Since today was the day she had agreed with Velis to go to Ushi City, and since she had no classes at the moment, after coordinating the next few days of lessons with the other teachers, Xi’eryou ended up with what amounted to half a month of vacation.
Half a month wasn’t really a long vacation on the Vistoria Continent.
After all, transportation here wasn’t as terrifyingly fast as Blue Star from Velis’s previous life; much of the time was spent on the road.
Traveling from the imperial capital Monseer to Ushi City by carriage, day and night, took about three days.
And while Space Magic existed in this world, the cost of Teleportation Arrays was exorbitant and their versatility low, so their use hadn’t become widespread.
Moreover, the Magic Array for teleportation was far too complex; the various Empires were currently researching how to simplify it for large-scale implementation…
But for now, relying on the common carriage remained the more practical option.
It cost less, and you could enjoy the scenery along the way. If you spurred the horses on, the time lost was still within acceptable limits.
So having requested leave early, Xi’eryou, clad in her ever-present Light Armor, arrived at Velis’s Douque Imperial Palace.
She also brought with her the remaining five hundred soldiers previously bestowed by Emperor Lubas.
The other five hundred soldiers had been stationed with Velis all along, responsible for guarding her safety.
Fortunately, nothing had happened these past couple of days, so those five hundred soldiers had served their purpose.
“Velis!”
The moment the maid finished announcing her, Xi’eryou strode in.
The instant she entered the side hall, her gaze was immediately drawn to three stunning beauties before her.
Of course, she only glanced at Velis before looking away, since she was already quite familiar with her.
Seated across from and to the right of Velis were a girl with brownish-gray hair and a blonde girl, respectively.
Both possessed peerless visages rarely seen in the world, flawless from figure to temperament.
If not for the blonde girl’s sour expression, the two could be called beauties found once in ten thousand.
For a moment, Xi’eryou was stunned.
What’s going on here?
In just two days apart, had Velis gone and… forcibly taken common women?
Seeing the shifting expression on her imperial sister’s face, Velis knew exactly what she was thinking.
She quickly set down her chopsticks and stood up, while Annie Donald and Ophelia beside her had already risen to bow in greeting.
“Imperial Sister, you’re here! Come, come, have you eaten breakfast? Want to join us?”
“Mm, I already ate… Fine, I haven’t eaten either!”
Xi’eryou didn’t stand on ceremony. She sat directly at Velis’s left side, took the chopsticks and bowl handed over by a maid, and casually took a few bites.
“No need to be formal, keep eating.”
At Xi’eryou’s command, the two young ladies quickly thanked her and sat back down to continue their meal.
However, the Grand Princess’s arrival cast an awkward atmosphere over the dining table.
Annie and Ophelia could only lower their heads and eat from their own bowls, no longer chatting and laughing with Velis like before, nor even reaching over to pick food for her.
As for Velis, she found the scene understandable.
After all, Annie admired the Grand Princess, so it was normal for her to be reserved and shy in her presence. And Ophelia went without saying.
With an outsider around, her skin was still quite thin.
“What’s going on, Velis? Who are they?”
After taking two bites, Xi’eryou ruthlessly reached under the table and pinched Velis’s waist.
“That hurts, Imperial Sister! What are you doing?” Velis pretended to be clueless.
“Don’t play dumb with me. Are they… did you abduct them?” Xi’eryou glared fiercely at Velis.
She scolded with a tone of disappointment: “You… even if you’re that desperate… can’t you just hold it in? You have so many maids in this palace…”
“Look at the two of them—beautiful, sure, but with that bearing and demeanor, they’re definitely noble girls, right?”
“You’re already in the line of fire. Going and provoking other families again—are you worried you don’t have enough enemies!?”
“And that one… no matter how I look at her, she seems like Ophelia Lyons, the second daughter the Lyons Family matriarch was searching for last time. Don’t you dare tell me she wasn’t taken by you!?”
Though Xi’eryou tried to keep her voice low, Annie and Ophelia, being right there, caught fragments and buried their heads even deeper.
Xi’eryou, holding back her urge to explode, even wanted to slap her imperial sister twice.
If it weren’t for the outsiders present…
Though the truth wasn’t what her imperial sister had guessed, Velis suddenly felt a wave of mischief. A teasing smile curled at her lips.
She also lowered her voice, leaning close to Xi’eryou’s ear, inhaling her pleasant scent, and said…
“But Imperial Sister, you know me—I like women… I’ve survived two assassination attempts, been harassed in all sorts of ways… I’ve long been dying to vent a little…”
“And ordinary women can’t catch my eye anyway, nor would they match my status?”
“I like women, sure, but not just anyone will do… I want a rare beauty of unparalleled charm… As for ordinary ones, I wouldn’t even give them a second glance…”
“But beauties are hard to come by in this world, and I searched long and hard to find these two…”
Velis’s rapid-fire spiel left Xi’eryou dumbfounded, her face frozen in an expression of utter worldview collapse.
After a long pause, she gritted her teeth and whispered something softly into Velis’s ear.
This time, it was Velis’s turn to be shocked.
“Uh… this… Imperial Sister, you’re not joking, are you?”
“Do I look like I’m joking?” Xi’eryou’s face flushed crimson, red enough to drip. “Or do you think I’m not up to it?”
“Cough, cough… well, that’s not what I meant…”
Never expected an unexpected bonus, Velis almost burst out laughing then and there, but she kept a frightened expression on her face.
Then, she raised her voice so everyone present could hear clearly.
“But Imperial Sister, you’re mistaken. This young lady, Ophelia Lyons, has officially changed her name to Ophelia Egbert. The Lyons Family has already reached a deal with me. Ophelia will serve as my maid and serve~ me from now on…”
Velis’s words left Ophelia mortified, wishing she could crawl into a crack in the floor.
Meanwhile, Xi’eryou and Annie Donald were both utterly incredulous…
What Annie couldn’t believe was that the girl sitting beside her was actually the second daughter of the Lyons Family, hailed as a Genius Mage.
Xi’eryou couldn’t believe the Lyons Family would do such a thing—trading away a future family heir with boundless promise for trivial, short-term gains!?
“Velis, you don’t mean to say…”
Before Xi’eryou could finish, Velis shook her head and said: “Whether it’s true or not, why not just ask her yourself?”
Turning, Xi’eryou looked at Ophelia: “Is what Velis said true, Ophelia Lyons? Don’t be afraid; I’m here, she wouldn’t dare do anything!”
“If you have any grievances, speak up. I, the Imperial Princess, will get justice for you!” Xi’eryou hoped the girl would tell the truth.
“It’s… it’s true.” Ophelia lifted her head, her expression pained.
“My family couldn’t overcome their current difficulties, so they came to seek the Second Imperial Princess’s help, and I… I did it willingly.”
Though the girl’s face showed reluctance, Shame, and helplessness, no one doubted the truth of Velis’s words any longer.
Of course, even within that claim of willingness, the others could sense the coercion behind it.
Seeing this, Velis quickly changed the subject and introduced Annie: “As for this one, Imperial Sister, you’ve misunderstood me even more.”
“She’s my teacher’s granddaughter. Because she admires your swordsmanship, Imperial Sister, she asked me to introduce her to you, just to admire your elegance, that’s all.”
With that, Velis shot Annie a wink.
But instead, the girl rolled her eyes disrespectfully, wearing a look of reluctance and sulkiness.
What the hell!
Velis nearly jumped up to slap her.
I’m introducing you like this, and you’re not even grateful? Want me to beat you up?