CHAPTER 517: A REAL LIFE PRINCESS!!!

Ivy listened to what I said and took it in stride as she turned to Janine. "Hi nice to meet you, I like your hair, it really pops against your complexion." Janine smiled back and replied in kind. "Thank you, I like your eyes, the green pops against your own hair blondie."

"Aww, aren’t you sweet?" Ivy said before turning back to me. "Now about your question. Yes, I am from the outer rim. Is that a problem?" Her question wasn’t hostile in any way, she was simply curious as to why I wanted to know.

"Oh, I am simply asking because I am from the outer rim as well. To the galactic north to be precise." I explained, causing her and her brother’s eyes to go wide with surprise. "Really? The north? We have heard that it’s rough out there. That some alien monsters have been terrorising the region for quite some time. We are from the galactic east so we have only heard rumours, we are quite shut off out there." Ivy stated before Alder chimed in.

"We have heard that they destroy entire planets in their wake and that they are not colonising or taking over, but destroying for the sake of destroying. It sounds like madness."

I looked at the man for a moment, my face going deadpan as I resisted the urge to make the quip I have wanted to make since the moment I set foot in Spartari. It just wasn’t the time...

"You are right. they devour everything. but they are not destroying for the sake of destroying. They are conquering. For food. They eat. Everything. They even devoured my home world. I am its last survivor and carry its name with me all my days. Apollo."

The duo gasped, the thought of losing their own home world, a heart crushing travesty. "I. I can’t begin to imagine. I am so sorry." Ivy said, clearly moved as tears began to emerge from the corner of her eyes.

I waved my hands to indicate I didn’t care, I couldn’t deal with a crying woman right now... "Don’t be sorry. Sure it was a tragedy, but without that tragedy, I wouldn’t be on the path I am on now. I love my life and all those that are in it and I wouldn’t want it any other way."

Ivy began to wipe the tears from her eyes and giggled softly. "You know, you aren’t supposed to make people cry within the first ten minutes of meeting them."

We had a good laugh at that and kept up general chit chat for a while until an amplified voice silenced the crowd, just as it was getting antsy about waiting around

"Attention everyone. Eyes towards the stage and mouths shut if you would be so kind." The voice was powerful and authoritative, even if you didn’t want to, you shut up at the sound of it.

On the stage stood a woman who appeared to be in her mid fifties. She had brown hair, brown eyes and was wearing a vibrant red lipstick. The woman screamed the word ’teacher’ just from looking at her, her clothes only emphasised this point.

She was wearing a simple white blouse with the top two buttons undone. A skirt, that seemed a bit too short for someone who was a member of faculty, black tights with a comfortable sized black high heels to finish her ensemble.

The moment her presence was made aware, a great deal of people were instantly smitten, however, one poor individual made the mistake of whistling at her and in the next moment all that was heard was a scream of pain.

The woman on the stage didn’t say anything, but began to look around as though to say. ’Anyone else?’ As she scanned the crowd, I swear she made eye contact with me for a moment and when she held it there it only confirmed my take.

I didn’t really know what to do. ’Is she daring me or something? I better just smile.’ I thought and began smiling jovially towards the woman. She appeared taken back by this but recovered quickly and began scanning the crowd once more.

After she was done, a kind hearted and warm smile emerged upon her face and she began. "Welcome all Fresh students, young and old to The Spartari College of Psionics. It is with great pride I get to say this today, but you all have broken the record for the most first year enrollments to date! Two thousand one hundred and twenty one! Give yourselves a round of applause!

The applause began, people enjoyed it when being told they were special. And everyone here was already special, being Psionic, so being special special by breaking a record just added to the egos of many.

Meanwhile I was thinking. ’Two thousands? Those are rookie numbers. My amazing Hive creates that many in seconds.’ Orchid took my arm as I thought that. It was seriously both scary and sweet how she knew exactly what I was thinking when we were not linked up. Even Onyx inside my Mindspace was slower to the draw in showering me with emotional stimuli through our link.

Still, from the both of them I had a surge of dopamine that left me smiling silly just as the clapping died down. When it did cease, the woman continued.

"Now, my name is Leanna Dicaeus. A Noble of Spartari like many of you here today, but here that is irrelevant. Here I am your deputy headteacher and nothing more. Here, my role is to oversee the day to day of the college while the headteacher himself oversees ’bigger’ things."

’Like playing with that stupid classic white long bear... how he has kept it alive for so long is beyond me...’ She got distracted for a moment as she was reminded of the visit to him not long ago before she got right back into her speech.

"While normally at this point, I would get straight into the rules of the College grounds and how you are expected to behave, we have a guest speaker first. An alumni who first came to us at the tender age of thirteen under a special circumstance. Please welcome, Princess Hailey Athena."

’Oh cool, Hailey is here... Wait what the fuck?’ A princess?!? She never told me she was a princess! I thought with shock as I watched her walk across the stage. She was in her military uniform and she looked out over the crowd for a moment after making her way to the centre of the stage.

She found my inquisitive gaze uncannily fast, her eyes going wide in the process before she returned to her usual public face of lack of emotion. "Hello everyone. My Name is Hailey Athena. I am a daughter of... King Dickon. I have recently been promoted from Centurion to Tribune within the Spartari army through service and hard work. I have recently taken leave of my position in the army though to come and impart some of my knowledge upon you, Spartari’s finest. While my class has yet to be determined, know that in the coming weeks, I may be overseeing a few of your classes not as Princess, but simply as your teacher. Thank you very much and welcome to the start of your new future!"

Hailey then locked eyes with me again as the crowd erupted in ovation. Her face remained stoic, but her eyes... I could tell she was sorry that she had not told me. ’A princess... Cool.’ I thought. I mean... I was a king in a few different ways. Both in and out of Spartari. ’If anything, it makes sense I am good pals with the up and up.’ I thought jokingly.

The crowd continued to cheer for sometime after she left. Civil Royalty wasn’t seen much in Spartari by the commoners, they usually kept to themselves. So to see a princess and for her to actually speak and be willing to teach them! This was actually a big deal and would definitely create headlines and would be good publicity for the crown. Especially when Hailey had not been seen in a public appearance in over a decade, almost all had forgotten about her after all.

This would also benefit the college as publicity meant donations and when the masses got news of the college... Donations became plentiful.

Leanna came back on the stage shortly after Hailey finished her piece, making it a point to clap alongside everyone until it died down on its own.

Once Hailey got to the edge of the stage and away from everyone’s gaze, she was suddenly ambushed and pinned up against a nearby wall. Holding her up by her arms, Gabrielle glared intently at Hailey and whisper yelled.

"What do you think you are doing? I have been looking everywhere for you! Are you crazy with this plan of yours?! My son hates public speaking!!! You are going to make him embarrassed and If he gets uncomfortable, I am not going to handle it well Hailey..."