Angelina was lying on her bed, looking at the ceiling. She was tired of lying around and doing nothing; it only added to her stress. She was also bored, and the only thing that would ease it was reading. "Hmm, maybe I should go to the library. I remember that the library is on the second level of the castle. It doesn't hurt to try." 

Walking out of the room, Angelina traveled toward the second floor while passing many servants. She heard servants gossiping about her, but Angelina didn't have the energy to care. People had nothing else to do. Arriving at the second level of the castle, Angelina slowly walked past a group of servants who had gathered. She wasn't going to pay any mind to them until she heard them speaking about Minah. Stopping in her tracks, Angelina hid behind a wall so she wouldn't be seen. 

"Lady Minah has gone insane! From what I was told by one of her ladies-in-waiting, Lady Minah has been screaming like a crazed woman."

"Perhaps, she lost the child. The Voivode has been desperate for a son."

"If Lady Minah has become insane then there may be a possibility of a divorce. The Voivode still needs an heir."

Angelina stopped listening to the servants' conversation and continued forward to the library. There were a couple of doors on the second level, but she went to the center door of the hallway and slowly opened it. The library had a couple of small windows, letting in some light. The fireplace was in the center, with bookshelves on the left and instruments on the right. A long rug covered the wooden floors; stag heads were on the walls. It was simple but felt comfortable. "Wow, looks homey. The closer she got to the fireplace, the more she noticed there was a small seat with a pillow on it. Angelina squealed in excitement. "This is my dream fireplace!"

"Am I interrupting?" asked a masculine voice. 

Angelina gasped as she turned around, fearing it was Vlad or Alexandrei. It was neither, and she put her hand over her heart and said, "Bioan! Jesus, you almost gave me a heart attack!"

Bioan chuckled as he entered the library and closed the door. "Apologies, I saw you walking here, and I was curious. Why are you here in the library? No one is allowed here but the Voivode and the cleaning servants."

"Oh, I was bored and I didn't want to stay in the servants' room for long." Angelina looked at the books, went over to them, and touched them. "I think this is the most peaceful place in this castle."

"You know how to read?"

"Yes, and I assume you don't."

The young man shook his head as he examined the books. "I always wanted to be a priest; it is more peaceful than being a soldier. My family was against it because they needed money."

"Oh, but you're no longer a soldier, right? Couldn't you try to become a priest?"

"One needs to start training at a young age so it is too late for me." Boian looked at the books and couldn't help but admire them. He also couldn't help but feel slightly jealous of Angelina, who knew how to read. "Anyway, I was looking for you since I heard about Lady Minah. It was said that she attacked someone and I couldn't help but think it was you."

 "Yeah, it was me."

"Does it have something to do with Lady Minah's child?"

"Wh-What!?"

"Lady Minah has been pregnant for a while, and she should of had the child by now. I assume something happened with the child."

Angelina felt a bead of sweat on the back of her neck. Bioan was intelligent, and he would eventually find out. She was tired of keeping secrets and needed more friends to talk to. "Y-Yeah. The baby was born unwell."

"I see, well, I wonder if it is God's punishment."

"Punishment?"

Bioan silently walked to the bookshelves and gently touched some of the books. "Remember when we were both imprisoned, and I told you I was accused of being a spy?" Angelina nodded, and Bion continued. "It wasn't entirely a lie, but I also had to lie a bit to escape death. Before my imprisonment, I walked around the castle instead of being in the soldiers' barracks. I tried to sneak into the kitchen to steal some alcohol. However, I accidentally arrived at Lady Minah's quarters in the dead of night. That night, I saw someone; it was Lord Alexandrei."

"Alexandrei? Well, isn't it common for him to go to Lady Minah? I mean she must also be informed of politics."

"Yes, to some extent, but what I've seen, Lord Alexandrei didn't look like he visited to speak about politics. From afar, I heard them converse. Lady Minah said that she feared that the Voivode may learn the truth about the child. Lord Alexandrei tried to convince her that the Voivode would never know and that what they did was supposedly a mistake."

Silence reigned between the two; Angelina tried to process what she had been told. Her heart began to race. "S-So, what you are trying to say is that...?"

"Yes, there is the possibility that Lord Alexandrei and Lady Minah may have been intimate."  

The statement echoed in Angelina's mind as she slowly walked and sat on a wooden chair; her heart raced. Her throat slowly became dry. "A-Are you serious?"

"I was stunned from what I saw, but I still went on to fetch the alcohol since I feared that I would get caught. Unfortunately, I was right. Lord Alexandrei caught me trying to leave and I know that he feared of the possibility that I heard his conversation."

"S-So you ended up in prison. Did Alexandrei and Lady Minah find out that you heard them?"

"They suspected, but when I was seen with a half-filled bottle of alcohol. It was assumed that I was drunk. However, I was questioned and I had no other option but to act drunk to make it seem believable that I hadn't heard about the conversation between the two."

Angelina's right leg trembled; she would've never imagined the possibility of Alexandrei and Minah being intimate. The more she thought about it, the more she realized the baby didn't look like Vlad.  "I will be honest since you have been with me. Lady Minah indeed gave birth to a baby boy, but he was born with some disfigurments."

"I see, that would make sense on why the child had not been seen, yet. What a tragedy."

"Yeah, but Ioana also told me not to trust Alexandrei. I thought it was because he was an absolute bastard." That was when a possibility came to mind. "Is there a possibility that Ioana knew something about Alexandrei?"

"I do not know." Bioan noticed Angelina slowly smiling. It wasn't an ordinary smile. "You are smiling, Angelina. What are you thinking?"

"This is a revelation, Bioan. You know the truth about the affair. We can use the truth against Alexandrei."

Bioan looked uncomfortable; he didn't want to get involved in politics since he barely escaped death. "He is cunning, dangerous, and manipulative; he will do everything to escape trouble.  I merely convinced him that I was drunk, but if word got spread, then I will surely be sent to death."

They remained silent, and Angelina knew that Bioan was right. If Angelina had just told Vlad about the possible affair between Alexandrei and Minah without any proof, it could have resulted in her and Bioan's deaths. Then, an idea came to her: "I have to see the baby boy again."

"Isn't the child with Lady Minah?"

The young woman shook her head. "Vla-I mean, the Voivode wanted to have the infant killed since he was born with a disability. I was lucky enough to convince him not to do so. Ioana took him to a family that will take care of him." Angelina smiled again. "I need to find the child and fully analyze him. We need to find proof."

Bioan raised an eyebrow. "I must admit that I admire your determination and your foolishness. We are but mere servants, Angelina. We mustn't involve ourselves."

"Ever since your release, has Alexandrei ever seen you?"

"Well, no."

"Who was the one who ordered your release?"

"The Voivode. He stated that there was no evidence that I was a spy since."

Angelina nodded. "We may be servants, but things will never change if we do nothing. If we can get rid of Alexandrei, at least we will achieve our power back."

Bioan stood still, unable to believe that Angelina's words had affected him. She made him realize that he had the power to ruin Alexandrei's reputation as a man with power. Bioan could try to run away, but where could he go? He couldn't go back to a life of poverty. "Very well, I will help you in your cause."

"R-Really? You will?"

"Yes, the Voivode gave me my freedom, and I am still in danger since I am to be suspected of knowing the secret. So what are your plans? You said that you will analyze the infant?"

"Yeah, I need to see more of his physical appearance and we need to get other proof, maybe witnesses."

"I doubt anyone will say anything. It is suicide. What I will do is ask around to see what I can find. This library can be our secret meeting place to tell each other what we found."

"Perfect, let's meet here after the festivities are done. The Voivode said that I am invited to go and this can give you a better opportunity to make your research easier."

The two looked at one another and nodded. Angelina left the library first, and Bioan followed suit. Once the two were out of sight, someone emerged from one of the rooms far from the library and went on their way.