"Why does this kind of backstory even exist!?" – Livia murmured..
"It's even worse than what the novel portrayed Madline goes through. All it showed she suffered mentally- but in the end, she got her happy ending. "
Livia didn't have a family who would support her nor did she have anyone to rely on. And even if she wanted to ran away from here, Madline won't let her.
What she was facing was far more persistent and insurmountable then what Madline had to deal, weather it was fake or not.
She suddenly found herself resenting the author for portraying Madline as some tragic heroine- misunderstood, broken character and a noble in her suffering; when Madline is nothing but a violent woman.
Tragic? Maybe but that's from Madline's own perspective.
The truth was, she was sick and tired even terrified of her situation. Over the past few weeks, as she experienced her situation firsthand, she gradually fell into despair. She sometimes felt she would jump off some cliff, but even that was too much frightening and she still had a little sanity left not to do that.
But that was enough! If she couldn't run away, she would do something to change her situation.
The previous "Livia" may have enjoyed being Madline's lackey, being her plaything, enjoying the torture, unbearable pain, but she wasn't her nor she was Madline's possession. She was different.
She wanted her freedom- she didn't want to remain a caged animal forever. She would change her situation, no matter what and how many years it takes.
"For that I have to get rid of the binding curse that was clinging to this body first otherwise she had no future" – She muttered quietly, tightly griping her side clothes.
----
Early in the morning on a holiday, Livia's carriage arrived at the entrance of the imperial library. The imperial Library's building stood grand and imposing, its white stone was gleaming in the morning light.
Livia stepped out of the carriage, her boots clicking softly against the polished marble floor. Few dared to visit the library on a holiday- fewer still were granted access to the inner halls with imperial decree. But Livia wasn't just anyone.
There were two parts in the imperial library. The outer part was for common people and the second part – the inner hall was for those who hold Caelith with special recommendation from the Ducal families or imperial family.
Fortunately, Livia had both for obvious reasons. But the previous Livia had never used the recommendation for the library for some reason.
'Well not that she liked studying, library was the last thing she would be concerned about.'
'Knowing Livia's personality, it would not have been strange if she had thrown the letter in a trash, At-least Livia's personal maid kept the letter somewhere safe' – she thought with a sigh relief.
"…Hooh…"
Clutching the letter and the Caelith seal in her tightly, she took a deep breath and approached the gatekeeper.
She had no time to waste, If she wanted to break the curse binding her to this body, she had to start from here, even a smallest information can help.
The gatekeeper, a stern looking middle aged man clad in deep black robes embroidered with the imperial library, glanced at her with a little surprise gaze. It was rare for nobel;s to show up unannounced and even rarer to see them in the holidays.
Without a word, Livia handed the letter and Caelith to the gatekeeper. The man examined both carefully his eyes narrowing slightly at the signature stamped at the bottom of the parchment. Recognition flickered across his face.
"Your permission is granted. You can go inside the inner halls" He said, stepping aside.
"The inner archives are open to you. No copying of restricted materials. No taking books outside the designated reading chambers. And no fire magic within the premises."
Livia gave him a polite nod before heading inside, she was too focused to respond aloud.
As the heavy doors creaked open behind the gatekeeper, a wave of cool, dry air brushed past her—filled with the scent of old parchment, candle wax, and something older.
The inner hall was nothing like the outer section. Towering shelves stretched all the way to the vaulted ceiling, packed with tomes bound in leather, silk, and even metal. Strange globes hovered in the air, casting soft, warm light all-over the place.
She knew there won't be any curse section as it was forbidden but there was dark magic section because of the monsters.
She just hoped that she would find anything curse related from the Dark magic and it's related section.
She headed straight to the reference scribe stationed at a nearby desk.
"I need books about dark magic and closely related books"
The scribe glanced up from his notes." Section A-6 through A-14, west wing"
Livia gave him a soft nod, before heading towards the inner archive.
With that Livia began her search.