Lilian’s sudden appearance along the empty staff corridor of the assembly hall astonished Roel. On the other hand, Alicia started frowning as anger swelled in her heart.

  Old pals might feel a rush of intimacy when stumbling into each other after a long time, but for Alicia and Lilian, they only felt aggravated by each other’s presence, especially now that Alicia was officially a student of Saint Freya Academy.

  That meant that Alicia was no longer external personnel, so she couldn’t cling to Roel as a kin anymore. On top of that, as a student, she was officially under the jurisdiction of the Enforcement Division and the Rose Council, which made it clear that Lilian would be her greatest obstacle in the academy.

  Similarly, Lilian also felt particularly threatened by Alicia’s existence. She shuddered to imagine what might have happened here if not for Paul’s timely tipoff.

  “Senior! What are you doing here?

  “Roel, may I ask you to step out for a moment? There are some things I need to discuss with Alicia over here.”


  “Senior?”


  Roel was taken aback by Lilian’s words.

  While he didn’t think that Lilian would bully Alicia, he was aware that the two of them had been on bad terms ever since their first meeting. It was simply too risky to leave them alone in the same space.

  To his surprise, Alicia voiced her approval toward that.

  “You wish to talk to me in private? That works for me. Lord Brother, you should leave first. There are some words I’d like to tell this woman too,” Alicia said as her eyes narrowed.

  With the two ladies insisting on it, Roel had no choice but to excuse himself.

  As soon as the door by the end of the corridor closed shut, Lilian’s eyes turned piercingly sharp.

  “Miss Alicia, can you explain what you’re doing here?”


  “Your Highness Lilian, that’s the question I should be asking you. You might be Roel’s senior, but an outsider like you shouldn’t be disrupting the emotional exchange between me and my older brother. I thought that you would have at least that much self-awareness.”


  “Outsider? Aren’t you the outsider here?”


  “… What did you say?”


  “Unlike your paper-thin connection with him as foster siblings, Roel and I are bloodline kin. It’s a bond you’ll never be able to sever. Don’t you think that you’re the outsider here instead?” Lilian answered the seething Alicia with composure.

  She eyed the hands that Alicia had been hiding behind Roel’s back earlier—they were suffused with life force.

  “Resorting to underhanded means again? I guess that’s the only way you can compete despite being a substitute. How pitiful,” Lilian mocked.

  That infuriated Alicia.

  “You old woman! I dare you to say that again!”


  “Indignant? Jealousy makes a person ugly, Alicia Ascart.”


  “Jealous? If anyone is jealous here, it’s you! Unlike someone who lives far away in the Austine Empire, I’m able to be together with Lord Brother every day!”


  “…”


  Alicia couldn’t refute anything Lilian had said about their bloodlines, so she decided to attack from another angle. Those words appeared to have cut deep, evident from Lilian’s forming frown. Thus, she decided to push it further to provoke Lilian.

  “I can kiss his cheek when he wakes up in the morning. I can lie in his arms as we go to sleep at night. Unlike you, I’m living a fulfilling life. These are things that will never be within your reach. I can see why you would be jealous of that.”


  “…”


  Alicia spoke about the intimacy she would share with Roel in their alone time, but Lilian could only lower her head and listen silently. She clenched her fists tightly as she recalled the conversation she had had with Emperor Lukas.

  “… Are you done yet?”


  “Is that all you can take? Let me return your words to you then. Jealousy makes a person ugly, Lilian Ackermann. You should understand by now that it’s impossible between you and Lord Brother…”


  Weng!

  Under Alicia’s piercing words, Lilian finally came to the limits of her tolerance. A burst of mana rushed out from her as armored knights began to appear behind her. In response, Alicia started channeling her mana, causing silver birds to manifest around her.

  “Was the truth too much for you to bear? You aren’t as mature as I thought you were.”


  “A mere substitute dares to act so arrogantly. I have been tolerating you on Roel’s account, but you’re pushing your luck.”


  “… Who are you saying is a substitute?” Alicia spat through clenched teeth.

  The two women glared at each other as the atmosphere between them grew increasingly explosive. Just as the two of them were about to make a move, the doors at the far end suddenly burst open.

  “Isn’t this enough?”


  “Roel…”


  “Lord Brother?”


  Both Lilian and Alicia were stunned by Roel’s abrupt return, causing their bodies to stiffen up. Seeing their awful complexions, Roel clutched his forehead and sighed softly.

  He had known that nothing good could come out of leaving the two of them alone in a private space, so he had been waiting quietly from the other side of the door. The moment he sensed their mana flaring up, he quickly pushed the door open and rushed in.

  To be honest, he was surprised by how the two of them nearly came to blows near the assembly hall.

  Fighting amongst students was forbidden in the academy, not to mention doing so in the prestigious assembly hall. That was as good as asking for trouble, especially when Lilian was the chief of the Enforcement Division, responsible for upholding order in the academy.

  It’s one thing for Alicia, but why would senior…


  Roel couldn’t understand why Lilian would act so recklessly here. She was one of the most level-headed people he knew, and she would rarely allow her emotions to get ahead of herself. It was even more so important for them to tread carefully now that they were in Saint Freya Academy, where there were many eyes around.

  Something is off about senior.

  It was only upon sensing Roel’s questioning gaze that Lilian’s pupils dilated in realization. She quickly snapped out of her irrational state and reverted to her normal self. She dismissed the summoned knights behind her before turning to face Roel.

  “Sorry, I wasn’t able to keep my emotions in check… I’ll be leaving first. It won’t be good if others were to see us together.”


  Lilian turned around and left the corridor with a lowered head, seemingly feeling guilt-ridden about her earlier recklessness. Roel noticed that Lilian was in a low mood but he couldn’t determine the reason behind it, so he could only bid her farewell.

  After Lilian left, Roel finally turned his gaze toward Alicia.

  Knowing that she had nearly caused yet another commotion, Alicia chose to obediently lower her head this time around.

  “I was wrong, Lord Brother.”


  “…”


  “I promise not to cause any trouble in the academy anymore. Forgive me, please?”


  “… Haaa.”


  With a deep sigh, Roel flicked Alicia’s forehead as a punishment for the trouble she had caused. Seeing that, Alicia’s heart was set at ease.

  “Lord Brother is the best!”


  “What did the two of you talk about? It’s rare for senior to lose her temper.”


  “… N-nothing much. It’s things we have said before, but she suddenly got angry. Maybe something has happened recently.”


  Feeling a pang of guilt about all of the jarring words she had said, Alicia averted her eyes and spoke in a meek tone. Those words unintentionally sparked doubt in Roel’s mind.

  Wait a moment… Why is senior here? Didn’t Emperor Lukas take her to the International Crisis Management Symposium?

  With a deep frown, Roel stared in the direction where Lilian had left.