Upon reaching the library door, Musa's eyes fell on a girl walking through the hallway, also heading toward the library. She had fair skin, brown hair, and green eyes—eyes that gleamed like emeralds. Her hair flowed freely, and to Musa, she was beautiful in a mesmerizing way.
She wore a double-breasted brown coat over a white shirt and a brown tie, accompanied by trousers of the same color. In her hand, she carried a leather bag matching the coat and tie...
That was Emilia, Musa's friend and university colleague.
When she looked ahead, she saw Musa standing by the library door, waiting for her. "Musa the bandage boy," she teased with a surprised smile.
Musa waited until she approached before responding, "Lady Bag Emilia." His own smile brightened as he continued playfully, "Happy to see me? I know you missed me."
"Pfft," Emilia scoffed with exaggerated sarcasm before joking, "You're starting to talk like Mr. Matt. Honestly, I'm starting to worry about you."
Musa went silent for two seconds, eyes widening. He placed a hand on his head as if he had just realized something terrible. "Damn it. Don't joke about that." Then he looked at Emilia, who was still laughing, with a serious expression. "Tell me immediately if you notice anything like that again."
Emilia stifled her laughter slightly and asked, "What would you do?"
"I'd kill myself," Musa declared, raising his fist dramatically, his right eye gleaming as if he were about to achieve something heroic.
"Yes, yes, I'll support you," Emilia quipped, chuckling at Musa's ridiculous antics.
"By the way, I haven't asked... Your vacation isn't over yet, right? Why are you here?" Emilia asked, puzzled.
"Have you heard about the royal troupe's search for a violinist...?" Musa began, only to be interrupted.
"Yes, I have. And you're here to practice for the audition, which means you're planning to apply. That's great, Musa! Good luck!"
Musa fell silent for a moment, unable to speak, before finally opening his mouth. "Alright, I get it. You're a genius who can analyze things from the first sentence." Then, spreading his arms in exaggerated frustration and mock sorrow, he added, "But could you at least let me deliver the news myself?"
Emilia let out a soft laugh. "It's not about being a genius. It was obvious. You literally don't excel at anything other than playing the violin, so I figured this would be a great opportunity for you. Honestly, I believe in your chances of success. I don't know a violinist better than you." She then placed a finger on her chin in mock contemplation. "Come to think of it, I don't actually know any violinists other than you."
Musa was torn between feeling flattered and disheartened. But seeing Emilia's seemingly innocent—though clearly playful—expression, he sighed silently.
"Why are you coming to the library?" Musa asked, changing the subject to avoid strangling Emilia.
"I came to borrow some philosophy books. I have an exam," Emilia replied simply .
Emilia was a second-year student at Rivarien University, just like Musa, in the Faculty of Law. She dreamed of becoming a famous and successful lawyer. She had chosen this goal thanks to her talent for investigation and her keen sense of observation, which had been with her since childhood.
Emilia possessed an extraordinary ability to analyze situations and uncover the truth—something everyone around her acknowledged, even Musa himself.
Initially, she had aspired to become a detective, but her family had forbidden it, claiming it was too dangerous a profession for a woman. So, she chose the path of law instead.
"Let me guess... Some books? No, all the philosophy books in the library," Musa said.
Emilia smiled and stretched her hand forward, raising her thumb as a sign of confirmation. "Correct!"
In addition to her investigative and observational talents, Emilia had an extraordinary memory—she could retain any information she read after just one glance, regardless of the volume. To Musa and most people around her, she was a true anomaly.
Musa didn't comment, as if he had long grown accustomed to Emilia's abilities. Nothing related to her knowledge surprised him anymore.
Then, he gestured for her to finally enter the library.
As soon as they stepped inside, the sight of the library's interior greeted them. It was a relatively large, classical-style library, spacious and enveloped in dark wood, filled with the scent of old paper. Tall bookshelves stood in perfect order, packed with leather-bound books—some with frayed edges, others still gleaming like new.
In the center of the library, polished wooden tables extended across the room, surrounded by carved wooden chairs with armrests. Small lamps were scattered between them, casting a warm, soft glow.
Near the entrance stood the librarian's desk, where a woman greeted them the moment they walked in. "My favorite duo," she said before turning to Musa. "And welcome back, Musa."
Emilia chuckled, while Musa bowed his head slightly as a sign of gratitude and respect. "Thank you very much, Ms Sia."
Ms Sia smiled in return at his politeness.
She was a woman in her late thirties, with wheatish fair skin, silvery-blue hair, and eyes as blue as a tranquil lake. Despite her age, her physique was youthful, resembling that of someone in their early twenties. She wore a sleek black shirt paired with matching trousers and high heels, exuding an air of undeniable allure.
After greeting Lady Sia, Musa and Emilia wandered through the library's aisles for a while until they arrived at the philosophy section where Emilia needed her books.
She pointed to one of the shelves, asking Musa to retrieve specific books from it, while she made her way to another shelf to browse its collection.
The shelf Emilia approached was quite high, and due to her short stature, she had to pull over a ladder and climb it to reach the books she wanted. Musa, on the other hand, never struggled with height—standing at 183 cm tall, he could reach the books with ease.
Once both of them had gathered the books they needed, they headed toward the reading tables to settle in.
On the way, Musa grumbled, "You should be paying me for carrying all this weight."
Emilia had indeed handed him a large stack of books to carry, while she only held a few herself. It made some sense, considering she wasn't particularly strong.
Emilia pouted in an exaggerated manner. "You scoundrel! Won't you help me in the name of friendship? No, in the name of money! Ah, what terrible luck I have with my friends!"
"Enough, enough! Shut up, we get it," Musa silenced her before she could start dramatically lamenting her fate.
To Musa, Emilia was the first person he had befriended since enrolling at Rivarien University—since coming to Britain, even.
She was the first to approach him and treat him for who he was, never paying much attention to his covered eye, which made him look a bit strange. In fact, Emilia made him feel like he wasn't strange at all.
As for Emilia's knowledge of Musa's covered eye, he had told her that his left eye was missing and that it looked terrifying when revealed. Though the story might have sounded gruesome or even hard to believe, Emilia had accepted it without question and never pressured him to show it to her.
The two friends reached the reading tables in the library, choosing a table by the side where they placed their books before sitting down.
Once they had settled, Emilia looked at Musa. "I forgot to ask—what brought you to the library?"
Musa went silent for a moment, his gaze empty, before he finally spoke. "Damn it, I forgot," he said, clutching his head in mock concentration.
"Pfffft!" Emilia couldn't suppress her laughter. "Classic Musa," she said between chuckles before turning her focus to the books in front of her, pulling one closer and beginning to study.
Musa looked at her warmly, a faint smile appearing on his lips—but, of course, she didn't see it.
"Any updates on your strange dream?" Emilia asked cautiously.
Musa thought for a moment. "I think it's best if you focus on what's in front of you for now."
Without taking her eyes off the pages, Emilia replied, half-joking and half-scolding, "Come on, you know my mind isn't like other people's. I can focus on twenty things at once."
Musa nodded slightly in silent agreement before he heard her insist, "Go on, talk."
"Do you remember that fortune teller I told you about? The one my sister kept pestering me for weeks to visit?" Musa finally relented.
Emilia narrowed her eyes in thought. "Ever since I've known you, your sister has been obsessed with dragging you to fortune tellers. There are so many—who exactly are we talking about?"
"And you say your mind is different from ours, huh?" Musa teased before continuing, "That guy named Donovan."
"Ahh, I remember now! So, did you go?" Emilia's eyes widened in realization.
"Yeah," Musa confirmed before pausing for a moment and sighing. "But I didn't get to meet him. Something weird happened, and he disappeared from the place."
As Emilia listened, she kept flipping through the pages of her book, her eyes on the text and her ears on Musa. The way she balanced both tasks was fascinating.
"What a shame," she said before pausing briefly and adding, "Though, I suppose you're actually happy about it. You've complained plenty of times about being done with fortune tellers and their nonsense."
"You got that right," Musa said. But then, his expression turned serious—so much so that Emilia sensed it, causing her to put her book down and look at him.
"But?" she asked, concern in her voice.
"A strange person—I think he was part of that fortune teller's entourage—was watching me," Musa said.
He recounted his encounter with Ron Neil outside Donovan's home and again on his way to the university that morning, mentioning how Ron had invited him to White Swans Street. However, he deliberately left out anything about the Door of Fate or the changes in his dream.
Emilia's concern remained evident as she listened, her worry for Musa written all over her face.
"I can't figure out why he was following you, but you need to be careful around that man. I don't trust him at all," Emilia warned.
Musa nodded in agreement, already having decided to be cautious. Then he heard Emilia add, "And please don't accept his invitation to White Swans Street—or at least not until we have a clear idea of why he invited you specifically. We have no idea what's lurking there."
Musa took Emilia's warning seriously, tapping his index finger on the table. "That was my plan as well."
A moment of silence settled between them before Emilia broke it. "What about your older sister?"
"I don't know. I don't want to tell her for now. She's been through enough because of me—it's time I handle my problems on my own," Musa answered firmly.
He was careful not to reveal the strange events he was experiencing to his sister. First, to avoid dragging her into his troubles again. And second, because he feared she might be watched by Donovan's followers. He was determined to uncover the truth and put an end to it silently, without involving her.
Emilia did not comment on his decision.
—....
As their conversation continued, the time had already reached 2:42 PM—Musa was officially late for the rest of his training session with Mr. Matt.
"I think I should go now—I haven't finished my training yet," Musa said as he stood up. "When will you be done studying?"
Emilia thought for a moment before replying, "I'm not sure. Maybe in another two hours. What about you?"
"Same for me exactly. Shall we meet in the garden?" Musa suggested.
"We'll meet in the garden," Emilia confirmed.
Musa gave her a slight nod before heading out of the library.