Alice looked at the old butler Lynn with a beaming face in front of her and couldn't help but feel a chill in her heart. She thought to herself: This old butler is smiling so strangely. Presumably, the mysterious person who has been manipulating everything behind the scenes is finally about to show up. Although her heart was full of doubts and uneasiness, she still tried hard to maintain her composure on the surface.
Alice said, "Butler Lynn, shouldn't we go in and take a look? His Highness the Fifth Prince is seriously injured!"
Upon hearing this, Butler Lynn, whose old face was made deathly pale by the powder, twitched slightly. He forced a smile and said, "His Majesty the King is already aware of this matter. At present, the task entrusted to me by His Majesty is of utmost importance. Miss Alice, please. Don't keep His Majesty waiting."
Butler Lynn gently waved the magic wand in his hand and made a gesture of invitation.
"Okay." Seeing this, Alice knew it was not appropriate to decline further. After all, she also wanted to know what was on the mind of the King of the Augustan Empire in secret. It was really puzzling that he would summon someone like her, who was known to be a good-for-nothing, to the palace... This really made her extremely confused, and countless thoughts flashed through her mind. Could it be that the king wanted to take the opportunity to humiliate her? Or was there some other ulterior motive? She knew very well that in the eyes of everyone, she was just an ordinary person with no magic talent. But now she had been summoned to the palace. There must be something strange about it.
Alice walked forward with Butler Lynn while repeatedly thinking about various possibilities in her heart. The uneasiness in her heart was like a surging tide. She knew very well that there were undercurrents in the palace. If she was a little careless, she might fall into an abyss of doom. But she had no clue and could only move forward bravely.
The Hall of Solitude.
The interior of the hall was resplendent and magnificent. Many magic candles were burning, making the hall brightly lit. A man in a gorgeous golden magic robe was standing in front of the throne with his hands behind his back, looking up at the mural of the magic dragon above the throne.
His eyes seemed to be full of forbearance, helplessness, and even more so, a sense of sentiment. He pondered for a moment and said, "The kingly hegemony, yet the king is also imprisoned in a small place and cannot develop freely and on a large scale. If more than ten years ago, I could also be cruel enough to abandon power, wealth, and fame and devote myself wholeheartedly to cultivating magic, I would be much freer than now..."
"What do you think of what I said?"
After finishing speaking, he turned around and looked at the red-clothed woman who happened to have one foot stepping over the threshold of the Hall of Solitude.
Alice met his pair of sharp yet lonely eyes. At this moment, Alice's heart tightened. She realized that the king in front of her was by no means an ordinary person. His every look seemed to be able to penetrate people's hearts. She quickly thought about countermeasures in her heart while also trying to figure out the deep meaning of the king's words. "Your Majesty already has an answer in mind, doesn't he?" Alice said slowly without avoiding his extremely intimidating gaze. She knew very well that in this situation, retreating would only make her more passive. Only by facing it bravely might she find a glimmer of hope.
Adrian couldn't help but smile when he heard this.
He restrained his aura and beckoned Alice to come over.
Although Alice couldn't figure out the intention of this man with great power in the Augustan Empire, he didn't seem to have any malicious intent. Even so, Alice's vigilance in her heart still did not relax at all. She carefully walked closer to Adrian, and every step seemed to step on her own uneasy heart. "Yes, Your Majesty."
Alice obediently walked forward and stopped five steps away from Alexander.Adrian.
Adrian looked down at her with kind eyes and said, "The first time I saw you, you were still a cute, chubby baby. Now that baby has grown into an adult."
"Yes." Alice silently recalled the vague memories of the original owner in her heart, trying to find some clues related to the king, but found nothing. She was full of doubts about Adrian's intention. In the memory of the original owner, she had only seen Adrian a few times. It was even more impossible to expect that the original owner had a good relationship with this king. She didn't understand why the king suddenly mentioned these old things. What secret was hidden behind this?
Now recalling the past...
Adrian stared at her deeply for a few times and said, "You look a lot like your mother. It's just that your temperament and behavior are very different from your mother Alicia's."
When Alice heard Adrian mention her mother, her eyebrows knitted slightly, and a glimmer of light flashed in her clear eyes. Although her memory of her mother was also very vague, the word "mother" touched the softest part of her heart. She couldn't help but wonder what kind of past the king and her mother had and why he mentioned her mother at this time.
Alice said with a charming smile, "Your Majesty, if you have something to say, please speak frankly. My grandfather is still waiting for me to return to the family castle. If he doesn't see me too late, I'm afraid he will come to the palace alone. If he offends Your Majesty at that time, I hope Your Majesty will forgive him." Alice tried to test the king's reaction with such words and also wanted to end this disturbing summons as soon as possible. She knew very well that her grandfather loved her. If she encountered any misfortune in the palace, her grandfather would definitely not let it go. And she didn't want to cause trouble for her family because of herself. So she hoped that the king could show his intention as soon as possible so that she could be prepared.
Adrian didn't get angry when he heard this. Instead, there was an extra smile in his eyes.
This girl now is a bit like her mother.
"Actually, I know both your father Alva.Erik and your mother Alicia." Adrian smiled and continued, "They have saved my life more than once. I have a very good relationship with your parents. A few days ago, old Alva came to the palace and had a long talk with me..."
"Old Alva said that you can already cultivate magic. He asked me to give you a quota for the enrollment assessment of the Magic Holy Capital Academy!"
Alice's pupils shrank, and a sense of sourness rose in her heart. She was both grateful for her grandfather's efforts for her and felt helpless about her own situation. Grandfather, such a proud Grand Magister, actually begged Adrian for her. She knew very well the preciousness of this quota and also understood that her grandfather had put aside his dignity for her. But she didn't want to rely on her grandfather's plea to get the opportunity. She secretly swore in her heart that she must prove to everyone with her own strength.
Seeing Alice lowering her eyes and remaining silent, Adrian continued, "However, I haven't agreed yet. Because the Augustan Empire is only allocated three quotas for the enrollment assessment of the Magic Holy Capital Academy. If I rashly give you one, as the monarch of the Augustan Empire, I will be unfair. I hope you can understand."
Alice nodded and looked up at Adrian and said, "Your Majesty, don't worry. Since grandfather wants me to get this enrollment assessment quota, I will win it with my own strength!" Alice was full of fighting spirit. She didn't want to be looked down upon and didn't want to disappoint her grandfather. She knew that this was a rare opportunity. No matter how many difficulties there were ahead, she wanted to give it a try.
Adrian looked at her with appreciation and said, "Good! One year later is the once-in-a-decade enrollment time of the Magic Holy Capital Academy in the Eastern Continent. And half a year later, I will hold a quota competition for the holy academy assessment. I hope you can win the top three at that time."
Before Alice could speak, Adrian added, "Although you can already cultivate magic and old Alva said that you have good talent, you are still far behind your peers. Remember to practice magic hard in the next half year."
"Okay." Alice nodded with a smile. She knew very well the gap between herself and other magic prodigies in her heart, but she was not discouraged. She remembered her experience in the black market. Those hardships and difficulties did not defeat her. Now facing this new challenge, she also had the confidence to overcome it. She silently planned the next cultivation plan in her heart and was determined to improve her strength as much as possible within half a year.
Alice talked with Adrian for about half an hour.
From Adrian's mouth, she learned a lot of information.
The Magic Holy Capital Academy is a place that countless magic prodigies in the Eastern Continent are eager to enter. In the once-in-a-decade assessment and enrollment, the first round first screens out a part of magic prodigies from countless countries, and then they gather in the Magic Holy Capital Academy to participate in the enrollment assessment together!
Only by passing the second round of assessment can one become a student of the Magic Holy Capital Academy!
Different countries get different quotas. Small countries only have three, medium-sized countries have six, large countries have twelve, and super countries have twenty.
The age range is from thirteen to twenty-five.
The Magic Holy Capital Academy has a history of thousands of years. And in the past three hundred years, no one from the Augustan Empire has been able to successfully pass the assessment and enter the Magic Holy Capital Academy!
It can be imagined that there is always someone better in this world.
The most talented young magic prodigy in the Augustan Empire is Nobby.Nock, who is twenty years old and at the eighth rank of Magician.
The second is Prince Arthur, who is twenty-one years old and at the seventh rank of Magician.
When King Adrian asked her about her magic cultivation level, she thought for a while and decided to conceal her actual strength. Then she made up a cultivation level of the seventh rank of Apprentice Magician. She was worried that her real strength would cause unnecessary trouble. After all, in this palace, people's hearts were sinister. She didn't want to expose herself too early.
Unexpectedly, when Adrian heard it, he looked at her like a monster.
"You have reached the seventh rank of Apprentice Magician in less than a month of cultivating magic!"
Alice's mouth twitched. Isn't this very low? She wondered in her heart whether her understanding of magic cultivation level was wrong. Since she came back from the black market, she has been working hard to cultivate magic and has already broken through to the third rank of Novice Magician. Even so, she was still despised by that annoying Caesar. She remembered Caesar's disdainful look and mean words, and her heart was filled with anger. She didn't understand what she had done wrong and why she always couldn't get the recognition of others.
"… It's okay." Alice pulled the corners of her mouth.
"Your magic talent should be higher than your father's!" Adrian showed a nostalgic look and sighed.
After praising her a few words, Adrian told her to practice magic well.
Before leaving, Alice asked Adrian, "Your Majesty, why are you so kind to me?"
Adrian was silent for a moment and finally said slowly, "Because you are the only daughter of them. I owe them a lot. In the past, I didn't summon you to the palace. One reason was that I was afraid that others would be jealous of you and cause them to attack you. The second reason was that old Alva wanted you to have a peaceful life. But - "
"Everything has changed, because you can cultivate magic now!"