“Ahem, Anna, I’m glad you came to see your teacher when you needed something.”
“But coming in without knocking or greeting me, that’s something I don’t like.”
Luo Ye solemnly helped Anna up, quietly picking up the hairpin she had dropped on the floor, and said with a stern face, “I’ll let it go this time, but don’t do it again, okay? I’m going to lunch now. If you have any questions, ask me in the afternoon… Alicia, help me close the door when you leave, alright?”
Realizing that Luo Ye was helping her out of a tight spot, Alicia immediately nodded lightly.
“Understood. Thank you, teacher.”
“You’re welcome.” Luo Ye waved his hand and left the Office ahead of them.
At that moment, in the Office, only two people remained: Anna, standing awkwardly with her hands behind her back, and Alicia, sitting elegantly in her chair, sipping black tea.
“Um, Your Highness…” Anna, seeing that Alicia hadn’t spoken or even looked up at her, nervously raised her hand and fidgeted uneasily. “I really didn’t mean to eavesdrop. Actually, I didn’t hear anything at all…”
Alicia didn’t respond. She continued sitting in her chair, drinking her black tea.
The midday sunlight poured through the window, casting a golden glow along the edge of her flawless cheek.
“Your Highness…”
Anna nervously clenched the hem of her uniform skirt, knowing that her actions had disappointed Princess Alicia and exposed her in front of Luo Ye.
At last, Alicia lifted her amber eyes. Enhanced by her aura, her long hair, which almost looked ice-blue at that moment, made her appear even more dignified and cold.
She stared at Anna and opened her mouth. “Do you realize your mistake?”
“Your Highness, I was wrong!”
Anna immediately admitted her fault.
“As long as you know your mistake.” Alicia set down her teacup and lowered her gaze, not being overly harsh with Anna.
After all, just like Luo Ye, she was one of the most outstanding magic users in their grade. From the moment she entered the room, she had sensed that Luo Ye had set up a Soundproof Formation inside.
She had considered the possibility that Luo Ye might do something unfavorable to her, and with the Soundproof Formation, there would be no way for help to arrive from outside.
But Alicia trusted her own strength and had come alone.
She hadn’t expected that what Luo Ye wanted to tell her would be so explosive—no wonder he needed to set up a Soundproof Formation for confidentiality.
So Alicia wasn’t worried about Anna overhearing anything.
After all, Anna would eventually be in the know sooner or later.
“Your Highness, aren’t you going to blame me?” Anna waited for a long time but still didn’t receive a scolding from Alicia. She looked up in confusion at the other girl.
“… ” Alicia took a deep breath and thought for a moment. “Then your punishment is that you don’t have to accompany me to the Library at noon. Go back to your dormitory and copy the Student Code of Conduct one hundred times. Afterwards, give it to Luo Ye and ask for forgiveness.”
“Yes!” Anna let out a sigh of relief.
She instinctively relaxed, habitually reaching up to touch the hairpin on her forehead…
Huh?
Where’s my hairpin?
Meanwhile, on the other side…
Luo Ye moved along the shadow of the dormitory’s outer wall, gathering a faint trace of magic at his fingertips to leave almost invisible glowing marks on the wall.
These marks would disappear on their own after half an hour, leaving no trace behind.
Luo Ye concealed himself in the shade of the ivy climbing the dormitory wall, tapping his knuckles lightly on the brickwork as he silently counted the intervals between the Patrol Maid’s rounds.
He recalled the details of the Academy map—the inspection interval for the girls’ dormitory was about twenty minutes, and Anna’s room was at the corner at the end of the hallway.
This spot was perfect for observing the entire hallway and, in an emergency, escaping through the window.
A gentle breeze blew by, and Luo Ye took the opportunity to climb up to the second-floor balcony.
The window at the corner of the second floor was the only entrance without protective magic—according to the Student Handbook, this used to be the Emergency Escape Route for Magic Practice Class.
Luo Ye bit the edge of his glove with his teeth, pulling off the right glove, and pressed his palm against the glass, moving it slowly to sense the subtle flow of magic.
His movements were as light as a falling leaf, not even disturbing the sparrow perched on the balcony railing.
Luo Ye took out Anna’s dropped hairpin from his pocket.
This hairpin, with strands of golden hair still attached, was not only Anna’s usual disguise but also the key Luo Ye could use to break the dormitory’s Magic Barrier.
He inserted the tip of the hairpin into the window gap. Instantly, water-like ripples appeared on the glass surface, which then silently melted into an oval entrance.
The scent in the room was special—a faint Bluebell Fragrance mixed with the smell of some herbs, and the warmth of Lavender Perfume greeted him.
It seemed Anna really liked this pastoral scent.
Luo Ye held his breath and slipped through the window. The moment his boots touched the floor, he activated the Invisibility Spell.
He could see the neatly made bed and tidy desk in the room. On the nightstand stood an exquisite Photo Frame, but he was too far away to see what was inside.
Suddenly, footsteps sounded at the end of the hallway.
Luo Ye immediately held his breath, hiding himself completely in the shadow of the balcony.
The footsteps grew closer and finally stopped at Anna’s door.
“Anna? Are you there?” It was a stranger’s female voice. “Lilith, the Secretary, asked me to give you this month’s Activity Budget Sheet.”
Of course, there was no response from inside.
The person outside seemed to hesitate for a moment before slipping a sheet of paper under the door.
The footsteps gradually faded away. Luo Ye waited another thirty seconds, making sure the hallway was quiet again before quietly unlocking the balcony door to enter the room.
The cap of the Ink Bottle on the desk was still open, and a Quill was resting at an angle on an open Notebook, as if its owner liked to write.
No wonder the Simulator said he needed to find Anna’s Diary.
Not many people keep diaries.
But those who do, their diaries usually reveal their personalities very strongly.
Luo Ye wondered, with Anna’s heavy girl persona in real life, would her Diary be just as crazy?
That was highly likely.
It would be impossible for someone who liked to act crazy and clingy in person to write a completely serious Diary, or something else entirely unexpected, right?
Luo Ye’s gaze swept over every corner of the room and finally landed on the Photo Frame on the nightstand.
In the photo, a young Anna wore a simple dress and stood between a smiling, gentle couple.
It should have been a warm family portrait, but there was an unnatural crease at the edge of the frame, as if someone had rubbed it over and over again.
“So that’s how it is…” Luo Ye murmured softly.
He remembered Alicia mentioning that Anna hadn’t been able to protect her family in the past.
This detail might be the breakthrough point.
He tiptoed to the desk and checked the open Notebook, but the very first sentence left him stunned—
“My biological father is Alexander Elias, Her Highness Aili’s father.”
Luo Ye: ???
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