Release That Witch

Entering the room she saw Anna sitting at a table by the window, where she was reading a thick book. The sun streamed through the window, lengthening her silhouette. Her soft cheeks and delicate neck looked fair under the sun's reflection, and her ash-brown hair, that covered her shoulders, almost appeared gold.     

After getting along with her for a week, Scroll had basically understood Anna's temperament, such as straight-forward, honest, steady and quiet, especially studious... In short, it was difficult to find a civilian who had a pure and peaceful soul like Anna.     

"Are you going to play the card game?" Scroll moved a stool and sat down beside Anna. After practice, the sisters would rush back to the castle and squeeze into Soraya's room to play Gwent. They had fun and enjoyed fighting for cards from each other's collections. Even Nana Pine, who had been playing with Anna daily, had been coming by less after learning how to play the game. It was uncommon since the little girl with the magic healing power was almost always to be found in Anna's room.     

"I want to keep reading," Anna turned the page and said, "I don't have an ability like yours, so I should spend more time on this."     

She had read all kinds of books, everything from historical biographies to long poetry, including the folks' tales Scroll had heard being told in the streets; she was interested in all things, as long as it was in a book.     

Scroll lovingly patted her head and said, "Don't worry. I'll tell you all that I remember in the books."     

[This is the child who changed the fate of the Witch Cooperation Association's survivors,] Scroll thought. Nightingale would have never come to Border Town, nor met with Prince Roland from the Kingdom of Graycastle, and everything else that happened after would not have happened either. In other words, she was the savior of all witches.     

That was partially why she was so fond of Anna. When Scroll had gained the insight from the Book of Magic, Anna had quickly accepted her and showed her great admiration, so much so that Scroll considered it a little ridiculous. There had been no one admiring her ability in the Witch Cooperation Association. Anna had the largest capacity for magic that Scroll had ever seen, with the exception of Nightingale, and her ability to control the green flames came with a very high attack power.     

"Your hair is a little long," Scroll lifted Anna's bangs out of her eyes and said, "Does no one help you cut your hair?"     

She shook her head and said, "I'd normally thread it myself."     

Scroll's interest was immediately peaked and she said, "Threaded hair doesn't look as good, let me trim it for you."     

"Do you even know how to do this?"     

"I gave most of the sisters' their haircuts when I was in the Witch Cooperation Association," Scroll smiled and then said, "Hold on a moment and I'll get my tools."     

She quickly came back with a sack clutched in her hand. After spreading out the folded layers of white cloth, a pair of bronze scissors were revealed. They were well worn, both sides of the grips were covered with scratches and the blades had been polished from frequent use. Scroll had relied on this pair of scissors for a living before joining the Witch Cooperation Association—she had been a hairdresser in the pub of Seawindshire. The extra bronze royals she had earned, after buying bread, was given to a captain with a broken leg in exchange for him teaching her how to read and write, this went on until he passed away from old age.     

Scroll proficiently shook out and spread the white cloth over Anna, carefully tying it around her neck, and adeptly began trimming the long pieces of hair.     

"I... have a question to ask you."     

"What's that?" Scroll's fingers were dancing with the scissors in her hand, the blades constantly opening and closing, making a crisp cutting noise. Anna's ash-brown hair adeptly slipped through her fingers, falling to the floor, cluster by cluster.     

"About the book you gave me yesterday, many of the stories end in the same way. Is it fated for a prince to marry a princess?"     

Her hand paused a moment. The storybook was not a typical book, it was a collection of folks' tales that she had heard living in Seawindshire over the years. However, Scroll had filtered out the stories without a happy ending, where the prince and princess didn't end up together and compiled them into the book Anna was reading.     

She had known that Anna would ask about this after reading the stories, however, she did not want to answer honestly.     

"Most of them do, of course, there are some situations where a prince marries a grand duke's daughter. For example, King Wimbledon III of the Kingdom of Graycastle married the daughter of Duke Silverlight."     

After replying, Scroll silently sighed, feeling it in her heart. Wendy had mentioned Nightingale's thoughts to her, but when compared to the mature and calm shadow killer, she felt more concern about Anna, to whom His Highness felt affection. Everyone could see her importance to him. Roland could not keep his eyes off Anna whenever she was around. She was busier than the other sisters and he did not change her sleeping arrangements. After bunking Nightingale and Wendy together, Roland had explained that Nana could share a bed with Anna when she stayed the night, never realizing that his decision needed no explanation since he was the lord of the manor.     

Anna's reactions to His Highness were similar. She wouldn't really talk when she was with the other witches and preferred to be a quiet listener. However, she would become active and more animated when Roland was around. Scroll thought, that if there was ever something or someone that could tear Anna's eyes from a book, it would have to be Prince Roland.     

Unfortunately, Roland was the fourth Prince of the Kingdom of Graycastle and the future king. He would be supported by the witches and Anna was one of those witches.     

This was not something she could tell Prince Roland, so she had to find a way to indirectly mention it to Anna. She didn't want there to be any misunderstandings, but she also didn't want to see it end in tragedy.     

"Why?" Anna shook her head, knocking the broken pieces of hair off her neck. "What if the prince doesn't like the princess or the lady from the nobles' family?"     

"Um..." Scroll didn't think that she would ask that. "He would still have to marry one. Since the prince is likely destined to be king, his marriage isn't just up to him." She tried to remember the relevant knowledge recorded in the book. "As a way to stabilize and unify the nobles from the bordering kingdoms, and to appease the shifting neighboring countries, or to even make strategic deals, a king had to marry for the benefit of his people. However, most importantly the king must have heirs."     

Anna did not continue to pursue her question and Scroll felt relieved. This delicate of a matter would take time and careful persuasion and she thought that someday Anna would understand. After she had finished trimming Anna's bangs, she brushed them with her fingers and smiled, "Not bad, you look more energetic."     

Anna bowed and said, "Thank you."     

"So, for today's book..." Scroll contemplated a moment and then decided to summon a book about the revolution of the Kingdom of Wolfheart's history. She thought this book would support the information she imparted today. "Let's pick a family biography."     

She was about to leave when Anna suddenly spoke with the Book of Illusion in her arms, "I don't think Roland is the prince in these stories." She sounded certain and not as if she were trying to persuade herself. "He would do what he wanted. regardless of his imparted duty."     

"..." Scroll was shocked. "What makes you say that?"     

"If he was a prince like in the stories, he wouldn't have rescued me."