Chapter 80

Chapter 11

The entrance ceremony concluded, and everyone followed the Director’s instructions to settle into their dormitories first.

The young men eagerly carried Liu Yu’s rattan suitcase, clearing the way for her, seemingly unfazed by the fact that she already had a “beloved lover.”

Liu Yu and Gaia walked side by side along the tree-lined path by the lake, both falling into silence.

The Director continued to explain ahead:

“For our divine arts classes, we’ll cross the Berna River to attend at the Temple of Light. If we’re lucky, we might even get a lecture from the High Priest, though most of the time, it’s the temple’s divine messengers and knights who take turns teaching. If you excel in the graduation exam, you can directly join the temple as a divine servant…”

“Romantic relationships and sparring are not prohibited within the academy, but there’s one thing you must remember: any dark, dishonorable tactics are strictly forbidden within the academy… Otherwise, it will be considered a betrayal of the God of Light, and you’ll be expelled…”

The Yang Liu trees hung low over the embankment, and the air was filled with a damp mist.

Liu Yu withdrew her gaze and asked softly:

“If I hadn’t come this time, would you have missed me?”

Her voice was so low that to others, it looked like a pair of lovers whispering sweet nothings.

Gaia took a slight step back:

“Missed?”

He shook his head in confusion:

“What does it mean to miss?”

Liu Yu looked up at him intently. By then, the last sliver of the sun’s afterglow had disappeared behind the snow-capped mountains, and the sky had darkened. Yet, the white-clad boy seemed to glow like a radiant figure.

His eyes were blindfolded, the windows to his soul closed, but his expression exuded a calmness—a detachment from all things.

Liu Yu realized then that he truly had no interest in her, not even the slightest bit.

This made things rather difficult.

After all, she wanted to sleep with him.

Liu Yu sighed deeply.

She recalled the fleeting glimpse from the memory bead—

The God of Light stood high in his divine palace, gazing upon the earth through a mirror-like lake. Through layers of veils and clouds, he had witnessed eons of changes, the joys and sorrows of humanity, and countless beauties of unparalleled charm. His heart had long turned into ice, unyielding and unmovable.

“Beiliya, what does it mean to miss?”

The boy was still asking.

“To miss… is…” Liu Yu opened her mouth but found she didn’t have an answer. She strung together some words to brush it off: “To miss someone is to think of them when they’re not around, to still think of them even when you’re together, and to want to see them again just after parting…”

“Oh, then I don’t miss you.”

Liu Yu: …

She knew it!

Liu Yu rolled her eyes inwardly and smoothly changed the subject:

“Gaia, if you really want something but are unlikely to get it, what would you do?”

“Find another way?”

“What if the method isn’t honorable?”

Like, for example, drugging someone.

“Then it depends on how important that thing is to you. Are you willing to sacrifice your honor to obtain it, or would you rather maintain your integrity and let it go?”

Liu Yu instantly had her answer.

What use was honor? When you’re starving, it’s not as useful as a piece of paper money—at least the latter could buy you a bun.

“Thank you,” she said with a smile.

Gaia, oblivious to her intentions, stopped and said:

“Beiliya, we’re here.”

“Gaia, the way you are, I always suspect you can see.”

The boy had never stumbled along the way, never missed a turn, kicked a stone, and even accurately found the location of the girls’ dormitory.

“It’s intuition,” he replied with a slight smile, then waved goodbye amidst a chorus of gasps.

The wind blew his silver hair, which, along with his white shirt, vest, silk trousers, and boots, outlined a handsome and elegant figure.

“Oh my, he’s so charming! His smile is like an angel’s!”

“When the gods created him, they must have poured all their effort into it, unlike us… who were just casually molded.”

Liu Yu squinted as she watched him walk away. To her, he was like a bowl of nourishing soup wafting its aroma her way:

Yes, he’s indeed charming—

And perhaps quite delicious.

***

The dormitory complex was made up of one “mushroom tower” after another, with round mushroom-like pillars and spires topped with a scepter of the sun and moon. All the “mushrooms” were enclosed by a winding wall, and the spaces between the towers were covered in lush green grass—

It was poetic and beautiful.

The boys’ and girls’ dormitories were separated by a wall and an iron gate.

“Hey, you’re in the way.”

Liu Yu’s rattan suitcase was kicked aside.

The eager young men had already linked arms and run off singing, while the Dormitory Supervisor waved her long ruler:

“Servants, men, any males—none of you are allowed in! Out! Out!”

A girl in a black dress kicked open her suitcase and walked past haughtily.

“Mary!”

Carlo Prince, who had been chatting happily with Natasi earlier, hurried over. He picked up the rattan suitcase and said, “I’m sorry, Miss Fergus. Mary has been spoiled by my father. Mary, apologize!”

…Mary Carlo?

Liu Yu looked at the black-clad girl being forced to apologize by Carlo. Her gaze slid from the mole by her mouth to her overly voluptuous figure, finally confirming her identity.

If Liu Yu was the villainess with a significant role, then Mary Carlo was the minor character who would be written off in just a few episodes.

In the original story, Princess Mary fell for Gaia. She first pursued him madly, and when her advances were rejected, she became enraged and tried to drug him with a love potion. However, Natasi accidentally foiled her plan—

Mary’s scheme was exposed, and she was expelled from the Academy of Light.

Her later fate wasn’t great either; she married a sadistic old man twice her age.

At this moment, Mary was still arrogant. She wore an expensive silk dress, black gloves, and a feathered hat. Even her apology was half-hearted:

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t see you.”

Liu Yu smiled gently, showing six teeth—a smile she had practiced in the mirror to appear as harmless as possible:

“It’s fine.”

She was always patient with potential clients.

After all, she wanted the potion in this girl’s possession—desperate times called for desperate measures.

Liu Yu admitted she wasn’t exactly a person with strong moral principles.

Her principles had long been worn away in her previous life, where she drank thin soup filled with yellow leaves and pebbles day after day.

“Go, go! Now! All males, leave!”

The Dormitory Supervisor’s plump body rolled over, shooing away the men near the girls’ dormitory gate. Carlo Prince nodded apologetically to the group and left as well.

Now, the noble girls with heavy luggage were in a bind.

Most of them were delicate, wearing impractical silk dresses and waving feathered fans, with multiple large rattan suitcases in front of them. Without servants or gentlemen to help, it was quite unreasonable to expect them to carry everything themselves.

The commoner girls fared much better, as most of them only had a small bundle and could easily cross the threshold.

Those who were friendly and had already made acquaintances helped each other, but the aloof and unsociable ones found no one willing to lend a hand.

“Beiliya…” Natasi approached hesitantly, “Let me help you.”

She reached out her slender, almost fragile hands to touch the suitcase, but Liu Yu brushed her off:

“No need.”

Everyone watched as the red-clad girl lifted the suitcase, which was nearly half her size, stepped over the high threshold, and strode toward the dormitory.

Her golden wavy hair swayed behind her.

Natasi hesitated, then retracted her hand.

Mary glanced at her up and down and suddenly said:

“Hey, you… Miss Fergus doesn’t need your help, so how about helping me instead? Ten luso per trip—you wouldn’t earn that much normally.”

“No, no…”

Natasi tried to decline with a wave, but a suitcase was shoved into her hands.

Her face flushed red, and she instinctively felt something was wrong but couldn’t pinpoint what. She was about to lift the suitcase when a hand stopped her.

The hand had red nail polish, and the skin was fair and delicate. Natasi looked up and immediately saw Beiliya.

She stood beside her, her delicate face stern and unapproachable:

“Natasi, put it down.”

“Miss Fergus, she’s doing this voluntarily. Ten luso per trip, right, commoner girl?”

Mary raised her chin at Natasi.

“Put it down.”

Liu Yu’s face was tense.

Natasi instinctively put down the suitcase.

“How dare you?!”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Princess Mary, this is not the Soren Royal Palace, and none of us are your servants. If you insist on bullying Natasi, I won’t hesitate to report this to the Dormitory Supervisor and let her judge the matter."

Liu Yu turned her head, looking at Natasi with a gentle yet stern expression. "Hold your head high and stand tall. Those from the Fergus Family are no pushovers!"

"But... but..."

She’s a princess, and we’ll have to share a room with her.

"No buts." Liu Yu casually picked up her room assignment card and glanced at it. "Natasi Leonard, and Mary... Carlo?"

"No, you can’t stay with her," she said, turning to the Dormitory Supervisor. "Can I switch rooms with my sister?"

The Dormitory Supervisor, whose job was to keep boys from sneaking in, didn’t care about such trivial matters. She waved her hand dismissively:

"Whatever!"

And so, Liu Yu not only managed to present herself as a caring sister in front of everyone but also successfully secured a spot in Princess Mary’s room, sharing it with her—

According to the original story, Natasi did indeed share a room with Princess Mary when she first entered the Academy of Light.

By the time Liu Yu huffed and puffed, carrying three wicker trunks to her new room, she found Mary already standing in the middle of the room, fan pressed to her nose, looking utterly disgusted:

"Oh, this wretched place! It’s so small and shabby, not even as big as the bathroom in the palace!"

Liu Yu followed her gaze.

Contrary to Princess Mary’s complaints, the room was clean and fresh, with beige walls and aqua-green curtains. Against the east wall stood a bunk bed, the lower bunk already occupied with a small handbag, the upper one empty.

Everything was neatly arranged in pairs.

Desks, chairs, wardrobes—

Though both wardrobes were open, clothes already hung inside.

Two commoner girls were busy, one bending over to make the bed, the other hanging clothes from a wicker trunk into the wardrobe.

"Miss Fergus."

Princess Mary extended a black-gloved hand, expecting Liu Yu to kiss it.

Liu Yu walked right past her without a second glance.

She had fought to share a room with her to get her hands on the aphrodisiac, not to serve as her maid.

She went straight to one of the wardrobes and began pulling out all the clothes that had been neatly hung inside.

"Oh my goodness! What are you doing?!"

The commoner girls knelt on the floor, staring at the dresses scattered everywhere, utterly lost.

"I’ll take the top bunk, no problem. The desk, wardrobe... everything else, we split fifty-fifty. Got it?"

Mary, infuriated by her audacity, pointed her fan at her:

"Beiliya Fergus, a lowly baron’s daughter, a disgrace to the nobility who relies on a commoner merchant for her hairpins! How dare you presume to stand on equal footing with the noble Carlo Royal Family?!"

Liu Yu looked at her as if she were a delusional fool—

No wonder she ended up dead so quickly in the story.

The fastest way to deal with people like her was to shut the door and let the dog loose.

She opened the birdcage in her hand and pointed at Princess Mary:

"Banban! Go! Extra dinner for you tonight."

Banban flapped his wings excitedly:

"Ban!"

The gray sparrow shot out like an arrow, and the commoner girls seized the chance to flee the room.

Mary screamed in terror, clutching her skirts as she ran around the room, yelling at Beiliya to call the bird off:

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"

But no matter how she dodged, she couldn’t escape the lightning-fast gray sparrow.

Before long, she was pecked into a disheveled mess, crouching in the corner like a defeated rooster, sobbing:

"I-I’ll tell my brother about this!"

"Prince Carlo? Go ahead."

"And! I’ll tell Mr. Leslie everything you did today! He’ll never like such a wicked woman!"

"You like him?"

Liu Yu crouched down with a smile.

Mary shrank back but then straightened her chest. "Yes, so what?! Mr. Leslie is charming; everyone likes him!"

"Oh, Banban!"

Banban flew over, his beady black eyes glaring at her. Mary screamed again:

"W-what are you doing?"

"Oh, do me a favor." Liu Yu took her hand. "Tomorrow, I’ll let you get back at me. How about that?"

"Liar!"

Mary didn’t believe her. "Swear it!"

"Really." Liu Yu raised a finger. "I swear to the God of Light that Princess Mary will get her revenge."

Mary immediately believed her.

"What is it? Tell me."

"My sister likes Prince Carlo..."

"Oh, that filthy commoner, daring to dream of—" She stopped when she met Liu Yu’s warning gaze and muttered, "Yes, my brother is indeed charming. And then?"

"Your royal family... do you have a certain kind of potion? One that’s colorless and odorless, but when ingested, it has a certain... effect?"

Mary covered her mouth. "You want to drug my brother?"

Royal children were always precocious; a hint was all it took for her to understand.

"...My sister is so infatuated with Prince Carlo that even one night... you know? You give me the potion, and I’ll introduce you to Gaia. How about that?"

Mary touched her hair, which had been pecked into a mess, and thought about how this woman had defended her sister earlier...

She asked skeptically:

"You’d give up Mr. Leslie?"

"Natasi is very important to me. I don’t want to see her heartbroken." Liu Yu smiled again. "Besides, I’m just introducing you to Gaia..."

"Then swear it!"

"I swear!"

"Fine, wait here!"

In this world, aside from the evil black devils, who would dare lie to the God of Light?

Mary, of course, believed her without question.

She looked around, then bent over and pulled out a small bronze gourd inlaid with agate from a hidden compartment in her trunk:

"Just one drop, one drop..."

Liu Yu looked at her, and Mary, feeling as if her tail had been stepped on, snapped:

"What are you looking at?! I-I’ve never used it..."

"...Oh." Liu Yu didn’t much care whether she had or not. She took the gourd and examined it closely. "Swear it works."

Mary also swore.

"Then I’ll keep it for now."

She smoothly pocketed the vial.

"You!"

"Or I’ll report you to the Dormitory Supervisor, Princess Mary. You don’t want to be the first royal to be expelled on the first day, do you?"

"You—you scoundrel!"

Liu Yu shrugged:

"Mm-hmm."

"Besides... this is a royal potion. Trying to pin the blame on me won’t work."

She showed Mary the royal seal engraved on the bottom of the gourd.

Mary deflated, muttering:

"Fine, you keep it."

Liu Yu patted her head contentedly:

"Good. Now clean up the room."

"Hey... you’re not planning to use that potion on Mr. Leslie, are you?" Mary grumbled as she reluctantly started tidying up. "I won’t allow it!"

"...Oh, no, I swear."

Liu Yu said nonchalantly.

Nickname: