I’m a fast reader. We had to be because other slaves always wanted the books after us.”