"Princess, Her Majesty has called for you urgently." An elven maid stood respectfully in front of Seraphine. The maid lowered her head respectfully toward Seraphine before quietly turning around and leaving the room without waiting for her.

As soon as the door closed behind her, a heavy silence settled over the chamber. Seraphine stood frozen in place while nervously biting her thumb, her anxiety so obvious that it was impossible to miss.

She was not the only one feeling uneasy, either. Since returning to their room earlier, both she and her friends had been unable to sit still for more than a few moments at a time.

They paced around, fidgeted with their clothes, and repeatedly exchanged worried glances, each of them knowing exactly what awaited Seraphine. They personally were aware of Selena’s temper, especially in things related to Sera; she was overly protective and enforcing.

William, on the other hand, remained completely relaxed.

In his hamster form, he sat comfortably on Seraphine’s shoulder as though none of this concerned him in the slightest. He had spent the last several minutes trying to calm her down, reassuring her repeatedly that everything would be fine, but his efforts had achieved very little.

It was not as though he had held back.

He had attempted to soothe her emotions through his lunar tidal wave and even tried using emotional manipulation to lessen her fear. Unfortunately, they only worked temporarily, and for some reason, Seraphine managed to undo his influence completely. Orion said that it was her dormant physique acting up.

Well, this really interested William, but sorry, now his priority was to calm down Seraphine.

The fear Seraphine carried toward her mother was not something simple that could be brushed away with a few words. It was deeply rooted inside her mind, a primal instinct that had been built under Selena’s authority; she was aware of her mother’s temper, and the thing she was worried about was not herself but her relationship with William.

Now that the moment of confrontation had finally arrived, Seraphine felt a cold chill run down her spine.

"Sera, for the hundredth time, I am asking you to calm down."

William’s voice echoed inside her mind, sounding almost pleading at this point.

Unfortunately, Seraphine was far too nervous to properly listen.

Taking a slow breath that did nothing to steady her nerves, she left her room and began making her way through the castle corridors. William remained seated on her shoulder as they traveled upward through the towering structure.

Several minutes later, they arrived before a large wooden door located within one of the castle’s higher spires.

Seraphine stared at it for a few seconds before finally gathering enough courage to raise her hand and knock.

"Come in."

A cold voice answered from the other side. The moment she heard it, Seraphine flinched.

Her mother’s voice was noticeably colder than usual today, and that alone made her heart sink. Selena had undoubtedly sensed her presence long before she knocked on the door. The fact that she had not acknowledged her presence immediately and replied in a cold tone after waiting until now suggested that her mood was already poor.

That realization only made Seraphine more nervous. Slowly pushing open the door, she stepped inside.

The study was spacious and elegant, filled with shelves of books and various documents neatly arranged throughout the room. At the center sat Selena Sylvaris, the empress of the Sylvaris Empire, behind a wide wooden desk. Her posture was perfectly straight, her expression was calm, and her entire demeanor radiated authority.

One look at her was enough to tell Seraphine that this was not a situation where jokes or excuses would be welcomed.

"M-Mom..."

Seraphine’s greeting came out as little more than a nervous stutter. Selena slowly raised her eyes toward her daughter.

There was not even the slightest trace of warmth in her gaze.

"The Prime Minister visited me a short while ago," Selena said calmly. "During our conversation, I happened to learn some rather interesting things about you."

A small chuckle escaped her lips.

Unfortunately, there was nothing humorous about it.

The sound only made Seraphine shiver.

"O-Oh? W-What did he say?" she asked cautiously while stuttering during her speech.

"Well, for starters, he informed me that you are apparently under the control of a demon."

A faint smirk appeared on Selena’s face.

"Of course, I know that part is nonsense. If something like that had truly happened, the World Tree would have detected it the moment your physique began awakening."

A wave of relief immediately washed over Seraphine.

"Exactly, Mom. It’s Arwen. He’s always sticking his nose into my personal life. That creep must have fed his father some ridiculous story and convinced him it was true."

As she spoke, some of her confidence slowly returned.

Maybe this was not as bad as she had feared.

Maybe the prime minister had not exaggerated much about William, and maybe she could steer the conversation now.

Selena nodded slightly.

"That is true. Initially, I thought it was a rather absurd accusation as well. In fact, I was considering making the Prime Minister pay dearly for spreading such claims about my daughter."

Hope began rising inside Seraphine’s chest. Then Selena continued speaking.

"But after that, he informed me about your budding romance in the World Academy, and that too with a human."

The faint smile on Selena’s face vanished instantly. In its place appeared a cold expression that made the room feel several degrees colder.

Silence filled the study.

Seraphine’s heartbeat immediately accelerated.

"Mom, Arwen is lying, and you know it," she said quickly. "William and I are nothing more than friends."

<"Ouch. That one hurt." >

William’s joking voice echoed inside her mind before a quiet laugh followed.

He did not actually seem bothered by her denial. If Seraphine wanted to hide their relationship for now, then he was perfectly willing to respect that choice.

A relationship was not something one person could define alone.

Selena folded her hands together and looked at her daughter carefully.

"When exactly did I ever mention William’s name during this conversation?"

The question hit Seraphine like a bolt of lightning. Her entire body froze.

"Oh, shit."

The curse echoed inside her mind; she had been too hasty.

A faint smile appeared on Selena’s face. "You just confirmed his involvement yourself, my daughter."

Seraphine immediately lowered her head. She had no response and no excuse.

There was no comeback from here now.

She had walked directly into the trap and exposed herself without realizing it.

For several moments, silence dominated the room once again as Selena quietly observed every aspect of her daughter’s body language.

Eventually, her gaze shifted elsewhere.

"I see you’ve acquired a new pet."

Her eyes settled on the hamster resting on Seraphine’s shoulder.

Seraphine nearly had a heart attack. Her body stiffened so abruptly that she almost stopped breathing.

She had already been terrified that William’s disguise might somehow be exposed. Hearing her mother suddenly mention him nearly caused her to faint on the spot.

<"Relax. She has absolutely no idea." >

William’s calm voice echoed reassuringly in her mind.

The heavy silence continued after that.

Seraphine remained too nervous to say anything. Eventually, Selena let out a long sigh.

"Regardless, what has already happened cannot be changed. I understand that adolescence tends to make people act according to their emotions and hormones."

Seraphine slowly raised her head. Selena’s expression had softened slightly, though not by much.

"William is going to receive an early graduation from the World Academy. It is an exceptional opportunity for him."

Seraphine felt a growing sense of dread.

"I think this presents an excellent chance for you, too."

"a chance to move on."

The dread became panic.

"I want you to forget about that boy and focus on becoming stronger."

"What?!"

Seraphine’s composure shattered instantly. "Mom, what do you mean by forget him?"

Selena raised an eyebrow and pointed at her. "There it is. You are not even pretending anymore."

"Of course, I’m not pretending. What you’re asking is completely unreasonable!!"

Selena frowned.

"Unreasonable? A moment ago, you insisted that he was nothing more than a friend. If that is truly the case, then why are you reacting so flustered?"

"This..."

The words caught in Seraphine’s throat. She desperately wanted to argue. She wanted to explain herself. Unfortunately, she had no idea how.

Every path she could think of only seemed to make the situation worse. The nightmare she had feared all day was unfolding right before her eyes.

Then suddenly she felt something familiar. A warm presence and a comforting sensation.

She turned her head toward the side. Her eyes widened.

William was no longer sitting on her shoulder as a hamster.

Instead, he stood beside her in his original form, his arms gently wrapped around her.

The sudden appearance left her momentarily stunned.

William looked completely calm despite standing directly before one of the most powerful elves in existence.

After a brief moment, he opened his mouth. Now that things had reached this point, he had decided that remaining silent was no longer an option.

"She is flustered because we are not merely friends; we are much more than that."

A smile appeared on his face.

"Nice to meet you again, Mother-in-law."