The book hesitated at the bedroom door for a moment before pushing it open.
Wendy sat at her desk with a gloomy expression, clutching a book. It was obvious to anyone without looking that it was undoubtedly 'Fundamentals of Natural Science Theory'.
Shu Juan couldn't help but chuckle. She rarely saw him with such a smile—even when the Gongzhu Association was trapped in the mountains, facing dire shortages of supplies, he still cheered each sister on with a warm smile, as if the hardships had never weighed on him.
I never thought that a book would make her so distressed.
"You can't comprehend it, can you?" Shu Juan remarked. "That's how I felt when I first read." "I thought it was Nightingale," Wendy turned to the sound. "...What about now?" "Still incomprehensible." "Thankfully, you're like me." Wendy sighed. "Anna's beyond comprehension. Even Soraya has grasped new abilities. I fear the younger generation will surpass us if we don't work hard. How Your Highness knows so much? Describing unseen worlds as real." "Actually, he doesn't know much," Shu Juan shrugged. "Just certain aspects." "Like what?" "Nightingale's behavior." She pulled out a chair and sat beside Wendy. "Notice how different she is now? She rarely hides when protecting Your Highness. Even when going out, she wears a hood. And... she listens attentively during evening lectures. You share a room with her—should know better. Can you tell me what's happening?" "Nothing much," Wendy shook her head. "It's her own choice." Her attitude surprised Shu Juan. "Choice?" "Exactly what you guessed," Wendy closed her book. "She's fallen for Roland Wimbledon Your Highness—obviously, that's obvious." "Those who protected the Witch gradually won her favor. Such rumors were not uncommon during the journey of the Brotherhood." "That's a fabricated tale—most sisters never met a happy ending." "RolandYour Highness is different." Shujuan was taken aback. She hadn't expected Wendy, who had shared her views earlier, to say this. "You know, the Witch cannot bear children, so Prince..." "Prince will marry a Witch," Wendy shrugged. "And he told you personally." How did she know? Was Nightingale there? Shujuan suddenly understood. "Are you blaming me for keeping it from you? No, Wendy, I didn't say it just to prevent the matter from leaking and harming Your Royal Highness's coronation prospects." "..." Wendy fell silent for a long moment before speaking. "I know. I'm not blaming you. I said the same about Nightingale. Before learning this, I thought the sisters wouldn't have a future. But if Prince doesn't mind, should we force them to change their minds? Compared to Nightingale's suppressed emotions and low spirits, I prefer seeing her now. Regardless of the outcome, at least she followed her heart." Shujuan thought. Though she agreed not to spread the news, Wendy refused to hinder her sisters' bond or make choices for them. Unlike Hakkara, she always stood by their side, cheering them on with the last bit of courage they had left.
"But does Your Highness even know this?" The book suddenly raised a pressing question. "What if his decision is based on his ignorance that witches cannot conceive?" "Hmm..." Wendy lowered her voice. "Why don't you ask?"...
Outside the western wall.
The summer sun bathed the grassland in dazzling light, while herds of cattle and sheep grazed leisurely in the distance. It was hard to imagine that just three months earlier, this land had been blanketed in snow and ice, inhabited only by fearsome and ferocious beasts.
The shooting training had lasted for most of the afternoon. Nightingale had mastered the shooting techniques much faster than Roland had anticipated, probably due to the varying degrees of innate talent each person possessed. He thought some people were simply born to fight. Now, her movements in reloading, aiming, and shooting were no longer at all like those of a novice.
"If she'd been born into a Knight family, she'd undoubtedly become Graycastle's most iconic Knight," Carter couldn't help but remark, "just like me." "Thankfully not. I don't want her arms to grow as thick as yours," Roland shot him a glance. "What's it like to fight an Extraordinary Witch to a draw?" "The moment I got knocked out, I thought I was battling a siege hammer. My chest felt like it was shattered," Carter admitted. "Honestly, it was awful." "I doubt we'll see that again," he chuckled.
When the standing shooting drill concluded, Prince applauded Nightingale. "Everything's been going well so far. Let's move on to a simulation drill," he said. Nightingale slipped her pistol into her belt and approached him. Under the bright sunlight, the sweat on her nose glistened with tiny specks.
"See those targets?" Roland pointed to five half-body targets nearby. "They're all tagged with God's Punishment Stone. You should be able to spot them clearly in the fog. Now, you need to combine your skills with your marksmanship to take them down in the shortest possible time." With the fog constantly altering objects and space, it's hard to keep bullets on target. She'd tried shooting directly in the fog before—nine out of ten bullets veered off course after leaving the fog, and one nearly hit Roland standing behind her.
Therefore, when shooting, the Nightingale must break free from the fog, and the shorter the exposure time, the harder it is for the enemy to counterattack.
"Understood." She smiled faintly, raised her cloak with one hand, and vanished before them.
When the first gunshot rang out, Roland saw only a white silhouette emerge silently, followed by flames and gas erupting as the target shattered. Before the splattered wood chips had fully settled, she had already reached the second target and pulled the trigger within three to four meters.
Then came the third, fourth... With each shot, she remained shrouded in mist. Roland could see nothing beyond the silver pistol and flickering flames, struggling to track her movements. The nightingale leaping through the fog seemed to teleport—something that had only existed in movies before. Before he could blink, all five targets were shattered. He blinked again, and the nightingale returned to him.
"How is it?" she asked with a smile.
"Uh..." Roland glanced at Carter, who stood there dumbfounded, and asked, "What do you think?" "I doubt anyone could catch Miss Nightingale," Chief Knight sighed deeply. "Not even the ashes of the God's Stone of Punishment." "So, am I out of the game?" She wiped the sweat from her nose and wiped it on Roland.
"When... then."