Seraphina tapped upon the hefty bronze door, which upon her touch, a deep azure crystal above it emitted a beam of light that enveloped her, verifying her identity before the door gradually swung open.
"Marli!"
Upon entering the library, Seraphina called out with a raised voice, "Where have you been? I have matters to discuss with you!"
"...Seri."
In a secluded corner of the immense library, a sigh of a young lady resonated:
"Though not many possess the privilege to enter here, it doesn't warrant your shouting. Besides... can't you detect my presence by scent?"
Following the sound, Seraphina quickly found Marlina and chuckled, "It just shows my enthusiasm, doesn't it?"
Marlina, engrossed in a thick tome, replied with a helpless expression, "So, what brings you here? Study time is precious, and I can't afford to indulge in playing with you."
"It's not playing..it's an important matter! Much much important!"
Seraphina felt slightly upset, as Marlina's words made her seem as if she was always in pursuit of play, "It concerns Ansel."
"..." Marlina's demeanor immediately turned solemn, she placed a bookmark, hugged the book, and earnestly said, "Mr. Ansel, what about him?"
"No, no, it's not actually about Ansel, uh, it's related to him though... it's about Ravenna... Ravenna, you know of her, Marli, that dwarf with glasses, always holding a disgusting cold and arrogant behaviour."
"Miss Ravenna... What about her?"
Thus, Seraphina eagerly recounted the recent alarming changes observed in Ravenna, sharing every detail with Marlina.
"...So, doesn't this seem... a bit, uh, amiss?"
Miss wolf wore a worried look, "Is there something that provoked Ansel? What could have led him to take such heartless measures?"
After listening to Seraphina's account, Marlina's brows furrowed slightly but soon relaxed, she then smiled reassuringly at Seraphina, brushing her hair back to ears, praising, "Seri, first of all, you've been very considerate towards Mr. Ansel this time, well done. Continue to maintain this attentiveness."
"Hehehe... Of course, I am Ansel's... No, that's not right!"
Barely a few seconds into her foolish grin, Seraphina shook her head vigorously, "Why are you praising me, Marli? I still don't know what's actually going on with Ansel!"
As Seraphina's thoughts became more anxious, her expression grew increasingly animated. Then, after catching her sister's seemingly amused gaze, she suddenly cried out and lunged forward.
"Marli, Marli! My dear Marli, please help Seri!!"
Miss wolf pitifully shook her sister's arm, "I refuse to lose to that shorty!"
If you don't want to lose, then don't compete—Marlina intended to tell Seraphina this, but after a second's hesitation, she chose not to voice it.
This was the key to her current reliance on Ansel, and she did not wish to share it with any woman, not even her own sister.
"Alright."
The cunning Miss Marlina sighed as if resigned, "I'll think of a solution for you. Now, let me read in peace, okay?"
"Hooray! Marli is the best!"
Seraphina joyfully kissed Marlina's cheek and then happily headed towards the exit of the library.
But after a few steps, she halted.
"..."
The girl sniffed the air, turning back slowly, her gaze suspicious and confused as it wandered through the vast library.
Why did she smell a very familiar scent here, yet couldn't pinpoint whose it was?
She sniffed harder, but the scent seemed to vanish completely.
Unable to find an answer, Seraphina scratched her head and eventually dismissed it as an illusion, bouncing out of the library.
About four or five hours later, around dinner time, Marlina also closed her book with satisfaction, returned it to the shelf, and left contentedly.
After the bronze doors slowly closed, the library's illuminating crystal lamps extinguished one by one until darkness enveloped everything.
Then, after an indeterminate amount of time, a single lamp in the library, which should have been empty, suddenly lit up.
*