Yes, that’s right. Luo Ye is considered half a teacher at the Academy—an Assistant to the Academy Instructor, which means he’s the classroom assistant to the professors, with responsibilities similar to theirs.
Alicia never expected Luo Ye to pull such a move. Her beautiful eyes widened, her small mouth slightly open, utterly surprised.
“That’s how it is.” Luo Ye ignored Alicia’s shocked expression, tidied his clothes, and walked toward the classroom as he spoke, “Meet me after class in the Administrator’s Office on the third floor of the Library. That’s my private office.”
Alicia snapped out of her daze, frowned, and said unhappily, “Teacher Luo Ye, I suggest you show some self-respect.”
“Since you’re calling me ‘teacher,’ you should know that I’m talking to you about this from a teacher’s standpoint. This is important—it concerns the rest of our lives.”
“The rest of our lives?” “The rest of our lives?!!”
Alicia was dumbfounded. How could he even be thinking about the rest of their lives?
In the shadows, Anna bit her lip in secret, feeling she had met a formidable rival.
But Luo Ye didn’t care what they were thinking now. All he knew was that he had delivered the message, and he wasn’t worried Alicia wouldn’t come.
Not unless she wanted to make things hard for herself.
Luo Ye was finally experiencing the perks of having authority.
After leaving the scene, Alicia remained where she was, standing still as she gazed at Luo Ye’s back.
Anna stepped out from behind a nearby pillar, looking at Alicia with worry.
“Your Highness, please don’t go, all right?”
Alicia shook her head, her gaze firm as she replied, “I don’t know what he’s planning, but I’ve already made up my mind. I’m going.”
“Your Highness!”
Anna pursed her lips, looking heartbroken and aggrieved.
Alicia knew what Anna was worried about. She turned back, smiled gently.
“Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.”
The first class of the day usually didn’t involve any real teaching. Professors would just introduce themselves, talk about their personalities, and explain the rules for classroom discipline. There were very few lessons actually related to magic.
Even if there were, they wouldn’t require students to perform in class.
So, for students with a solid foundation, it didn’t matter if they didn’t pay attention in the first class.
Luo Ye was exactly this kind of student.
As soon as the bell rang, he left the classroom.
Noon break. Library, third floor, Administrator’s Office.
Luo Ye pushed open the door and entered. He looked around at the spotlessly clean, classically styled small office filled with wooden bookshelves, and couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
It seemed the original owner’s taste was quite similar to his own. Though not large, this office had a wonderful reading atmosphere. He could easily imagine himself sitting in that chair all afternoon, sipping coffee and flipping through an interesting book.
But clearly, that wasn’t possible right now—he still had important business to attend to.
Namely, meeting with Princess Alicia.
Luo Ye’s gaze drifted past the window, where sunlight filtered through layers of leaves, shining into his eyes.
He ignored the drowsy warbling of birds outside and fixed his gaze on a bee that kept bumping against the glass, trying to get into the classroom.
As for how long this simulation would last, Luo Ye had no idea.
It had already been five hours since Anna killed him in the real world. He still didn’t know if time flowed differently here in the Simulated World.
He’d tried asking the voice in his mind, but received no answer. All he could do was test things step by step.
One thing was certain: even if he cleared the Simulated World and returned to Reality, Anna’s deadly pursuit would still be waiting for him.
No one likes dying. Luo Ye was no exception—the pain of being stabbed through the chest was still vivid in his memory.
But he also knew that if he couldn’t find answers in this Simulated World, then returning to Reality would be meaningless.
He needed to get close to Alicia, Anna, Lilith… and even Hisina, to uncover the truth behind Alicia’s death.
As he pondered, a knock at the door suddenly interrupted his thoughts.
Luo Ye looked up to see a beautiful young girl with long blue hair entering the room.
She seemed to have come alone. After entering, she closed the door behind her, paying no attention to the rule that “when a teacher and student meet alone, the door should remain open to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.”
Luo Ye raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself that Alicia was certainly bold.
“Would you like something to drink? Black tea or coffee?” Luo Ye recalled that, in Alicia’s villa, Anna had greeted him this way too. Asking this couldn’t go wrong.
Though he already knew the answer—this Princess preferred black tea.
“Black tea, thank you.” Alicia sat down gracefully in the seat across from Luo Ye.
As Luo Ye brewed the tea, he watched Alicia out of the corner of his eye.
Seeing that she wasn’t staring at his every move, Luo Ye was a little surprised.
Was she not afraid he’d drug her?
Or maybe she had some secret technique to counteract poisons and was thus fearless.
“It’s ready. Please, have some.”
Regardless, Luo Ye pushed the tea toward her, hoping to get straight to the point.
“Thank you.” Alicia accepted the tea, lifted it elegantly, took a sip, and then said in surprise, “The tea is very fragrant.”
“You’re welcome. Let’s get straight to the point.”
Luo Ye gazed into Alicia’s amber eyes and slowly stood up.
He took a deep breath, his fingertips gently tapping the table, producing a crisp sound.
“Alicia, what I’m about to say may surprise you,” Luo Ye said in a low, steady voice, “but this is a fact confirmed by the Royal Family and the Sage—there is a Marriage Contract between you and me.”
Alicia nearly dropped her cup. She instinctively set it down and stood up as well, her skirt swaying gently with the motion.
Sunlight streamed through the glass window onto her pale face, making her delicate features almost translucent.
“That’s impossible.” Her voice trembled slightly. “Father never mentioned any marriage arrangement to me.”
Luo Ye took a gold-embossed document from the drawer. The Royal Seal on the wax stamp gleamed in the sunlight.
“This is a copy of the Marriage Contract personally signed by His Majesty. According to custom, the official announcement will be made at tonight’s Court Banquet.”
Alicia’s fingers clutched her skirt so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
Her gaze shifted between the document and Luo Ye, as if trying to confirm whether this was just a ridiculous dream.
“You knew about this all along?” Her voice quivered. “So, today you…”
“No.” Luo Ye shook his head. “This morning was purely coincidental. I only received a message from the Sage today as well. Since this concerns your reputation, I thought it necessary to let you know ahead of time.”
The bee outside finally found its way out, and the room fell into a strange silence.
Alicia’s chest heaved violently, her blue hair trembling with each rapid breath.
But soon, she regained her composure, her expression as elegant as ever, her tone icy cold.
“So you think a mere Marriage Contract is enough to bind me?”
Luo Ye thought for a moment and understood what Alicia meant.
Clearly, she was very resistant.
After all, she was known as His Majesty’s most beloved daughter. She had only just come of age this year, and was the only one with the honor of early admission. To be suddenly confronted with a Marriage Contract—of course she’d find it hard to accept.
So she wanted to resist.
Coincidentally, Luo Ye felt the same way.
“Of course I don’t think a single Marriage Contract could bind you. That’s why I’m here to negotiate.”
“What do you mean?”
Luo Ye’s answer left Alicia, who had been ready to strongly oppose both him and this arrangement, momentarily stunned. She couldn’t understand why Luo Ye would say such a thing.
“Because for me, living together with you would be a huge source of pressure.”
“No one knows this, but the Sage—my father—has reached the end of his life span. He has less than three years left to live.”
“When he dies, I, alone and without support, will inevitably be ostracized at the palace. You’ll be dragged down with me.”
“I don’t think we belong in the same world, nor do I believe you’d willingly become a political sacrifice, or be labeled as the one who ‘married a good-for-nothing.’”
Luo Ye didn’t hesitate to reveal the impending death of his estranged father. In his eyes, that old man had been utterly irresponsible.
Political marriages are supposed to be mutually beneficial.
If you won’t even live to see the wedding, why bother tricking the Royal Family with this Marriage Contract? Were you afraid people wouldn’t know you’re a fraud?
Looking at it now, the Royal Family’s tolerance in not giving the original Luo Ye any trouble after the Sage’s death was truly remarkable.
But Alicia had no way of knowing what Luo Ye was really thinking.
All she had to go on were his words and their implied meaning.
So, he was worried about implicating her, and that’s why he wanted to break off the engagement.
Even though he said, “You don’t want to be a political sacrifice anyway,” in truth, he was looking out for her, not wanting his “certain downfall” to burden her.
He’s actually a very upright person—he just tends to be misunderstood by the way he speaks.
“Why help me? According to what you’ve said, even if people talked, with my status you could still have a decent future.”
“Don’t tell me—the Cardia Family’s eldest son is just a chauvinist who can’t stand the idea of living off a woman?”
Alicia picked up her teacup again, stirring the tea. The swirling reflection revealed a much gentler expression than before.
It’s unlikely Alicia would be moved by such words, softening her tone and expression just because of them.
She’d heard countless confessions since childhood, and seen plenty of boys act deeply affectionate in front of her.
What caught her attention was that Luo Ye would tell her about the Sage’s limited life span.
This was not just his own impending loss.
For the Imperial Magic Academy, and even the entire Empire, it was of utmost importance.
The Empire’s peace, its ability to deter enemy nations and monsters, all depended on the greatest Archmage in human history—the Sage.
But now, the Sage was about to reach his life’s end?
This news should have been kept secret.
Yet Luo Ye told her right away.
Did he really trust her that much?
Alicia clenched her palm.
Luo Ye nodded quietly, not surprised by Alicia’s question.
“Of course not,” he replied.
Then, Luo Ye picked up his teacup, took a sip, and continued slowly,
“I know my family background can’t compare to yours. Suddenly becoming a political pawn is naturally upsetting—same for me. So, why don’t we work together? You don’t like me, and I don’t like you either.”
Alicia frowned slightly.
Even now, he insisted on playing the villain, refusing to admit he was considering her feelings.
Though, that last sentence was pretty annoying.
Hmph.
Alicia held her teacup and pondered for a while.
In just a few short minutes, her impression of the boy before her had changed again and again.
At this moment, sunlight poured through the glass into the room, casting a golden glow across the desk and onto her flawless cheek. Her sky-blue hair seemed to take on a golden tint, and her once-heavy expression gradually grew serene.
She set down her teacup and raised her amber eyes to look at Luo Ye.
“If I agree to work with you, what do you need me to do?”
Luo Ye wasn’t surprised by Alicia’s answer—this was exactly the scenario he’d anticipated and guided her toward.
After finishing his tea, he set down the cup and met Alicia’s gaze.
“I want you to trust me. But before that, I have a question to confirm your resolve.”
“Alicia, are you willing to entrust the rest of your life to me?”