Not only did Willis sense something unusual, but even Hill Yu, who usually only cared about sword training, caught the strange undertone from Mark and the others’ attitudes.
No matter what position he holds now, the one standing before him is the Second Princess of the Empire.
Such humble yet outrageously arrogant recklessness doesn’t seem like something a commoner Vice Dean could pull off.
If Mark had always been like this, he wouldn’t have made it to his current position.
But in Willis’ eyes, even if he hadn’t forced her like this, she would have agreed to the inauguration speech.
The system task was still hanging there; she didn’t want some weird tentacle growing out of her pretty face.
Of course, this wasn’t vanity—she just didn’t want to become an ugly freak, which would make her life a living hell afterward.
While the stalemate continued, a sharp, resounding voice suddenly rang out from outside.
“His Majesty has arrived!”
In an instant, the noisy sounds outside fell silent, leaving only the echo of “His Majesty has arrived” lingering.
Armor scraping, metal clashing like stone, swords brandished, heavy footsteps…
The thunderous marching grew closer, and Willis saw a glint of triumph at the corner of Mark’s eye.
So that’s it.
Willis glanced at Hill Yu, who wisely sheathed her icy blue sword.
Half a minute later, armored Guards flooded in and surrounded the area, leaving no gaps.
Then, a man with graying hair and a crown atop his head entered.
His appearance was handsome and resolute, and though in his fifties, he was still spirited and steady in his stride.
Yet a lingering darkness between his brows made his figure and face look weary.
He wore boots marked with the Sky Sword emblem, greaves, a skirted plate, a silver breastplate, and a fiery red battle robe engraved with the royal insignia.
He looked less like an Emperor and more like a general heading to war.
But through her own memories, Willis knew clearly—this was her Father Emperor, Lubas Egbert.
“Greetings to His Majesty!”
In an instant, everyone in the simple room—containing only a sickbed, medicine cabinet, and a desk—lowered themselves, kneeling to the Emperor.
When Willis tried to get out of bed, Lubas stopped her.
“That’s enough, Willis. Stay as you are.”
“Thank you, Father Emperor!”
Willis said respectfully.
Hill Yu was shocked by their father’s sudden arrival, while Willis quickly pieced together the cause and effect.
So, her Father Emperor didn’t want her to enter the Royal Academy, and Mark’s servile arrogance was just his command?
Willis thought it made sense.
Her past actions made it clear—she had always used any means to reach the highest position.
Wouldn’t it be stranger if Lubas didn’t interfere?
However…
This method was a bit too gentle.
The outside world rumored that the Emperor disliked his Second Princess, but in Willis’ eyes, if he truly hated her, as a child of the Imperial family, Lubas would have used thunderous means to kill her.
Willis always worried about this deep down.
But now, what did his presence here mean?
Since he had already ordered the Royal Academy to send Mark and the others to stop her, why bother coming in person?
With these doubts in her heart, she watched as Lubas waved his hand, signaling everyone except Hill Yu to leave.
“Father Emperor… about Imperial Sister…”
Hill Yu opened her mouth but stopped.
Lubas glanced at her, then turned to Willis.
“How is your injury?”
“Thank you for your concern, Father Emperor. It’s nothing now.”
Willis lowered her voice, pretending to be weak.
“Do you know who attacked you?”
Lubas asked again.
The Emperor of the Empire now spoke like a concerned father.
But as Hill Yu and Willis looked over, his gaze—sharper than blades and deeper than the sea—sent an overwhelming pressure that made them avert their eyes.
“I don’t know, Father Emperor. Only that one of them was an Elf. I suspect there’s a hidden force within the Empire allied with the Elves.”
Willis guessed softly.
But Lubas replied with a thunderous shout.
“Useless! You don’t even know your enemy, so you won’t even know how you die in the future!”
Willis was startled by Lubas’s anger over this.
He continued.
“This is Monsell! The capital of the Empire, right under your nose!”
Hill Yu tried to defend her Imperial Sister.
“Father Emperor…”
“Silence! I wasn’t asking you!”
But as soon as she spoke, Lubas cut her off.
The room fell silent.
After a moment, Lubas’s tone changed.
“Willis, don’t you want to enter the Royal Academy? Half an hour. Moonlit Hall!”
With that, Lubas turned to leave.
Hill Yu couldn’t help but cry out.
“But Father Emperor, Imperial Sister just went through a life-and-death—”
“Isn’t she still alive?”
Lubas’s voice echoed coldly.
Then, the Guards he brought left with thunderous footsteps.
Seeing this, Hill Yu anxiously sat by Willis’s bedside, gripping her hand.
“Imperial Sister, what do we do? You’re not even prepared. Even just getting from here to Moonlit Hall takes ten minutes!”
Willis, snapping out of her initial daze, looked at the worried Hill Yu before her and suddenly hugged her.
“Eh? What are you doing? This isn’t the time!”
Hill Yu protested, a bit flustered.
“Thank you, Royal Sister.”
Willis smiled sincerely.
“At least at this moment, you’re still by my side.”
At her words, Hill Yu froze.
“Willis… Father Emperor isn’t planning to personally expel you from the Academy, is he?”
With Lubas overseeing everything, wouldn’t he have the final say on whether Willis’s inauguration speech passed or not?
“But Imperial Sister, not entering the Academy isn’t such a big deal. There are plenty of headaches here anyway.”
Hill Yu tried to comfort her clumsily, not knowing that failure would mean Willis facing the System’s punishment.
“There’s nothing for it now. We’ll just have to take it step by step.”
Willis gently pushed Hill Yu away, her expression regaining calm.
“No time to prepare. I’ll improvise. Royal Sister, could you help me change and tidy up again?”
After such a battle, Willis’s clothes were in disarray, covered in dust, and her shoulders showed signs of lost composure.
“But…there’s nowhere to freshen up here…”
Hill Yu looked around.
All the rooms here were for patients, so there was no ladies’ dressing table.
There weren’t even basic toiletries, not even a simple wooden comb.
“Then should I use my fingers to comb your hair?”
Hill Yu tilted her head.
“You should have brought a few maids.”
“Why not just say bring more soldiers?”
Willis rolled her eyes at the hindsight.
So, after a simple tidy-up in the infirmary, Willis changed into Hill Yu’s Academy uniform and set off toward Moonlit Hall.
Soon, she would face the hellish trial deciding whether or not a tentacle would grow from her face.