On the granite floor of the castle courtyard, the caravans from the four invited academies had all parked according to instructions. Elite students from different places followed Milt's workers to the accommodations specially prepared for them, and the once bustling courtyard gradually quieted down.

However, there were still a few people waiting at the edge of the courtyard, staring closely at the black carriages parked by the gate.

"Um... why hasn't Lady Sister come out yet? It's been over ten minutes already."

"Hey, who's that inside?" Feilin nudged Lucius, who was also waiting beside him, with his elbow.

"That's Seimei from the Eastern Continent, she's probably equivalent to the Church's Saint, but her actual status is even higher..." Lucius explained with a helpless smile, rubbing his waist that was bumped by Feilin.

"Can you simplify it a little?"

"Holy Rank, according to your terms, she's probably at that level." Little Angel, who had been standing beside them for a while, answered on behalf of Lucius.

Little Angel's current mood was somewhat complicated. According to the intentions of Her Majesty the Goddess, when encountering someone of Holy Rank, it seemed that she should follow that person to protect her. But if Tiran** failed, she would be released from this contract.

But if that really happened, according to the Angel's Covenant, she would be derelict in her duty, and the punishment would definitely not be light. Moreover, it was also the task that Lady Sister entrusted to her. In case she was hated because of this...

No, no!

Struggling to stop herself from imagining the consequences, Little Angel slapped her cheeks with both hands and muttered to herself softly, "No matter what, that person didn't ask me to follow him. Even if something goes wrong, it's not my responsibility... I, I won't actively protect such a bad person!"

Feilin nodded silently, looking at the carriage again with seemingly increased interest.

"Um, Mr. Lucius, why does that person inside want to find Lady Sister?" Coco raised her hand to ask.

"It wasn't stated clearly, but she seems to know His Highness Tiran, so it shouldn't be anything bad... Your Highness Coco, don't worry, I think it might be an internal affair of Gaiya." Lucius didn't mention his speculation after sensing the spiritual power. In previous years, the caravans from Gaiya Academy that came to the Warfighting Festival in Gaiya were all lightly equipped, with only teachers and participating students, and hardly any outsiders. But this time, there were more than twenty elite guards, and the leader had been replaced by a Holy Rank. It was obviously for the students' safety.

But why? At least in the Western Continent, no force, other than reckless bandits who would rob without even collecting information, would have their sights set on this caravan. So, was it the situation in the Eastern Continent that forced them to do this?

"What are you talking about?"

A familiar voice came from behind. Coco turned around in surprise, "Lady Sister? And Mr. Aya? Eh? When did you...?"

"Don't worry about the details." Aya had a vexed expression on her face, and couldn't help but glance at Tiran. "So, what were you guys talking about earlier?"

Unable to understand the language of the Eastern Continent, Aya had been completely clueless during the whole conversation, and what was more crucial, Tiran and Seimei had spoken calmly without any obvious emotional changes, making it impossible to guess what they were talking about.

And considering the incident during the New Year's Eve ceremony and this one, Tiran, who was usually carefree and seemed to care about nothing, had actually lost control of his emotions twice. Aya was really curious about the contents involved.

"Well," Tiran's expression stiffened for a moment as he touched his cheek, his gaze shifting away quietly. "It's not something important, um... that's all."

"You're being so evasive! Anyone can tell that it's definitely not something unimportant!" Aya scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"...Don't ask anymore," the princess sighed in annoyance after a pause, running a hand through her hair and shaking her head forcefully. She then turned and walked towards the direction of the gate. "I'm tired, I'll go back and rest for a bit."

Chasing after Tiran, Aya, Little Angel, and the newly arrived Coco quickly disappeared from sight, leaving only the pair of siblings, Lucius, on the plaza.

"Is this a deep sin? What's the relationship between Aya, Tiran, and these people?" Feilin tilted her head, her curiosity piqued even though she usually didn't pay much attention to gossip.

"Heh, they're young after all," Lucius smiled and naturally reached out to pat his sister's head, only to have his hand slapped away.

"I've already told you, stop pretending to be a reliable big brother. If you want to pat my head, come back home with me first." Feilin raised an eyebrow, still not giving Lucius a good look.

Lucius awkwardly smiled and withdrew his hand.

"Mr. Lucius, is this your sister? She's adorable."

A head suddenly poked out from the carriage that had been ignored for so long by the gate. Miss Xing beckoned with her hand, revealing a brilliant smile.

"Hmm! Miss Xing?!"

...

Academy City, staff residential area.

This high-lying golden area was designated as the staff residential area, with detached two-story villas scattered in an orderly manner. Each villa had only one owner, who was also a teacher at the academy.

However, because most teachers were either teaching or had the task of being a "Watcher," the residential area was usually quite deserted during the day. Today, there were even fewer people due to the Martial Tournament.

"Just some warm-up activities today, is it really that captivating..."

Standing on the balcony, Aya held two tall glasses in one hand and a bottle of frozen honey wine in the other. She used her excellent teeth to remove the bottle cap and poured two glasses, handing one to Coco.

"Ah, thank you."

After taking a sip of the chilled honey wine, Coco turned around to look back with a hint of worry. At the end of the corridor past the terrace was Tiran's bedroom, which was currently tightly shut.

"Is Sister okay?"

"I really want to know too," Aya sighed, tilting her head back and finishing her drink in one go, her expression slightly frustrated. "The problem is, I don't know what she said to that Xing fellow. After she finished speaking, she became silent. Why don't you go in and greet her? It might be effective."

"G-greet? Uh, well, actually, I'm not quite ready... Ah, but if Sister wants me to, then maybe..." Coco's cheeks instantly turned red as she covered her face with her hands, a shy expression on her face.

Good Lord, what are you thinking? Aya almost let out a scream. This child's thoughts are dangerous!

"Never mind, you wait outside, I'll go check on her."

Setting down the cup, Aya stretched lazily and walked into the room, coming to the front of Tiran's door.

The well-oiled door silently swung open, only emitting a dull thud when it hit the wall.

Tiran, however, had no reaction and continued to lie on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the sky outside.

"I say, kid, you can't even see the stars in the sky now." Aya stood behind Tiran and said.

"I wasn't looking at the stars... Who are you calling kid!" Tiran snapped out of her daze and immediately glared at Aya, just as intimidating as Aya remembered.

But in the next second, her gaze became flustered.

"Aya? When did you come in?"

Well, something was definitely wrong, and it was definitely something very important. Aya sighed inwardly and took a few steps forward to sit next to her.

"What did that star tell you, anyway? Tell me, even if there's trouble, it's better to have one more person... No, one more dragon to help you, right?"

Tiran, however, shook her head like a sulking child. "She didn't really say anything... Can you please stop asking?"

By the end of her words, there was a trace of pleading in her tone.

Aya raised an eyebrow. Something was definitely off, this was not the usual Princess Tiran. If it were any other time, she would have given a forceful command to shut him up.

"How could I not ask when I see you like this? Besides, I am your contracted attendant now. It's my duty to care for your physical and mental well-being. Moreover, we've been chased together by Little Feizi. We have a bond of life and death. Apart from your father and Mimi, I am the closest and most trustworthy person, right?"

Aya patted her chest and confidently gave a thumbs-up, but didn't notice Tiran's face suddenly change.

"Attendant... huh? Only for now. After a few months, when our agreement expires, the contract will be terminated and you won't be one anymore, right?"

"Um..." Aya was taken aback. He never expected Tiran to bring this up suddenly. On second thought, you still remember? I thought you were planning to delay it for a year or two, or even ten...

Aya hadn't really thought much about the attendant contract. Although she was initially resistant, she found it to be just a formality after getting to know Tiran. Tiran didn't really treat her as a servant. That was one of the things Aya found different from most human nobles she had encountered.

Rather than a master, Tiran's role was more like a whimsical friend to Aya, and that was about it.

As for the master-servant contract, it could only be considered an opportunity or an excuse. According to Aya's own thoughts, even if the deadline arrived, it wouldn't mean the end of their relationship.

However, Aya did have some objections to renewing this contract. After all, the feeling of being forced to follow orders from time to time was not pleasant...

But it seemed that Tiran had misunderstood Aya's brief silence for something else, and a mocking smile appeared on her face.

"Hesitating, aren't you? Being forcefully bound to me by this whimsical person must make you angry, right? Talking about the responsibilities of an attendant, you just want to get rid of the constraints of the contract as soon as possible. With your Golden Dragon pride, you must only be thinking about enduring and then flying far away, right?"

Facing Tiran's inquiry, Aya was a bit lost. Your Highness, are you overthinking this a bit...

"No, I really just want..."

"Enough!" The volume suddenly increased, then weakened again. "Leave, and let me have some quiet time alone."

Aya wanted to say something more, but her body stood up under the control of a forceful command and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.