Professor Reinhart's words caught Shade off guard; after all, he and that Witch were really only friends at the moment:
"Then what about you and Elder Harald?"
"Elder Harald asked me the same question back then. It was in the summer after my leg had healed, when we traveled to City of Time Wheels together on business. We talked on the road, and I gave him exactly the same answer you just gave me. Yes, exactly the same. Now I fully understand the Elder's attitude and complicated feelings toward me back then."
He turned to look at the vast, majestic snow mountains beneath the blue sky and white clouds outside the window:
"It is as though Destiny drew a circle. Even as I celebrated my own Luck, I saw ahead of me that I had become the person I once faced. Of course, you and I are still somewhat different. I did not have your confidence back then. I was six years older than Claire's Mother, and I had only just become a lecturer with a very low salary. I had no connections at the Academy and could barely secure teaching hours. Funding and projects for humanities departments had always been difficult to apply for."
He coughed, cutting off his recollection of those awkward days:
"After living on this island for so many years, I have more or less begun to believe in Destiny as well. I will not meddle in your relationship with Claire. I am far more understanding than my old father-in-law was over twenty years ago. Ahem, do not repeat that to anyone else. This is a private conversation between us.
"In any case, investigate the snow mountains yourself. If you believe in Destiny, Destiny will reveal its secrets to you as well. But remember, fate is