The Baroness Misbehaves
Chapter 215: The Library Passage

Even the main street was covered with cobblestones. Though they lacked Nature’s beauty, the people of Whitebridge did a great job in bringing out the beauty with all the artificial crafty designs.

Madeline sighed at the outside view before closing the curtains and turning around to look at the beautiful living room that was occupied with couches and tables.

Cassian had disappeared strangely, and Madeline didn’t have the strength to start finding him in such a big house. Instead, she chose to stroll along the spacious hallway, barefoot, using the opportunity she had to take a walk and view the rest of the house her Mother had left behind.

Stopping in her tracks out of impulse, she came across a brown door at her right with intricate carvings on it. Curious at the mere sight of the door, her attention was piqued, and she immediately opened the door.

Taking a peek, she tried to confirm if it was safe before going all the way in, closing the door behind her.

As she stepped through, the smell of old musty books filled her nostril, making her cough slightly at the effect. Regardless of the dusty mess, it didn’t stop her from going in.

Since it was still daytime, the room became bright when Madeline pulled the curtains to each side, letting the light invade in and revealing the library room to her inquisitive gaze.

The shelves stretched high into the air, filled with all types of strange thick books. Some of the books seemed to glow with an otherworldly light, and Madeline could feel her heart beating with anticipation.

"A library?"

Amused, she wandered through the rows of books, her dainty fingers trailing along their spine as she searched for the perfect one to read. She was still surprised to see so many books since her Mother barely read in front of her. She never really spent that much time with her Mother to know she was into books.

It made her heart sting a little.

Finally, a small unassuming book caught her eye. She pulled it from the shelf and flipped it open, not knowing exactly what to expect.

But as she read the first word, the shelves around her suddenly began to shake and groan, drawing Madeline’s attention back to it. Stricken by the sight, she stumbled back, unsure of what was happening as the wooden panels mysteriously split and parted, only to reveal a hidden passage.

"What tha--" Madeline blinked in astonishment. The first thing that rang deep in her mind was to scurry out of here before something dangerous steps out there and drags her in, but then again, this was her Mother’s house.

Even if there was a creature in there, it would think twice before hurting her would it not?

Tranced by her own endless curiosity, Madeline stepped forward into the passage, the book still clutched tightly in her hands. She could hear strange whispers echoing through the walls as she made her way deeper into the darkness.

Madeline wanted to believe those noises were all in her head, and there was absolutely nothing terrifying down here. There was absolutely nothing---

"Ahhhhh!!!! Ghost!"

"Hey! Stop! It’s me!" Cassian, who had stepped out of the shadows with a lantern in his hand, wasn’t expecting to get smacked in the head with a book his wife held.

She had used such force in hitting him, Cassian was sure he’d receive a peppering headache later on in the day.

Madeline, who had panicked and was about to hit him for the third time, paused mid-air after Cassian’s face came into view, and she slowly dropped her hands.

"Cassian?" She uttered his name breathlessly.

She let out a relieved breath, placing a hand to her chest. "You scared the death out of me."

"You nearly killed me, who should be scared between the two of us?"

"Forget it, what are you doing here?"

"The same reason that brought you here." His blatant answer had her keeping quiet.

Taking notice of how he kept massaging the back of his neck with his expression strained, Madeline realized she may have used a little too much of her strength when she hit him earlier.

"Let me help--"

"Thank you, but no, I don’t want you to finish what you’ve started, you might snap my head off next." He scowled before turning away and walking in another direction.

"I’m sorry, I promise I’ll give it a massage tonight." Madeline quickly yelled it loud enough for him to hear before trailing behind him.

After walking in silence, they both came across a circular room filled with strange symbols and diagrams etched into the wall. Cassian moved closer to have a proper look at the diagrams and symbols. From how they were designed, he could tell it was some kind of strange magical pattern.

"What is it?" Madeline’s whisper behind him startled him, and he looked at the woman who smiled sheepishly in his direction.

"Kill me already."

"Stop being mean." She took the lantern from his grip and decided to take a closer look herself.

"What are these symbols?" Her finger traced the lines that led to another symbol, her eyes squinting half-closed. "And why does it feel like they are all connected?"

"And familiar." Cassian’s puzzled gaze remained fixed on patterns on the wall. All of a sudden, his eyes Instinctively widened when the patterns became clear. "Maddie, don’t they look familiar to you?"

It took a minute for Madeline to understand what he was trying to hint at, and then it made sense.

"The scar on your back!" She gasped before taking another closer look at the patterns on the wall. "It looks exactly like the tattooed scar on your back."