When the plot-skips players into the game world

"Thank you, sister!!"

Yulia was extremely happy, carefully putting them back into her bag.

Seeing that Yulia indeed liked the gift she had given, Isabel also breathed a sigh of relief.

Aiwass had actually guessed right.

Yulia did like alchemy books...

How could a fourteen- or fifteen-year-old girl like that sort of thing?

The Moriarty Family wasn't short of money, so giving something that could be bought on the market would be meaningless; it would only show one's lack of finesse and taste. Simply giving books was also useless, since the library of the Royal Law University was the royal collection, which would be akin to making an offering of borrowed flowers. But Aiwass did not know what Yulia liked—his suggestions could be said to be strangely peculiar.

Mechanics, electronics, chemistry, paleobiology, the most favorite should be products related to alchemy, such as alchemy books.

...Listen to this, does it seem like something a fifteen-year-old girl should like?

Isabel even thought for a moment about giving Yulia a set of butterfly specimens. This should count as paleobiology and seemed more in line with a girl's aesthetic—it at least looked pretty.

But after much thought, she decided to respect Yulia's personal preferences.

So, she finally thought of the appropriate gift:

—A unique manuscript translation of an alchemy text!

Even though Isabel had not been very interested in alchemy herself back then, she felt it was a very precious gift and had treasured it. However, "treasured" as she claimed, Isabel had almost forgotten about it completely, only with great difficulty remembering she had such a set of books.

Now they could find an owner who truly understood their value.

Even putting aside her own factor of ingratiating herself with Yulia...Isabel was indeed very happy now.

The girl was quite endearing.

Looking at a content Yulia hugging the books, showing a young girl's happy smile, Isabel revealed a tender smile.

She had guessed right after all, her interactions with Yulia would definitely be delightful!

"What about Aiwass?"

Isabel asked again.

"Brother is reading," Yulia followed closely with her handbag beside Isabel, "He said he's...preparing for his next promotion."

Yulia's fondness for Isabel had greatly increased.

Not only had she given Yulia a gift she liked, but her attitude toward knowledge also made Yulia quite appreciative—she had initially thought that as a Transcendent of the Path of Beauty, Isabel should not care much about alchemy knowledge...Unexpectedly, she actually had some research on alchemy.

While waiting for Aiwass, she chatted with Isabel for a few moments. She discovered that Isabel had indeed seriously read these books...Although she had nearly forgotten about them now, with Yulia's prompts, she could recall parts of them.

The impressive Princess!

Yulia felt a profound respect.

Even she herself had not read many of the books in her professor's library. They were either in fields she was not interested in, too arcane to understand, or an entire book was dedicated to discussing a minor topic within a specialization...

Such books seemed to lack strong interest. Yulia's initial motivation for reading was to experience the world...but extremely specialized knowledge seemed too abstract, and she could not comprehend it at all.

Thus even though her foster father had also given her some books, many of which were bought from abroad, Yulia actually had not finished them...Despite this, she brought all of those books with her when she moved.

Princess Isabel, although not interested in Alchemy, earnestly read through the books presented to her. Because of her seriousness, her demeanor would sometimes make others feel pity for her.

This princess's personality is quite charming...

Yulia thought to herself.

In the relaxed atmosphere where both found each other adorable, Lily pushed Aiwass's wheelchair over to them.

After asking what Yulia was holding, Aiwass thanked Isabel on behalf of Yulia—he hadn't expected Isabel's gift to be so valuable. He originally thought that Isabel would just send a few hardcover books, but she was so serious at their first meeting.

I need to prepare a return gift, Aiwass thought to himself.

But he too was caught in the dilemma of gift-giving—as the highly esteemed princess, what couldn't Isabel get for herself?

After making a mental note of it, Aiwass casually brought up the issue of Yulia's school admission to Isabel.

"No problem,"

Isabel responded crisply, "Leave that matter to me... However, Yulia might have to take a test on her own.

"After all, if she really can't keep up with the curriculum, it wouldn't be good for her learning. It will put a lot of pressure on her. Depending on her academic performance, we'll decide which department to place her in... If her level in Alchemy isn't very high, then it might be better to place her in the second department to learn the basic subjects for half a year before transferring to the Department of Occult Studies next year."

The princess kindly reminded.

Now, when conversing with Aiwass, Isabel was no longer timid. And under Aiwass's guidance, she gradually understood how to apply her power appropriately.

The biggest change was... she no longer rushed to carry out Aiwass's requests in a panicked flurry. Instead, she began trying to think from the other person's perspective, using her own common sense and knowledge to assess what problems the other might encounter, before attempting to solve them in advance.

Isabel unexpectedly discovered that she was quite adept at this.

Although she lacked the talent of Authority that could control others' wills, guide their thoughts, and strengthen their loyalty... she possessed the gift of sensing others' souls. She could easily discern their hidden true intentions from their words and expressions.

Not everyone expresses their true thoughts in conversation. Some are unable to, and some are unwilling.

And as a "Prodigy," Isabel's understanding of others was improving in sync—

Perhaps because interpreting the heart and longing belonged to the realm of Beauty.

As she delved deeper into conversation with Yulia, Isabel gradually sensed a bit of Yulia's essence.

She vaguely perceived something.

...Yulia didn't seem to be the fragile and tender girl that Aiwass described. On the contrary, she possessed a very calm... even a cold-hearted disposition devoid of sentimentality.

Yulia had a strong and competitive nature, and she was much more powerful than Isabel on many levels.

The softness and attachment she displayed was not because her soul was fragile... but because she had a high opinion of herself, and even more so of Aiwass. Therefore, in front of the two of them, Yulia did not wish to reveal her aggressiveness—

But what would Yulia do if she faced someone she disliked?

Aiwass instructed Yulia to act distant towards her classmates after enrolling, to protect herself... he always felt Yulia was weak and needed the protection of others. And indeed, that was the image Yulia presented in front of Aiwass.

But in Isabel's view, this was not the case.

Perhaps Yulia didn't need to pretend at all. She just needed to express her true feelings.

Isabel suddenly became a little interested.

—She wanted to see Yulia go to school. To see how she would display her icy true nature.