Zeiss took Eleven up to the library on the third floor, accompanied by the maid who had brought her to the dining room. Eleven appeared diminutive compared to Zeiss's towering height of nearly seven feet. His pinky finger was gently clasped around her tiny fingers as he led her—both of them—toward the library. When Zeiss opened the door, little Eleven gasped in wonder.
"Wow..." She trailed off in awe as she released Zeiss's finger and dashed around the library. "It's so big!" The room was encased by four walls lined with shelves that reached the ceiling, a veritable fortress of books. How a man could retrieve books from such lofty heights was a mystery to Eleven. "How can you get the book at the top, Zeiss?" she asked, her curiosity piqued, and she heard the maid chuckle softly, her lips twitching in amusement.
"Like this." Zeiss stepped beside her. "Watch." Eleven's amethyst gaze was fixed upon him, anticipation sparkling in her eyes. With a deft motion, he lifted his right pointy finger and pointed at the top of the shelf. To her astonishment, his finger's movement summoned a highbook from its perch, gracefully descending within Eleven's reach.
"Wow!! Zeiss is a magician!!" she squealed in delight, unperturbed by the strange magic he wielded.
Both Zeiss and the maid laughed at the little girl who cradled the book to her chest as if it were a long-lost treasure finally reclaimed. Just as Zeiss was about to speak, the library's double doors swung open, and in strode Lincoln. He whispered something to Zeiss that instantly wiped the smile from his face. Crouching to meet Eleven's gaze, he said gently, "Read with her. I have business to attend to." Eleven nodded and waved her small fair hand at him as he exited the library, closing the door softly behind him.
"Come now, let's read." The maid, clad in a crisp black and white uniform befitting her station, lifted Eleven off the ground and set her atop the nearest table before taking a seat beside her. "Do you know how to read?" she inquired.
"I did go to school, auntie." Eleven beamed as though it were an extraordinary achievement to attend school in Seire Village. It truly was; not everyone had the privilege of crossing its threshold. Her parents held respectable jobs, and she was their only child—a fact they cherished without complaint. "What's your name, auntie?" she asked while watching the woman open the hardcover book and skim through its contents.
"Call me Gianna," replied the maid with a warm smile as she looked up at Eleven with her striking red eyes. "Gosh, you're so cute." She chuckled softly while caressing Eleven's silver hair. As she noticed Eleven's purple eyes and fair skin, recognition dawned upon her face, gracing it with a gentle smile. "You look so much like her," she remarked, but Eleven merely blinked in response.
"Auntie Gianna, how old are you?" Eleven asked, glancing from the book back up to Gianna.
"Mm, twenty-five," Gianna replied playfully pinching her nose. Eleven squealed in delight at this revelation.
"I've been taught about vampires in school, Auntie Gianna! I heard they don't have wrinkles or beards. You look too young for twenty-five." She pursed her lips thoughtfully before an invisible light bulb seemed to illuminate above her silver locks. "That means when I become twenty-five, you'll still look like this and we can be best friends?!" She clapped her small hands excitedly.
Gianna couldn't help but burst into laughter; the girl was simply too adorable. "Yes, yes! If you become twenty-five, I'll still look like this and we can be best friends," she replied with a smile that revealed a charming dimple on one cheek.
"But... Oh no!" Eleven looked at Gianna with wide eyes and pursed lips.
"What's wrong, El?" Gianna asked gently; little Eleven had shared her name earlier in the bathroom.
"I already promised Zeiss I would be his best friend forever." Her expression fell as if it were some grave crime in Seire to have two best friends.
Gianna struggled to stifle a laugh that bubbled up within her but ultimately failed; little Eleven glared at her as though she were some sort of jest. "Oh sweetheart," Gianna said soothingly while brushing her finger against Eleven's cheek. "You can have two best friends."
"Really? It would be betrayal," Eleven said thoughtfully as she bit down on her lip.
"No it won't," Gianna replied with a playful smirk. "You just have to trust both of them equally. You can have many best friends as long as there is trust between you all." She smiled warmly and poked at the girl's chubby cheek playfully. "Now let's read." With that, she covered the book momentarily to check its title and synopsis before opening it to the first page after confirming it was suitable for children.