Inside the room.
Su Nian stood before a massive full-length mirror.
She reached out, her fingertips brushing against the black Magic Tutor robe embroidered with intricate silver runes.
The young girl donned the robe and tied her brilliant golden hair into a sharp, high ponytail behind her head.
Within her sky-blue eyes lay a tranquil lake, one that kept others at a distance of a thousand miles.
She looked holy, detached, and superior—carrying a solemnity that brooked no violation.
She was even more perfect than she had imagined.
However, it was hard to imagine that this dignified, perfect body was being occupied by a Horned Demon…
“Su Bao! Hurry up! The carriage is already waiting for us!”
From downstairs, a lively and enthusiastic voice drifted in from the distance.
Since there were classes today, and because Amy and Lise had awakened their magical talent, Su Nian had invited them to Shadowmoon Manor so they could head to the Magic Academy together.
Su Nian took one last look at herself in the mirror.
She internally suggested to herself that this dignified, holy appearance was her true self—not the version of her that wore a collar with a flushed face in the middle of the night…
After reinforcing this thought, she turned, stepped forward, and walked down the stairs.
***
The carriage traveled smoothly on the road toward the Red Maple Magic Academy.
The wheels rolled over the stone slabs, making a rhythmic, drowsy “clack-clack” sound.
Inside the carriage, Amy and Lise were huddled together, holding a thick copy of (The Illustrated Guide to Elementary Potions), chattering away in discussion.
“The stamen of a Fire Flower must be dried under the noon sun for three hours, or its medicinal properties will be greatly diminished!”
“And Moonlight Grass! It must be cut with a small silver knife, otherwise its magic will leak out!”
The girls’ voices were crisp.
Having just entered the world of magic, they were filled with the purest passion and longing, as well as expectations for the future.
Su Nian sat quietly opposite them, her body swaying slightly with the jolting of the carriage.
She did not participate in their discussion.
Only when they asked her questions would she provide an answer.
At the same time.
Her mind was still somewhat unable to break free from the cold shadows of the rockery from last night.
The Horned Demon Lord… was becoming more and more excessive.
He seemed to have found a new kind of pleasure, becoming keen on proving his absolute control over her in all sorts of unexpected locations and in ways that challenged her boundaries of shame.
And she…
Perhaps it was for the Humiliation Value, or perhaps she was afraid of making the Horned Demon Lord angry, but she tolerated the Horned Demon’s increasingly outrageous behavior every time.
Even deep down, she would sometimes speculate, anticipate, and wonder what the Horned Demon would do to her next…
“Su Bao, why do I feel like you’ve… been a bit different lately?” Amy’s head suddenly popped out from behind the potions guide.
A pair of amber eyes filled with curiosity scanned Su Nian up and down.
“Is it because of Mr. Mo Yuan?”
Su Nian’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.
The “clack-clack” of the wheels was infinitely magnified in that instant, thumping heavily against her eardrums.
‘Different? Was I found out?’
‘Does she know that the high-and-mighty Miss Su Nian actually has a Master in private?’
“Is that so?”
“How am I different?” She forcibly suppressed her surging emotions and maintained a calm expression, her voice betraying no ripples.
“Hmm… it’s just a feeling. It’s hard to describe.”
Amy tilted her head, her fair index finger resting against her chin as she struggled to search through her meager vocabulary.
“It’s just a feeling like… you’re more charming? Yes!”
She seemed to have finally found the most accurate word, and her eyes lit up.
“It’s just that every gesture seems different from before. It feels like you’re closer to those gentle, married ladies now.”
Lise, sitting beside her, also nodded in agreement.
Lise was more reserved than Amy and was better at observing.
Her gaze fell upon Su Nian’s hands, which were crossed over her knees; they were elegant and relaxed.
“Miss Su Nian… seems to have more femininity than before.”
Lise paused for a moment, appearing to weigh her words, before finally stating that conclusion in a tone that was almost one of admiration.
The word “femininity” exploded in Su Nian’s mind.
She could clearly feel her cheeks, her neck, and even the tips of her ears heating up and turning red at an alarming rate.
Clearly.
As someone who once considered herself a towering man, being told by her best friends that she had “femininity” made Su Nian feel extremely conflicted.
While she was incredibly shy, deep down, she also felt a spark of anger toward the Horned Demon.
It was all that Horned Demon Bastard’s fault.
He had completely changed her.
The small habits in her gestures, her style of dress, and even her orientation were becoming more and more like a real… girl.
She subconsciously lowered her head.
The hands that should have been gripping a longsword as a knight were now restlessly twisting the corner of her clothes due to a friend’s casual praise.
Yet another distinctly feminine gesture.
Amy suddenly thought of something and asked, “Is it because you’re in love?”
Her cute face was lit with the glow of gossip as she leaned forward and pressed in a low voice, “Does falling in love really make someone change this much? I really want to try it too!”
‘Love?’ A wave of panic instantly spread through Su Nian’s heart.
“No… I’m not!” Su Nian looked up and denied it decisively, as if she had been pricked by a needle.
However, that flustered, almost lost expression and her posture of being eager to clear herself made it look like she was trying to hide something.
***
During their small talk, the carriage stopped before the magnificent gates of the Magic Academy.
As soon as Su Nian stepped off the carriage, she keenly sensed that the atmosphere today was different from usual.
Beside the massive magic fountain at the Academy entrance, layers upon layers of students were gathered.
The air was thick with uncontrollable discussions and excited whispers.
In the center of the crowd stood a young man dressed in an extremely luxurious white and gold-trimmed suit, surrounded like a star among the moons.
It was the Third Prince, Elvin.
He had actually completed the enrollment procedures for the Red Maple Magic Academy under the pretext of studying magic.
In an instant, those young apprentices who usually buried their heads in magic books—especially the girls who dreamed of flying onto a branch to become a Phoenix—had a different kind of light burning in their eyes.
Some mages who wanted to follow the Royal Family were also secretly thinking of finding an opportunity to show off in front of the Third Prince.
Su Nian merely gave a faint glance before retracting her gaze and heading straight toward her classroom.
She had zero interest in this kind of playboy who was all show and no substance.
***
A vivid public lecture on “Instant Magic” came to an end.
Inside the classroom filled with over 1,000 people, the applause of students and mentors rang out.
After becoming famous in the battle of the Floating Fortress, even the mentors of the Academy would sometimes come to attend her lectures.
After all, in the world of magic, the one with more knowledge comes first.
Su Nian looked at the positive reaction to the lecture she had prepared and nodded with a smile.
She really did need to find something to do to demonstrate her talent and value.
If she just stayed by the Horned Demon’s side with her head full of extracting Humiliation Value, she would go crazy.
However, just as the applause ended and a moment of silence fell as Su Nian prepared to leave the classroom, a sudden change occurred.
In the first row, Elvin suddenly stood up.
His movements carried a sense of carefully rehearsed theatricality, successfully drawing everyone’s attention.
The Third Prince, Elvin, was holding a large bouquet of exotic flowers.
The petals were a translucent ice-blue with a faint golden glow around the edges.
Each flower was encrusted with morning dew, emitting a crisp and overbearing fragrance.
This scent instantly overpowered the smell of ink and dust from the old parchment in the classroom.
Tears of Dawn.
A magical plant that only bloomed at dawn on the northern ice plains by absorbing the first rays of sunlight.
It was extremely expensive and nearly impossible to find on the market.
“Teacher Su Nian.” Third Prince Elvin spoke, his voice slick and carrying an innate arrogance.
He deliberately lowered his voice, trying to create a certain magnetic quality, but to Su Nian, it only sounded hollow and pretentious.
“Your radiance today is even more dazzling than these ‘Tears of Dawn’.”
He bowed slightly, striking a pose he considered to be that of a dashing gentleman.
His hair shimmered with a layer of oil under the magical lights.
“I wonder if I might have the honor of inviting you to dinner?”
In an instant, the breath of thousands of students in the entire lecture hall seemed to stop.
The whispering vanished.
The sound of turning pages ceased.
Everyone’s gaze was focused between the podium and that lavishly dressed figure in the first row.
The air was filled with a strange atmosphere of tension and anticipation.
There was awe and curiosity, but mostly a suppressed excitement of watching a good show.
Su Nian stopped packing her lecture notes.
She looked up, her sky-blue eyes calmly watching the Third Prince’s “performance,” and a wave of physiological discomfort rose in her heart.
Compared to other male students, whose eyes might show appreciation or even some adolescent infatuation—young kids who would even blush when making eye contact—Su Nian could understand that.
But the look in the Third Prince’s eyes as he watched her was full of self-righteous greed and undisguised possessiveness.
It was as if she were not a person, but a rare treasure waiting to be priced; as if as long as he reached out his hand, she would obediently fall into his grasp.
‘How disgusting.’
For some reason, another hateful face subconsciously flashed through Su Nian’s mind.
Although that Horned Demon Bastard was a pervert and overbearing, he had conquered her with absolute strength.
But the person before her… was nothing more than a straw man putting on airs because of his family background.
‘Ugh…’
Su Nian was startled by her own ridiculous comparison and immediately felt a surge of annoyance.
‘Why did I think of that Horned Demon Bastard again, and even use him to compare others… Never mind.’
She would ignore that for now and just reject him.
“Sorry, I’m not free tonight,” Su Nian replied faintly, her voice devoid of any emotion.
Setting aside the fact that having dinner with the Third Prince would invite “punishment” from her Horned Demon Master, even if that weren’t the case, she had no desire for any private association with this Third Prince.
Having finished her sentence, she turned to leave.
However, Su Nian’s blunt rejection was like a drop of water splashing into boiling oil.
Several lackeys following Elvin immediately jumped out, eager to prove themselves before the prince.
“Stop right there! What kind of attitude is that!”
“You don’t know what’s good for you! To be able to dine with His Highness Elvin is a heaven-sent honor!”
“Are you really putting on the airs of a Saintess? Without the support of His Highness, would you even be where you are today?”
Sharp accusations rose one after another.
Elvin watched as his lackeys spoke up, yet he did not stop them. Instead, a faint, lingering smile played at the corners of his lips.
He enjoyed this feeling.
He enjoyed the fact that without him even needing to say a word, countless people would rush forward to curry favor with him.
Clearly, having these guys play the “bad cop” role was even more effective.
Seeing that the heat was about right, Elvin finally raised his hand, preparing to speak again with feigned magnanimity.
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