This afternoon, I’m back at the library again.

I’m lost in the pages of the ancient tome, oblivious to the sounds and sights of the library around me. The book was full of secrets and mysteries, of spells and enchantments, of worlds beyond my imagination.

I felt a thrill of wonder and curiosity as I turned each page, eager to learn more. I felt a connection to the book as if it had chosen her to reveal its secrets.

For every word I read, my eyes sparkled. Even though I’m carefully skimming the lines, my mind wanders away.

I’m excited not because of what happened earlier, but because of what will happen tomorrow. What happened earlier is unrelated. I’m indeed disappointed with what Marina did.

Mom scolded her. I was an audience. Mom banned her from using the Ciamera, a ripoff of the camera in this world. She also scolded Gloria to use her common sense.

The moment I went back to train, my sparring partners’ faces turned ashen. As I swing my sword, they only counter it.

Marina turned the tides on how every rookie treated me. At first, they’re throwing harsh words as I suffer showering in pain.

Now, they wander away, letting me hit them on purpose. They shoulder everything I do to them even if I go full force.

Is it because I’m a princess? I entered here disregarding ranks and titles, and now… They’re treating me like an expensive fragile glass that shouldn’t be touched.

I don’t like it.

In the end, only the Cavalry Captain agreed to spar with me. He knew the grasp of the situation but still, he fought me with his full might.

Having Brodveth as my sparring partner teaches me new things. From him, I can feel the same heat and nauseousness of hard work. Every hit in me gives me experience.

But now, I have another priority to look up tomorrow. And that is…

Magic Training.

Usually, I wouldn’t have slept if my tingles are itchy out of excitement. But I accidentally slept early because my body aches.

I had fallen asleep on the table, surrounded by books and papers. I am dreaming of a distant land, where I am free to explore and learn.

I felt a gentle warmth on my face and opened my eyes. I saw the sun rays streaming through the window, painting the library in golden hues.

I stretched my arms and legs and got up from the table. I looked around and saw the small hand of the clock pointing at seven.

As Ellyn open the doors, I jumped with haste. I clenched my jaw, rushing towards her.

“Ellyn, it’s seven! My practice…” I stammered.

She shows me a scroll that stretches as she opens it. “You are pardoned, little princess. You should take a bath and dress up for your visit to the church.”

“At the church?” I asked with a tilted head.

By ten in the morning, I’m already fixed. I am dressed in a majestic gown befitting of royalty.

The gown is made of luxurious fabric with intricate embroidery and embellishments. The flowing silhouette is complemented by a fitted bodice and a long train that elegantly trails behind me.

The color of the gown is a rich and regal shade that accentuates my features, making me feel like an actual princess. There isn’t any touch of being a rookie at all, except my personality.

I stepped down the stairs of the mansion towards my carriage. The carriage was a marvel of craftsmanship, adorned with intricate carvings of mythical beasts and golden ornaments.

It moves swiftly and silently on its four wheels, pulled by a pair of majestic white horses.

The most striking feature of the carriage, however, was its windows. They were made of tinted glass that shimmered in different colors depending on the angle of the light.

The glass was also enchanted to prevent anyone from seeing inside the carriage, creating an aura of mystery and intrigue.

Who was the passenger of this royal fantasy carriage? What secrets did they hide behind the tinted glass? No one will know, and no one will dare ask.

For a big-shot person like me, it will be a haven. But it became a plot hole in the story. I encountered this carriage in the novel, and I asked myself,

Isn’t it obvious? Just looking at how it’s made and how protected it was, it’s very obvious. This is also the carriage rode by Veniara in her marriage.

They used this to hide her identity, but it’s very obvious since hundreds of knights are guarding it. I wonder where the people went there.

But I’m still young. I might try to test this plot hole if it will work.

I entered the carriage while Ellyn assists me. Someone’s already sitting inside. She extends her hand to me and pulled me up.

The only load of this carriage are us three: myself, Ellyn, and…

“Good morning, Princess Veniara. I would like to formally introduce myself as Jessalyn Blackburn. I will be your magic tutor starting this day. You can call me Teacher or Master Jes if you want to,” she greeted.

Jessalyn Blackburn has long, wavy chestnut hair that falls just below her shoulders. Her emerald green eyes sparkle with mischief and curiosity.

She has fair skin with a smattering of freckles across her nose. Jessalyn is of average height and has a slim yet athletic build.

She dresses in flowing, colorful robes adorned with intricate magical symbols. So that’s what it looks like graduating from a prestigious royal academy, huh?

She’s very professional that I might submit myself soon to her as her student. I’m looking up to the moment I can cast my magic!

“H—Hello, Teacher Jes! I’m looking forward to our lessons soon!” Out of excitement, I clasped her hands. “I’m Veniara Ravelgrace, and here is…”

Suddenly, her tongue clacked. “I know her. The spy of the 74th cadet batch of Noxiams, and my rival in the rankings, Ellyn Ingram.”

“Woah! I didn’t even disclose my family name since my appearance in Chapter 4. Thank you for re-introducing me,” Ellyn smirked, still eyes narrowed.

“Woah, Ellyn, you’re quite popular!” I boasted. “Instead of becoming a maid, why won’t you become the Church Idol?”

“Sorry, Princess Veniara, but that pedophile will never be a part of the church. I bet she’ll just scatter slogans of ‘Guardian of Children’ everywhere,” Jessalyn said with a straight face.

“Why would I be? My criminal soul begs for me not to stay in that disguised cult of hell, full of money laundering and fraud scams,” Ellyn smirked.

“You’re quite argumentative, aren’t you? Can you count how many more of your enemies will we encounter?” I asked with a squint toward Ellyn.

I can’t believe how many connections Ellyn had. I think she’s close with everyone, not just the kids and Elara.

“By the way, Ellyn, what’s the rankings in Noxiams Academy all about?” I asked.

“I don’t know why most babies fight over that illusion. The whole examination is a mock, literally easy as taking candy from a baby.”

“It’s easy indeed,” Jes followed.

“It’s wonderful to see you two agreeing on the same thing,” I rejoiced with my crossed arms and a smug face.

“Little princess, do you want to know how dangerous this scandalmonger is?” Ellyn asked.

“It’s not quite believable coming from the one who once tried to assassinate the king,” Jes inserted.

“Then, perhaps you know that three archetypes of the Ravelgrace apocalypse are the pervert, the tomboy, and the dumb?”

Suddenly, Jes’s emerald eyes sparkled. She hangs her mouth open, nearly drooling, yet she’s still calm at this moment.

“I—is that reliable information?”

“You’re the one who said that I’m a spy.”

Suddenly, Jes picks out a small notebook and wrote on it with a quill. She already put ink on it using magic. Her hand moves swiftly as leaves fly with the flow of the wind.

“Ellyn, I don’t really get what’s going on,” I murmured.

“You’ll know tomorrow, little princess,” she replied. “By the way, Ellyn, you know that information has a price, don’t you?”

“I’m quite honest yet strict with transactions. I can only reciprocate the same weight of information traded with me.”

“Traded?” I asked with a tilted head.

Ellyn suddenly leans and whispers in my ear, “Do you want to see something exciting?”

I didn’t respond. But her wide grin tells me that she’s planning something shady. Then, she continuously and loudly whispered at Jes,

“Bitch. Bitch. Bitch. Bitch. Bitch. Bitch. Bitch…”

At first, nothing happens. Jes looks still and calm. She’s as hard as a rock, but even rocks can break from a shake through time.

Moments later, her fingers vibrate, and after that, the next is her hand. From her limbs and arms, the trembling crawls until it reached her head.

She reached her breakthrough. Her eyes hide in the darkness under her bangs. On her lap, she clenches her fists. The whole carriage shakes greater from her, as an earthquake happened.

Suddenly, she screams which the outside can hear, “I’M NOT A BITCH!”

Just from a word, her calmness vanished.

As we reached our destination, I step down the carriage with my sparkling eyes filled with wonder.

“Look at that! A fantasy church!” I exclaimed with my slack mouth.

The infrastructure named East Axial Church was a marvel of architecture and magic. It rose from the ground like a giant crystal, shimmering with rainbow colors.

The walls were made of enchanted glass, reflecting the light of the sun and the moon. The roof was a dome of silver stars, twinkling even in the dark sky.

Ellyn, Jes, and the other knights accompanied me to step up the stairs towards the door. Two statues of angels holding flaming swords guard the huge double-door entrance.

Inside were paintings that moved and spoke, candles that never burned out, and fountains that sang.

The altar was a giant diamond, radiating holy power. The fantasy church was a place of beauty and awe, where people came to worship and pray.

But right now, the head priest and his assistant are the only ones inhabiting the place. They stood in the center, directly down the dome, as they greet us with a warm smile.

“Welcome to the sacred place of worship, Princess Veniara. The East Axial Church is such a pleasure to see the face of the king’s daughter,” the priest greeted.

“R—Right. Thank you very much,” I stuttered with a wink.

“Father, I’m sorry to interrupt, but the princess has some matters to attend to. She requests for the ceremony to haste,” Jes followed up.

“Ah, right. I’m sorry, I forgot. It’s also said in the notice. Please follow me for the ceremony.”

As he said, we followed him toward the leftmost part of the building which is the Magic Affinity Chamber. It is where people test their magic ability and affinity.

Before I enter the room, the priest asked me to only bring one person with me. Even if Ellyn begged for me, I chose Jes. Her title isn’t for naught.

As I enter, the chamber was dimly lit by a single candle, casting eerie shadows on the walls full of rune paintings.

In the center of the dark room, a pedestal stood, holding a crystal ball that shimmered with a faint glow. There’s only one lamp accompanied in the circular room.

The ball was the key to unlocking one's magic potential, revealing the type and strength of their innate power.

“Please put your hand here before we begin the ceremony,” the head priest requested.

I rested my palm over the crystal ball and waited for the results. Suddenly, the ball flared up with a blinding light, like a miniature sun. It lit the same as when Elara’s wound recovered.

Because it blinded me, I accidentally pulled my hand off. It took seconds for my vision to recover. But when I do, I didn’t know they’re shocked more than I do.

Their mouth hangs open as their eyes beg for escape. Still frozen, they incredulously stared at me like a rusted machine.

Seconds after, rune letters glowed with a soft blue light. They seemed to pulse with a mysterious power as if they were alive and waiting for someone to read them.

“F—Father, don’t say to anyone about this! I’ll r—report it to the king directly,” Jes stuttered with cold sweats. “Don’t you want the church’s reputation to go down, do you?”

“I—I will comply! No word will be spread!” The priest exclaimed with trembling arms.

With a tilted head, I have no idea what they’re talking about! Are they confident to keep something confidential about me because I won’t even understand it?

Out of a sudden, I muttered something that made their ears red.

“Is this related to the saint magic?”

They narrowed their eyes at me with their wrinkled brows. Their quickened breaths resonate in this enclosed room. Their bodies stiffened and it’s noticeable.

Then Jes muttered to me with a serious tone as she looks down at me.

“You are the saintess.”