Hearing that someone from the Sertsul family, who had supported her, was arriving made her feel as if she were achieving her dream right now.


    Instead of applying to other countries outside the Empire, where most of them were offering her the position of second-inmand as a military strategist, she epted an offer from the royal family.


    Even knowing that she would hold the position of only third-ranked military strategist—given that the upper two positions were already reserved for the aristocracy—she still wanted to join them so that she could at least meet or thank the people due to whom her life had changed.


    Though she was aware that for a wealthy person, it might not seem like much, considering that they might not even know her, in the end, she was grateful and wanted to be of some help.


    "Ahem, yes," the Director said, upon hearing Professor Rihane referring to someone of aristocracy as ''Lustress.'' He coughed, but since he was already aware that the widely used title for the main bloodline of the Sertsul family was referred to as such without carrying the literal or derogatory meaning, he further added, "But she is not alone. Marquess Croceaus himself is arriving today."


    "Sorry?" All the professors, including Professor Rihane, stopped in their path as they heard the name of someone whose arrival in this academy was unbelievable to them. They nced at each other before again confirming, "Pardon, Director, but is it someone from the Croceaus family arriving here?"


    The intent of their words was simply that it was possible for someone from the Croceaus family to arrive at the academy, but for Marquess Avendial Croceaus himself toe was impossible.


    It seemed unfeasible, given the public awareness of how focused Marquess Avendial was on business; he had never set foot in the Free Cities since he began to expand the Croceaus enterprises. This led to several rumors circting throughout the Free Cities.


    A few of them were like:


    They say Marquess Avendial never visits the Free Cities because thest time he considered it, the real estate prices tripled overnight, just from spection that he might buy property.


    Or


    Marquess Avendial avoids stepping into a Free City; the previous time he considered it, the local economy copsed when all investors withdrew to focus on financing his soon-to-beunched initiative.


    Of course, these were just rumors, but there were so many that they had be a normal topic of conversation, effectively bing a tag attached to Marquess Croceaus, so the professors were definitely doubtful.


    "Phew, I know; those rumors are too misleading, but yes, Marquess Avendial himself is arriving here soon." The Director was aware of the rumors since they weremonly discussed, and he also wouldn''t have believed it if it hadn''t been for his assistant clearly mentioning that he had confirmed the fact from the CEO of one of the IT firms under Croceaus group.


    "Is that so?" All of the professors be static before looking towards the main gate, causing the Director to also turn towards them as he noticed their nk gazes. Before long, all three of them started to take small steps, adding, "The one who arrives at the gate first gets to greet the Marquess first!"


    With those words, all three professors, who were renowned in their fields and the experts of their departments, sprinted as if they were in a race.


    The Director stood behind, his eyes widened and a rush inside his muscles as if his youth was returning.


    Seeing these reputable professors not caring about student gazes and sprinting like that, he also took a stance as an athlete, kneeling with both hands on the ground as if preparing for a marathon. He shouted, "I need donations for the Academy! Let me greet him first!"


    He also sprinted and dashed while ignoring the stunned expressions of a few students, some sping their mouths in shock at seeing their Director like that.


    Those from the respective departments belonging to the three professors were equally shocked, seeing them act like children.


    -----


    "That''s the academy building," Aecilia calmly replied, turning the steering wheel and looking a mile away, where the academy''s structure and its surrounding wall came into view as the convoy of cars navigated the sparsely popted roads.


    These routes remained rtively clear during working hours, as traffic typically increased during the day and night when students and employees finished their respective jobs.


    "I see," Avendial nodded as he nced towards his phone, putting it inside before folding his hands and ncing outside, observing the particr absence of crowds nearby. It was evident that it was the perfect time for him to arrive in Sector 17, given that it was working hours.


    "By the way, what work do you have here, Marquess?" Aecilia inquired as her hands glided perfectly on the steering wheel while she turned the car towards thene leading to the main gate of the academy.


    The convoy followed behind them, consisting of around five or six cars.


    In hidden positions, there were already several bodyguards and security personnel walking hastily to ensure that nothing went wrong during Marquess Avendial''s visit, while the government was also slowly getting the news of his arrival, prompting government officials to board helicopters or whatever necessary means to arrive here.


    All their actions were influenced by the fact that right now they were able to have a chance to meet the world''s richest man. No one wanted to miss this opportunity, whether they were high-ranking officials, academic professors, or even chief executives who rarely got to meet the Marquess.


    "Just trying to find someone," Avendial replied, remembering the events of his past life, where the most he could get from the woman whom he had killed after getting entangled in a small battle was that she had studied at the Elite Academy.


    Short story time: The same young man who loved another woman, preferring her over the one who truly loved him, started to grow exponentially stronger after gaining powers.


    However, while doing so, he collided with a Marquess on the fifth floor of a tower.


    While the young man possessed strength and power, the Marquess had brains and was able to utilize the resources around him to their maximum output, making things difficult for the young man. The enmity kept growing, ultimately leading to an all-out war in which the woman who secretly loved the young man from afar decided to sacrifice herself to trap the Marquess.


    But it all ended in the deaths of the young man, the woman he loved, and the third woman who loved that young man, while the Marquess remained victorious.


    In the present, the Marquess was only aware of the ability that the woman possessed and her location being the Elite Academy—nothing else.


    It was simply because the woman had used a pen name, and due to her face beingpletely burned, Avendial did not even know how she looked.


    So here he was, himself acting as a trap to catch that woman, given that her ability was able to see through someone.


    "Who exactly?" Aecilia asked as she finally turned the steering wheel, arriving at the academy gate where she pressed the brakes before ncing at Avendial, who was sitting beside her in the seat closer to the entrance.


    "I don''t know." Avendial turned his face towards Aecilia, meeting her golden eyes, ncing with a smile, making Aecilia look at him for a few moments. Before long, in the same line of sight, her eyes fell on the window where four or five people were running towards them.


    After pursing her lips and releasing a sigh, she turned to look forward, resting her head against the steering wheel and reflecting, ''Sigh, I should have simply taken a nap instead ofing on this date.''