Divergent Paths

Volume Three

Title: Chapter 13 – Divergent Paths

“Tell me, isn’t that right, my fiancé… the one I’m set to be engaged to in just a few months?”

Celicia’s voice, as crisp and cold as a breeze carrying snow, echoed through the street. It was a street devoid of onlookers, save for a pond full of great white sharks. For a moment, it was as if the supreme deities themselves had stolen all sound, leaving an unnerving silence.

Ewan Campbell’s lips trembled. He felt Celicia’s calm, yet subtly mocking gaze upon him, but he couldn’t even muster the courage to turn and look.

It was clear the powder keg had been ignited.

“What? An engagement?”

As expected, Anna’s delicate brows shot up instantly.

She knew Ewan Campbell and the girl before them were bound by a genuine marriage contract, and an engagement was inevitable. This was an agreement personally set by the Emperor, virtually unchangeable. Yet, she hadn’t anticipated this moment arriving so swiftly.

Moreover, this princess, renowned for her aloofness, had actually announced it herself in public.

‘What did this mean?’

‘Was this a declaration of war?’

Anna’s expression subtly darkened. Her beautiful hair, without a breeze, began to ripple and sway. Deep within her gem-like, limpid eyes, a faint, gradually rising moon became visible.

She was truly angered.

Ann, on the other hand, was much calmer. She had long been aware of this news, so Celicia’s words elicited little reaction from her.

However.

Her hand still clenched tightly at the hem of her skirt. A faint clang of steel seemed to reverberate in the air.

As the Young Master’s personal maid, she should have long foreseen this scene.

She shouldn’t have any objections to it.

Yet, even now, she still felt…

‘Extremely displeased.’

****

The night deepened.

A faint mist drifted in from the nearby riverbank, but it was quickly dispersed by an invisible aura, leaving the air exceptionally clear.

The chilling atmosphere transformed into a subtle, almost imperceptible killing intent, poised to erupt within the stagnant air.

Tick. Tock.

Time moved slowly.

It felt as heavy and suffocating as the drops of sweat trickling down Ewan Campbell’s forehead.

Finally.

Celicia shifted her gaze from Ewan Campbell, brushing a strand of silver-white hair from her forehead. Her beautiful eyes remained as placid as an icy surface, as if she didn’t acknowledge the two hostile presences at all. She spoke indifferently, “What? Do you intend to strike at me?”

There were no magical fluctuations.

No aura of combat energy.

No overt hostility.

No killing intent.

Her words were as mundane as a casual remark between acquaintances.

Yet, at this moment, the girl’s light words exerted immense pressure on both Ann and Anna, instantly freezing the brewing animosity.

This overwhelming presence stemmed not only from the unfathomable strength of this renowned genius of the Leopold Empire, known as the Pure White Witch, but also from her identity.

She was the Third Princess of the Leopold Empire, the most noble individual in the entire country.

For Ann and Anna, given their current statuses, merely standing before her and speaking was a testament to her considerable benevolence.

Should they truly make a move against an imperial princess in public, they would likely face the collective will of the entire nation.

Thus, the princess’s arrogance was entirely justified.

****

“It seems neither of you object to me taking him away.”

Celicia’s cool, composed face remained devoid of any discernible expression.

“Then let us go, my fiancé.”

“Eh? Uh… isn’t now a little…”

Celicia shot Ewan Campbell a cold glance, saying nothing more. She simply extended her delicate hand, grabbed him by the collar, and, like lifting a kitten by the scruff of its neck, dragged him away.

Ewan Campbell turned back, his face a picture of misery. He clasped his hands together, offering a sincere apology to the two girls.

‘It’s not that I don’t want to resist; it’s just that this particular master is far too formidable.’

‘Please don’t bite me later. I’m innocent in all this!’

****

Watching the two disappear from sight, Ann and Anna remained silent.

After a long while, they exchanged glances.

Anna stated, “I must go.”

Ann replied, “I must go as well.”

“Then, goodbye.”

“Goodbye.”

Anna departed first, proceeding on foot.

However, she did not choose the path back to the academy.

Her chosen path led to the Silent Watch.

“I hadn’t intended to contend for him,” Anna murmured.

In a world where even an ultimate lesbian like Ariel could openly establish a harem and even conceive children through magic, it was perfectly normal for a powerful and noble man to have several women.

Given Ewan Campbell’s status and his future achievements, Anna had long prepared herself for other women to be by his side.

She was not one to contend for things, nor did she care for titles or official recognition.

Simply being by the side of the person she loved was enough.

Her so-called ‘greed’ only extended to hoping that the man she loved would offer her more warm affection.

But.

At this very moment.

No matter how gentle and peace-loving her nature, she could not tolerate someone directly stepping on her face, ‘flaunting their power’ under the guise of an engagement.

Even if that person was a noble princess.

“So, just wait, Your Highness, the lofty princess.”

A rare, majestic aura, one Ewan Campbell had never witnessed, replaced the alluring charm on Anna’s beautiful face.

Moonlight scattered within her gem-like eyes.

With each step she took, the deep shadows around her began to twist and dance wildly, seemingly bowing in submission to her supreme authority.

“I don’t care about the title of Duchess.”

“But, I eagerly await the moment,” Anna whispered to herself, her eyes resolute, “when you, the noble princess, will have to bow your head… and call me ‘Sister’.”

****

After Anna left.

Ann remained standing, gazing for a long time in the direction Celicia and Ewan Campbell had departed.

Upon her elegant face, a fleeting, almost illusory flicker of distortion and ferocity seemed to pass.

‘Indeed, to clear away these pests around the Young Master, my current strength is far from enough.’

She lowered her gaze to her hands, recalling the intense sense of danger she had felt when facing Celicia earlier.

That was her intuition, and through it, she knew clearly that she was nowhere near Celicia’s equal.

After all, while both were favored by the gods, she prided herself on her talent being no weaker than Celicia’s. However, the princess’s years of cultivation and abundant resources were simply beyond her comparison.

It wasn’t just Celicia; the woman named Anna also gave her a strong sense of danger.

‘She is also a formidable opponent.’

‘And as the Young Master becomes more outstanding, who knows what caliber of seductive hussies he’ll attract next.’

“I can’t wait any longer.”

Ann settled back into the carriage, softly issuing a command.

“Let’s go.”

The carriage began to sway, heading out of the city.

Ann rested her cheek on her hand, watching the city recede. She absently rubbed a key, crafted like a bloody jade, which she had retrieved from who knows where.

“The Abyss…”

She seemed to be speaking to herself.

“I wonder if killing tens of thousands of demons will make me strong enough?”