A few moments before, in the Aerionis Zephyra Empire,
Aqualina made her way towards the academy, trailing behind Alaric, who was walking briskly ahead of her.
Finally breaking the silence, Alaric suddenly asked, “I still can’t wrap my head around it. Aether… the Arcane King? I didn’t see that coming.”
Aqualina glanced at him, her expression mirroring his surprise. “Honestly, me neither,” she replied simply… She never Aether was the real one… and she was Arcane Queen.
‘It seems heavens already made us couple if not for that old bastard!’ Aqualina thought with an amused expression.
Alaric gave her a sharp look, his brows furrowed. “But… your mother, the Empress—she seemed like she knew something. Was that why Aether was assigned to you, even though he’s part of the Kai household? It feels… intentional.”
Aqualina shrugged nonchalantly, though her mind momentarily flickered with doubt. “I’m pretty sure my mother didn’t know about his true identity either. It’s just that Aether stood out most… something about him felt unique. That’s why I specifically asked Kai to let me have Aether…. And well, that’s all there is to it.”
Alaric’s frown deepened as if her answer didn’t quite satisfy him, “Hmph. If you say so,” he muttered under his breath before turning his gaze forward.
Moments later, they arrived at the academy gates.
Aqualina immediately reached out to Aether through their telepathic link:
/I’ve reached the Academy, Aether,/
/Good. Let me know once you’ve seen the Principal, alright?/
/ Haha… come on now, when did you turn into such a worrywart, Aether?/
Aqualina teased, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. She couldn’t help but find his overprotectiveness amusing. ‘Fu~Fu~ I swear, he’s so fun to mess with,’ she thought, an amused glint in her eyes.
For the first time in what felt like forever, Aqualina felt cherished…. Truly cherished!!
Her cheeks warmed as she thought, ‘He’s so adorable… I want to keep teasing him forever.’
Alaric interrupted her thoughts, gesturing to a bench near the Principal’s office. “Wait here. I’ll let you know when you can go in,” he instructed, his tone curt but respectful.
Aqualina nodded, sitting down and absently twirling a lock of her hair around her finger. Her amusement deepened as she heard Aether’s next words through the link:
/I guess I’ve just gotten used to having my Aqua around. It’s lonely without you, you know~/
Her laughter bubbled out before she could stop it. “Hahaha…” she chuckled, earning a raised brow from a passing student. But Aqualina didn’t care. She could practically see Aether’s face in her mind—a lonely, abandoned puppy pouting for attention. ‘Oh, I need to pamper him more when I get back,’ she thought with a playful smirk.
At that moment, Alaric reappeared, pushing the office door open. “The Principal’s ready to see you. Go on in,” he said before walking off to give her privacy.
/Aether, I’ve reached the Principal. I’m going to speak with her now,/ she informed him telepathically as she stood and entered the office.
/Good. Be careful, Aqua, and don’t take too long. Come back to me soon, okay?/
/Oh, my sweet Aether… you really do miss me, don’t you? Don’t worry. Once I’m back, I’m going to make you all mine… every last bit of you~ Hehe…/
A possessive glint flashed in Aqualina’s eyes as she thought about him. She was determined. Once she had him, no one—not even her mother—would be able to take him away. Though she’d have to deal with those two irritating bitches, Arai and Helena, she felt confident in her ability to handle them.
/Haha… You’re already—/
Suddenly, the connection faltered, and Aqualina frowned slightly. ‘Must’ve gotten busy,’ she thought before shaking it off.
The Principal’s office was imposing, with its grand desk and shelves brimming with books. Behind the desk sat the Principal herself, her face barely concealing annoyance.
Aqualina swallowed nervously, her guilt creeping up as she stepped forward. Without a word, the Principal motioned for her to sit. Aqualina complied quickly, folding her hands in her lap like a scolded child.
The Principal didn’t speak immediately. Instead, she pushed a stack of papers across the desk toward Aqualina.
Heart pounding, Aqualina picked up the papers and froze.
Blank… Completely blank!!
They were her exam answer sheets—devoid of a single word.
Yep, she hadn’t written anything during the test.
How could she?
With the flood of memories from her past life overwhelming her, she had barely been able to breathe, let alone focus on academics.
She wanted to leave the academy so she gave the empty papers!
Who, in their right mind, would calmly sit and write an exam in that state?
Absolutely no one!
And now… it had come back to haunt her.
The Principal let out a long, weary sigh, her brows knitting together. “Miss Aqualina, I never expected this from you of all people. Are you even taking your life seriously? Being one of the Chosen Ones doesn’t excuse you from your responsibilities. Learning and knowledge are fundamental, no matter who you are.”
Aqualina scratched the back of her head awkwardly, unable to meet the Principal’s gaze. She didn’t have an excuse, and she knew it.
The Principal sighed again, this time with even more exasperation, “Among all the students, yours was the only completely blank exam paper. Do you realize how difficult it’s going to be for me to explain this to your mother? She’s going to be deeply disappointed!”
Aqualina bit her lip, an awkward expression crossing her face. “I… I didn’t mean to. It’s just that…”
The Principal raised a brow, her voice sharp, “Just what?”
Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Aqualina admitted, “I had… a few personal problems. That’s why.”
The Principal’s gaze turned cold, her blank stare making Aqualina’s excuse feel utterly inadequate. “That’s not how a future Empress is supposed to handle things, Aqualina. Even if the world is falling apart around you, you must fulfil the roles and duties assigned to you. No excuses.”
Aqualina’s face flushed deeper with embarrassment. ‘Arrrgh… I shouldn’t have left the papers blank!’ she screamed inwardly, biting back a groan of frustration. But there was no point in regretting it now; the damage was done.
Just as she was about to respond, her eyes caught something unusual—a thin, black line flickering into existence behind the Principal.
“What is that…?” Aqualina frowned, her gaze narrowing as she focused on the strange phenomenon.
The Principal frowned as well, glancing to her right, but saw nothing. “What are you talking about?”
Aqualina’s eyes widened as the thin black line suddenly zipped to the Principal’s left side. “It moved! There! By your left side!” she exclaimed, pointing with urgency.
The Principal turned her head sharply to the left, her own frown deepening…. Still, there was nothing.
“It’s moving—”
“Enough!” the Principal snapped, her palm slamming down on the desk. The sound echoed in the room, making Aqualina flinch.
The Principal said with a stern voice, “You are not leaving this academy until you’ve properly completed your exam, young lady. Is that understood?”
“O-Okay,” Aqualina mumbled, though her tone betrayed her annoyance. Her gaze, however, was still locked on the flickering black line. ‘Hmm… It looks almost like… a tail?’ she wondered, tilting her head slightly as she tried to get a better look.
The Principal, oblivious to Aqualina’s musings, motioned to the side. “For the time being, you’ll stay in that room over there and finish the exam”
Aqualina turned to follow the Principal’s gesture, her brows furrowing in confusion when she noticed… a door?
She frowned…. She had been to the office countless times—mostly to clean up the messes Aether left behind whenever he pulled some ridiculous stunt that somehow landed her in the Principal’s crosshairs. And yet, not once in all those visits had she ever seen a door inside this office before.
“Wait… a door? I’ve been here plenty of times, and I’ve never seen that door before,” she said with a frown.
The Principal’s frown deepened. “Oh? Are you the Principal now, Miss Know-It-All?”
Aqualina coughed awkwardly, feeling the heat of embarrassment creep up her neck. The Principal snorted in disdain and rose from her seat, walking briskly toward the door.
Aqualina’s gaze drifted downward, landing on the Principal’s butt….. There was nothing unusual—at least at first. ‘Maybe I imagined it?’ she thought, though doubt lingered in her mind. But just as the thought formed, something flickered again, like the swish of a thin, dark tail.
Suddenly—
/Aqua?/
/…./
/Aqualina!!/
Aether’s urgent voice jolted her out of her thoughts. She blinked rapidly, rubbing her eyes as her gaze darted toward the Principal’s back. There was… nothing there. Whatever she thought she had seen before was gone.
/AQUALINA! ARE YOU THERE?!/ Aether’s telepathic scream echoed in her mind, snapping her fully back to reality. She shook her head, clearing her thoughts, and replied, /I’m here. What’s up? Already missing me?/
/Sigh… Well, yes, I am,/ Aether admitted, his tone softening. /But are you alright? Is something wrong over there?/
Aqualina’s shoulders tensed….. There was no way she could tell him about her blank exam papers or that she was being forced to retake the entire test. Though she loved Aether and wasn’t afraid to show vulnerability… this particular humiliation was too much to bear!!
/Nothing, Aether… It’s just…/ Her gaze flicked to the mountain of question papers on the Principal’s desk, and she gulped. /I think it’ll take some time before I can come back—or even contact you, for that matter./
Her tone must have given her frustration away because Aether chuckled lightly. /Why? What happened?/
Aqualina flinched….. She couldn’t let him find out the truth. The idea of him knowing about her failure made her stomach churn. Forcing a chuckle, she replied awkwardly, /I’m, uh… helping the Principal with something important./
/Oh? I see…/ he said, though his voice held a hint of curiosity.
“Come on!” the Principal barked, snapping Aqualina’s attention back to the room.
/Okay, Aether. I’ll contact you… once I escape from this hellhole!/ she said dramatically, bracing herself as she grabbed the intimidating stack of question papers and trudged toward the door.
“Go on,” the Principal urged, motioning with her hand.
Aqualina sighed, her steps heavy with reluctance as she entered the adjoining room. The moment she stepped inside, the world around her seemed to shift…. everything was dark!
“What’s going—”
Thud!
Enjoy more content from My Virtual Library Empire
The sound of the door slamming….
The solid door shimmered and warped, transforming into seamless wallpaper that melded into the wall…. The edges sizzled faintly, burning away as if the door had never existed.
A slow, wicked grin spread across the Principal’s face. Her body flickered like a faulty projection, and then it began to shift.
From her back, a thin, dark tail slithered into view, its heart-shaped tip curling and swaying with eerie precision. The transformation continued, her features distorting as her true identity emerged—
“Tell Master… I’ve secured the bait… Now, it’s time to lure the whale~”