chapter 10 :oath of revenge

When Ethan entered the academy, he noticed the curious glances around him. He saw Princess Emily standing with the headmaster, assistant headmaster, and other teachers. With a slight smile, he nodded in greeting to them.

The headmaster warmly welcomed Ethan to the academy. Meanwhile, Emily eagerly observed Ethan, eager to confirm the rumors she had heard about him.

As Ethan embarked on his new adventure at the academy, he was aware of the many opportunities and challenges ahead. However, the necklace his mother had given him and the stone from Mary provided him with strength and support. This new beginning was exciting for him.

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Meanwhile, far from the Asina Kingdom, a sad situation unfolded in the Tiamat Empire to the north. The Emperor and Empress of Tiamat had died while returning from a diplomatic visit to the Temerid Empire. They left behind an orphaned princess who would turn seven in a week.

The princess's name was Catherine; her blonde hair rivaled the sun, with one eye blue and the other green, as if crafted by the gods. But today was her saddest day, with no siblings to share her pain, she was alone. She wiped away tears with her small hands, but they kept flowing.

She woke up to the morning sun filtering into the room. She had fallen asleep crying under the bed. It was where she usually hid during hide-and-seek with her father, but he didn't come this time. She hoped he would come, tell her that all these people were lying and that they would be together forever, but no one came.

It took her a few seconds to cry again. She had cried so much that her eyes hurt. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. "It's me, Catherine, your uncle Vincent," he said. But no one opened the door. Finally, unable to bear it, he entered and searched for Catherine for a few minutes until he found her under the bed.

Vincent said, "Catherine, I know what you're going through is very hard, but remember, I'll always be here for you from now on, and I'll raise you until you become queen." Catherine couldn't rule the country as she was still a child. For now, Vincent would govern as her guardian because there was no other alternative.

After a while, Catherine emerged from where she was. She had to attend the funeral and say goodbye to her beloved parents for the last time. The deaths of the Emperor and Empress were highly suspicious.

The Temerid Empire was the only other empire on the continent, and it was relatively new. This meant all suspicions pointed to the Temerid Empire, but with no ruler in the Tiamat Empire, no one could accuse the Temerid Empire of any wrongdoing, including Tiamat Prince Vincent. Vincent had been jealous of his brother since childhood because his brother had everything he wanted.

His brother was older, stronger, wiser, an emperor, their father's favorite, and had married the woman Vincent loved. However, Vincent's brother didn't know that Vincent was in love with the Tiamat Empress. In fact, the Emperor had treated Vincent quite well, killing anyone who dared to call him a drunkard, fool, or useless prince, and had given him the title of Duke. The deceased Emperor loved his brother, but it wasn't enough to stop Vincent's jealousy...

At the funeral, Catherine saw the bodies of her parents, which initially made her cry again, but then a growing anger welled up inside her. Catherine vowed revenge as she looked at her parents. Perhaps she would fulfill this vow, but what Catherine didn't know was that this was the beginning of a series of painful events in her life.

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Ethan's first day at the academy had arrived, but there were still two days left before classes officially started. Ethan had planned to spend these two days by visiting Emily and Aphrodite and exploring the academy. So, he set off towards Aphrodite's and then Emily's room.

He knocked on Aphrodite's door, and it wasn't long before she opened it. Ethan saw Aphrodite's long pink hair and beautiful blue eyes. She was wearing a lovely black dress. Ethan had previously asked her if she wanted to join him in exploring the academy, and Aphrodite had eagerly accepted.

They hugged each other. "Congratulations on passing the academy exam. I've been looking forward to studying at the academy with you," Ethan said. These words were enough to make Aphrodite blush. She quickly said, "Thank you," and in a soft voice added, "I've been looking forward to it too." She thought Ethan wouldn't hear that, but apparently, Ethan had sensitive ears. He just smiled and headed towards Emily's room.

Ethan knocked on the door, and Emily invited him in. As Ethan entered Emily's room, he felt how precious the time spent with his sister was. "Hi, Em. It's great to see you," Ethan said, smiling. Emily warmly welcomed Ethan and asked, "How are you adjusting to the academy?" Ethan replied, "It's going well, thank you. Let's explore the academy and see what we find." And they set off together to explore the academy. Their bond made every moment even more special.

The academy was huge, so they only explored the main building. They entered a large cafeteria, a training ground with many rooms, and a dormitory as big as a small village.

As they entered the dormitory, they saw a few kids bullying a skinny boy. Apparently, they hadn't noticed them yet. Ethan and Aphrodite immediately headed towards the kids, but Ethan stopped them. "Ethan, what are you doing? They're bullying that kid," Aphrodite said.

Ethan pointed to one side and said, "Let's see what happens." There was a group of students in that direction. In the middle of the students, there was a beautiful girl with green eyes and long eyelashes, with black hair. She was accompanied by two big boys who seemed more like her bodyguards than friends. Next to the green-eyed girl was a girl with brown hair and brown eyes wearing glasses.

Emily recognized the green-eyed girl immediately because she was none other than Anna, the only daughter of two dukes of the Asina Kingdom. Anna had average skills in magic or swordsmanship, but she was well-known among all the nobles. The reason for this was her sharp intelligence; she had the best grades in the academy's history. Additionally, the girl's mother, Duchess Kate, was the head of the espionage unit of the Asina Kingdom. That's why she was grooming Anna as her successor.

Anna went to the bullied child. The bullies were shocked. Anna nodded to the two boys next to her. The boys walked towards the bullies and beat them up on the spot. Then Anna gave the bullied child a healing potion.

"What's your name?" Anna asked. The child said, "My name is Lucas, ma'am... I can't thank you enough for helping me." Anna looked at the child for a while and then asked, "What are your parents' names? Why don't you ask for help from them?" Lucas lowered his head sadly and replied, "I have no one; I'm just a commoner, and I grew up in an orphanage. I joined here because I have some talent in magic, but without support, I can't improve. I even lost a few academy coins I earned through hard work to these bullies." And he started to cry.

Anna asked, "Do you want to be strong? Do you want a life where the weak don't crush you?" Lucas, crying, said, "Of course, I do. I'll do anything to be strong." Anna stood up and reached out her hand to Lucas. "Then serve me. If you become my loyal friend, I promise to make you strong," she said.

Lucas was quite shocked for a few seconds, but he soon held her hand. "I promise I'll be loyal to you for the rest of my life. Please accept this worthless person," he said. Anna said, "I accept. From now on, you're my friend and assistant." As soon as she said that, they heard applause from behind them. When they turned around, they saw the third prince Ethan looking at Anna with admiration on his face...

Catherine's photo is in the comments--