The Princess' Harem
Chapter 52: These Feelings were a Battlefield

Chapter 52: These Feelings were a Battlefield

The Elysia Kingdom’s palace library was a sanctuary of silence, its high ceilings and endless shelves swallowing the morning’s chaos. Viana sat at a secluded oak table, tucked in a quiet alcove far from the main hall.

Dust motes danced in the slanted light filtering through stained-glass windows, and the faint scent of parchment and leather filled the air. Her blonde hair loosely braided to keep it from her face.

Arden, as her tutor, sat across from her, his short brown hair combed back, his usual formal robes replaced by a simple white shirt and black trousers. The change made him seem younger, and more... human.

He pushed a ledger toward her, his tone was different when it was about his expertise subjects. "The kingdom’s finances are its lifeblood, Your Highness. A ruler who can’t read a ledger is a ruler who’s blind."

She nodded, her mind still half on Rayne’s departure and Arin’s threat. The Love Percentage bar—35%—flashed in her memory, and she shoved it aside, focusing on the columns of numbers. "I know, Arden. Taxes, trade routes, grain reserves. It’s not my favorite lesson, but I’m here."

He raised an eyebrow, a rare hint of amusement in his eyes. "Good. Then tell me why the northern trade surplus dropped last quarter."

Viana traced a finger down the ledger, her brow furrowing. "Bandit raids on the border caravans," she said, glancing up. "And... higher tariffs from Valendale?"

Arden leaned back, folding his arms. "Close. The raids are a factor, but Valendale’s tariffs haven’t changed. Look at the expenditure column. What stands out?"

She sighed, scanning the figures. The numbers blurred slightly, her thoughts drifting to Rayne’s warning about Arin’s slave trading. She needed more context—something beyond ledgers. "Arden, isn’t there a book on Valendale’s trade history? It might help me understand their border policies."

He tilted his head, considering. "There’s one in the eastern stacks. Trade and Treaties of the Western Realms. Top shelf, third row. Go fetch it."

Viana stood, grateful for the break. The alcove’s seclusion meant they were alone, Joel and Reyes stationed outside the library’s main doors.

She crossed the room, her boots soft on the polished floor, and reached the eastern stacks. The shelves loomed high, their tops lost in shadow. She spotted the book’s gilded spine, just out of reach on the top shelf.

Stretching on her toes, she strained, fingers brushing the leather binding. Her emerald gown caught slightly on the shelf’s edge, and she muttered a curse under her breath.

One more push—she almost had it. A shadow moved behind her, unnoticed, as Arden followed quietly, his steps silent from years of navigating the library.

Just as her fingers grazed the book, a hand reached past her, plucking it effortlessly from the shelf. Viana gasped, startled, and spun around.

Arden stood close, the book in hand, his expression unreadable but his eyes glinting with something she couldn’t place.

"Careful," he said, his voice low. "You’ll bring the whole shelf down."

Her heart raced from the scare, and she stepped back instinctively. Her heel caught on Arden’s foot, and her balance faltered.

"Oh—" she yelped, arms flailing. Arden dropped the book, reaching to steady her, but the momentum was too much. They tumbled to the floor in a tangle, Viana landing atop him with a soft thud.

The air rushed out of her lungs, her hands braced on his chest. Arden’s white shirt was thin, and through it, she felt the surprising lean strength of his frame—not the frail bookworm she’d imagined, but a man who carried himself with quiet power.

Her blonde hair spilled loose from its braid, curtaining their faces, and her circlet, left on the table, was no shield for the heat flooding her cheeks.

"Your Highness," Arden said, his voice a mix of exasperation and something softer, his breath warm against her face. His hands rested lightly on her arms, steadying her, but he didn’t push her away.

"I—I tripped," she stammered, echoing her defense to Rayne, but her mind was a mess. The library’s silence amplified her pounding pulse, and Arden’s steady gaze didn’t help. "Why did you sneak up like that?"

"I didn’t sneak," he said, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "You were about to topple the shelf. I was helping."

"Helping," she muttered, pushing herself up but lingering a moment too long, her hands still on his chest. She scrambled to her feet, smoothing her gown, her face burning. "You could’ve warned me."

Arden rose, brushing dust from his shirt, his composure returning but his eyes still holding that unreadable glint. "Noted, Your Highness." He retrieved the book, handing it to her with a slight bow. "Your trade history."

She took it, clutching it like a shield. "Thanks," she mumbled, avoiding his gaze. Her mind raced—first Rayne, now Arden?

The kingdom’s ledgers were simpler than whatever was happening to her heart. The Love Percentage bar didn’t appear for Arden, but its absence only made her more confused.

They returned to the table, the air between them charged with unspoken tension. Arden reopened the ledger, his voice professional but softer. "Let’s continue. The northern surplus—focus on the mining contracts."

Viana nodded, forcing her attention to the numbers, but her thoughts lingered on the fall, Arden’s warmth, and the unexpected jolt of their closeness. Her fingers trembled slightly as she turned a page, the memory of his lean frame beneath her hands vivid.

She’d always seen Arden as her anchor—steady, intellectual, safe. But now, his quiet strength and that fleeting, unguarded look in his eyes stirred something new, a warmth that rivaled the spark Rayne’s teasing had ignited. It was unsettling, like a ledger that refused to balance.

Arden, too, seemed affected, though he hid it better. His usual precision faltered as he pointed to a column, his finger brushing the page too quickly, betraying a hint of distraction. "The mining contracts," he repeated, clearing his throat. "They’re overbudget. Why?"

Viana swallowed, her voice steadier than she felt. "Corrupt overseers, maybe. Or equipment costs?" She met his gaze, and for a moment, the ledger vanished.

His eyes held hers, searching, as if he sensed the shift between them. The library’s silence pressed in, amplifying the unspoken.

Arden broke the gaze first, adjusting his shirt’s collar, a rare fidget. "Good guess. Check the labor costs." His tone was firm, but his fingers lingered on the page, as if anchoring himself.

Viana wondered if he, too, felt the weight of that fall, the fleeting intimacy that had cracked their teacher-student facade.

These feelings, were a battlefield she wasn’t ready for, after all what had happened to her in her former life.

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