Leaving the Department of Healing, the scene outside the Royal Academy was lively and bustling.
Everywhere were students in uniforms, chatting and laughing as they passed by.
As an Imperial Princess, Willis now found herself with her guards all dead or wounded, only Hill Yu remained by her side—truly a pitiful situation.
She had even changed into Hill Yu’s uniform, and for a moment, no one recognized her.
Walking along the smooth stone path, the Royal Academy was crisscrossed with numerous roads.
Willis had visited here a few times before, but she wasn’t familiar with the main routes.
So Hill Yu led the way ahead while Willis quietly followed behind her.
Occasionally, with a predatory gaze scanning the students around, Willis somehow always managed to spot the outstanding female students in the crowd at a glance.
“Are you confident?”
Hill Yu asked quietly as she walked ahead.
Now that even the Okam Empire’s Emperor was coming, Willis knew there was no escaping this time.
Originally, Hill Yu had hoped to postpone the plan while Willis was still injured, to give her some time to prepare. But now, not even a moment’s rest was granted.
“The boat will find its way when it reaches the bridge. What’s the use of worrying now, Sister Imperial? We’ll just adapt as things happen,” Willis said calmly.
Even though the Healer had healed the wound on her shoulder, the Ice Arrow fired by Winnie Kanasha still packed considerable destructive power.
Her shoulder still throbbed faintly, the icy magic corroding her body, completely at odds with Willis’s own fire attribute magic.
Winnie really left quite the mark inside me… Willis’s eyes turned cold as she thought this over.
“That’s true. Willis, it’s best you hadn’t come to stir up trouble at the Academy,” Hill Yu said, already assuming Willis would fail.
“Do you really think I still have a way out?”
Willis retorted.
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing,” Willis shook her head, signaling Hill Yu to hurry up.
Now, it wasn’t just the System pushing her to complete the task. After this assassination attempt, Willis understood one thing clearly.
If she failed this induction, showing any weakness, even greater dangers would quietly close in.
Within the Empire, the tides of conflict surged. As the notorious Evil Princess standing in the eye of the storm, a single misstep could mean irreversible ruin.
Sunlight filtered through the treetops, casting mottled shadows on the ground, while a gentle, cool breeze stirred the air.
The girls’ skirts swayed as they laughed and played, filling the surroundings with scenes of joy.
Willis’s gaze occasionally tilted, the neatly trimmed garden beside the path blooming with seasonal flowers and their sweet fragrance.
Buildings of otherworldly style towered amid the carefully planted woods, their shadows flickering like shy beauties.
Hill Yu led her this way and that, soon arriving at their destination.
Compared to the lively scenes they’d passed, Willis’s heart felt icy and deep.
“Ah! Hill Yu Teacher! You’re here too! So you’re coming to this speech after all?”
Before entering the heavy doors, some students greeted Hill Yu.
“Yes, you all too?”
Hill Yu smiled back.
One student lowered his voice mysteriously and said, “Teacher, is your sister the one about to come out? I heard she has a blue face, sharp fangs, kills without blinking, and likes dipping people in vinegar before eating them—is that true?”
“What are you saying, you little brat?!”
Hill Yu laughed and scolded, raising her hand to strike, but he dodged at the last moment.
Then Willis appeared, silently standing behind Hill Yu.
Even in the teacher’s uniform, she couldn’t hide her graceful figure—slender and elegant, her red hair shining under the sun.
The battle wounds she’d just endured left her looking tired and sickly, making her delicate and beautiful face even more heart-wrenching for the students who saw her, causing their hearts to race.
“Is she… also a swordsmanship teacher?”
The student stared blankly at Willis, then looked to Hill Yu.
“Enough questions. If you have time to chat, you should be preparing for tomorrow’s practice. I’ll be checking on your progress myself,” Hill Yu said.
At once, the students frowned and quickly dispersed.
From the distance came the sound of their playful chatter.
“Teacher Hill Yu is checking us? Should we go back now?”
“What are you talking about? The Vice Dean and professors told us to come watch the speech specially. We just need to say we missed practice today because of the Academy’s orders!”
“That’s right. I was only half a day away from mastering that sword technique…”
Willis remained silent the whole time, now gazing solemnly at the many Imperial soldiers guarding the mighty, millstone-sized Moon Hall.
“These brats…” Hill Yu cursed lightly, then turned back to explain, “They’re all my students, a little mischievous, but solid at their core.”
Willis instead admired, “Sister Imperial, you really are a good teacher here at the Academy.”
Hill Yu’s face flushed slightly. Being seen working by family was a little embarrassing.
“I never use my Imperial status to show off. They’re young and don’t care about the rules much. Over time, we just became like a family.”
Hill Yu’s explanation made Willis nod. So that’s what it means to be upright!?
The glow radiating from the Imperial Princess nearly blinded Willis! Her villainous soul trembled slightly!
But those were just minor episodes. As the two ascended the jade steps, the soldiers guarding the gate recognized the Empire’s princess and let them through without a word.
Hill Yu led Willis inside. The spacious hall revealed a circular corridor on both sides.
Each side had two corridors, one front and one back—four passages in total.
Surrounding them were luxurious, exquisite rooms, all locked and not open to the public.
“This way, Sister Imperial. Before you take the stage, I’ll stay with you,” Hill Yu said as she continued leading.
Unlike the cool breeze outside, the interior was colder.
A gust blew through, giving Willis goosebumps.
Passing one corridor, Hill Yu brought her backstage at the Moon Hall.
From here, the entire interior was plainly visible—simple, yet lavish.
Real Eye!
[The tables and chairs are made from Duoang Wood, trees from the Northern Coldlands—sturdy and durable, with a faint fragrance that refreshes and calms the mind. But the Northern Coldlands are far away, and a single piece of Duoang Wood is expensive.]
[The curtains are made from top-grade Magic Sheep Silk. To get such a quantity, at least tens of thousands of Gold Dragon had to be spent…]
Everything in Moon Hall was elegant and costly.
Though the layout was simple, consisting only of the audience seats and the front stage, it still conveyed an extraordinary aura.
Above the audience seats was a second-tier circular corridor with eight raised platforms—VIP seats.
Now, many professors from the Royal Academy were seated there, with Emperor Lubas Egbert occupying the most prestigious spot.
As the clock hanging in the hall ticked, the hour hand pointed to three sharp.
Standing on the stage, Vice Professor Mark smiled.
“The time has come. Everyone, please be silent and take your seats in an orderly fashion!”
Soon, the audience Willis had expected to be no more than ten had grown to at least half full—over two thousand people!
Mark’s voice carried through the wind-element amplification magic on stage, the crowd gradually quieting.
“Next! Let’s welcome the Empire’s Second Imperial Princess to her induction speech!”
No prelude, no introductory remarks—this urgency left Willis no room to breathe.
With thunderous applause, countless eyes fixed on the backstage.
Willis sighed upon seeing this. Clearly, they meant to ruin her in front of the entire school!
Then, when the Emperor’s timely anger struck, denouncing her lack of academic skill and calling her a corrupting influence on the youth, followed by her immediate dismissal, everyone would cheer.
Her induction would be a failure.
And then, tentacles would sprout from her face… Congratulations indeed.
“Was all this your doing? My beloved… Father Emperor!?”
Willis’s eyes were indifferent as she looked toward the imposing figure on the high platform.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward.
“Willis! You can do it!”
Behind her, Hill Yu’s worried voice echoed.