Thorns of Roses

Chapter 58 - Duty Or Desire, That Is The Question

"Alright then..." Mari replied hesitantly, not quite understanding his reaction, and turned back to her friend. "So. Umm.... What were you asking from me?"

"We were just talking about the possible methods that should be tried out in order to stop the illness." Alya sighed, the tone of her voice reflecting a subtle annoyance toward the Princess, before she continued, ".. and then asked you what should we come next in line."

"Oh, yes of course!" Mari fell back to her chair. "I admit, I don't have many ideas.." She hid away the idea of using her powers, and sighed, "Unfortunately, none of our botanists have met before with such illness. That is why I wanted to at least take a look at all the records that had been written in the past in the hope of finding a cure."

"Well, as a matter of fact, you did find something." Félix smiled, - seemed like he managed to gather himself and return from his sudden shock -, and glanced at the red diary that was placed on the table. "Thanks to you, we found out that a similar illness once occurred in the Kingdom."

"But nothing more..." Marinette tilted her head despondently, " ..apart from the fact that there is a so-called "Soul of Paris" that might turn out to be just our solution. That is, according to Mother. " opening the book, she scrolled through Sabine's notes as her mind was filled with her letter and the possible outcome of the illness if they were not to stop the spreading in time.

"Had it not been for you and the poem you've known about," Mari turned to Félix - feeling the need to express her gratitude for his help at least with words -, "we wouldn't have even known where to start our research in the first place."

"So, if I understand well, then everything leads to the solution being in the library, right?" Alya concluded, resting her chin in her hands.

"Most likely. Considering that both your mother's diary," Félix exchanged a look with Marinette, "and the poem were found here, we believe this place conceals even more secrets."

"Precisely. But the problem is that ...." the Princess looked at the bookshelves around them, "that I'm starting to lose hope. We've been reading these books for weeks if not more than a month by now. We've looked through the ancient section at least twice already, not to mention all the scrolls about the records that had been written in the last 30 years. But not even one had contained anything about this disease nor this soul. "shaking her head dejectedly, a tired sigh escaped her lips," Félix even read other poetry books as well, including books about the legends of our Kingdom, but to no avail. I feel like we've checked everything we could just find in the library without any success. "

" So, you're saying that you have visited every book section? "Captain Lahiffe furrowed his eyebrows.

" Aside from sections regarding the noble families and or the novels, we did. "Félix nodded firmly.

"Hmm.. I see." Nino acknowledged and rose from his chair suddenly. The harsh sound, caused by the chair's legs slipping on the floor, reverberated through the library - disturbing its peacefulness. "Please, excuse me for a second." he glanced at the Royal couple, then at his fiancé, and - before turning around and heading away -, planted a kiss on her cheek.

Now that they were on their own, - and knowing that both the Princess and the Prince approved their relationship-, Nino and Alya didn't have to hide their devotion to each other. Or, to be more precise, in front of their friends. As long as Gabriel was on the throne, affairs among the royal staff were forbidden and those who broke it had to face consequences such as getting exiled from the Palace.

But ever since the relationship between the newlyweds turned upside down, not to mention for the better, a new opportunity opened for the captain and the Princess's lady-in-waiting. As the royals asked their friends to help them out with their research, it gave them the chance to spend more time together even during the day - without the fear of getting caught. It was a perfect disguise as for the outside world it looked as if the royal couple were just discussing imperial matters with their right hands together.