The heavy doors of the auditorium groaned shut behind Isabella, sealing off the oppressive weight of the Emperor’s presence. The moment she stepped into the grand foyer, her composure remained as rigid as the ice she commanded, though her heart was drumming a frantic rhythm against her ribs.

​Kael, Jace, and Milo immediately swarmed her, their faces pale with anxiety. They had heard the muffled roars of magic and felt the bone-chilling drop in temperature even through the reinforced walls.

Kael exhaled, nearly tripping over his own feet,

​"Lady Isabella! You’re alive! We saw the professors running out with frost on their eyebrows. Did he... did he try to kill you?"

​Jace adjusted his glasses, "How did it go my lady? Did the Emperor say anything? Did you pass?"

​Isabella smoothed the front of her cerulean robes, her aqua-blue hair shimmering under the ambient light of the foyer.

She allowed a slow, predatory smirk to grace her lips, a look that combined the confidence of a teacher with the cunning of a woman who knew exactly which buttons she had pushed.

​"It went excellent," Isabella replied triumphantly. "Adonis tried to play the role of the distant, unmovable sovereign, but his eyes haven’t changed. He’ll appoint me as the Grand Mage of the Chaos Academy. In fact, I suspect he’ll grant me access to the Dragon Palace’s inner sanctum before the week is through."

​A group of failed candidates standing nearby, including the fire-mage Malakor who was still nursing his cracked staff, let out a collective snort of derision.

​"Grand Mage? Inner sanctum?" Malakor mocked, leaning heavily on a marble pillar. "Listen to her delusions! You might have a pretty face and some fancy flower tricks, woman, but the Emperor is a man of ice and iron. He’s surrounded by a Goddess of Darkness and the Queen of Dragons. He doesn’t fall for a bit of curvaceous charm and academy-level theory so easily. You’ll be lucky to be assigned to the basic elemental labs with the rest of the commoners."

​Another younger mage from the Southern territories laughed, crossing his arms:

"Haha, exactly. I saw the way he looked at her. it was pure boredom. He dismissed her like a bothersome fly. To think she believes she’ll be living in the palace! She’s probably more likely to end up in the dungeon for her insolence."

​Isabella didn’t even dignify them with a glance. She simply stood her ground, her gaze fixed on the herald who was emerging from the hall with a glowing scroll of golden parchment.

​"Silence!" the herald bellowed, the magical amplification making the windows rattle. "The Emperor has reached his decision regarding the new faculty appointments for the Chaos Academy."

​The crowd went deathly quiet. Malakor puffed out his chest, expecting at least a senior position despite his low score.

​"By the decree of His Imperial Majesty, Adonis Kingsbane, the position of Grand Mage and Head of the Elemental Faculty is appointed to Isabella Frostbite. Due to the high complexity of her research, she is granted Permanent Residency within the Dragon Palace for direct consultation with the Throne."

"....."

​The foyer became so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Malakor’s jaw hit the floor, his staff clattering to the tiles. The mockery from the other mages turned into a choking silence.

​"Furthermore," the herald continued, glancing at the three boys huddled behind Isabella, "the candidates Kael, Jace, and Milo, having shown exceptional bravery and potential during their transit to the capital, are appointed as Junior Instructors under the supervision of the Grand Mage."

"Wooh hooo!"

​Kael and Milo hugged each other in a frenzy of disbelief, while Jace looked like he was about to faint.

Isabella, however, merely adjusted her pinned hair, her smile widening into something dangerous.

​"As I said," Isabella whispered to the frozen Malakor as she walked past him, "the Emperor appreciates a woman who knows how to handle a cold environment."

​Later that evening, within the private, opulent chambers of the Dragon Palace, the atmosphere was far more relaxed, though no less intense. Adonis sat on a lounge of purple silk, his heavy armor replaced by a simple, loose-fitting black robe that left his chest partially exposed.

​His wives were gathered around him, the scent of expensive incense and exotic wine filling the air. Mariana was resting her head against his shoulder, while Sapphira was going over the logistics of the day’s appointments.

Claudia was sharpening a small dagger near the window, and Millia was curled at Adonis’s feet, her dark gown trailing like smoke. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

​"So, You appointed a new Grand Mage today. A woman with aqua-blue hair and a very... specific history with the Royal Academy of Fernis." Sapphira said as her violet eyes twinkling with a mix of amusement and suspicion.

​Adonis took a sip of dark wine, a shameless smirk playing on his lips.

"Word travels fast in this palace, my dears."

​"It’s hard not to notice when the Emperor gives someone a perfect 100 and invites them to live in the same wing as us," Mariana added, her fingers tracing the runes on Adonis’s arm.

"Isabella Frostbite. She was your professor in Royal Academy of Fernis Kingdom, wasn’t she? I still remember her as the Ice cold professor.."

​Adonis leaned back, a nostalgic, slightly naughty glint in his eyes. "She was. Isabella was the only person in that stuffy academy who actually understood the core of Sword Arts. And yes, I might have had a bit of a crush on her. Or more than a crush. She was quite the disciplinarian back then."

​Claudia stopped sharpening her blade and looked up, "In the past I had received a few pointers from her. But I don’t think she will recognise me."

​Millia looked up from his feet, her moonlight-pale face breaking into a mischievous, goddess-like grin.

"Tell us, Husband. Do you intend to treat her like a faculty member, or do you intend to take your former professor into the Harem as well?"

​Adonis didn’t hesitate.

​"Yes," Adonis replied shamelessly, "I’ve spent months conquering the map. Now, I think it’s time I conquered the one woman who had the audacity to give me a rejection to my proposal. Isabella belongs in this palace, and eventually, she’ll belong in this bed."

​"Hehe," Sapphira let out melodic laugh, leaning in to nip at his ear. "You really are a monster, husband. A greedy, insatiable monster. Bringing your teacher home to join your wives... what would the Church say?"

​"The Church is currently busy praying for a savior that isn’t coming," Adonis murmured, pulling Sapphira closer on his lap.

"And Isabella? She thinks she’s here to teach. But she doesn’t realize that in this empire, the only one who gives the lessons is me."

​