Alaric has long since finished all the records of noble bloodlines he could get his hands on in Barrowmere. Of course, the information he could find on the Rowanhart family was limited since Claude is the head of the family and won't give Alaric access to the records kept in the Rowanhart Duchy. Alaric doesn't bother to even ask for them. He's been around long enough to know when someone doesn't like him, and he knows that a person like Claude, who's a vocal critic of the imperial family, will never help an ally of the imperial family with a request if he has nothing to gain from it.
While Alaric is fully aware that he may never find the information he's looking for, he's not yet out of options for finding it. And since he's already in the capital for the emperor's birthday, he figures that he might as well use the resources he can during his visit.
So, he wakes up early, taking only a moment to look at Lenore as she sleeps soundly at his side, and then prepares for the day in silence. His servants are told that he'll be out until evening and reminded to take care of Lenore and her family. And with that, he gets in the carriage and heads to the imperial palace.
It's not a long trip to the palace from his townhouse, but it's long enough for a deep ache to settle in Alaric's chest. The palace itself is the same. A sprawling garden in the front with more gardens in the back. The training grounds for the imperial knights tucked to the side so they can stay close without bothering the imperial family. High walls with delicate architecture and decorations that have no purpose except to flaunt wealth and status.
It's all the same.
His steps echo through the spacious halls. This section never feels lived in. Rather, it feels cold. The part of the palace that's meant to be used for research and work. The servants and nobles he passes by bow their heads in greeting but never speak. They don't ask where he's going or if he needs help. Alaric doesn't know if it's because they're afraid of him or they assume he knows his way.
It doesn't matter. He's familiar with the palace in a way that he now hates, and the layout has hardly changed over the years.
The archives are quiet. Only the sounds of writing and shuffling papers fill the air. Alaric nods to the archivist sitting at his desk in front of the entrance, then makes his way to the subsection he needs: the noble registry.
As Alaric steps through the door into the noble registry, he feels the hum of magic around him despite not being a mage himself. Every book in this room is bound to the area and protected. It wasn't always that way, but Alaric remembers the scandal of a noble tampering with his family's registry and the fallout that left the family destitute. After that, measures were taken to avoid similar events from happening in the future.
Alaric finds the registry he's looking for quickly enough. It's one of the thinner books, but he expected that. After all, Elyria's mother hadn't been from a prominent family. Combined with her unique heritage, there are limits to how much of her lineage can be traced. Luckily, he's not looking back. Instead, he's searching for relatives of Elyria who may be connected to Lenore. After his digging into the Rowanhart family failed to show connections in the documents he was able to get his hands on, his only other option became searching from the opposite side.
It's a long task. Meal times pass by without Alaric taking a break. At most, he stands to stretch his legs or pace as he reads through name after name. However, as the sun starts to set and he reaches the final pages of the registry, he confirms what he already suspected. If Lenore is a distant relative of Elyria, then it hasn't been recorded.
And that means they might not have any connection.
As Alaric makes his way back to his townhouse, he finds himself unsure. Is it better that he can't find a connection? Was all of this as useful as chasing ghosts? He's not sure that it would've made a difference in the end. It would've explained Lenore's ability to make plants grow in a land plagued by a curse. However, she doesn't need to be related to Elyria in order to be related to nature.
His servants greet him when he returns, not asking questions about his trip. Instead, they usher him to the dining room and serve him dinner. Although he eats, he finds it lonely without Lenore or her family at the table. He's grown so used to having meals with her, it now feels strange to return to eating alone.
By the time he's finished eating, takes care of the work that can't wait until tomorrow, and washes up, Lenore is already peacefully asleep.
Alaric slips into bed quietly, not too close to her. He doesn't want to make her uncomfortable, but that doesn't mean that he won't take a moment to watch her.
Her expression is peaceful when she sleeps, like the edge of fear she learned to live with while in Claude's care has finally softened. His heart tells him that there must be a relation between her and Elyria, even if it's not by blood. Even if it's just that they're both souls loved by nature.
He isn't sure where to look next for information, so instead, he brushes loose strands of Lenore's hair away from her face before lying down fully. His eyes burn from reading all day, but his heart burns more with the confusing mix of feelings that have started demanding more attention any time he's near Lenore.
Alaric knows that he's a cursed man. He knows that he failed the first woman he ever loved in a way that can't be forgiven. Because of that, he's willing to keep Lenore at a distance. She's timid in some ways. Delicate. He doesn't want to be the reason that she breaks.
Even if that means being content with just staying at her side as a protector.