Chapter 211: Headmaster Lance’s Lessons in Romance

Sophia was so shocked that her tears abruptly stopped. Her face turned bright red as she stuttered, "Be-become a member of the royal family? Just what are you implying, Lance?!"

Although she certainly liked Ainor, she hadn't asked Lance to go that far! However, his words kept echoing in her mind, causing her heartbeat to accelerate uncontrollably. If what Lance said was true, could she really become Ainor’s one and only?

Lance remained as patient as ever as he resolved her doubts and cleared up her confusion. "Sophia, in life, you often have to make your own destiny. If you don’t work towards your goals, then oftentimes it is nearly impossible to achieve. Relying solely on the whims of fate is far too difficult."

Sophia stared blankly, momentarily lost in thought. "Is that so..."

She was clearly bewildered by this advice. It was as if she was wandering through a thick fog, or perhaps reflecting on her own dilemma.

Lance leaned back against the sofa, speaking with the air of a philosopher. "Just think about it. Hasn’t Karen's appearance proven my point? While this world is filled with fantasy and beauty, it is also dangerous and complex. Good people don't go to bad places, but bad people do come to good places. Your relationship with Prince Ainor won't be the smooth sailing you imagined as a child. Not everyone is like me, someone who only helps lovers find their happy ending."

Hyperion surreptitiously poked at Lance while hissing at him with a lowered voice, "Lance!"

She felt that neither Lance nor Sophia realized it, but from her perspective, Lance had a striking resemblance to a sinister deity putting up a benevolent front. He was a devilish figure tempting Sophia to fall into darkness! Stop it! This isn't how a sweet romance should bloom!

Across from them, after a long silence, Sophia finally grasped the truth.

"So that's how it is..." She murmured to herself, dazed. Lance's words had pierced through her fog of self-deception, getting straight at the truth.

It turned out that a romance where things simply "fell into place naturally" existed only in fairy tales. Reality was never that beautiful. Therefore, if she wanted her prince, then she would have to take control of him herself!

Gradually, a new light ignited in Sophia's eyes. It was realization tinged with a hint of chaotic intensity.

With a look of fanatical trust and yearning, she finally blurted out her wish, "Professor Lance, please teach me how to win over Ainor! I want to slap his dense self into focus and make him only look at me!"

Hyperion was dumbfounded. They were screwed. Another normal person was destined to be led astray by Lance.

Lance nodded in agreement. "Very well, I’ll help you. But first, tell me what’s happened over the past few days. We need to address any urgent issues right away and then tackle the important ones at a more measured pace before they turn into urgent issues."

As a headmaster, he had always advocated for young people to pursue romance actively. He encouraged young men and women who were mutually interested to engage in healthy relationships based on choice, with Prince Ainor and his future princess serving as role models.[1]

This approach would have a tremendously positive impact on boosting the birth rate and maintaining a stable, healthy demographic structure in the Kingdom of Hutton. All in all, he was never one to turn down a chance to play matchmaker.

He was certain that when His Highness Ainor saw a transformed Lady Sophia a little later on, he would surely be pleasantly surprised.

Vice President Asina had arrived with a tray bearing matcha flavored cakes and drinks. She didn't know why the flavor of the day happened to be matcha, but it turned out to be a perfect choice.

Sophia began to recount the events of the past few days. The final breaking point for her had been when Karen invited Prince Ainor to join her in examining the Wind Primal Tablet.

"She... She seemed to be mocking me and pitying me at the same time." Sophia had been growing increasingly angry as she spoke, but at this point, she couldn't help but choke back sobs while wiping away her tears.

It was clear she had been bullied mercilessly by Karen.

Lance nodded after hearing her out. "I think I understand the situation. How about this? I’ll help you deal with Karen for now. Later, when the Student Management Council’s workload isn't too heavy, you can schedule appointments to meet with Hyperion and me. I’ll offer you some guidance, but after that, it’ll be up to you."

The crucial moment right now was the upcoming weekend, when Karen had invited Prince Ainor to accompany her in viewing the Wind Primal tablet.

Dean Lawrence had actually discussed this matter with Lance. Lawrence had originally promised to let Lance view it first. However, due to his recent heavy workload and the limited time Karen had in Ikerite, he had consulted Lance about letting Karen cut in line.

Or, if Lance was willing, he could view it together with her. Karen was perfectly fine with the latter arrangement. She was very easygoing. Lance was easygoing too. He told the dean it was fine to let Karen view it first.

The viewing process for a Primal Tablet was unique. It wasn't a literal visual inspection of an enchanted card. Instead, the holder would summon the physical form of the stone tablet, which usually remained hidden during combat, and expend a massive amount of mana to open a temporary gateway into the void.

This allowed observers to enter a mysterious, Shadow Realm-like dimension within the tablet and study the overwhelming array of arcane inscriptions.

Since the dimension would begin to repel living beings after a certain amount of time, rendering it inaccessible thereafter, how much a person could comprehend within that limited window depended entirely on their affinity for that specific type of magic and their talent in magical engineering.

Whenever a talented magical artisan viewed a Primal Tablet, scholars from the Erika Magic Spire would come to inquire about their findings. Unraveling the secrets of Primal Tablets was a major field of study in the present day.

However, because Dean Lawrence enjoyed an excellent reputation among the allied kingdoms, and was, without a doubt, the most approachable of the Southern Continent's supreme powerhouses, his Wind Primal Tablet was one most frequently studied. Consequently, unless a major breakthrough occurred, it rarely generated much of a stir.

Conversely, if someone were to study the Fire Primal Tablet belonging to Cardinal Ivanos of Destruction, that alone, regardless of what insights were actually gleaned, would cause a massive sensation throughout the academic community and the field of magical engineering across the Southern Continent.

After all, no one from the mainstream factions has studied the Fire Primal Tablet in over a decade, leaving a significant void in academic research regarding it.

Lance, however, had a new idea. He decided he would go see Dean Lawrence shortly. He figured he might as well lighten the poor dean’s workload a bit now, saving Lawrence from having to set aside time later specifically to let him study the Wind Primal Tablet again.

Sophia felt a twinge of worry. She glanced between Lance and Hyperion as she asked, "But how are you going to deal with her?"

Lance was always poised and courteous, a true gentleman, even. Karen, on the other hand, was a scheming, unscrupulous green tea bitch.

Although Lance clearly understood romance, Sophia worried he would be at a disadvantage if he got personally involved. After all, gentlemen were often ill-equipped to handle that specific type of manipulative women.

Lance answered with ease, "Don't worry. One simply needs to face any predicament with a sincere heart."

Sophia blinked. "A sincere heart?"

Lance nodded. "Exactly."

While listening to the exchange between Lance and Sophia, Hyperion realized there was a serious problem. The guy actually didn't realize he was the epitome of a green tea bitch himself! Did he genuinely believe he was sincere and had a sincere heart?

Even setting that aside, why was a young lady asking the King of Green Tea to help her snatch a man away from a female green tea bitch?

Hyperion was now worried that once Lance helped Sophia fulfill this wish, she would go around the school singing his praises. She absolutely did not want Lance’s "romance coaching" business to take off and become a major success. His "forceful welding" approach to matchmaking was absolutely terrifying.

If everyone started flocking to the Student Management Council to ask Lance for romantic advice, the school's atmosphere was bound to get warped sooner or later!

That guy is no true Cupid!

1. Why does he sound like an old fart here? ☜