Chapter 90 - 17: Daily Study Life at the Royal Court

Chapter 90: Chapter 17: Daily Study Life at the Royal Court

Early morning.

Lilia sat at the dining table, freshly washed and dressed in an exquisitely tailored silk gown with fine stitching. Beside her hand lay a set of smoothly polished solid silver cutlery, and spread across the table was a sumptuous feast the likes of which she had never seen in all her years.

Yet, even though her circumstances had undergone an earth-shattering transformation in just a few short days, the girl’s expression remained tranquil and composed, as if she were long accustomed to such utmost extravagance.

Lilia picked up her milk, took a sip, and glanced at the roster that had been presented to her. "So..." she said to Rebecca, "these are the servants you finally settled on?"

"Yes!" Rebecca stood right beside the dining table.

Lilia had originally wanted to invite her to eat together, but things were different now; they were no longer the only two people in the bedchamber. According to Rebecca, as the highest-ranking personal maid, she had to set a good example for the newcomers.

Rebecca had over-delivered on the task Lilia assigned her. Not only had she selected the personnel, but she had also stayed up all night compiling their names, ages, preferences, and respective specialties into a booklet, delivering it right into Lilia’s hands.

Listening to Rebecca’s report, Lilia nodded gently. "Very good."

Rebecca beamed. She thought, "I’ve been praised by the Princess... I’m so happy!" At this moment, the exhaustion from pulling an all-nighter seemed to vanish completely. Her body, and even her soul, felt as light as a feather.

After breakfast, Lilia left her bedchamber and prepared to head to class.

The moment she stepped out, she spotted a familiar figure waiting outside. Veronica.

It was unclear how long she had been waiting. Seeing Lilia emerge, the eighteen-year-old girl lifted her chin. "Let’s go."

Lilia smiled and caught up to her. "The weather is getting colder. Why didn’t you wait inside?"

"I didn’t come out of my way to wait for you. I was just passing by." Veronica kept her eyes fixed straight ahead. "I don’t think our relationship is good enough for that, and besides...

"We are competitors, Lilia." Her tone was resolute. "One day, I will surpass you and earn Mr. Rockwell’s acknowledgment."

Lilia let out an "oh" and asked casually, "So, how late did you stay up practicing Magic last night?"

"Four in the morning. And I’ve already fully mastered the techniques Mr. Rockwell taught yesterday. My performance today definitely won’t be any worse than your—"

Before she could finish, the hint of pride on Veronica’s face froze.

Falling half a step behind, Lilia had to try her hardest to suppress a smile, lest the naturally proud Princess fly into a humiliated rage and start a brawl with her in broad daylight.

It wasn’t even nine o’clock in the morning yet. If she had gone to bed at four, she would have had around four hours of sleep at best.

No wonder Veronica seemed a bit off today. She looked slightly sluggish, and even her haughty posture felt like a forced facade.

Halfway there, they ran into Leo coming from the opposite direction.

Seeing Lilia and Veronica walking together, he scoffed with utter disdain. "The weak will always be weak. You always love huddling together for warmth."

His gaze bypassed Veronica and landed on Lilia behind her. "Don’t think that just because your score was higher than mine yesterday, you can keep walking all over me. Just wait and see! One day, I will surpass you and earn Mr. Rockwell’s acknowledgment!"

Hearing this, Lilia’s expression turned somewhat subtle.

She thought, "Those words... I just heard the exact same thing from Veronica."

It was clearly meant to be an imposing declaration, but hearing both of them blurt it out by coincidence made it inexplicably hilarious. It was as if they had intentionally rehearsed their lines together last night.

Seeing Lilia not responding, Leo assumed she was looking down on him. "Hey! What are you zoning out for? Do you think I can’t do it?"

"Shut up," Veronica said, her eyes turning ice-cold. She beat Lilia to the punch, choking back her foolish younger brother’s foolish remarks. "Don’t block the way. Are you trying to make me late?"

Leo’s pupils shrank.

He still harbored some fear toward this sister of his who resembled their eldest brother, even though she wasn’t much older than him. Before he could even process it, he had already stepped aside, watching helplessly as Veronica and Lilia walked past him one after the other.

Leo was left speechless. He thought, "Damn it!" He immediately chased after them. "Veronica! I was talking to Lilia! What does that have to do with you? Hey! Stop right there! Stop and make yourself clear!"

As always, even though there were only five people at the training ground, it was much livelier than Lien Academy back in the day.

Victor had always taken his teaching seriously.

After roughly gauging everyone’s talent using the ash tree seeds last time, he tailored individual teaching plans for Lilia and the others. Every day, he taught them Magic theories and techniques based on their respective talents and learning curves.

As a High-level Mage of commoner origins, Victor’s teaching style was less rigid than that of the academy instructors who had received elite upbringing since childhood. Instead, he placed a much heavier emphasis on the practicality of Magic.

This proved immensely useful for Lilia.

Veronica was right. Although they were taking classes on the same training ground, whether it was the two of them, Leo, or Chris... they were all competitors to one another.

Before, when Lilia had gone unnoticed by the King, she could have relied on her Magic Talent to proactively align herself with one of the Crown Prince contenders and become their aide. But now, having been granted the standard treatment of a Princess, she had lost that chance for opportunism.

Even if she were to declare she had no intention of vying for the throne, Veronica and the others would never believe her.

That being the case, rather than worrying about how to curry favor with these siblings, it was better to focus on her own development and make herself stronger.

"Lilia." As the day’s lessons came to an end, Lilia was just about to head back and rest when Chris blocked her path.

Ever since Lilia exposed his little trick during their first meeting, Chris hadn’t approached her again.

However, Lilia knew that people like him generally found it hard to accept suffering a loss or setback at someone else’s hands. He might lay low for a short while, but the moment he found an opening in the future, he would definitely try to get back at her.

And that was indeed the truth.

Chris was always taciturn during class. Occasionally, he would space out as if his soul had left his body, just standing there lost in a daze, leaving others guessing what was on his mind.

Veronica and Leo would look at him with frustration, disappointed by his lack of drive. Yet, during free practice, Lilia was the only one who constantly felt a clammy, lingering gaze glued to her.

He wanted to trample her underfoot, just like a malicious child trying to stomp on an elusive, amusing little bug.

"Lilia..." Chris stood before her, bearing a smile that couldn’t possibly look more innocent. "Do you have time tonight?"

Lilia tilted her head. "What is it?"

"I want..." Chris looked up to meet her eyes. "I want to play with you."