Seraphina’s face was an unusually deep shade of red.
“Nothing!” Seraphina shook her head vigorously. Her voice sounded tight, and she didn’t dare meet Movira’s eyes.
Movira frowned and reached out to feel her forehead. The temperature was indeed a little higher than usual, but it didn’t seem like a fever.
“Why are you so warm? Are you feeling unwell?”
“I’m really fine!” Seraphina turned her head to avoid the hand, her movement a bit too exaggerated, as if trying to cover something up. “Maybe… the room is just a little hot!”
“Hot?”
This excuse left Movira momentarily stunned. The situation, the topic…
Just as her suspicion was about to take shape, Seraphina quickly changed the subject, afraid she would keep pressing. Her voice carried a slight tremble.
“Um… How did the negotiation with Saint Eustacia go? Was it smooth?”
Movira temporarily set aside her suspicions and followed her lead. “Mm, everything went smoothly. All the terms have been settled.”
She noticed the worry in Seraphina’s eyes and added, “We didn’t concede too many benefits.”
“That’s good.” In truth, Seraphina had been afraid Movira would find it troublesome and make vague compromises just to save effort. After all, the humans were quite skilled with manipulative rhetoric.
Hearing Movira’s answer, Seraphina breathed a sigh of relief, but quickly threw out another topic. “Oh right! Dekalorin came by earlier. She mentioned the public lecture. Do you think it’s okay?”
“Sure,” Movira replied straightforwardly, but her gaze never left Seraphina’s profile.
The mention of Dekalorin’s recent visit almost confirmed it for her—Seraphina was hiding something, and it was most likely related to Dekalorin.
However, she still didn’t know exactly what had been done.
She would find out sooner or later.
It was still the weekend. Seraphina had thought she could relax a little, but the document office eventually came knocking.
It had been nearly half a month since Seraphina last handled official matters.
Dekalorin had been delaying them under the pretext of Seraphina’s poor health for almost half a month, but they could no longer be postponed.
This time, Seraphina once again borrowed Dekalorin’s workspace. Since she hadn’t been a real professor before, the document office hadn’t arranged a dedicated office for her yet. Arranging one wouldn’t happen overnight either.
Looking at the letters that completely covered the large desk and were even stacked in a second layer, Seraphina felt her scalp go numb. It had been almost half a year since she had seen so many “official documents.”
Movira, however, didn’t seem bothered. She simply sat quietly beside Seraphina, beginning their long session of “overtime work.”
Still, with Movira by her side, answering these questions wasn’t too difficult.
And just like slipping back into that somewhat pitiful feeling from before, Seraphina found herself handling things more and more smoothly. She didn’t know whether to feel happy or sad about it.
In the following few days, the number of issues Seraphina had to handle wasn’t as overwhelming as that first day, but she still took on nearly half of the problems from the students.
This made the other professors feel like they were on vacation. Even a few old professors who had previously held some objections toward Seraphina began to look at her with a bit more approval.
That night, the sky was once again filled with stars…
Seraphina collapsed onto the bed again, burying her face completely into the soft bedding and letting out a muffled, unhappy groan. “I thought coming here would let me relax a bit… but it only lasted a few days!”
Movira patted her back gently. “If you’re tired, go to sleep soon. Tomorrow is the public lecture.”
Even though it wouldn’t be her going up on stage, the reminder still made Seraphina remember that it was coming up.
That night, Seraphina didn’t sleep very peacefully. Combined with going to bed early, she woke up as soon as the sky began to brighten.
She turned over and found that Movira had already opened her eyes and was quietly watching her.
“Ah? Why are you awake so early!”
Recalling the past, Seraphina realized that the only time she had woken up before Movira was once before. There had been no other instances.
“Mm. But it’s still early. Do you want to sleep a little longer?”
She tried, but shortly after closing her eyes, Seraphina opened them again and shook her head. “I can’t sleep anymore.”
Then she asked, “Um… Sister, how do you transform into my appearance? Can I see?”
“Sure.”
Movira answered cleanly. She lifted the blanket, got out of bed, and stood beside it.
In the time it took Seraphina to blink, Movira’s body was enveloped in a faint glow. After a single turn, when the light faded—
Seraphina jumped in fright. Her eyes widened, and she even covered her mouth.
Standing before her was another “Seraphina”!
Not just the facial features, but the height, posture, and even that slightly youthful aura had been perfectly replicated! Even the light apricot-colored nightgown she wore, the exact same long hair, and the identical violet eyes matched hers perfectly!
Seraphina couldn’t help getting up. She walked closer, raised her hand and waved it above “her” head to confirm the height had really shrunk to match her own.
She circled “herself” several times in disbelief, then carefully reached out a finger and gently poked “her” fair, tender cheek.
“It’s exactly the same…” Seraphina murmured. A strange, novel feeling welled up inside her as she looked at another “herself” standing right in front of her. It was like looking in a mirror!
“Mm… Sister, you should change back.” Looking at it for too long felt too strange. The appearance was flawless, but those eyes still carried Movira’s unique, chaotic depth.
However, “Seraphina” (that is, Movira) shook her head and spoke in a soft, clear voice that was almost indistinguishable from Seraphina’s own.
“There’s no rush. I need some time to get used to this state so I don’t slip up.”
As she spoke, she put on Seraphina’s clothes. “I’m going to buy breakfast. Stay in the room and wait obediently. Don’t wander around!”
“Eh? Wait! You’re going out like this?” Seraphina panicked and quickly grabbed “her” clothes. “You… you better not do anything weird while looking like me! Also, you’re wearing my clothes… what am I supposed to wear?!”
Movira turned her head. The corners of her mouth lifted into a mischievous smile—one that Seraphina would never make.
“For example?”
“F-For example…” Seraphina was momentarily at a loss for words, her face turning red with anxiety. “Anyway… that kind of thing is not allowed! And you have to act like how I usually do!”