Chapter 9: The Book Of Xendros
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Prince Leron was stunned. The Bishop wasn't blind before, he remembered well when he was young. Did he lose his sight because of old age? But he had no iris, his eyes were all sclera. It was a little eerie, but Prince Leron wanted to remain respectful so he tried to get rid of his discomfort for the Bishop's eyes.
"Father." Sangfroid said. "The Vampire Lord can control the prince's body during Bloodlust. Do you know of this?"
"I have dreamt of it last night. He can see through your heart." The Bishop spoke, his voice hoarse and shaky. "Your blood revealed to him your fears."
"What fears?" Prince Leron asked. Sangfroid had never mentioned this.
"He can do that even using Leron as a vessel?" Sangfroid asked, trying to ignore Prince Leron's question.
"It appears so. You wanted to ask if the Book of Xendros can reveal something about it, yes?" The Bishop said. "Sangfroid.... do you remember when I told you about the missing pages?"
"Yes. You believe the Vampire Lord had managed to get the book to himself and tore those pages because they reveal something important."
"Those were my initial thoughts." The Bishop moved his thumb and forefinger to another bead. "But now I have my doubts. I am lead to believe... that Xendros tore it himself."
"Why would he do that?" Sangfroid asked.
"Perhaps, it was a memory that he no longer wants to be reminded of." The Bishop guessed. "Or... it was to protect someone. But the Mothers are telling me right now that those pages are important to know the full extent of a Vampire Lord's power."
"Do they know where we could find them?" Prince Leron asked.
The Bishop went silent, and continued praying. Prince Leron felt offended that he was being ignored again, and pouted to himself. But then, the Bishop spoke, a cloud of mist showing from his mouth.
"Sang yuend jwi hauks
Froid henlop il'zae haren."
"What is he saying?" Prince Leron was puzzled, turning to Sangfroid. "He mentioned 'Sang' and 'Froid'."
"Sang means blood in Old Ilvedian, and froid means cold." Sangfroid explained. "Those words are used similarly in the current Zhaulian language, they had the same origins."
"Wait, so all this time your name is 'cold blood'?" Prince Leron was baffled. "That's a strange thing to name someone."
"We did not name Sangfroid ourselves." The Bishop spoke again normally, his mouth no longer emitting smoke. "It was a name given to him by his actual parents."
"Let's not talk about it." Sangfroid's eyes were narrower than usual, his jaws square. "Father, could you translate the Mothers' message for us?"
Sangfroid must not like talking about his real parents. Prince Leron shifted from foot to foot, feeling like he brought a sore topic that made Sangfroid upset.
"The Mothers are saying that 'Blood flows through the crevice, Cold seeps into the body."
Prince Leron thought carefully. "That doesn't seem to be referring to a place."
"Do not take the Mothers' words literally, my child." The Bishop reminded. "They speak through symbols so that only those worthy could understand it. Since it was you who ask for the missing pages, I have a feeling that the Mothers would not like me to intervene further from here."
The Bishop coughed, his throat wheezing as he did. "My health also does not permit me to accompany you. My apologies."
"It is alright, Father." Sangfroid took the blind Bishop's hand, and kissed the ring on his finger. "Thank you for delivering us the Holy Mothers' message. Take care of yourself."
"You too, young one." The Bishop said. "Though it may seem illogical, I suggest that you two still visit the Book of Xendros. There is some knowledge that can be revealed beyond words."
"We will heed your advice, Father." Sangfroid nodded. "Let us go, Your Highness."
Sangfroid was already at the door, and Prince Leron was stunned that it's now time to leave. He turned back, one eye scrutinizing him. "Your Highness?"
"Oh, yes." Prince Leron nodded and bowed, even though he knew the Bishop couldn't see him. "Farewell, sir."
They closed the door, and Prince Leron felt that the meeting was too abrupt. It doesn't seem like the Bishop and Sangfroid were uncomfortable with each other, but they only talked about important matters and didn't bother asking how each other has been.
"What's the matter, Your Highness?" Sangfroid's deep voice made him sound emotionless all the time, but it is not so. "You seem reluctant to leave the Bishop quarters."
"I was just thinking about how you didn't chat with the Bishop more. You are close, aren't you?" Prince Leron asked.
"Yes, we are. That's just how we usually talked. We don't usually discuss about mundane matters with our Father." Sangfroid said. "I prefer it that way, to be honest. It saves time."
"Oh. I see." Prince Leron agreed. He was not used to this though, since the nobles love to make idle chat with each other. But seeing it from Sangfroid's perspective, it really is better this way.
In the Chapel, people are themselves and don't need fake pleasantries.
There's also the fact that the Bishop was also the holiest man in Ilvedia, and he speaks in a more formal manner. His gift to foresee things through the messages of the Holy Mothers also separates him from the normal human person. He was a good man, but Prince Leron thinks it was also a shame since a person as revered like that could not form a very close and personal relationship with others.
He was more like a mentor than a father, he thought.
He only learned today that Sangfroid actually named him. Had he seen his biological parents? Does he hate them? It's reasonable to hate them if he was abandoned without good reason.
"The stairs lead to the archive." Sangfroid told him. He was holding an oil lamp that he got from one of the angel statue's hands. The angel statue was made of marble and had scaly fingers and dragon wings.
Prince Leron looked down at the dark passage with a staircase in front of him. He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice it. "Had it always been here?"
"The passage is opened when you take the lamp." Sangfroid said. He suddenly set the lamp to a nearby pedestal, took off his outer coat, and wrap it around Prince Leron's shoulders.
Prince Leron could feel Sangfroid's breath on his neck as he wrapped the coat over him, and he was stunned. "Why did you..."
"It's colder in the archives. I remember telling you that they have to keep the relics like the Book of Xendros in cold temperature to avoid damage." Sangfroid said, and took the lamp again. He held out his other hand to Prince Leron. "It is also damp here, and the floors are slippery. Watch your step, Your Highness."
Prince Leron hesitantly took his hand, and the Huntsman guided him down the staircase. "What about you, won't you feel cold?"
"I was trained to handle extreme temperatures well." Sangfroid said.
Prince Leron could tell, Sangfroid doesn't seem to be affected by a lot of things. One time it rained and the palace was freezing, and yet he still slept on the cold floor, not using any blanket. Prince Leron felt guilty and offered him to sleep on the bed with him, since they're both men after all. But Sangfroid declined, and Prince Leron managed to catch a cold despite being wrapped in layers of blankets like a cocoon while the Chief Huntsman remained in great constitution.
Still, he appreciated Sangfroid's gesture of giving him the coat. He sacrifices himself a lot for the prince, and he felt like he doesn't deserve it.
"We're here." They reach the last step, and Sangfroid pressed something by the wall that clicked.
Moments later, fairy lights emerged from all across the room, making things visible but also not affecting the cold temperature of the room. Fairy lights are magical circles of light that can be found and captured in the forest. They are not sentient beings, just stray blobs of light that do not emit heat. They float harmlessly and eventually get dimmer over time, usually lasting for two to five years. In the morning, they lose their shine and disappear, but come back again in the night.
"How did you manage to get fairy lights here?" Prince Leron was fascinated by the sight, and touched one of them.
"They live in the gardens." Sangfroid said. "The builders of the Chapel learned that they sleep in marigold patches during the day. They knew they could give light without increasing temperature and so they brought marigolds whenever they enter the archives. But not all marigolds have fairy light sleeping on them."
He pointed to the switch he pressed. "Asver later planted a marigold patch on the Chapel grounds and devised a mechanism to automatically bring them here when I press that button."
"Asver is an inventor?" Prince Leron was amazed.
"I see him like that. Though he didn't receive high education, he is good at finding ways to make things easier here at the Chapel." Sangfroid said, and pointed to the middle of the room. "On that blue pedestal.... That is the Book of Xendros."
Prince Leron saw the ancient book, lying on the three-foot high pedestal in the middle of the room. It stood alone amidst the huge pile of shelves and scattered relics and statues. Sangfroid left the lamp at the last step, and they approached the strange book.
"I don't understand anything." Prince Leron scratched his head. "Maybe there's an illustration or a symbol here somewhere."
He carefully flipped the pages to search for something interesting. Suddenly, he came across a hand-drawn portrait, with words scribbled on it.
"This doesn't look like Old Ilvedian." Prince Leron said. "I'm familiar with how it is written. These characters are different, they are sharp and have many swirling lines."
The portrait was of a man with a stern expression, his hair long and curly. The drawing was in ink so the color of the man's clothes, hair, or eyes are up to the viewer's interpretation. It seems that the artist was an amateur or wasn't really good at art at all, but he exerted a lot of effort and detail to capture the likeness of the man as much as he can.
Sangfroid's eyes widened when he saw the words below the portrait, and he stepped back. "I... I can understand it."
"Really?" Prince Leron got excited. "What language was it? What did it say?"
"I don't know what language it was from..." Sangfroid said. "I don't know how to read it but.... I can tell what it means..."
Sangfroid touched the handwritten foreign characters, his brow creasing. He translated them out loud:
"I like your purple eyes the most."
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Prince Leron was stunned. The Bishop wasn't blind before, he remembered well when he was young. Did he lose his sight because of old age? But he had no iris, his eyes were all sclera. It was a little eerie, but Prince Leron wanted to remain respectful so he tried to get rid of his discomfort for the Bishop's eyes.
"Father." Sangfroid said. "The Vampire Lord can control the prince's body during Bloodlust. Do you know of this?"
"I have dreamt of it last night. He can see through your heart." The Bishop spoke, his voice hoarse and shaky. "Your blood revealed to him your fears."
"What fears?" Prince Leron asked. Sangfroid had never mentioned this.
"He can do that even using Leron as a vessel?" Sangfroid asked, trying to ignore Prince Leron's question.
"It appears so. You wanted to ask if the Book of Xendros can reveal something about it, yes?" The Bishop said. "Sangfroid.... do you remember when I told you about the missing pages?"
"Yes. You believe the Vampire Lord had managed to get the book to himself and tore those pages because they reveal something important."
"Those were my initial thoughts." The Bishop moved his thumb and forefinger to another bead. "But now I have my doubts. I am lead to believe... that Xendros tore it himself."
"Why would he do that?" Sangfroid asked.
"Perhaps, it was a memory that he no longer wants to be reminded of." The Bishop guessed. "Or... it was to protect someone. But the Mothers are telling me right now that those pages are important to know the full extent of a Vampire Lord's power."
"Do they know where we could find them?" Prince Leron asked.
The Bishop went silent, and continued praying. Prince Leron felt offended that he was being ignored again, and pouted to himself. But then, the Bishop spoke, a cloud of mist showing from his mouth.
"Sang yuend jwi hauks
Froid henlop il'zae haren."
"What is he saying?" Prince Leron was puzzled, turning to Sangfroid. "He mentioned 'Sang' and 'Froid'."
"Sang means blood in Old Ilvedian, and froid means cold." Sangfroid explained. "Those words are used similarly in the current Zhaulian language, they had the same origins."
"Wait, so all this time your name is 'cold blood'?" Prince Leron was baffled. "That's a strange thing to name someone."
"We did not name Sangfroid ourselves." The Bishop spoke again normally, his mouth no longer emitting smoke. "It was a name given to him by his actual parents."
"Let's not talk about it." Sangfroid's eyes were narrower than usual, his jaws square. "Father, could you translate the Mothers' message for us?"
Sangfroid must not like talking about his real parents. Prince Leron shifted from foot to foot, feeling like he brought a sore topic that made Sangfroid upset.
"The Mothers are saying that 'Blood flows through the crevice, Cold seeps into the body."
Prince Leron thought carefully. "That doesn't seem to be referring to a place."
"Do not take the Mothers' words literally, my child." The Bishop reminded. "They speak through symbols so that only those worthy could understand it. Since it was you who ask for the missing pages, I have a feeling that the Mothers would not like me to intervene further from here."
The Bishop coughed, his throat wheezing as he did. "My health also does not permit me to accompany you. My apologies."
"It is alright, Father." Sangfroid took the blind Bishop's hand, and kissed the ring on his finger. "Thank you for delivering us the Holy Mothers' message. Take care of yourself."
"You too, young one." The Bishop said. "Though it may seem illogical, I suggest that you two still visit the Book of Xendros. There is some knowledge that can be revealed beyond words."
"We will heed your advice, Father." Sangfroid nodded. "Let us go, Your Highness."
Sangfroid was already at the door, and Prince Leron was stunned that it's now time to leave. He turned back, one eye scrutinizing him. "Your Highness?"
"Oh, yes." Prince Leron nodded and bowed, even though he knew the Bishop couldn't see him. "Farewell, sir."
They closed the door, and Prince Leron felt that the meeting was too abrupt. It doesn't seem like the Bishop and Sangfroid were uncomfortable with each other, but they only talked about important matters and didn't bother asking how each other has been.
"What's the matter, Your Highness?" Sangfroid's deep voice made him sound emotionless all the time, but it is not so. "You seem reluctant to leave the Bishop quarters."
"I was just thinking about how you didn't chat with the Bishop more. You are close, aren't you?" Prince Leron asked.
"Yes, we are. That's just how we usually talked. We don't usually discuss about mundane matters with our Father." Sangfroid said. "I prefer it that way, to be honest. It saves time."
"Oh. I see." Prince Leron agreed. He was not used to this though, since the nobles love to make idle chat with each other. But seeing it from Sangfroid's perspective, it really is better this way.
In the Chapel, people are themselves and don't need fake pleasantries.
There's also the fact that the Bishop was also the holiest man in Ilvedia, and he speaks in a more formal manner. His gift to foresee things through the messages of the Holy Mothers also separates him from the normal human person. He was a good man, but Prince Leron thinks it was also a shame since a person as revered like that could not form a very close and personal relationship with others.
He was more like a mentor than a father, he thought.
He only learned today that Sangfroid actually named him. Had he seen his biological parents? Does he hate them? It's reasonable to hate them if he was abandoned without good reason.
"The stairs lead to the archive." Sangfroid told him. He was holding an oil lamp that he got from one of the angel statue's hands. The angel statue was made of marble and had scaly fingers and dragon wings.
Prince Leron looked down at the dark passage with a staircase in front of him. He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice it. "Had it always been here?"
"The passage is opened when you take the lamp." Sangfroid said. He suddenly set the lamp to a nearby pedestal, took off his outer coat, and wrap it around Prince Leron's shoulders.
Prince Leron could feel Sangfroid's breath on his neck as he wrapped the coat over him, and he was stunned. "Why did you..."
"It's colder in the archives. I remember telling you that they have to keep the relics like the Book of Xendros in cold temperature to avoid damage." Sangfroid said, and took the lamp again. He held out his other hand to Prince Leron. "It is also damp here, and the floors are slippery. Watch your step, Your Highness."
Prince Leron hesitantly took his hand, and the Huntsman guided him down the staircase. "What about you, won't you feel cold?"
"I was trained to handle extreme temperatures well." Sangfroid said.
Prince Leron could tell, Sangfroid doesn't seem to be affected by a lot of things. One time it rained and the palace was freezing, and yet he still slept on the cold floor, not using any blanket. Prince Leron felt guilty and offered him to sleep on the bed with him, since they're both men after all. But Sangfroid declined, and Prince Leron managed to catch a cold despite being wrapped in layers of blankets like a cocoon while the Chief Huntsman remained in great constitution.
Still, he appreciated Sangfroid's gesture of giving him the coat. He sacrifices himself a lot for the prince, and he felt like he doesn't deserve it.
"We're here." They reach the last step, and Sangfroid pressed something by the wall that clicked.
Moments later, fairy lights emerged from all across the room, making things visible but also not affecting the cold temperature of the room. Fairy lights are magical circles of light that can be found and captured in the forest. They are not sentient beings, just stray blobs of light that do not emit heat. They float harmlessly and eventually get dimmer over time, usually lasting for two to five years. In the morning, they lose their shine and disappear, but come back again in the night.
"How did you manage to get fairy lights here?" Prince Leron was fascinated by the sight, and touched one of them.
"They live in the gardens." Sangfroid said. "The builders of the Chapel learned that they sleep in marigold patches during the day. They knew they could give light without increasing temperature and so they brought marigolds whenever they enter the archives. But not all marigolds have fairy light sleeping on them."
He pointed to the switch he pressed. "Asver later planted a marigold patch on the Chapel grounds and devised a mechanism to automatically bring them here when I press that button."
"Asver is an inventor?" Prince Leron was amazed.
"I see him like that. Though he didn't receive high education, he is good at finding ways to make things easier here at the Chapel." Sangfroid said, and pointed to the middle of the room. "On that blue pedestal.... That is the Book of Xendros."
Prince Leron saw the ancient book, lying on the three-foot high pedestal in the middle of the room. It stood alone amidst the huge pile of shelves and scattered relics and statues. Sangfroid left the lamp at the last step, and they approached the strange book.
"I don't understand anything." Prince Leron scratched his head. "Maybe there's an illustration or a symbol here somewhere."
He carefully flipped the pages to search for something interesting. Suddenly, he came across a hand-drawn portrait, with words scribbled on it.
"This doesn't look like Old Ilvedian." Prince Leron said. "I'm familiar with how it is written. These characters are different, they are sharp and have many swirling lines."
The portrait was of a man with a stern expression, his hair long and curly. The drawing was in ink so the color of the man's clothes, hair, or eyes are up to the viewer's interpretation. It seems that the artist was an amateur or wasn't really good at art at all, but he exerted a lot of effort and detail to capture the likeness of the man as much as he can.
Sangfroid's eyes widened when he saw the words below the portrait, and he stepped back. "I... I can understand it."
"Really?" Prince Leron got excited. "What language was it? What did it say?"
"I don't know what language it was from..." Sangfroid said. "I don't know how to read it but.... I can tell what it means..."
Sangfroid touched the handwritten foreign characters, his brow creasing. He translated them out loud:
"I like your purple eyes the most."
Prince Leron was stunned. The Bishop wasn't blind before, he remembered well when he was young. Did he lose his sight because of old age? But he had no iris, his eyes were all sclera. It was a little eerie, but Prince Leron wanted to remain respectful so he tried to get rid of his discomfort for the Bishop's eyes."Father." Sangfroid said. "The Vampire Lord can control the prince's body during Bloodlust. Do you know of this?""I have dreamt of it last night. He can see through your heart." The Bishop spoke, his voice hoarse and shaky. "Your blood revealed to him your fears.""What fears?" Prince Leron asked. Sangfroid had never mentioned this. "He can do that even using Leron as a vessel?" Sangfroid asked, trying to ignore Prince Leron's question. "It appears so. You wanted to ask if the Book of Xendros can reveal something about it, yes?" The Bishop said. "Sangfroid.... do you remember when I told you about the missing pages?""Yes. You believe the Vampire Lord had managed to get the book to himself and tore those pages because they reveal something important." "Those were my initial thoughts." The Bishop moved his thumb and forefinger to another bead. "But now I have my doubts. I am lead to believe... that Xendros tore it himself.""Why would he do that?" Sangfroid asked. "Perhaps, it was a memory that he no longer wants to be reminded of." The Bishop guessed. "Or... it was to protect someone. But the Mothers are telling me right now that those pages are important to know the full extent of a Vampire Lord's power.""Do they know where we could find them?" Prince Leron asked. The Bishop went silent, and continued praying. Prince Leron felt offended that he was being ignored again, and pouted to himself. But then, the Bishop spoke, a cloud of mist showing from his mouth. "Sang yuend jwi hauks Froid henlop il'zae haren.""What is he saying?" Prince Leron was puzzled, turning to Sangfroid. "He mentioned 'Sang' and 'Froid'.""Sang means blood in Old Ilvedian, and froid means cold." Sangfroid explained. "Those words are used similarly in the current Zhaulian language, they had the same origins.""Wait, so all this time your name is 'cold blood'?" Prince Leron was baffled. "That's a strange thing to name someone.""We did not name Sangfroid ourselves." The Bishop spoke again normally, his mouth no longer emitting smoke. "It was a name given to him by his actual parents.""Let's not talk about it." Sangfroid's eyes were narrower than usual, his jaws square. "Father, could you translate the Mothers' message for us?"Sangfroid must not like talking about his real parents. Prince Leron shifted from foot to foot, feeling like he brought a sore topic that made Sangfroid upset. "The Mothers are saying that 'Blood flows through the crevice, Cold seeps into the body." Prince Leron thought carefully. "That doesn't seem to be referring to a place.""Do not take the Mothers' words literally, my child." The Bishop reminded. "They speak through symbols so that only those worthy could understand it. Since it was you who ask for the missing pages, I have a feeling that the Mothers would not like me to intervene further from here." The Bishop coughed, his throat wheezing as he did. "My health also does not permit me to accompany you. My apologies.""It is alright, Father." Sangfroid took the blind Bishop's hand, and kissed the ring on his finger. "Thank you for delivering us the Holy Mothers' message. Take care of yourself.""You too, young one." The Bishop said. "Though it may seem illogical, I suggest that you two still visit the Book of Xendros. There is some knowledge that can be revealed beyond words.""We will heed your advice, Father." Sangfroid nodded. "Let us go, Your Highness."Sangfroid was already at the door, and Prince Leron was stunned that it's now time to leave. He turned back, one eye scrutinizing him. "Your Highness?""Oh, yes." Prince Leron nodded and bowed, even though he knew the Bishop couldn't see him. "Farewell, sir."They closed the door, and Prince Leron felt that the meeting was too abrupt. It doesn't seem like the Bishop and Sangfroid were uncomfortable with each other, but they only talked about important matters and didn't bother asking how each other has been. "What's the matter, Your Highness?" Sangfroid's deep voice made him sound emotionless all the time, but it is not so. "You seem reluctant to leave the Bishop quarters.""I was just thinking about how you didn't chat with the Bishop more. You are close, aren't you?" Prince Leron asked. "Yes, we are. That's just how we usually talked. We don't usually discuss about mundane matters with our Father." Sangfroid said. "I prefer it that way, to be honest. It saves time.""Oh. I see." Prince Leron agreed. He was not used to this though, since the nobles love to make idle chat with each other. But seeing it from Sangfroid's perspective, it really is better this way. In the Chapel, people are themselves and don't need fake pleasantries. There's also the fact that the Bishop was also the holiest man in Ilvedia, and he speaks in a more formal manner. His gift to foresee things through the messages of the Holy Mothers also separates him from the normal human person. He was a good man, but Prince Leron thinks it was also a shame since a person as revered like that could not form a very close and personal relationship with others. He was more like a mentor than a father, he thought. He only learned today that Sangfroid actually named him. Had he seen his biological parents? Does he hate them? It's reasonable to hate them if he was abandoned without good reason. "The stairs lead to the archive." Sangfroid told him. He was holding an oil lamp that he got from one of the angel statue's hands. The angel statue was made of marble and had scaly fingers and dragon wings.Prince Leron looked down at the dark passage with a staircase in front of him. He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice it. "Had it always been here?""The passage is opened when you take the lamp." Sangfroid said. He suddenly set the lamp to a nearby pedestal, took off his outer coat, and wrap it around Prince Leron's shoulders. Prince Leron could feel Sangfroid's breath on his neck as he wrapped the coat over him, and he was stunned. "Why did you...""It's colder in the archives. I remember telling you that they have to keep the relics like the Book of Xendros in cold temperature to avoid damage." Sangfroid said, and took the lamp again. He held out his other hand to Prince Leron. "It is also damp here, and the floors are slippery. Watch your step, Your Highness."Prince Leron hesitantly took his hand, and the Huntsman guided him down the staircase. "What about you, won't you feel cold?""I was trained to handle extreme temperatures well." Sangfroid said.Prince Leron could tell, Sangfroid doesn't seem to be affected by a lot of things. One time it rained and the palace was freezing, and yet he still slept on the cold floor, not using any blanket. Prince Leron felt guilty and offered him to sleep on the bed with him, since they're both men after all. But Sangfroid declined, and Prince Leron managed to catch a cold despite being wrapped in layers of blankets like a cocoon while the Chief Huntsman remained in great constitution. Still, he appreciated Sangfroid's gesture of giving him the coat. He sacrifices himself a lot for the prince, and he felt like he doesn't deserve it. "We're here." They reach the last step, and Sangfroid pressed something by the wall that clicked. Moments later, fairy lights emerged from all across the room, making things visible but also not affecting the cold temperature of the room. Fairy lights are magical circles of light that can be found and captured in the forest. They are not sentient beings, just stray blobs of light that do not emit heat. They float harmlessly and eventually get dimmer over time, usually lasting for two to five years. In the morning, they lose their shine and disappear, but come back again in the night. "How did you manage to get fairy lights here?" Prince Leron was fascinated by the sight, and touched one of them. "They live in the gardens." Sangfroid said. "The builders of the Chapel learned that they sleep in marigold patches during the day. They knew they could give light without increasing temperature and so they brought marigolds whenever they enter the archives. But not all marigolds have fairy light sleeping on them."He pointed to the switch he pressed. "Asver later planted a marigold patch on the Chapel grounds and devised a mechanism to automatically bring them here when I press that button.""Asver is an inventor?" Prince Leron was amazed. "I see him like that. Though he didn't receive high education, he is good at finding ways to make things easier here at the Chapel." Sangfroid said, and pointed to the middle of the room. "On that blue pedestal.... That is the Book of Xendros."Prince Leron saw the ancient book, lying on the three-foot high pedestal in the middle of the room. It stood alone amidst the huge pile of shelves and scattered relics and statues. Sangfroid left the lamp at the last step, and they approached the strange book. "I don't understand anything." Prince Leron scratched his head. "Maybe there's an illustration or a symbol here somewhere."He carefully flipped the pages to search for something interesting. Suddenly, he came across a hand-drawn portrait, with words scribbled on it. "This doesn't look like Old Ilvedian." Prince Leron said. "I'm familiar with how it is written. These characters are different, they are sharp and have many swirling lines."The portrait was of a man with a stern expression, his hair long and curly. The drawing was in ink so the color of the man's clothes, hair, or eyes are up to the viewer's interpretation. It seems that the artist was an amateur or wasn't really good at art at all, but he exerted a lot of effort and detail to capture the likeness of the man as much as he can. Sangfroid's eyes widened when he saw the words below the portrait, and he stepped back. "I... I can understand it.""Really?" Prince Leron got excited. "What language was it? What did it say?""I don't know what language it was from..." Sangfroid said. "I don't know how to read it but.... I can tell what it means..."Sangfroid touched the handwritten foreign characters, his brow creasing. He translated them out loud:"I like your purple eyes the most."
