Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

Aside from the 'compensation' at the dam, Ryūka has recently increased the frequency of his sexual encounters with his harem members in order to collect 'materials' for making the golden beads. Not only Melanie, but all the women around him, big and small, have been thoroughly satisfied. And what they painstakingly extracted is collected by Kania and Yurina to be used as 'filler' for the female bishop Sinatiel, who is crying, cursing, and swearing at Ryūka.

Although she had just created a board for Ryūka to deal with Gerberi, the important agreement with Tipalotura left Ryūka with no choice but to shamelessly break his promise to the captive bishop and force her to become pregnant again… After all, he had only promised to release her, not to stop filling her up. Even more humiliating was being used as a vessel for refining power, which nearly drove Sinatiel to the brink of collapse. Thankfully, she didn't have to be personally subjected to Ryūka's relentless, day-and-night penetration; otherwise, she probably would have gone insane.

Melanie, with her short, icy blue hair and dashing appearance, received applause and enthusiastic glances from the students. However, as this great ice magician approached Ryūka, she cast a cold and alluring glance at him, and gently parted her red lips. From Ryūka's perspective, unseen by others, a hint of white smoke lingered on Melanie's tongue and lips…

The scene was fleeting; Melanie instantly closed her lips, a smug smile playing on her lips as she looked at Ryusha.

Damn! Ryuu's eyes widened instantly! Melanie hadn't been sucking on it since last night, had she?! Deliberately showing it off to her in this situation! No wonder she was so eager to do the 'cleaning up' last night, even though she'd just pulled it out of her rival Hetia's body…

The usually calm and composed Ice and Snow Grand Mage unleashes a power that no one could have imagined...

After a moment of surprise upon seeing Ryūka, Melanie's red lips and white teeth, her icy eyes brimming with affection, revealed a stunning smile. This made the magic students puff out their chests with pride in front of the students from other departments... especially the martial arts students.

The head of the Martial Arts Department was the renowned Viscount Hetia Tartu, also a famous goddess of the Sochi province. Her past conflicts with Melanie had somehow spread throughout Sochi, reaching even the students of the Martial Arts Department. Knights and mages have always been somewhat antagonistic, and this was a continuation of that tradition. Because Hetia had more provincial duties, she was only the nominal head of the department and therefore did not attend the opening ceremony. However, the stunningly beautiful Melanie was present, further highlighting the rivalry between the young men and women of the Magic and Martial Arts departments.

Ignoring the little musings of the children below the stage, the Melanie that Ryuga saw was completely different from what everyone else perceived. She only reminded him of the passionate team battle he'd had with them the night before, and how they'd afterwards bullied Hinatil together. This caused a surge of heat within Ryuga, and he quickly adjusted his power to suppress his body's reaction. This was all happening in front of everyone; he couldn't let anyone see his 'youthful masculinity'.

He glared fiercely at Melanie, indicating that he would definitely teach her a lesson later! But Melanie didn't care at all, and even deliberately raised her jade-like neck and made an obvious swallowing motion in front of Liu Xia. Her white neck swayed slightly as she swallowed the essence she had been holding all night in front of everyone. This detail, which no one else could notice, made Liu Xia exclaim in his heart, "Women can't be fed too much, otherwise you don't know how bold they will become later."

Tipalotura, standing to the side, glanced at the stalemate and couldn't help but whisper a reminder:

"Your Excellency the Governor?"

In her mind, Ryuka wasn't the type to mess things up in big situations. Unless something really happened...

"Your Excellency, please..."

When Melanie, having swallowed the foreign object, spoke with a smile, Tipalotura, smelling a familiar scent, finally understood what had just happened. She even laughed in astonishment, giving her temporary ally a 'you' look after Ryūsha, who had turned around with the tray.

I didn't tell her to do that!!! Don't question my character!!!

Even Ryūka was speechless at this moment. Not to mention Tipalotura's special constitution; even though the princess's face was veiled, just those breathtakingly deep blue eyes, turning slightly at such close range, conveying a cunning yet adorable look, were enough to stir a man's blood...

This caused the heat that Ryūka had just suppressed to surge up again. It was supposed to be a simple opening ceremony, so why did things turn out so differently than he had imagined?

He remained calm and, together with Tipalottura, presented medals to the three girls. Tipalottura picked up the medal and personally pinned it on the twin sisters' heads, eliciting another round of enthusiastic applause from the audience. The twin sisters, in turn, gently bowed to the two men, lifting the hems of their skirts.

"Your Highness, Governor."

Tipalotura smiled and replied, "I hope you two can become outstanding talents for Otus!"

Ryūka was completely unconcerned about Tipalotura's blatant attempt to poach their girls. After all, Evelyn and Elena were her own people, and the princess's words were merely polite formalities, more for the students in the audience than for the two of them. Ryūka then looked at the two sisters and said with a smile:

"Kira will be proud of you."

Having lost their parents, the two girls, who considered Kira their older sister, had tears in their eyes upon hearing these words. From lowly slave girls who dared not even wash themselves, to the spotlight they received today, the two girls had endured so much. The loss of their parents, the terrifying escapes and imprisonment… If they hadn't met Kira and Ryuka, their fates would likely have been far more tragic…

"Thank you, Your Excellency..."

In public, the twin sisters maintained their composure. But in their hearts, they were practically calling him "Brother Ryuka" and "Mr Ryuka" to death.

When it was Esther's turn, everything was much calmer. This stunningly beautiful young woman displayed a composure unlike that of her twin sisters, maintaining an elegant smile in response to Tipalotura's polite greetings, lifting the hem of her skirt to curtsy, and giving a proper reply.

"Thank you, Your Highness. I will keep in mind the honor of my family and my father's teachings, and strive to become an excellent and qualified nobleman."

When facing Ryūka, she smiled and bowed with the same calm and polite demeanor:

“Your Excellency, thank you for your continued help to the Miller family. The Miller family will never forget this kindness.”

Things had become somewhat uneventful, but ever since Princess Linor, her older cousin, moved into Ryūsha's castle, Esther had felt a pang of jealousy. Ryūsha wasn't oblivious to this; Esther had previously acted like a relaxed, approachable girl next door in private, the kind who would kick off her shoes in front of him as soon as she got on the sofa. But lately, he'd been too busy—whether with affairs of the territory or the 'team battles' with his harem—preventing Esther from visiting for half a month. Especially after acquiring a pet dog, Adela, for financial and trade matters, Esther was even more at a loss as to how to use her previous excuses to visit Ryūsha.

Although Ryūka felt a little regretful, he ultimately prioritized his career over personal feelings. So, maintaining his politeness, he smiled at Esther and said:

“Miss Miller, you flatter me. I only helped with a small amount of work; it was mostly your own efforts that made it possible.”

Esther remained noncommittal to these polite remarks. She smiled and withdrew with the twin sisters, leaving the stage to Ruka and Tipalotura.

After the ceremony, there would be a banquet at the academy, giving her plenty of opportunities to speak with Ruka privately. Of course, she wouldn't reveal her true feelings so openly, even though she still had many questions and things to say about Ruka and Linor.

Chapter 11 Dance and the Runaway Princess

At the banquet, melodious music filled the air with fragrance, and noble guests mingled and praised Sochi's great development. However, they often avoided mentioning the name to whom this development was attributed. Especially when the thirteenth princess of the empire appeared, they began to lavish praise on His Majesty the Great Emperor of Otus.

These nobles weren't just from Sochi; many came from the surrounding areas as well. After all, Sochi Academy was a branch of the Imperial Military Academy, and Ryūka couldn't refuse nobles from other parts of the eastern empire who wanted to send their children. Therefore, many unfamiliar nobles from other regions traveled long distances to send their children to school and, incidentally, to pay their respects to Princess Tipalotura. Ryūka had no objection to this; maintaining order was only necessary for today, since Sochi Academy would be under semi-military management afterward, and he wasn't worried at all about these foreign noble brats causing trouble in Sochi.

The venue for this banquet was the Sochi Cathedral, completely surrounded by the Sochi Academy. It was now part of the Sochi Academy, legally leased to the academy with the approval of Sister Lindsay, who was now in charge of the cathedral, and Bishop Sinatiel, who had returned to the public eye…

"So, 'Ryuka without a surname,' it seems that even you are not so comfortable in your own territory."

After exchanging pleasantries, Tipalotura found Ryūsha alone to one side. Despite being the governor of Sochi and the founder of the academy, Ryūsha's presence at the banquet was not particularly noticeable. Quite a few nobles came to exchange pleasantries, but they usually left after a brief chat, and Ryūsha was happy to enjoy a moment of quiet at this kind of social banquet.

“What do you mean by ‘even if it were me’?” Ryuga grinned, politely raising his glass to Tipalotura. The princess didn’t take a glass, so Ryuga took a sip himself. “Your Highness, what kind of person do you take me for? Someone who would kill them all because of their gossip? Or seize their property and send them to hard labor?”

Despite Ryūsha's denials, his smile was dangerous. Especially when he squinted at the center of the banquet, Tipalotura always felt that he was looking at a group of prey; in short, the observer and the observed seemed to be of different species.

"As long as they behave themselves, don't cause me any trouble, and donate when they should, I don't care what they say about me."

Everyone has limitations due to their own perspective, and Ryuka was quite open-minded about it. After all, the things she had done in the past had indeed made the nobles feel afraid and uncomfortable, and her near-dictatorial behavior after taking over Sochi had also made them dissatisfied. Although the nobles were now reaping the benefits of her development plans, when Tipalottura appeared with the royal aura, it reminded them of their glory as members of the privileged class.

But this kind of occasion still makes Ryuka feel uncomfortable.

The guests attending the banquet were not only parents of students from the prestigious academy and donors to the academy, but also a large number of faculty and staff of Sochi Academy, the so-called 'middle class'.

Most of them enjoyed these occasions and seized every opportunity to expand their networks, that is, to get to know nobles. There's not much to say about this; after all, the academy needed a large number of teachers, and Ryūka couldn't find that many people who could teach magic and martial arts all at once. So some of these teachers were selected by Ryūka from the army, some were introduced from outside by Tipalotura and the emperor, and some were former private tutors to nobles, and even now they maintained good relationships with them.

However, whenever they were drinking and chatting happily, Ryuka always felt like sighing. But how to avoid this situation was beyond the grasp of his seventeen-year-old brain. With his current knowledge and understanding, he really didn't know how to perfectly realize his ideal future.

His subtle emotions were keenly observed by the witch queen beside him.

"Ah~ It seems you care more about something else than the opinions of the nobles~" Tipalotura looked at Ryūka with interest, her eyes narrowing as she smiled. "You know this is unavoidable; it's a problem with human nature itself. You can't control people's desire to 'become better.' Unless they're not living beings, or... you're a witch~"

Ryūka glanced at Tipalotura, surprised that the princess knew what she was thinking. Her subsequent joke made Ryūka chuckle.

"A witch? Me?"

Tipalotura is right. If one can control the desires and biological nature of all living beings, that is indeed the witch's domain. Although witches are better at arousing their desires than restraining them, and what Tipalotura is saying is probably only something that the cruel witch, as the progenitor, could do—make the whole world run according to her will.

Tipalotura smiled slyly: "Isn't that right? In my eyes, you're no different from a witch."

Before Ryūka could figure out what she meant, Esther walked over gracefully, first bowing to Tipalotura and saying "Your Highness," then extending a small, white hand towards Ryūka.

"Your Excellency, would you like to dance with me?"

“Oh~” Tipalotura watched this scene with great interest, as did the guests in the distance.

The music had already started playing at the banquet, and well-dressed men and women were already pairing up and dancing, while the rest were actively seeking partners. The stunningly beautiful Esther naturally received many invitations, especially since she had been the center of attention that day. Coupled with the Miller family's current wealth, Esther had become incredibly popular. However, the young gentlemen who mustered the courage to invite her were rejected one after another, some dejected, some blushing, and some pretending nothing had happened and inviting others…

Esther Miller, the dazzling noblewoman, took the initiative to approach Ryusha and asked if she could dance with him.

The sixteen- or seventeen-year-old noble boys could only hang their heads in dejection. If Esther had invited someone else, they might have been tempted to compete, but Ryūka? Forget it. In terms of both status and strength, no other man on the field could compare to him. Although Ryūka was the same age as them, they were no longer in the same league.

However, everyone assumed that, given the situation on the field, Ryūka would invite the princess to dance. After all, no one else would dare to invite Tipalotura, which made Esther's initiative to invite her even more intriguing.

Even Esther would probably feel awkward if rejected by Ryūsha. But beside her is the empire's princess; no matter how unique Esther Miller is in Sochi, compared to Tipalotura's status, she's probably still...

“Of course. It would be my pleasure, Miss Miller.”

Ryusha's hearty laughter interrupted everyone's imagination. He bowed slightly, took Esther's outstretched hand, kissed the back of it, and then smiled at Tipalotura.

"Then, Your Highness, please excuse me."

After saying that, he put down his wine glass, pulled Esther along, and quickly joined the dance floor.

His fingers lightly rested on the girl's soft, slender waist, while his other hand gently swayed her delicate hand. Their steps shifted and they twirled, their eyes meeting. In the ensuing silence, Esther finally spoke, her emerald green eyes fixed on Ryukyu as she whispered:

"You busy man, any news lately?"

Esther hadn't come to see him for half a month. As a partner, Esther used to come every few days, but since the arrival of Linor and Tipalottura, the peaceful days of building Sochi were gone forever. Ruka was busy accelerating construction and dealing with the troubles Tipalottura might bring, and he did feel quite distant from Esther.

However, Ryuka felt he couldn't involve Esther in those matters. Firstly, the girl was still young, and secondly, Ryuka wasn't stupid; he knew Esther had some feelings for him. But they weren't close enough to be intimate, at least not in his harem. So, it was indeed inappropriate to tell her about the witch or the heretical continent.

On the other hand, Linor made Ryūka realize that Esther was also an unawakened witch. The two were cousins, and Linor was also involved in the Bauhinia Kingdom affair. This made Ryūka even more unsure how to bring it up with Esther…

"News? There is some... but most of it has nothing to do with you, oh my—"

Ryūka's foot was stepped on. He glared at Esther, who blinked her innocent, large emerald eyes and mumbled something.

"Feel sorry."

"Well, you're trying to play this game with me, huh?" Liu Xia chuckled and suddenly exerted force with both hands. A surge of fighting spirit instantly wrapped around Esther's body, gently lifting her up while she was still in a dancing pose.

"What are you going to do? Wait, wait a minute!"

Esther gasped softly, while Tipalotura, who had been watching with a smile from afar, watched as Ryūsha lifted Esther's petite body and spun her around rapidly, and chuckled softly:

"Ah~ Waltz~"

In an instant, almost everyone noticed the boy and girl who had changed the rhythm of the dance. Especially the band playing the music; those who perform in high society are all discerning. They knew who the main characters were, and as Ryuka quickened her pace, the notes raced like wild horses. Accompanied by Esther's swaying and twirling skirt, the two 'danced' on the dance floor like butterflies. For the celestial-level Ryuka, this was a piece of cake; no matter how fast her steps or how crowded the dance floor, she wouldn't bump into anyone. But Esther was different; her face quickly turned red.

But she stubbornly held back, thankfully Liu Xia wasn't really bullying her, and soon stopped. However, the band conductor seemed a little unsatisfied; he had thoroughly enjoyed the wild and exciting music just now.

"I have something to tell you."

Seeing Esther's pale face and bright green eyes staring fiercely at him, Ryusha smiled brightly and pulled her away from the dance floor in the opposite direction from Tipalotura.

"Your Highness, should I follow them?"

A richly dressed noblewoman approached Tipalottura, though no one recognized her. Her face was veiled in black, revealing nothing of her features, and she asked Tipalottura in a low voice.

"No need, we agreed not to pry into his affairs. Felicity, let's enjoy ourselves for a while~"

As Tipalotura spoke, she swayed and turned to walk towards the gate. A faint magical aura enveloped her, causing the eyes of the crowd watching her to gradually become hazy. They stopped looking at the princess and instead turned to chat amongst themselves, as if Tipalotura had simply vanished from their sight.

"Your Highness? Where are you going?"

Felicity quickly followed. Tipalotura rarely used her witch powers in public. What was she going to do?

"I've heard that there are all sorts of activities for ordinary students on other campuses, which are much more interesting than this!"

Tipalottura chuckled. If Gerberi were here, she would definitely grumble and tell her not to go. But now that neither she nor Ryukyu were around, Tipalottura felt a rare sense of freedom and playfulness.

Guards? She didn't need those things. The witch's abilities allowed her to easily blend into the crowd; she didn't need to disguise herself and wouldn't be noticed. Although she had lived in the magnificent mansion dormitory at Sochi Academy for half a month, it was completely deserted back then—nothing like the lively atmosphere it was now.

Leaving the cathedral, passing through the gardens and teaching buildings, Tipalotura walked to the square near the school gate. Along the way, parents were helping their children complete the enrollment procedures, groups of students were carrying luggage and looking for their dormitories, and some faculty and staff who hadn't attended the banquet were maintaining order and guiding students.

Outside the academy gates, carriages and vendors bustled like a marketplace, as Sochi Academy's admissions were open to the entire province. Besides Sochi city, many students came from other towns and villages, and even commoners from other regions went to great lengths to send their children. After all, if they could gain admission with excellent grades, Ryusha would waive their tuition and fees, and might even help their families find opportunities to live in Sochi…

"This is so much more interesting than Beijing! It reminds me of my school days, and I even want to experience it again!"

Hearing Tipalotura say this, Felicity, who was beside her, frowned slightly:

"Your Highness, you wouldn't..."

“Why not?” Tipalotura turned around and laughed. “I only promised him I wouldn’t spy or bother him, so it’s not unreasonable for me to want to find some fun for myself, is it?”

"Besides, I'm helping him find security vulnerabilities~" Tipalotura glanced around, then walked towards the faculty member checking student lists at the door with a wicked grin. "If anyone's to blame, it's Liu Xiaqing herself~"

Chapter 12 Honest Confession

Ryūka, holding Esther's hand, ran to an empty room, attracting many stares along the way. This immediately made Esther blush; after all, Ryūka's reputation in matters of the heart wasn't exactly stellar. And the sight of a boy leading a girl away from the banquet seemed suspiciously like they were about to cause some trouble…

"Wait, wait! Do you have some kind of fetish for taking people to private rooms at banquets?!"

"It was the same last time," Esther said angrily. When others saw them, she felt her face burning, but for some reason her heart was pounding, not in a painful way.

With a whoosh, magic unfolded, instantly covering the entire room and transforming it into a secret space for the two of them, ensuring that nothing would be revealed. Ryuka's action made Esther even more nervous, especially as the boy stared intently into her eyes, his tone as serious as if he were proposing.

"I have something important to tell you, something that concerns your future, but I've hesitated for a long time and don't know whether I should speak. So, I need to ask for your opinion."

Ryusha's appearance clearly frightened Esther; her eyes widened, and she stammered, unable to speak.

Fate? What fate? It can't be...

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

"I'm not kidding. If you knew, we'd probably be in the same boat. No... even if I didn't tell you, it would be hard for us to separate anyway."

Ryuka looked handsome when he was serious, a stark contrast to his usual playful interactions with Esther. This sudden seriousness caught Esther off guard, and the tense atmosphere made her feel like she was being manipulated. What made her even more anxious was that she had unexpectedly developed a sense of anticipation, a desire to get to know the boy in front of her better.

But thinking of Ryūka's womanizing ways, Esther flew into a rage. Her face flushed red, and she angrily rebuked Ryūka:

"Ryuka! What do you take me for! Do you think you can control me by saying things like that?! I'm not like your other girls!"

Seeing Esther's sudden attack, Ryuka couldn't help but blink.

What is this guy... saying?

"You've misunderstood, that's not what you think..."

"Besides!" Before Ryūka could explain, Esther interrupted him, pointing her finger at Ryūka's nose and saying, "We've only known each other for a few months! Even if I have feelings for you! These things should be done step by step, right? What! Do you think I don't care that you have so many lovers and that it's easy to win you over! So you're not going to put in the effort!"

"Ah..." Ryuga paused for a moment before chuckling. He understood what Esther was talking about. Although somewhat surprised, his focus wasn't on the girl's accidental confession. Rather, it was the thought of Esther becoming shy and embarrassed after he revealed the real reason, the image of the beautiful girl in front of him being so embarrassed she'd dig her toes out of a three-bedroom apartment—that made him unable to suppress a smile.

"So you mean you don't want to hear it?"

Ryuka's wicked grin only irritated Esther more. She turned her head away and angrily uttered:

"I don't want to hear it! I don't want to hear it at all!"