The book tapped at the door, and a voice from inside promptly responded, "Please come in." Anna stepped inside and found herself seated at a table by the window, engrossed in a thick volume. Sunlight streamed through the window, casting her figure into a long, elongated silhouette. Her soft cheeks and neck glowed with a blinding whiteness under the light, while her linen-colored hair, cascading over her shoulders, had been dyed a pale golden hue.
After nearly a week of interaction, Shulian has come to understand the other's character well. She speaks her mind directly, never beating around the bush, is calm and composed, and is particularly eager to learn... In short, it's rare to find a child from an ordinary family as pure and serene as Anna.
"Would you like to try that... card game?" Shujuan grabbed a chair and sat down beside Anna. Over the past two days, the sisters had been rushing back to the castle after practice, jamming into Soroya's room to play their so-called Quent cards. They'd fiercely compete over the scraps of paper each other had collected, seemingly never tiring of it. Even Nana Wa Pien, who used to visit Anna daily, had become noticeably less frequent after mastering the combat techniques. Unlike the previous days when she could always find the girl with God's Healing ability in the room.
"I'd like to read more books," Anna turned to the next page. "I don't have your kind of talent, so I just have to spend more time on it." She read almost everything—historical biographies, long poems, and even folktales she'd heard from the streets. As long as they were compiled into books, she would devour them with great relish.
Shujuan tenderly stroked her hair, "Don't worry. I remember everything and will tell you all the stories." She thought this was the child who had changed the fate of the survivors of the Gongzhu Society. Without her, Nightingale would never have journeyed to Border Town, never met Graycastle the Fourth Prince, and none of the subsequent events would have occurred. In a way, she was the savior of all the witches.
This explains why he had initially developed a strong liking for Anna. When she saw the Magic Power Book, she immediately accepted him and expressed deep admiration, which left Shujuan feeling both amused and exasperated. In the Guild of Mutual Aid, no sister had ever envied his abilities. In contrast, Anna possessed the most powerful Magic Power capacity among all witches Nightingale had ever encountered, and her green flames, which she could control effortlessly, were exceptionally potent.
"Your hair's gotten a bit too long," Shujuan said, her hand brushing Anna's bangs that nearly veiled her eyes. "Hasn't anyone cut it for you?" Anna shook her head. "I've been twisting my own hair." Shujuan's interest piqued. "Twisted hair never looks good. Let me trim it for you." "You still do that?" "I used to cut most sisters' hair at the Guild," Shujuan chuckled. "Wait a moment—I'll get the tools." She returned swiftly with a cloth bag. Inside were layers of white fabric, revealing a bronze V-shaped scissors. The handles bore fine scratches, their moist sheen testifying to frequent use. Before joining the Guild, Shujuan had made a living as a barber in Haifeng County with these scissors. The copper eagle she'd saved, aside from buying bread, was given to an old captain with a broken leg. The captain taught her to read and write until his passing.
The bookkeeper skillfully unfolded a white cloth, tied it around Anna's neck, and began trimming her long hair.
"I... have a few questions for you." "What?" Shu Juan's fingers danced, scissors clattering in her palm. Her linen hair cascaded in tufts, brushing against the floor.
"The book you showed me yesterday contains stories with nearly identical endings. Does Prince always end up marrying the princess?" Her hand paused briefly. This wasn't a proper book, but a collection of folktales she'd gathered from sailors over a decade in Haifeng County. The compilers had carefully selected stories—excluding those with happy endings or Prince and princess romances—then assembled them into a book to present to Anna.
Though she knew the other party would inevitably ask such questions after reading, a twinge of reluctance still lingered when she finally had to respond.
"Most princes marry daughters of dukes or counts, though exceptions exist. Consider Prince Graycastle the King of Wimbledon III, whose wife was the daughter of the Silverlight Duke." The book rolled with a sigh. Wendy had confided in her about Nightingale's concerns. While the composed Shadow Assassin remained calm, she was more apprehensive about Anna's growing closeness to Your Royal Highness. The significance of this woman to Your Highness was evident to all. Whenever Anna was present, Roland's gaze invariably lingered on her. Her daily workload far exceeded that of her sisters. After Nightingale and Wendy's quarters were converted into a shared double room, Your Highness made no changes to Anna's space, explaining that Jona Nawa could share a bed with Anna during her nights at the castle—though he himself failed to realize that, as the host, he had no obligation to justify such arrangements.
Anna was no different. With other witches, she rarely spoke, often remaining a quiet listener. Only when Roland was around did she become more active. If there was anything that could distract her from her book, the book would bet it was Your Royal Highness.
Unfortunately, Roland is the Fourth Prince of the Kingdom of Graycastle, the future King who will receive strong support from the witches, while Anna is a witch.
Unable to directly address Your Royal Highness, the scholar devised this indirect approach to Anna. She sought to prevent any rift between them and, more importantly, to avert a fated tragedy.
"Why?" Anna shook her head, seemingly trying to brush off the stray hair around her neck. "What if Prince doesn't like the princess or Miss Noble?" "Uh..." Shujuan didn't expect such a question. "Then he'd have to marry. Because Prince is likely to become the King, and the King's marriage isn't just his personal matter," she tried to recall the knowledge recorded in the book. "It's to stabilize the Noble far away at the kingdom's borders, to appease neighboring countries with restless ambitions, and even to secure a favorable deal. But most importantly, the King must have heirs." Anna didn't press further, which slightly relieved Shujuan. Such matters could only be persuaded gradually. She believed that one day the other party would understand. After trimming her hair, Shujuan smiled and scratched Anna's hairline. "Good job, you've really polished yourself." "Thank you," Anna said, lowering her head.
"So, today's book..." Shujuan paused, then summoned *The Wolf Heart: The Evolution of the King Clan* to reinforce the lesson she was teaching. "Let's choose a family biography." As she was about to leave, Anna suddenly said, clutching the *Book of Transformation*, "I don't think Roland is the Prince from the stories." Her voice was firm, not like someone trying to convince herself. "He only does what he wants, and nothing else matters." "..." Shujuan froze. "Why?" "If he were that kind of Prince, he wouldn't have saved me."