Marsvell stepped back inside, not feeling joyful in the least. The bright smile he had worn earlier was now difficult to maintain.
"Honestly... I really didn't want to deal with the Council... what a nuisance," he grumbled to the empty air before him.
On the other side of the room, Mary and Tirian had finished the fairy tale. Tirian was looking at Mary with a strange expression, which left Mary feeling flustered.
"Tirian? Is something wrong with me?"
Tirian pinched Mary's cheek and spoke with a suspicious tone. "Say, Mary... you only picked this story because the character's name is almost exactly like yours, didn't you?"
"Ah, ow ow iet ay?" Mary's voice was muffled and distorted as Tirian pulled on her cheek.
Tirian couldn't help but laugh at her silly friend. "Mary, the story you introduced was actually quite good." She stopped pinching Mary and gently massaged the slightly reddened cheek. "Does it hurt?"
Mary shook her head with a goofy grin. "Hehe, not at all! My dad says my skin and bones are very tough. A little pinch is nothing; I didn't feel a thing."
Despite her words, Mary's cheek actually stung quite a bit. She simply didn't want her friend to feel guilty, so she hid it—though her deception didn't stand a chance against the sharp-witted Tirian.
"Mary, you're lying."
"No, Tirian, I'm serious..."
"You're feeling guilty, aren't you?"
"Um..."
Unable to out-argue her best friend, Mary bowed her head. Tirian picked up a biscuit from the plate—it was beautifully crafted and quite cute—and held it out toward Mary.
"Here, Mary, say 'Ah'."
"Aaaa."
Mary instinctively opened her mouth, and a delicious biscuit popped right in. She let out a satisfied sigh as she ate. "So good! Mr. Marsvell's biscuits are even better than last time."
While Mary was happily snacking, Tirian also took a bite. If she had to describe it, the biscuit was simply wonderful—the sweetness was perfectly balanced, making it an ideal dessert to accompany a cup of tea.
"Oh, there's black tea too?"
Tirian looked at the cup before her. Even though the ingredients seemed modest, the color and temperature were perfectly harmonious. She blew on it gently and took a sip. Perhaps because the lingering taste of the biscuit was still there, the two flavors blended exquisitely. Tirian covered her mouth, her eyes lighting up.
"Delicious... so delicious..."
Mary's ears perked up. Her eyes fell on the cup of tea and, quick as a flash, she grabbed it and took a large gulp.
"Hot! Too hot! Phew... phew..." Mary waved her hand frantically, her tongue sticking out from the burn. Tirian could only sigh at her friend's antics.
Watching from a distance, Marsvell felt his heart soften slightly at the sight of the two happy children.
"It seems this bookstore should probably close down. Maybe I'll go be a professor? That little girl looks like she's of age." Marsvell reached into his coat, fingers lightly brushing the letter Rudeus had left on him, and sighed. "That old man... fine, I'll do it for his sake."
That evening, at a middle-class home in central London.
"Mom, what's for dinner today?" Mary looked curiously at the dishes on the table. Her mother stroked her hair and smiled.
"Just your favorites, my dear."
"Whoa! Is there pudding?"
"Why would you think there isn't? Come here, sweetheart." Mary's mother lifted her onto a chair beside her. Opposite them sat Mary's father, a middle-aged man who loved his family deeply. He set his newspaper aside on a nearby chair and leaned his arms on the table.
"Mary, do you know how old you are this year?"
Mary paused mid-meal, then started counting on her fingers. "One... two... three..."
"You're eight years old now, Mary," her mother reminded her.
Mary clapped her hands. "That's right! I'm eight this year."
Her father's lip twitched slightly as he glanced at his wife with a look of helplessness, as if saying, 'Why did you remind her? She's old enough to know.' But Mary's mother ignored him, gazing at Mary with eyes full of lingering affection.
Her father cleared his throat. "That's right, you're eight. So, your mother and I have been considering sending you to school. What do you think?"
Mary froze, her head spinning as she tried to think. "Mary, at school, you'll make new friends and gain useful knowledge for your future. Do you understand what I mean?"
"Will Tirian go to school with me?"
"I'm not entirely sure."
"Then I'm not going. Without Tirian, it'll be boring."
"Mary..." Her father rubbed his temples and looked at his wife for help. She nodded understandingly.
"Mary, listen to us this time. Your father spends every night thinking about your future. You might be too young to fully understand now, but when you grow up, you'll realize how much he cares. So, do this for him. He's just as sad about being away from you as you are about being away from Tirian."
Her mother's gentle words shook Mary's resolve. The little girl lowered her head and pouted. "Okay... I'll go."
Her father's face instantly brightened; he was already prepared to find her the perfect learning environment.
As the family laughed and talked, there was a sudden knock at the door. Her father's eyes locked onto the door and narrowed. He stood up, grabbed an elegant cane from beside the table, and walked toward the entrance.
He was tense. He was already cursing the local security in his mind; houses here weren't cheap, yet someone had managed to get this close to his home unnoticed. It wouldn't be a problem during the day, but at night, opening the door to a thief or a madman would be a mess to clean up.
When he opened the door, he saw an old man with slightly messy silver hair, radiating the aura of a scholar. The old man bowed slightly.
"Good evening, Mr. Dwayne. I apologize for the intrusion, but I have a letter for you. Please, have a look."
The man at the door was indeed Marsvell, carrying out the errand for Rudeus. When Mary's father saw him, he froze, his eyes shining as if he were looking at an idol. He straightened his hair and spoke.
"I am the one who should apologize, Mr. Berigurence. Forgive me for wasting your precious time. May I ask what this is?"
Marsvell smiled and said something that made the father's eyes widen.
"Headmaster Rudeus asked me to deliver this letter to your daughter, inviting her to enroll at the Veldawine Academy of Magic. It is late, so I shall take my leave. Please give the little one my regards."
With that, right before the father's eyes, Marsvell vanished as if he had never been there. Only the letter remaining in his hand proved that Marsvell had truly stood there.