Because today was the day she had arranged with Willis to go to Ushi City, and since she temporarily had no classes, after coordinating the schedule with other teachers for the next few days, Hill Yu effectively got about half a month off.
Half a month wasn’t considered a long vacation on the Vistoria Continent.
After all, transportation here wasn’t as dreadful as on Willis’s previous world, Blue Star. Most of the time, people ended up wasting time just on traveling.
The journey from the Imperial Capital Monsell to Ushi City by carriage, traveling day and night, took about three days.
Although spatial magic existed in this world, teleportation arrays were prohibitively expensive and lacked versatility, so their usage had not become widespread.
Moreover, the magic circles required for teleportation arrays were extremely complex. Various empires were researching how to simplify and mass-produce them…
But at this time, travel still mostly relied on horse-drawn carriages, which was more convenient.
They were cheaper and allowed travelers to enjoy the scenery along the way. With fast horses and whip cracks, the time spent was still manageable.
So Hill Yu took leave early and came to Willis’s Toukui Imperial Palace wearing the light armor she wore year-round.
She also brought along the remaining five hundred soldiers previously granted by Emperor Rubas.
The other five hundred soldiers stayed with Willis, responsible for guarding her safety.
Fortunately, nothing had happened in these past two days, so those five hundred soldiers staying here had served their purpose.
“Willis!”
Just as the maid finished the report, Hill Yu strode inside.
Upon entering the side hall, Hill Yu’s gaze was immediately drawn to three stunning beauties right in front of her.
Of course, Willis just glanced briefly and looked away, as she was already very familiar with them.
Sitting opposite Willis and to her right were a girl with chestnut-gray hair and another with golden hair.
Both possessed peerless beauty rarely seen in the heavens, flawless from figure to temperament.
If it weren’t for the golden-haired girl’s consistently displeased expression, the two could be considered one in a million beauties.
For a moment, Hill Yu was stunned.
What was going on?
Had Willis gone and forcibly taken women while she was gone for just two days?
Seeing the stormy expression on her elder sister’s face, Willis immediately understood what she was thinking.
She quickly put down her bowl and chopsticks, standing up as Annie Donald and Ophelia Egbert had already risen and bowed.
“Elder Sister, you’re here! Come, come, have you eaten breakfast? Let’s eat together.”
“Hm, I’ve eaten… Fine, I haven’t eaten either!”
Hill Yu didn’t bother with formalities and sat down directly on Willis’s left side, picking up the bowl and chopsticks handed by a maid and casually taking a few bites.
“You don’t need to be so formal. Continue eating.”
Hill Yu’s instruction prompted the two girls to quickly thank her and resume their meals.
However, the arrival of the Grand Princess made the atmosphere around the table somewhat awkward.
Annie and Ophelia only dared to lower their heads and eat quietly, no longer chatting and laughing with Willis as before, nor reaching out to pick food for her.
Willis found the scene understandable.
After all, Annie liked the Grand Princess, so being reserved and shy in her presence was normal. Ophelia was even more timid around outsiders.
“How’s this, Willis? Who are they?”
After two bites, Hill Yu sharply reached under the table and grabbed Willis’s waist.
“Ow, Elder Sister, what are you doing?”
Willis feigned ignorance.
“Don’t play dumb with me. Are these girls… did you abduct them?”
Hill Yu glared fiercely at Willis.
Her voice tinged with frustration and reproach: “You… even if you’re so desperate… can’t you hold back? There are so many maids in the palace…”
“Look at these two. They’re beautiful, yes, but their mannerisms and bearing—they must be noblewomen, right?”
“You’re already in hot water. Do you want to make more enemies by provoking other families!?”
“And that one… no matter how I look at her, she’s definitely Ophelia Laiensi, the second daughter the Laiensi matriarch was searching for last time. And you still deny abducting her!?”
Though Hill Yu tried to lower her voice, Annie and Ophelia sitting nearby heard enough to bury their heads even lower.
Hill Yu held back her anger, even wanting to give herself a hard slap for being so frustrated with her own younger sister.
If not for the presence of others…
Although the facts weren’t exactly as Hill Yu suspected, Willis suddenly broke into a teasing smile, her lips curling.
She also lowered her voice and leaned close to Hill Yu’s ear, breathing in her pleasant scent as she said…
“But Elder Sister, you know me—I like women. After going through two assassination attempts and all kinds of hardships… I just couldn’t hold back wanting to vent…”
“But ordinary girls don’t catch my eye, nor are they worthy of my status.”
“Though I like women, I’m not indiscriminate… I want peerless beauties worthy of the nation’s admiration… ordinary ones don’t even get a second glance from me…”
“But such beauties are rare in this world. It was so hard to find these two…”
Willis’s rapid-fire explanation left Hill Yu dumbfounded, her expression frozen in shattered disbelief.
After a long pause, she bit her lip and whispered softly in Willis’s ear.
This time, Willis was the one shocked.
“Uh… Elder Sister, you’re not joking, are you?”
“Do I look like I’m joking?”
Hill Yu’s face flushed deep red, almost dripping with color.
“Or do you think I’m not up to it?”
“Ahem… no, that’s not what I meant…”
Willis almost laughed out loud at the unexpected turn, but still kept a frightened expression.
Then she raised her voice so everyone could hear.
“But Elder Sister, you misunderstood. This Miss Ophelia Laiensi has officially changed her name to Ophelia Egbert. The Laiensi family has reached a deal with me. Ophelia will serve as my maid forever~”
Willis’s words left Ophelia utterly ashamed, wishing she could find a hole to disappear into.
Hill Yu and Annie Donald looked on in complete disbelief…
Annie couldn’t believe that sitting beside her was actually the second daughter of the Laiensi family, hailed as a genius mage.
Hill Yu couldn’t believe the Laiensi family would do such a thing—exchange a promising heir for such a trifling benefit!?
“Willis, could it be you—”
Before Hill Yu could finish, Willis shook her head.
“If you want to know the truth, why not ask her yourself?”
Turning to Ophelia, Hill Yu said, “Is what Willis said true? Ophelia Laiensi? Don’t worry, I’m here. She won’t dare do anything to you!”
“If you have any grievances, just say them. I’ll stand up for you!” Hill Yu sincerely hoped for honesty.
“It’s… true.”
Ophelia painfully lifted her head.
“My family can’t get through the current difficulties, so we came to seek help from Her Highness the Second Princess. And I… volunteered.”
Though the girl’s face showed resentment, humiliation, and helplessness, no one doubted Willis’s words anymore.
Of course, everyone could tell the ‘volunteering’ carried the weight of coercion.
Seeing this, Willis quickly changed the subject and introduced Annie.
“As for her, Elder Sister, you’re even more mistaken about me.”
“She’s my teacher’s granddaughter. Because she admires your swordsmanship, she asked me to introduce herself to you and to admire your grace.”
Willis gave Annie a playful glance.
But Annie just rolled her eyes disdainfully, looking both unwilling and resentful.
What was this nonsense?
Willis nearly jumped up to slap her.
After all this help, and you don’t appreciate it?
Watch out or I’ll smack you!