Simba pushed open the doors to the library. He listened as the slam of the heavy wood boomed through the empty hall that rose three floors high. This supposed fountain of education was always empty, both in visitors and in books themselves. Ever since the first time he stepped in this room, there was only one area filled with books that told of his family's history, the Adofo accolades, and common lessons in areas such as writing, reading, and mathematics. It also held a compendium of the very little known literature exploring the curse, its symptoms, and how to go about cleansing it. Simba had read each book at least three times, a total of eighty two issues that lined part of a single wall. It hardly made a dent in the potential hold the library possessed, but the books to fill it were hard to come by.

The people he ruled over were largely illiterate and impoverished and had little need to expand their minds with the lives they led. With their efforts trying to survive and avoid the curse, their time and money to invest in reading was limited. This meant abolishing the curse was crucial for the kingdom's procession forward in intellectual space as well as physical.

Publications of novels, medical books, or even business signs were largely stunted anywhere but the royal family. Unless rulers devoted their time to creating books and educating the public, there was a lack of publications at all. The Adofo Family was far too busy dealing with the curse itself to indulge kingdom expenses into the dumb and the poor no matter how much he wanted to help the citizens of his kingdom. It was simply unfeasible until the curse was abolished. Simba once asked his father to hire a set of linguists to write more books for him and the kingdom to read, but Kasim had simply said it wasn't a King's place to read, but to lead. The fact that it rhymed was the only reason he remembered that remark at all. He learned about rhyming in one of his lesson books now lodged somewhere in the wall.

The rest of the great library held nothing but dusty shelves for as far as the eye could see, corroding visually to a grey waste of space despite the grandeur he was sure it once possessed. Simba once explored the hall for any lost books or hidden compartments, but it was empty from the first floor to the third. The ceiling rose into arched ribbing, paintings of angels and clouds lined the spaces between each arch. The paintings have now started chipping away as time ticked forward, leaving the once wondrous canvas of art with spots of distress. The bookcases were made of beautiful and sturdy wood, lined with engravings and sculpted to look elegant and beautiful under layers of poor maintenance. Each shelf looked hand sculpted, reminding him of the unnecessary superfluousness of the Columbine's ornamentation- but it did make an outstanding structure that still impressed Simba even after years of familiarity.

It would have flaunted an even bigger presentation if his family had stocked it with literature from top to bottom. The dust that covered the place hazed it's shine, dulling a once vibrant and airy construction. Light beamed through a stained glass window depicting the red lion of his family crest, roaring in front of two crossed swords. It bathed the hall in a red light, oozing over the empty rows of tables that had collected a thick layer of dust which could be seen from a distance. He could see vague spots where the dust was disturbed, however. Against the grey tables, clean swipes on the table's surface suggested books had been recently placed on it's face in the shape of rectangles with random blotches that glimmered of mahogany. There was only one person he knew that still used the library despite its inability to teach anyone anything.

Kurona stood at the one bookcase plastered with books, staring at the titles and running her fingers along the spines that faced outwards. She had probably read each issue more than he had to the point of memorizing the words on each page, but still she flipped through the pages as though they were new. Her persistence was confusing, but Simba had to respect her for it. He once longed for more reading material too until he came to terms with his responsibilities he carried with him.

"Kurona," Simba greeted her. In his presence, she bowed.

"My Prince," she said cordially. "What an honor it is for you to grace me today. What can I do for you?"

Her hair was dark and long, flowing down her neck to the small of her back. Her nose was flat, and eyes a dark brown, drooping slightly downwards. Her face was round with a curvy body leaning towards the shorter side. Simba knew it wasn't a coincidence she looked like his mother.

Kurona was Kasim's personal slave, taken as a trophy after the invasion of the castle ten years ago. Though she was just a slave, she spent a lot of time with his father over the years, even before Simba was old enough to know that she doubled as the King's replacement wife. Simba knew his father was heartbroken by the death of Faria and used the slave title as an excuse to keep a look-alike woman captive to fill the void. Despite being a captive, Simba saw that Kasim did his best to treat her like a Queen. But she wasn't his Queen. She was a captive in the castle that played along to avoid being killed. She was smart enough to never let her resentment show towards the King. She needed to keep the illusion.

In Kurona's free time, she wandered the empty library for reasons he never asked, but it made her easier to find now. He remembered they used to play in here when he was younger. They spent a lot of time together once Faria had died. His mother was the only one that had nurtured his desire to watch the birds that perched on the balcony, and it was one of his favorite memories despite how futile the whole thing was. Kurona kept this nurturing going, encouraging Simba to try to draw the birds towards him with seeds scattered on the floor and with a friendly smile. The birds had never come to him after all, but Kurona still encouraged him to try. He stopped doing such childish things years ago when his responsibilities swelled. Kurona still tried to drag him away from his duties to do tedious things to fill time, but Simba simply couldn't leave his responsibilities behind.

Depsite Kurona's position and member of the former enemy, she was one of the only friends he had. Simba knew she naturally resented her slave work. She was formerly a woman of high status, and having to be a forced wife now filled her with pain. She harbored resentment towards the King, and Simba had known that since he was old enough to piece together her relationship with his father. Kasim was in denial about their relationship, but Simba and Kurona both knew it was the only reason why she was even alive. Simba knew that she was constantly under threat of the man who ran the realm, and he hoped he could confide in her when he was under the same threat.

But there was a flaw in this confidence. Despite their friendship, Simba hated to admit that he saw too much of Faria in her face, and it hurt speaking to her knowing she wasn't his mother. Talking to his father's attempt to replace his mother with a random captive look-alike woman to fill his emotional void was taxing to say the very least. On top of that, she was still the King's slave and Simba was the Prince. There was no guarantee they wouldn't betray their confidence due to their own positions and loyalty to the crown. It was these reasons that kept their relationship from crossing a professional line. They were in all professional standings other than blood, family, but their positions and the context made them keep a weary distance from one another despite their fondness.

"We're alone. You don't have to be so formal," he pointed, knowing he was in a hurry and had to extract the information he needed about his father from her as quickly as possible. There was also the point of camaraderie he needed to stretch as far as he could. Despite her being a friend, the issue he came to discuss with her was sensitive and could count as treason if either of them was caught together discussing such things. Seeing as Kurona was the possession of his father, it didn't seem to be the wisest choice to trust her in this matter despite their relationship. But she was his only friend. She was one of the smartest people he knew in the castle and couldn't move forward without her insight. He had to trust this was the right decision. It was the lesser of two evils to commit treason to let a worse act of treason befall him.

"You belonged to the Columbine Kingdom, correct?"

"I worked on their inner council." She corrected with a hint of sass, plucking a book from the shelf and flipping through the pages to a specific section. "I was tasked with sustaining agricultural surplus."

Simba recalled now that Kurona didn't enjoy her intelligence and her work ethic being overshadowed by generalizations. She wasn't just a possession of a kingdom, she was a scholar with the pragmatism and efficiency of a machine. She was a valuable asset in the Columbine inner council. It was a shame and an injustice to waste her talent working as a sex slave. But Simba couldn't change that until he was King. He noted the first thing he would do is promote her to the council and have her continue her previous management position on his new kingdom

She looked up from her book.

"I know you know that, Sim," she continued. "I know about the coronation. I'm not sure whats going on, but I'm sure you need to get more information."

"You are always one step ahead of everyone." Simba's shoulders relaxed. "And that's why I'm here. You have to know something about what my father is planning."

She sighed woefully.

"Despite how close me and your father are, he keeps his royal work separate from his personal life. I only get bits and pieces, and Davu doesn't trust me with any information regarding the Kingdom as I am essentially a former enemy. Davu has had his eye on me since I got here. I may only know parts, but I'm sure you can craft the truth from my fragments, Sim."

Simba smiled warmly. He didn't have many people he trusted like he trusted Kurona. He let in a deep breath knowing what he needed to know wouldn't be a happy tale to tell.

"I need you to tell me about my father. I need to know about your relationship, what he tells you, and all you know about the curse."

"To what end do you need this information?" She asked quizzically. Simba could see in the way she shifted her weight in her hips that she was uncomfortable with the thought of sharing her personal relationship. Simba understood why and shared her animosity. But he needed to know more to uncover his father's plan.

"I think Kasim is planning something against me. I need you to tell me more about him so I can protect myself.

Kurona closed her book, sighing as she neatly placed it in the shelf from where she took it. She seemed as though she was preparing to speak about something she had tried to suppress.

"I met your father the day of the invasion."