22. Sephen

Chapter 22

Sephen

I t took Sephen a week to develop the courage to visit Auslin at the castle. After reading Reskin's Sanctuary to help build up his nerve, the lure of Kisano's library was too strong a temptation to resist.

He tried to be brave, but after walking through the gates, Sephen couldn't help but gawk at his first up-close view of the castle. While he had seen it at a distance plenty of times on his trips into Tiora, it had never loomed so high before. The stained-glass windows awed Sephen with their artistry and rarity. The grandeur of it intimidated him, but he squared his shoulders as he entered the magnificent building. He was unworthy, but Auslin's position as the king's intended meant he had a right to be there. It didn't make it any less nerve-racking, though.

After asking a servant about where to find his older brother, she led him through a dizzying maze of hallways. Sephen's head spun every time they turned another corner. Somehow, the castle felt bigger on the inside than on the outside.

Finally, the servant stopped in front of a door and knocked. She loudly announced, "Lord Auslin, Lord Sephen is here to see you." The formal title embarrassed Sephen. He was not important enough to be formally announced.

The door opened, revealing Auslin. He wore white breeches paired with a silver-blue shirt that shimmered in the light. "You finally made it!" Auslin pulled his younger brother into a hug. "Come see our room."

Sephen stepped into the atrium, admiring the beauty of it and the open ceiling that showed off the sky above them. "What do you do when it rains or snows?"

"Fersen enchanted it to close when it detects either of those. Kitsuki can also shut it with his magic. I haven't quite mastered that trick yet." Auslin led Sephen deeper into the suite.

The wall of bookshelves near the fireplace immediately distracted Sephen. He took his time exploring the titles. It wasn't until Auslin laughed that Sephen realized he had completely ignored his brother. His cheeks flushed. "Sorry."

"I missed you so much." Auslin gave Sephen another hug. "Only you would notice the bookshelves before the biggest bed you've ever seen."

After Auslin had pointed it out, Sephen marveled at the oversized bed. "I didn't know they made them that big!"

Auslin gestured for Sephen to follow him through another door off to the side that opened on its own as soon as they stood in front of it. Sephen got the shock of his life at seeing the enormous bathroom. "Wow, I'm pretty sure you secretly live in the Divine Realm. This is unreal." Sephen caught sight of himself in the longest and clearest mirror he had ever seen before. He smoothed his hair down with a scowl. In his black breeches and white shirt, he wasn't fit to interact with royalty. "I changed my mind. I can't meet a prince looking this embarrassing."

When Sephen started to walk away, Auslin took hold of his wrist and gently tugged him back. "You look fine. Kisano doesn't care about appearances or putting on airs."

"But he's probably going to be as handsome as Kitsuki, and I'm nothing?—"

Auslin squeezed his brother's hand before letting it go. "Stop putting yourself down. Once he sees how much you love books, you'll be his new favorite person."

"Then you better introduce us before I lose my nerve and run away," Sephen said with a nervous laugh.

As Auslin led the way, Sephen grew more excited about getting to see the palace's library. But he was still deeply worried about making the right first impression. Although Auslin had assured Sephen he would get along with Kisano, he was still trepidatious about meeting any member of the royal family when Kitsuki was so intimidating. "Am I supposed to bow when I meet him?" Sephen asked his older brother in a hushed tone. "Or call him Prince Kisano? Do I refer to him as Your Majesty or Your Highness? Please tell me what to do. I don't want to offend him."

"Relax, Sephen. I honestly think it would make Kisano more uncomfortable if you treated him like royalty," Auslin stated. "If you interact with him as a fellow bookworm and just be yourself, I promise everything will be fine."

Sephen remained unconvinced. "If you say so."

The enormous and ornate doors to the library hinted at the magnificence of what lay beyond them. But nothing could have prepared Sephen for the shock of seeing more books than he had read in his lifetime. He looked around in amazement, trying to process the glorious sight. "Are you sure we didn't step into the Beyond Realm?" Sephen asked in awe. There were so many books, he didn't know where he wanted to explore first. "Because I'm pretty sure this place is paradise."

Auslin chuckled before he waved. "I'm back, Kisano. And I brought my brother, Sephen."

Hearing his name refocused Sephen's attention. He quit breathing when he saw one of the most beautiful shifters in all the realms walk out from behind a bookshelf. His long, cream-colored hair was pulled back into an ornate braid. It surprised Sephen that Kisano was shorter than Auslin, when most shifters were significantly taller than humans. He also didn't have the bold markings of a shifter. His lines were a barely there pale orange.

As Auslin had promised, Kisano wore a simple black tunic and breeches, with only the faintest hints of silver threading that reflected the light. He possessed none of the arrogance Sephen would have expected from a prince. If anything, he appeared to be as insecure as Sephen felt in that moment. Sephen was aware others thought he was cute, but it didn't compare to how stunning Kisano was with his high cheekbones and shy smile.

He held a book to his chest, drawing Sephen's attention to the shifter's slender fingers. Every part of him was perfect in the human's eyes. It left him tongue-tied.

Auslin gently nudged his younger brother forward from where he had rooted to the spot at the sight of the shifter prince. "Sephen, this is my dear friend, Kisano."

Sephen had never had much of a filter. He blurted out, "You get to live here?" Auslin elbowed him, reminding Sephen he needed to mind his manners. "Uh, I mean, hi, it's nice to meet you."

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Kisano's voice was soft like a caress, drawing Sephen closer to him. He wanted to listen to Kisano talk about books all day. "I am glad that my library is to your satisfaction."

"To my satisfaction?" Sephen repeated with a laugh. "Oh, it's way beyond that. I'm pretty sure this is nirvana levels of amazing. This place is incredible ! How is this real? And it's all yours?"

"Technically, it belongs to my brother," Kisano explained. "But he has always been most insistent that this is my domain to do whatever I see fit."

"I want your life," Sephen enviously said as he looked around the magnificent space again. "I could live here and die a happy man."

Kisano blushed, which Sephen found endearing. The shifter really was nothing like the human had expected.

"I could be like one of those creatures that lives in a small shell and then moves into a bigger shell," Sephen continued, causing Auslin to laugh at his brother's earnest reaction. "And then I would just stay here forever with you in heaven."

"And he's saying all of this before he's seen your Reskin section," Auslin teased Kisano.

Sephen's excitement spiked at the reminder. "Can I please see it?"

"Of course." Kisano set his book down on a table, then gestured for them to follow him.

Sephen admired the rows and rows of books they passed as Kisano led them to where his Reskin collection was. When they arrived in front of the multiple bookcases containing Reskin's complete works, Sephen squealed in delight as he took in the sight of so many of his favorite author's books. He shoved Auslin's arm in excitement, barely able to contain his joy. "Auslin, look at it!"

"I have," Auslin told him with a laugh.

"But look at it ," Sephen repeated with emphasis. The collection overwhelmed him, as did the knowledge that Kisano liked his favorite author enough to have what appeared to be centuries' worth of his books. "It's so beautiful I could cry."

Kisano looked at Sephen with curiosity. "Reskin means that much to you?"

"Reskin means everything to me!" It wasn't an exaggeration.

"He really and truly means it," Auslin dryly added. "You will never meet a more devoted and obsessed fan in your long life, I can promise you that."

"But why?" Kisano asked.

"Because his words are etched into my heart, into my very soul ." Sephen held his hand over his heart for emphasis. "He means everything to me. His philosophies literally helped define who I am as a person. Somehow, he knows me better than I know myself, even though I've never had the pleasure of meeting him. He's the most amazing person who's ever graced this realm."

Auslin chuckled as he looked at his brother fondly. He told Kisano, "It's not an exaggeration to say that if someone wants to be my brother's friend, it is mandatory that they read Reskin's Sanctuary first."

"That book is me." Sephen instinctively sought it out on the well-organized shelves.

"I never imagined Reskin's words would have such a deep impact on someone," Kisano said.

When Sephen found the book, he gestured at it. "May I?" It was an edition he had never seen before, which made him more excited at the discovery.

"Please."

Sephen pulled it off the shelf with reverence. It was always an honor for him to hold Reskin's words in his hands. He ran his fingers over the elaborate gold leaf title on the leather cover. "I've never seen such a beautifully bound version before."

"I am not surprised. That is the only one that was ever made."

"And you have it?" Sephen asked in awe. "That's incredible! But why is it so rare?"

"Open it." Kisano observed him carefully.

Doing as he was told, Sephen opened to a random page. His eyes went wide at the sight of handwriting rather than the printed version he had access to at the temple. "Is this…?" Sephen was too enthralled to finish his thought.

Kisano finished Sephen's unfinished question. "It is Reskin's handwritten final draft."

Sephen inhaled sharply as he stared in disbelief at the pages. He traced some letters with a trembling hand. "I knew it. Even his handwriting is perfect," Sephen whispered in awe, unable to look away from the ornate characters covering the pages. "I…"

When Sephen teared up from the overwhelming privilege of seeing something Reskin himself had touched, Auslin gently took the book from him to return to the shelf. "Careful. You don't want to ruin the ink with your tears."

"It's just so beautiful," Sephen insisted in a quiet voice. His emotions overwhelmed him. "For me to touch a page that he wrote himself…"

"I know." Auslin patted his younger brother's shoulder in solidarity. "Now you understand why I wanted you to come visit here."

Sephen forgot his sense of decorum as he took Kisano's hands in his. "Thank you, Kisano. From the bottom of my heart, thank you."

The contact flustered Kisano. "You are most welcome."

It made Sephen realize he had probably broken five rules of royalty by touching Kisano without permission. But for some reason, holding Kisano's hands felt as right as holding Reskin's book. It broke his heart to let go for the sake of preserving decorum. "How did you find a handwritten draft?"

Kisano hesitated before answering. "I am acquainted with him."

"You know him?" Sephen asked in disbelief.

"In a manner of speaking, yes." Kisano brushed some of his bangs behind his ears with a trembling hand.

Sephen made another excited noise before laughing. "I would ask you if you could introduce us, but I'm pretty sure I would humiliate myself and die of embarrassment. It would so be worth it, though."

"Perhaps a meeting could be arranged someday. He does not have many occasions to meet with fans of his work."

The mere thought of it made Sephen's heart race. "Then my overzealous appreciation of him and his work would probably terrify him. Although, I'd be too overwhelmed to talk—but then again, staring at him with loving adoration is creepy in its own way."

"I think he would be deeply touched to see his words meant so much to someone." Kisano gave Sephen a shy smile that made the human's heart flutter for a whole new reason. "Your passion would move him."

"No, he'd be like, ‘Kisano, who is this weird guy, and why did you bring him to me?' I would try really hard not to embarrass myself, but I'm pretty sure I'd accidentally humiliate myself within the first three minutes of meeting him."

Kisano laughed, sending butterflies soaring through Sephen. "I am quite confident he would be most thankful to have such a devoted fan. It would mean a lot to him to know there was a reader like you who cared so much."

Sephen sighed as he let his fingers run along the spines of some of Reskin's books. "Ah, I'm so envious of my brother!"

"Why is that?"

"Because he got to spend almost two years here in paradise with you," Sephen answered with another laugh. "If I were him, I wouldn't have wanted to come home at all. I barely want to leave now!"

"You are always welcome here." Kisano hesitated before softly saying, "I would enjoy your company."

"Is it really okay?" Sephen hopefully asked. "Because I really will come here and bother you all the time."

"It is no bother," Kisano insisted.

Sephen didn't think it was possible to be any happier than he was in that moment. "Then is there somewhere we can talk where I'm not distracted by Reskin's brilliance on full display? I don't want you to think I'm only using you to worship at this magnificent altar of Reskin."

Kisano chuckled. "There is a sitting area over this way if you would like to make yourself at home."

It took a moment for Sephen to realize Auslin was gone. "When did my brother leave?" Sephen asked as he followed Kisano to two of the most comfortable-looking leather chairs he had ever seen.

Kisano laughed quietly behind his hand, further captivating Sephen. "I am not quite sure."

"Oh, well. When he wants us, he can come here," Sephen decided with a shrug. "It gives us more time to talk that way."