Chapter 2: The Kids Were Scared to Tears

Not long after, a man dressed as a soldier arrived at the gates of Willis’ palace.

The guards at the low, thick, and ornate courtyard quickly stopped him.

“Stop! What’s your business?”

“S-sorry, my lord, this is a letter from the Royal Knight Victoria Family.”

The soldier nervously handed over the letter. The guard took it and carefully examined the family crest wax-sealed on the envelope.

“I see. Wait here.”

The guard turned and entered the mansion, finding the place where Royal Knight Victoria resided and handed her the letter.

Victoria opened it and frowned.

“Where did this letter come from?”

The letter only contained a few brief lines, roughly saying: The family is in trouble, return immediately!

There was no other content, but the handwriting was undeniably her father’s.

The guard quickly answered, “Outside, someone claiming to be from your family delivered this letter.”

“Let’s go see.”

Victoria led the guard outside but found that the messenger was already gone.

When they asked another guard, they learned the man had left just moments ago.

“I see…”

Victoria mused for a moment, then returned to the mansion.

Willis, who was being dressed and prepared by Hill Yu’s attendants, soon saw Victoria entering hurriedly, and she was momentarily surprised before Victoria came in.

The First Princess Hill Yu—why was she here?

And what was with the door…

Suppressing her doubts, Victoria fixed a cold gaze on Willis.

“Second Princess, I wish to temporarily report for duty and return home for two days. I hope Your Highness will grant permission.”

Hearing this, Willis had yet to recall any past interactions with Victoria, but Hill Yu, who was combing her hair, spoke up.

“You want to leave at a time like this? Don’t you know Second Sister is going to the Royal Academy today? How can you leave your post as her Royal Knight guard?”

“But…”

Victoria fell silent for a few seconds.

Indeed, once a Royal Knight assumes duty, they cannot leave voluntarily without an extraordinary reason.

It would be a desecration of the knight’s code.

At that moment, Willis said, “Permission granted. What’s happened at home? Does this princess need any help?”

Willis’s words stunned not only Victoria but also Hill Yu, who was grooming her.

The silver-haired knight furrowed her brows, a flicker of suspicion involuntarily rising in her heart—could it be that the princess…

Although Willis’s attitude toward her Royal Knight had been mediocre before, Victoria was, after all, a rare beauty.

Given Willis’s recent trauma, it would be reasonable for her to have feelings…

Was that why she was unusually gentle now?

But Victoria quickly suppressed the thought, her face remaining expressionless.

“Thank you, Your Highness. I will handle things myself and return as soon as possible.”

“Mm.”

Willis waved her hand, and Victoria went to pack.

Seeing Willis’s behavior this time, Hill Yu’s attendants were even gentler, feeling gratified that their training was bearing fruit.

However…

“Is this really alright, Your Highness? She is your Royal Knight. If she leaves, who will be responsible for your safety?”

Willis turned to Hill Yu, her eyes sparkling with an unspoken expression.

“Me?”

Hill Yu pointed to herself in surprise.

Willis nodded.

One knight left—there’s still another, right?

Though Hill Yu was a Mage-Swordsman, Royal Knights were chosen from swordsmen or mage-swordsmen, serving exactly the same role.

“With Elder Sister here, I’m sure it will be safe,” Willis said confidently, staring at her reflection in the mirror.

Hill Yu was at a loss with Willis’s sudden trust but could only sigh quietly.

The Royal Academy was located within the capital Monsell, so normally, there should be no danger.

Hill Yu’s worries were only about the unexpected trouble Willis’s reputation might bring—after all, there were many who wished her dead or sought to cause her harm.

Including those at the Royal Academy, who might secretly obstruct her…

With these thoughts, after finishing Willis’s preparations, the two women left the room and approached the carriage already waiting outside.

Due to Victoria’s departure, the imperial princess’s carriage was now surrounded by only fifteen guards arranged in five rows of three.

Though this was standard for the imperial princess’s outings, Hill Yu still felt that given Willis’s situation, it was rather meager.

“Shall we go, Elder Sister?”

The elegant and noble Willis had already boarded the carriage, then smiled slightly and held out her hand.

Hill Yu raised her hand, grasping Willis’s delicate, soft hand, following her inside the carriage, then settled within.

At the coachman’s whip crack, the procession slowly moved forward.

***

Okam Empire, the residence of the imperial princess was within the Royal City.

The Royal City was the absolute center of power for the Emperor and the entire Okam Empire.

If the capital Monsell was the political, economic, and cultural hub of the Okam Empire, then the Royal City was its very heart.

Here lived powerful ministers from various factions, imperial relatives, including the Emperor himself, and the imperial princesses.

As for why there were no princes…

Sitting on the road leaving the , Willis looked back at her own sleeping chamber.

It was a lavish palace from another world—carved railings, jade pillars, magnificent halls, with castles and beautiful pavilions.

She also recalled why the Okam Empire had no princes.

Her predecessor Willis, though fond of women, was equally ambitious.

There was no rule on the Vistoria Continent that power could only be inherited by men, but generally, passing the throne to a male was the first choice in most minds.

This was a fixed way of thinking. On the other hand, it wasn’t rare for women to ascend to high positions in this world.

Therefore, the ambitious Willis aimed for the highest position and first needed to clear the obstacles.

Those half-brother princes were her first targets.

Judging by results, she was quite successful.

At least everyone knew that in the Okam Empire, princes either died young or met with accidents…

Besides the remaining three princesses as heirs, the Emperor had no other sons left to choose from.

It was after the last prince’s death that her title “Evil Princess” began to spread.

“This really is… ruthless!”

Only this could describe her predecessor. Even now, as the current Willis, a chill rose in her heart.

Fortunately, the former Willis was meticulous and left no traces. Though she was the prime suspect in the princes’ deaths, even the Emperor found no evidence to punish her…

Not to mention the ministers who tried to impeach her, advise the Emperor to strip her princess title, and demote her to commoner status.

Thanks to this, Willis was able to live freely to this day.

“But such matters are a ticking time bomb!”

Willis sighed silently.

“You’re thinking about something?”

The carriage was spacious and luxurious, with sofas facing each other, a tea table, incense, and fresh fruit.

Now, sitting opposite her was the First Princess Hill Yu, who saw her sister’s dazed expression staring out the window and couldn’t help but ask.

Usually, when the sisters were together, Willis would do everything to get close to Hill Yu.

Cleverly using the excuse that a younger sister could act spoiled with her elder sister, she would keep rubbing against her.

At those times, Hill Yu could clearly feel the rumors about her younger sister liking women seemed more real.

But servants said that since a few days ago, Willis’s condition seemed off.

Now it did seem a bit strange.

“Uh, nothing,” Willis replied faintly after turning her head.

Her eyes hid some secret.

“Are you worried about your inauguration speech later?”

Hill Yu asked.

Willis paused, then nodded at her words.

“Probably.”

“Probably?”

Hill Yu frowned in puzzlement before saying, “The speech is at one in the afternoon. After arriving at the academy, you’ll still have two hours to prepare.”

“But those old stubborn people there, even with my recommendation, they…”

Hill Yu hesitated, choosing her words carefully.

No matter how the outside world talked about her sister, Hill Yu had always been kind to her family…

Though she was angry earlier in the , Hill Yu’s concern for Willis remained.

Besides, Willis only annoyed her by being clingy but never showed the vicious, evil side the rumors described, so Hill Yu didn’t want to hit her too hard.

“Little sister, you know your reputation isn’t good, right?”

In the end, Hill Yu chose to be straightforward.

She thought this was the best way to help her.

She expected Willis to be angry, but Willis just nodded, as if she had long accepted it.

“I know.”

“Uh…” Hill Yu was briefly stunned by the curt response, as if Willis was speaking about someone else.

Hill Yu could clearly sense a change in Willis.

In the past, she would probably have said something like, “People are so pitiful, always believing rumors. Maybe sending them to the Great Tunnel as laborers would stop these schemers…”

“Since you understand that, it’s easier to say… Those old stubborn ones don’t welcome you. I even heard they’re secretly plotting to sabotage your inauguration speech…”

Hill Yu continued only after seeing no reaction on Willis’s face.

“They don’t want you to enter the Royal Academy. They plan to make you lose face during the speech and then jointly petition the academy and empire to revoke your application.”

That was it… Willis thought. No sane person would want the Evil Princess to become a professor at the academy.

But if she got in successfully, it would be hard to revoke her position.

Before and after entering are two different things.

That was why they wanted to stop her before she even entered.

Rumors outside said Princess Willis wanted to take over the Royal Academy to secretly cultivate the next generation and gather talents and forces from all over the world.

If the extinction of the Okam Empire’s princes was Willis’s doing, then taking control of the Royal Academy was part of her plan to ascend to the highest throne.

Almost everyone hostile to Willis thought so and was working hard to block her.

But only the current Willis, who inherited her predecessor’s memories, knew her true motive.

—Because the academy had the most beautiful young girls.

Yes, that was the trivial reason Willis wanted to enter the Royal Academy and have Hill Yu, now a Swordmaster, recommend her.

There was no other way; to become a tutor at the Royal Academy, you had to be recommended by someone inside.

Hill Yu was the best choice.

Thinking this, Willis looked at Hill Yu oddly.

The outside world hated her, but this elder sister was willing to help and even came early to wake her up…

Though her method was a bit rough… like her sword training?

“What’s wrong?”

Hill Yu touched her own face.

“Is there something on my face?”

“No, I was just thinking their reactions are what I expected…”

Willis smiled faintly.

“But Elder Sister, you actually eavesdropped?”

Hearing this, Hill Yu hurriedly waved her hands in denial.

“No, no, no. I wasn’t eavesdropping on purpose… I just happened to pass by the tutors’ office last night before going home…”

“Just happened?”

“Really just happened! Who knew they were conspiring to make trouble for you and left the door open…”

Hill Yu’s face reddened more as she spoke; only she knew the truth.

Willis didn’t press further, only staring at the familiar yet strange scenery outside, pondering how to complete the system’s mission.

The carriage passed through the Royal City, exited the towering city gates, then entered the bustling streets outside…

Passersby avoided Willis’s carriage with fearful and panicked expressions. The sky-blue sword emblem representing the royal family made people too intimidated to even breathe.

Everyone knew whose carriage this was. Willis even saw a child playing excitedly with a toy one second, then suddenly freeze, wobbling, and standing stiffly.

A trickle of liquid flowed down the boy’s pant leg…

Only when the carriage drove away did Willis faintly hear the boy’s crying.

“This really is…” Willis pulled down the curtain with some disinterest, “Am I that scary?”

***

After traveling for half an hour, Willis suddenly noticed fewer and fewer pedestrians on the street.

Though the surrounding houses and shops remained luxurious and dazzling…

There were no customers, only shopkeepers casting wary glances at her from the corner of their eyes!

[Real Eye!]

Willis’s eyes changed dramatically, as if seven-colored rainbows swirled within her pupils.

Then, she saw such information.

[The shops and goods have been specially decorated. These fruits are very fresh, but the shopkeeper looks unfriendly. Could he be trying to rip you off? If you want apples, the suggested price is 3 Copper Dragons per pound!]

[Blacksmith shop: The dozen or so weapons hanging outside are top quality, but strangely, the forge inside is not lit. The blacksmith tapping a short blade seems to be aiming at you.]

“Stop!”

Willis sensed danger and immediately ordered the coachman to halt.

“What’s wrong, Willis?”

Hill Yu asked, puzzled by Willis’s tense demeanor.

The next second, a sharp sword pierced straight through the carriage compartment, narrowly missing Hill Yu before slashing toward Willis.

***