Crossing Souls

Part 12 Selena6

Selena was grappling with an unfamiliar feeling of self-doubt. Her brow furrowed, her expression resolute, and her fingers nervously worked the edges of the paper. In the lamplight, her forehead glistened with a faint sheen. The delicate pages had been scrutinized for what seemed an eternity, yet they retained their enigmatic quality. The book's symbols, foreign to her, confounded her understanding; she could only hazard the meanings of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, while the rest remained a cryptic puzzle.

Ella, on the other hand, held her breath, her wide eyes fixed on Selena, attempting to gauge her progress. She wasn't concerned. To her, this was simply an odd excursion, and at worst, they would return to the palace.

Regret began to seep into Selena's thoughts. The Papal Legate had assured her that upon entering the school, she need only present her waist badge to be escorted to the "Primary Teaching Institute," where specialized clergy would guide her.

But the moment she heard "Primary Teaching Institute," those words ignited a fire within her.

"As the kingdom's heir, I began sword training at seven, attended court with my father at nine, and learned a wealth of statecraft. At seventeen, do I still need these charlatans to guide me? Am I to be treated like one of these useless individuals?"

Additionally, she bore the weight of her secret mission: to uncover the whereabouts of her mother, a matter that must remain undisclosed.

Yet now...

Selena drew a deep breath and glanced at Ella. Ella's widened eyes grew even larger.

Selena gestured toward the question about finding the restroom.

"Ella, what do you think the variables in this question mean?"

"I... I don't know."

"Don't keep saying you don't know, just take a wild guess!"

"Well... from the literal meaning, variables are about changing quantities, right? But why do they need to change? And where do they change to? There's a cross here, how does a cross turn into a tree? Princess, I find this ancient book incredibly perplexing. What if we can't solve it or find the restroom, what are we going to do?"

Selena's impatience grew. She had been restraining herself, but Ella persisted. Yet she couldn't scold her. A princess pondering over how to go to the restroom was truly a jest.

Annoyed, she rose from her seat and paced back and forth.

"Remember, the clergyman said that the restroom's location doesn't change, only the path does! But have all the paths truly changed? I remember the one that looks like a little chicken, do you recall the number on the door of the person we asked for directions?"

Ella quickly caught on.

"Good idea, we can go ask the little chicken again. But the lights in the corridor are all off, what if we can't find our way back?"

"We can unravel our clothes, pull a thread, and retrace our steps if necessary."

Ella's eyes lit up as she swiftly pulled out a sweater, unraveled a ball of yarn, and tied it to the doorknob.

Hand in hand, they ventured into the dark corridor.

They ascended and descended, feeling for doors and knocking on them. Eventually, they abandoned caution and tried every door, yet no one responded. They didn't know how many times they bumped their heads and fell, and the ball of yarn was almost used up, yet they still hadn't found dormitory number 79.

Ella followed behind Selena, tightly clutching the hem of Selena's clothes, beginning to suggest they should return. Selena was beside herself with anger.