King Of The GTSES Ch 23: The Place Of Peace!

The library had become my world.

For days now, it was all I'd seen — the endless rows of books, the towering shelves that seemed to scrape the ceiling, the smell of parchment and candle wax. I'd gotten used to it. Maybe even a little numb to it.

I was sitting at my desk again that morning, elbows buried in papers, staring at a thick tome filled with illustrations of the kingdom's past. Old sketches of battles, coronations, cities that once floated higher than clouds. Back then, the giants wore long armor plated with glowing stones, and the skies above their citadels were painted in streams of mana.

The kingdom had changed a lot since then. Less wild, more structured. I guess that's the cost of civilization — power traded for control.

I was tracing the lines of an old drawing — the First King himself standing at the center of a radiant storm — when I heard it.

A sound that made the desk tremble beneath my hands.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

Familiar.

"Lysandra's early today," I muttered, straightening in my chair. But as the footsteps grew heavier, slower, and far less precise, I realized it wasn't her at all.

The massive door creaked open, and to my surprise, a different shadow filled the doorway.

"Kyvareth?"

She stepped in, the ground shaking faintly with her every movement, her long braid swinging behind her as sunlight spilled around her form. Even indoors, she carried the air of someone who belonged outside — fierce, alive, untamed.

She bowed her head slightly, a grin tugging at her lips. "Your Majesty."

I blinked, caught completely off guard. "Ky."

Her brow furrowed. "Ky?"

"Yeah," I said with a small shrug, trying to sound casual but probably failing miserably. "I decided to give you a nickname. You know, to make things quicker. Easier than saying your full name every time."

She tilted her head, repeating it under her breath as if tasting the sound. "Ky... Ky..." Then, unexpectedly, she smiled — a real, unguarded smile. "Huh. I like it."

That caught me by surprise, too. "You do?"

"Mm." She crossed her arms, leaning against one of the bookshelves with an amused glint in her eye. "It suits me. Short. Simple. Strong."

I laughed. "That's one way to put it."

She pushed off the shelf and came closer, the soft rumble of her steps echoing through the library. Her size still made my head spin sometimes — the way her shadow could swallow half a room. Yet somehow, she always managed to move gently when I was around, like she was constantly aware of her strength.

"I wanted to check in on you," she said, stopping beside my desk. "It's been a while since we've seen each other."

I leaned back, rubbing the back of my neck. "Yeah. I was starting to think you forgot about me."

Her expression softened. "Of course not. I just didn't want to get in the way of your studies. And I've had my own duties to handle. Patrols. Training new Guardians. Paperwork, unfortunately."

"Paperwork? Even the great Kyvareth does paperwork?"

She let out a quiet laugh. "Someone has to approve supply requests. You'd be surprised how much parchment it takes to run an army."

"I'll take your word for it," I said with a grin. "Still, I'm glad you came. It gets... pretty quiet in here."

"Then I'll make sure that doesn't happen again." She paused, her gaze softening as she looked down at me. "I'll come see you every day from now on, Your Majesty. You have my word."

That made something warm twist in my chest. "I'd like that," I admitted.

Her smile widened, and for a moment, there was something unspoken in the air between us — the kind of warmth that didn't need to be explained.

Then she straightened, hands on her hips, her voice turning mischievous. "Actually, I came here with an idea. You've been trapped in this library long enough. How about some fresh air?"

"Fresh air?" I blinked, glancing toward the mountain of books on my desk. "I don't think that's a good idea. Lysandra said I still have three more chapters to finish today."

Kyvareth smirked, eyes glinting with playfulness. "Three chapters can wait. Besides..." She leaned in a little, lowering her voice. "There's no harm in sneaking away once in a while."

I couldn't help but laugh at that. "Sneaking away? I don't think 'sneaking' is something you're capable of, Ky."

"Oh, you'd be surprised," she said, and before I could protest, her massive hand swept down toward me.

"Wait, wait, what are you—"

Her fingers curled gently around me, creating a soft wall of flesh that blocked out the world. The next thing I knew, I was rising fast, pressed safely in her palm as she turned toward the massive window at the end of the hall.

"Ky, don't you dare—!"

Too late.

She leapt.

The rush of air slammed into me like a wave. I screamed — an embarrassingly high-pitched sound — as the entire palace dropped away beneath us. The ground raced up to meet us in a blur of color and light until—

BOOM.

We landed, and the shock of impact rippled through her legs like thunder. My vision spun. For a moment, all I could do was lie there in her palm, hair sticking in every direction, heart hammering in my chest.

Kyvareth tilted her head, trying not to laugh. "You all right, Your Majesty?"

"Y-yeah," I managed weakly, still sprawled on my back. "Just... maybe a little traumatized."

She laughed, loud and unrestrained, the sound echoing across the open courtyard. "You'll get used to it."

"Not planning to," I muttered.

"Good. Now—let's go."

Before I could respond, she started walking.

The city stretched out beneath us, alive and bright. The sun poured over rooftops carved from white stone and walls that shimmered faintly with mana runes. People turned to look as we passed — towering women in robes, armor, or work clothes — and when they saw me, their king, resting in Ky's palm, they bowed deeply, their voices booming in respectful greetings.

It still threw me off every time.

I waved back awkwardly. "Uh—hi. Yes. Hello."

Some of them even smiled or called out well wishes, and though their voices were thunderous, there was restraint in them — a quiet reverence that made me realize how much they cared, even across such difference in size and strength.

Thanks to Ky's confident stride, we slipped through the crowd with ease. She knew the city's rhythm — when to move, where to step, how to avoid the midday markets. Before long, the stone roads gave way to soft earth, and the city faded behind us.

We came to a wide field that stretched beyond the castle walls — endless rolling hills blanketed in grass that shimmered under the sun.

Kyvareth slowed to a stop, her hand lowering so I could see better.

"This," she said softly, "is my favorite place to be. Especially at sunrise. Or sunset."

I looked around, and for once, I couldn't find words. The light poured over the grass in golden waves, and each blade seemed to catch it — glowing faintly, swaying like ripples on water. In the distance, the sky blazed orange and pink where the sun was beginning its slow descent.

"This... this is amazing," I said quietly.

Kyvareth smiled down at me, her expression tender in a way I'd never seen before. "I thought you might like it."

I leaned forward in her palm, the wind brushing through my hair, the smell of grass and earth filling my lungs. For the first time in what felt like weeks, I wasn't surrounded by walls or parchment or the weight of expectations.

Just the world. Vast. Alive.

And Kyvareth beside me.

For the first time since I'd arrived in this kingdom, I felt... free.