The Grand Princess

After the previous incident, Heria returned home, gathered her people, and stormed out, determined to find the girl who had humiliated her. Unfortunately, no matter how much she searched around the area where she had been teased, she found nothing. It seemed like the matter had come to an unsatisfying end.

"Hmph, you were all useless! Get lost!" Heria snapped at her subordinates, dismissing them in frustration. She then dragged her feet home, still sulking.

As she passed through a narrow alley, she suddenly felt someone grab her from behind and pull her down. Before she could even scream, a hand covered her mouth.

"Huh? It's you again?" A soft, melodious female voice rang out, laced with confusion.

That voice…

Heria's eyes widened in shock. She could never forget this voice—it was the same person who had teased her before.

Unbelievable! She had spent so much time searching for this girl, only for the culprit to show up on her own. But why now, of all times?

A few minutes later, Irina emerged from the alley, quite satisfied, having gained 50 experience points from teasing Heria.

Heria had struggled fiercely, but what could she do? She was just a normal person. Even though Irina was only an apprentice, every advancement as an Extraordinary came with a slight enhancement in physical abilities. Not by much, but just enough to have the upper hand over ordinary people.

Not wanting to linger in the streets any longer, Irina returned to Silverleaf Academy, using her painting brush key to easily enter through a hidden passage. Safe and sound, she arrived at her residence.

"Shame I didn't get any sleep-sharing experience tonight."

Feeling a hint of regret, Irina put away her painting brush key, changed into more comfortable clothes, and fell into a deep sleep on her bed.

Meanwhile, in a dark alleyway, a disheveled young noble girl emerged, looking utterly wronged and aggrieved.

September 22nd

After finishing breakfast, Irina greeted the Feilin before heading out—under the pretense of studying—to visit Becky's villa next door.

As soon as she entered the living room, she was met with an unexpected sight.

A young woman with smooth golden hair and striking blue eyes sat elegantly in the room, appearing to be in her early twenties. Her features bore some resemblance to both Princess Jody and Becky, but with subtle differences.

This was Emma Ferrent, the Grand Princess of the Kingdom of Night.

"The sky seems so dark this morning. I was wondering why the weather was so terrible today… turns out it's because something unlucky has arrived," Emma remarked as she sipped her morning tea, her gaze not even shifting as she spoke.

"Good morning, Princess Emma. Are you referring to me when you talk about this 'unlucky presence'?" Irina asked calmly.

At that moment, fragments of memory surfaced in Irina's mind—though the original Irina had not encountered Emma frequently, one thing was clear: Emma absolutely loathed her, almost to the point of outright hostility.

"People should have some self-awareness. Do I really need to spell things out for you?" Emma replied, her voice laced with sarcasm.

"This woman… I really want to punch her in the face. No, I can't ruin my persona just yet."

Internally, Irina was sharpening her metaphorical blade, but outwardly, she maintained a polite smile.

"It seems Princess Emma is in a bad mood today. I won't disturb your rest any further."

With that, Irina turned to leave and find Becky.

"Hold it."

Emma set down her teacup and turned to face Irina directly.

She hated seeing Irina smile.

A prisoner from an enemy nation, a mere hostage, had no right to be so calm.

Did she not realize her situation?

Irina was a Princess of the Kingdom of Moonlight, while Emma was a Princess of the Kingdom of Night. Naturally, people compared them.

Whenever someone mentioned Irina, they would say:

"Look, even as a captive in the Kingdom of Night, Princess Irina carries herself with grace and dignity. This is what true royal composure looks like."

No one spoke ill of Emma outright, but simply hearing praise for Irina was enough to irk her deeply. It made her feel inferior, even though no one directly said anything.

If people praised Irina's "true princess demeanor," then did that mean Emma lacked one?

It was insulting.

Thus, her hostility toward Irina was born.

When Emma heard that the Kingdom of Moonlight had declared war on the Kingdom of Night, she was initially shocked—but also excited.

Surely, under these circumstances, Irina's fate would be sealed.

However, what truly infuriated her was her mother's sudden change of heart.

After visiting Silverleaf Academy, Princess Jody had returned and persuaded their father, King Dawn VII, to spare Irina—and, unbelievably, he had agreed.

Frustrated and dissatisfied, Emma rushed to Becky's residence first thing in the morning, planning to visit Irina personally to see what was going on.

Yet, to her surprise, Irina walked straight to her doorstep instead.

"Is there something else Princess Emma wishes to say?" Irina smiled as she turned to face her again.

Emma's expression turned serious.

"How did you convince my mother to speak on your behalf?" she demanded.

Irina's mind raced.

So Princess Jody really did stand up for me in front of the King.

She felt a complex mix of emotions.

Jody had no reason to help her, yet she did. Irina couldn't even imagine what kind of trouble this might cause for the gentle and kind-hearted Queen.

She could only hope Jody wouldn't suffer too much backlash because of this.

"I didn't do anything," Irina finally answered.

"Nothing at all?"

Emma was even more irritated by this response.

Even without doing anything, Irina had managed to earn her mother's support?

Did she really have that much charisma?

Emma couldn't understand it.

What she didn't realize was that Jody saw a reflection of her younger self in Irina—which was why she chose to protect her.

Taking a deep breath, Emma let out a cold laugh before shifting topics.

"Irina, your kingdom has declared war on us. The situation between our nations is tense. Have you thought about what you're going to do next?"

Irina met her gaze and calmly responded.

"I don't need to do anything."

"But that's not how others see it," Emma retorted.

"After all, you are the Princess of the Kingdom of Moonlight. Some nobles in the royal court have suggested sending you to the frontlines, either to deter your kingdom from advancing—or to execute you in front of their soldiers to shatter their morale…"

Her voice was chilling, each word dripping with menace.

Irina's heart sank slightly.

Had things already reached this point?

Then she caught the mocking glint in Emma's eyes and reconsidered.

No, it wasn't that bad yet.

The war had only just been declared—there wasn't even an active battlefield yet. Where would this so-called frontline execution even take place?

"You guys seem busy," a voice interrupted.

This version is clean, without any bold formatting. Let me know if you need further refinements!