Chapter 68: The Princess Who Was Already Dead.

It had been exactly three hours since I returned to my apartment after that cruel training session.

Aurelion had left immediately after helping me back to my apartment because my shaky legs were too unreliable to walk.

His assigned apartment was only two floors higher than mine and he had said he would wait for me in the lobby of the dormitory when it was time for the welcome banquet.

Honestly, after that training session, I did not have any intention to attend that damned welcome banquet because I was sure that it would only bring me more unnecessary trouble.

But I had to go because if I didn’t, that trouble would simply find Lily instead and besides, I also wanted to look for people with useful Talents to copy their True Names.

Still, I had a few hours for the banquet. So, I sat cross-legged atop my bed, my chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm as I guided the vast sea of mana within my soul space.

Although my soul core replenished itself naturally, using Celestial Breathing Art like this nourished my soul, mind and body at once while also accelerating my recovery.

At the same time, it also made the immense amount of mana within my soul space a bit more obedient, making future breakthroughs considerably easier.

Soon, I lost myself within my soul world.

With every inhale, the endless sea of mana stirred and with every exhale, it calmed down once more. The scenery was peaceful but extremely beautiful in a way that was difficult to describe.

As I looked at it, countless thoughts crossed my mind, most of them about the way Chiki had used this technique.

He was the one who had created Celestial Singularity Art but for him, it was something natural since it was his Talent, a manifestation of his soul.

And using it was as natural to him as breathing itself but from what little I had witnessed back then, his technique somehow created an entire world within his soul and absorbed the souls of every villager within it.

I couldn’t help but wonder if that was one of the conditions or maybe a clue to completing this incomplete art?

My thoughts were interrupted by a soft buzz from the mana bracelet around my wrist. Opening my eyes, I immediately checked the time.

It was already six.

The welcome banquet began at seven and I had promised to meet Aurelion in the common lobby at six thirty.

After taking one last deep breath and slowly exhaling, I got up from the bed and freshened up a little before standing in front of the mirror.

Naturally, even the mirror grew shy in the presence of my overwhelming handsomeness. Satisfied with my flawless appearance, I picked one of the finest suits from my collection of luxurious clothes.

It was a tailored light blue suit, perfectly fitted to my frame, paired with a crisp white shirt that added a touch of elegance. To complete the look, I chose a matching watch embedded with pale moonstones.

Being the son of a Duke certainly had its advantages and near unlimited spending money was one of them.

Only after getting fully dressed and making sure I looked absolutely perfect did I leave my dorm but the moment I stepped outside, the door to the apartment beside mine opened as well and from it walked a beautiful woman wearing an ashen-gray dress that perfectly matched her silvery hair.

Her posture and composure were the very definition of elegance, while her golden eyes rested on me for a brief moment before calmly looking away.

Hope Aeth Crownforge.

My second wife.

"..."

Damn.

Of all the hundreds of students in the World Class, she had to be my neighbor.

What a coincidence.

I didn’t know whether it was because I had arrived at the academy a little earlier than in my previous life or because of some other butterfly effect but the dorm assignments were different this time.

Without saying a word, she walked toward the elevator. The mana-lift arrived soon enough as she entered the lift while I followed soon after.

As the elevator slowly moved down, neither of us spoke and honestly, I preferred it that way, at least for now.

Once we were at the ground floor, I immediately walked out of the elevator before making my way towards the Lobby and soon enough, my eyes landed on Aurelion, who was waiting near the entrance of the dorm building.

I raised a hand.

"Hey, Aurelion!"

"Hey, Zenith!"

He waved back enthusiastically but it was only after I walked over that the other person standing beside him came into view, accompanied by a familiar voice.

"You two sure took your time."

Who else could it be but Seles?

Wait.

You two?

It didn’t take a genius to figure it out.

Turning around, I found Hope standing a short distance behind me with her usual serene expression.

Aurelion stepped closer and lowered his voice.

"Sorry about that."

"Originally, Seles and Hope were planning to head to the banquet after doing some shopping but Seles suddenly changed her mind and decided to tag along with us instead."

"I hope you don’t mind."

I wasn’t the type to cry over spilled milk, so I simply nodded.

"No worries. Though I should make one thing clear. Once we reach the banquet, I am disappearing on my own because I have no desire to deal with the swarm of nobles that’ll inevitably gather around you."

Aurelion chuckled.

"Fair enough."

***

As we made our way toward the hall where the banquet was being held, Seles kept trying to make small talk with me in her usual tsundere act while Aurelion did his best to keep any awkward silence from settling over the group.

But even as the three of us talked, Hope remained completely silent and simply walked beside us like a tree swaying gently in the wind.

I wasn’t surprised because she had always been like that. Outwardly, she was as cold as ice but under that calm exterior, her mind was more chaotic than all of ours combined.

She only ever showed her true self to those she truly trusted and if there was one person I considered just as crazy as Lily or perhaps even crazier in certain aspects, it was undoubtedly Hope.

Because despite what everyone believed, despite how she appeared, Hope was never a normal eighteen-year-old girl.

Hell, she wasn’t even human.

She was a ghost...

... or to be more precise, she was a ghost which had taken over the body of the dead Princess of Crownforge.