Alice POV
Alice sat in the center of the library.
Her eyes skimmed across the spines of books that towered above her like ancient, sleeping giants.
This was her family's legacy: the Calloway Library.
The collection here was vast, overwhelming even.
It's knowledge spanned centuries. It was a living record of her bloodline, and all information they gathered throughout their history.
And yet, after hours of reading, she found nothing of value.
"Nothing but praise," she muttered, flipping another page in a leather-bound volume that smelled of dust and age. "Prim, pure, gentle..."
Her eyes narrowed as she scanned the text again.
It described the Saintess—the first matriarch of the Calloway family.
Saintess Aurelia Calloway. Revered in history as a model of virtue and restraint. The so-called perfect noblewoman.
Alice clenched her jaw and slammed the book shut.
The sound echoed through the vast library chamber.
"I don't believe it," she said under her breath.
