Chapter 135

FELIX

I stood in front of the Library of Magic, my body shaking at the proximity to so much power.

I could feel it–the remnants of that magical flare. It was still humming in the ground, and despite the snow falling around me, I did not feel cold in the slightest.

At last I was here, in the presence of all the magical knowledge in the world. Behind that stone door was the answer to all my questions, and maybe even what I needed to save Mila.

All I needed to do was walk through.

I took a deep breath and laid my hands on the door, studying the runes underneath it. They were old, maybe even older than Esmeralda.

Whoever had written them was clearly a strong practitioner of magic. I wondered if the enchantress Esmeralda had told me about had etched them into the stone herself, a thousand years ago, sealing her secrets away in this mountain tomb.

The library was dark, but as soon as I crossed the threshold, lanterns flared to life throughout the stacks. I looked around at the miles of books, that magical core within me perking up at the sight of it. The library almost seemed to be alive, as if it could acknowledge and aid my presence here.

I had no idea where to start looking, so instead I focused on that kernel of magic still burning inside me. I felt a slight tug to my left, and headed over to the bookshelves in that direction.

I did not make it far before I saw a book laying out on a small table, as if it had been placed there especially for me. The leather cover was blank, without a title in sight, but when I opened the book, there was a small dedication on the first page:

IN HONOR OF THE GREATEST LOVE THE KINGDOMS HAVE EVER KNOWN

Curious, I turned the page. What I saw there nearly made me drop the book in fright.

A collection of discoveries by Mila Benson, the 67th Queen of Fresonia

Mila wrote this. Mila wrote this and set it out for me.

That meant Mila must have been here, and recently. Was she the one who sent out the blast?

I frantically turned to the next page.

This book was created after Mila Benson learned the truth about Fresonia and its magic. As she is the true caretaker of the Library, this book was made to store her knowledge until the time was right for all to be revealed.

So my wife did have magic.

After narrowly surviving death by poison, Mila was taken to the In-Between realm by Sofia, the great enchantress who helped to establish Fresonia in the 11th century and the creator of the Library of Magic. Sofia revealed to Mila that she was the original caster of the curse on Mila’s beloved, Prince Felix.

Sofia then informed Mila that she was actually one of Mila’s past lives, and that in the following one thousand years, the souls known today as Mila and Felix were striving to find each other in each life before she was ripped away each time by a perceived betrayal.

Sofia spoke to Mila in hopes that the young woman could finally break the curse of the Destined Bride and free her and Felix’s souls from another thousand years of torment.

Perhaps in this lifetime they can finally be together.

I sank into a chair that had suddenly appeared behind me. Those two revelations were swirling around in my head, causing a hurricane.

Mila and I were merely the latest reincarnations of a long line of past lives that had been struggling and fighting against this curse for centuries.

And perhaps, even more importantly, Mila was alive.

Sofia’s great love was the first King of Fresonia, Samuel. They loved each other dearly until Sofia was burned at the stake in an effort to save Samuel’s life. In retaliation, she placed a curse on Samuel, ensuring that he would lose his love in every subsequent lifetime.

Sofia and Samuel tied their great love to the magic of the kingdoms. So long as their love survived, so would the magic. It has waxed and waned over the years, but still, the magic persists.

I had obviously been educated on King Samuel, the first Fresonian king, but there had never been any mention of Sofia.

But if I was reading this book correctly, I was King Samuel, the monarch merely a past life for me.

I brushed my hand over those words: Sofia and Samuel. What had they done? What could I do to save the magic now?

Suddenly, something sparked in the back of my brain. Something that felt an awful lot like a memory. I closed my eyes, allowing the magic to wash over, and I was suddenly transported into a recollection of my past life.

I surveyed the stones being laid for the castle, piece by piece, the beginnings of the towers just starting to take shape.

I squeezed her hand. “This will be our home.”

Next to me, Sofia smiled. “Promise me that we can grow old here together. That is all I want in the world.”

I pressed a kiss to her brow. “I will never let you go, Sofia. I will love you forever, until my dying breath, and then through whatever happens after.”

She smiled and leaned into my chest. “I love you too.”

I was suddenly ripped from the memory and into a new one, or rather, a montage. Each time, I was in my bedchambers. Each time, I could feel my heart break, a chasm opening in my chest.

“King Samuel, Sofia is dead!”

“Countess Sabrina was found murdered in the streets just moments ago.”

“The guards swapped yours and Madeline’s cells in the middle of the night. They burned her with dragonfire this morning. It was only after she started screaming that they realized it wasn’t you.”

“Cassandra’s throat was slit by an assassin in the middle of the night.”

“It appears that Lady Greta’s wine was laced with poison. She did not survive. I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”

“Alexia was beheaded in the middle of the night. I do not know who gave the order. But you are now free to marry a noblewoman.”

In each life, Mila had not only died, but had died thinking that I had made that call. That I had willingly and gladly given up her life in order to save my own, or save the kingdom’s, or just generally make things a little more convenient for me.

No wonder Mila had been so hesitant to trust me in the beginning of our relationship–she quite literally carried generations of trauma and trust issues in her very blood that warned her that I was a danger to her health and safety.

All of our pain and suffering over the last century may have been due to Sofia’s curse, but I had certainly not helped matters by never truly listening to my wife. And now, being faced with her death once again, I realized that it was up to me to correct my own mistakes if I was ever to move forward with my wife.

I just needed to find her.