Confrontation in the Star Garden

Leaving the tree-lined path, Xia Ya, with Beilixiya carrying a thick stack of promotional cards, walked into the Royal Academy’s famous “Star Whisper Garden.”

The atmosphere here was completely different from the solemnity of other places in the academy.

Rose bushes carefully trimmed by specially hired royal gardeners, white gazebos covered with ivy, and a central lawn as soft as a green carpet.

The air was filled with dozens of different floral fragrances, expensive and flamboyant perfumes, and… the chattering laughter of girls.

In the center of the lawn, a small tea party was being held around several round tables covered with white lace tablecloths.

Several young ladies wearing academy uniforms were gracefully holding delicate teacups and chatting softly.

Most of them were freshmen who had just entered school in the past two weeks, their faces still carrying the innocence of not having seen the world and curiosity about those legendary figures of the academy.

When Xia Ya von Wolfgang’s figure appeared at the entrance of the garden, the harmonious garden was quiet for a moment, and then there were suppressed exclamations and whispers.

“Oh my God! It’s Young Master Xia Ya!”

“It’s really him! Even more… handsome than the rumors say!”

“The one next to him… is the legendary dragon-kin maid Beilixiya? That sword…”

“Look! What is he holding in his hand?”

Xia Ya’s handsome appearance and tall figure, inherited from his parents, and the clothing that seemed particularly flamboyant and casual even among nobles (Xia Ya almost never wore a school uniform, he preferred the custom-made clothes that Beilixiya sewed for him), were fatally attractive to this group of inexperienced ladies.

What’s more, his unconventional and powerful “deeds” were themselves covered with a mysterious and dangerous halo.

Instantly, several of the bolder ladies had put down their teacups and surrounded him.

“Good afternoon, Young Master Xia Ya!”

“Young Master Xia Ya, why are you free to come to the garden today?” Another voice was sweet.

“What are you holding in your hand…?”

More eyes focused on the promotional card in Xia Ya’s hand.

Looking at the enthusiastic girls in front of him, Xia Ya suddenly felt the unwillingness he had felt earlier vanish into thin air.

He raised his signature, slightly wicked smile, and shook the brightly colored promotional card in his hand.

“Good afternoon, beautiful ladies.”

“I was entrusted by someone to distribute a little… insignificant information.”

He elegantly handed a few promotional cards to the two ladies closest to him.

“Wow! A promotion for the Adventurers’ Association?”

“Young Master Xia Ya and Miss Beilixiya are special guests?!”

“Live demonstration of extraordinary power?! Sharing adventure experiences?!”

“I must go! Please give me one, Young Master Xia Ya!”

“Me too! Me too!”

The promotional cards instantly became hot commodities.

The girls forgot their reserve and reached out, some even trying to squeeze to the front.

Xia Ya was surrounded in the middle, his smile undiminished, distributing the cards to the outstretched slender hands with ease, occasionally saying a few witty remarks, causing the girls to giggle.

Beilixiya stood quietly half a step behind Xia Ya, watching the young master surrounded by beautiful girls, watching the familiar smile on his face, a trace of imperceptible dimness flashed in her dragon eyes.

She lowered her head slightly, and the arm holding the promotional card tightened a little.

The sweet perfume on those ladies and the young master’s scent mixed together, making her feel a little… uncomfortable.

However, not everyone was attracted by Xia Ya’s “charm.”

Under the gazebo a little further away, several older female students with more steady (or rather, rigid) temperaments were coldly watching the liveliness here.

They were staunch defenders of traditional aristocratic etiquette in the academy, and deeply hated Xia Ya’s behavior, which regarded rules as nothing, and acted flamboyantly or even “crude.”

Unfortunately, the family power of most of them was either afraid to offend or simply unworthy of offending the Wolfgang family.

“Hmph, attention-seeking.”

A girl with a meticulous bun snorted coldly in a low voice.

“That’s right, what does he think the sacred academy is? A market?”

Another echoed, her tone full of contempt.

“And that dragon-kin…”

A slightly sharp voice sounded, from the girl in the center of the gazebo who was surrounded like a moon surrounded by stars.

She had dazzling red hair, combed into a complex court-style bun, dotted with tiny pearls; her appearance was bright, but there was an innate arrogance between her eyebrows; she wore a custom-made academy skirt made of exquisite materials and cut to the extreme luxury, and a small but meaningful family badge was pinned to her collar – tulips entangled with thorns, symbolizing the noble status of Duke Midgard; she was the Duke’s precious daughter, Isabella von Midgard.

Isabella held a teacup and stirred it gently with a delicate silver spoon, while her gaze was undisguisedly directed at Beilixiya, especially the pair of silver-gray horns on her head and the quiet tail behind her.

Her voice was not loud, but it clearly penetrated the girls’ laughter, with a condescending contempt:

“It’s really going downhill. When did it start, even this kind of… a mongrel born of a demon, can stand swaggeringly in the garden of the Royal Academy and breathe the same air as us?”

The word “mongrel” was like a cold steel needle, stabbing hard into Beilixiya’s ears.

Her body tensed instantly, and the tail behind her stiffened slightly due to anger and humiliation, the anger of the girl being insulted instantly rushed to the top of her head!

However, just as Beilixiya was almost unable to control herself and was about to argue.

“Heh.”

A clear, sneering laugh rang out, instantly drowning out all the discussions.

Xia Ya, who was surrounded by the girls, had the playful smile on his face disappear.

He turned slightly, his gaze coldly shooting towards Isabella under the gazebo.

He gently pushed away a lady next to him who was still holding out her hand for a promotional card, elegantly straightened his cuffs, and took a long step, striding to the gazebo in a few steps.

His movements carried an aristocratic composure, but the aura was so cold that the surrounding air seemed to freeze.

“Miss Midgard,” Xia Ya’s voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone’s ears, with a chilling calmness, “The wind was a bit strong just now, I seemed to hear some… inharmonious noises. Like some kind of ill-mannered creature making… dog noises in the corner?”

“You!”

Isabella’s face flushed red instantly, and she stood up suddenly, the teacup in her hand shaking, the followers around her also changed color.

Xia Ya didn’t even look at them, his gaze turned to Beilixiya, and at the same time he stretched out his hand, and in a nearly announcing gesture, put his arm around Beilixiya’s slightly trembling shoulders.

After comforting Beilixiya, he looked at Isabella again.

“As for your ‘evaluation’ of my family’s Beilixiya… Heh, forgive me for speaking bluntly, Miss Midgard, as a noble who was only bought in the last two years by donating hundreds of thousands of gold coins to the royal family, you should pay more attention to being careful in your words and deeds, after all, compared to Beilixiya, who entered the academy through examination, you are the one who shouldn’t be here the most, relying entirely on going through the back door.”

He paused, his gaze swept over the tulip thorn badge on Isabella’s collar, the contempt in his tone undisguised:

“Beilixiya von Wolfgang, her strength has been certified by the Wolfgang family, her power, her loyalty, the glory she guards, are far beyond what some ‘newly rich ladies’ who only know how to trim branches in the flower garden and decorate their facades with mean words can achieve.”

“You… how dare you…”

Isabella trembled with anger, pointing at Xia Ya, her delicate face distorted with anger, but she couldn’t say a complete sentence, her followers were even more silent, shocked by Xia Ya’s unrelenting aura.

The entire garden was deathly silent, all eyes focused on the two people confronting each other in front of the gazebo.

Xia Ya ignored her, as if the other party was just a stray dog on the side of the road, he calmly turned around, randomly drew a few from the stack of promotional cards in Beilixiya’s arms, and flicked his wrist.

Whoosh!

Several brightly colored promotional cards shot out accurately like darts, with a few “papas”, they were firmly nailed to the tabletop in front of Isabella, only an inch away from her trembling fingers! The heroic portrait of Beilixiya on it was like a silent mockery to her.

“The activity invitation has been delivered, Miss Midgard.”

“Welcome to come and guide us. Of course, if your etiquette teaches you that you need to keep a distance from our Wolfgang family, we… completely understand.”

After speaking, he didn’t look at Isabella’s iron-blue face under the gazebo again, and showed an impeccable, but cold aristocratic smile to the stunned girls around him.

“Sorry to disturb everyone’s elegance. The promotional cards are here, interested ladies please take them. Beilixiya, let’s go.”