“I know this disease,” Angela said. “Those incompetent experts call it the ‘Emperor’s Disease’, right? They’re useless. I’ll get a doctorate in pathology, and my first project will be to solve this problem.”
“Oh, Dr. Garcia,” Wilhelmina giggled.
“So, if I inherit this disease, my life will be entirely in your hands!”
“Don’t worry, my Sleeping Beauty,” Angela said confidently. “My name will be engraved in gold on the obelisk in the Imperial Red Cross Square. Medical students will come to pray under my name before exams. Hahaha!”
Her laughter was interrupted by a sharp alarm.
“Emergency assembly!” The girls jumped out of bed, quickly putting on their shoes and caps, and rushed downstairs.
The instructor was waiting on the playground, giving severe looks and reprimands to every student.
“Hurry up! Run! Too slow! Girls, this is military training, not a palace ball. Put away your delicate steps!”
The harsh words brought tears to several noble girls. Wilhelmina and Angela exchanged a glance and stood quietly.
The instructor’s gaze swept over the new students without lingering on Wilhelmina.
“You learned about military discipline during the opening ceremony. I won’t repeat nonsense. This is your first emergency assembly and military training. Next time, I don’t want to waste time waiting for you to fix your hair and put on shoes. Here, discipline and obedience come first. What else?”
“Speed,” the students responded.
“I can’t hear you!” the instructor shouted.
“Speed!” the girls raised their voices.
The instructor looked dissatisfied and pursed his lips. “As your first lesson today, reaching this speed is barely acceptable. Now, everyone turn right, two rows side by side, and run five laps around the playground!”
“What?” the girls cried out. “Weren’t we already acceptable?”
“Fifteen laps!” the instructor roared. “Remember to obey! Lift your head and start running!”
Sighing, the girls had no choice but to begin. The playground wasn’t large, and fifteen laps were challenging for new students. By halfway through, one-third had already given up. The instructor urged those who could to keep running.
Wilhelmina found it difficult, and by the tenth lap, her lungs felt like they were burning. She slowed her pace, following Hans Borg’s previous breathing instructions. By the twelfth lap, although she felt she could persist, she chose to give up.
Wilhelmina returned to the formation flushed and out of breath, her sweat-soaked hair sticking to her neck. Despite her exhaustion, her eyes remained resolute. She stayed quiet among her complaining classmates. The instructor gave Wilhelmina an extra glance.
He had been informed that he would be overseeing the Duchess of Roxston. His superiors and colleagues advised him to be lenient with her, as female students in military school typically pursued logistics and medical roles, making strict training unnecessary.
The fifteen laps were merely a test; if Wilhelmina had run none, he wouldn’t have commented. Surprisingly, she completed twelve laps.
Military training aimed to help children adapt to strict military school life, but the items were not complicated. In addition to daily training, they learned to use common weapons and visited weapon and fleet factories. The flagship Brunhilde, which contributed significantly during the First Galactic War, had been converted into a military museum. Visiting Brunhilde was the highlight for the children.
While other students rushed towards the entrance, Wilhelmina stood still, gazing up at the moonlight-white flagship, marveling at its enormity and beauty. The spaceship resembled a resting goddess—serene, sacred, noble, and solemn. Wilhelmina was captivated, excitement making her sweat and causing her neck hairs to stand on end. She took a deep breath, completely intoxicated.
“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” Wilhelmina whispered.
“I prefer intelligent robots,” Cairns said, arms crossed.
The girl was absorbed in her own emotions, experiencing excitement where every cell in her body felt alive. Later, Wilhelmina thought this was probably the feeling of finding one’s belonging.
After military training, Wilhelmina returned to Rose Palace for the weekend. When Hans Borg saw the thin girl, he felt a mix of shock and pain.
“You’ve lost weight,” the secretary observed after a long moment.
Wilhelmina embraced him, kissing his cheek and hugging his neck, “But I had such a great time, Owen! Military training was amazing!”
“Forgive me, Your Highness, but I’m a military school graduate. This is the first time I’ve heard someone praise military training like this.”
Wilhelmina laughed, “I’m in love with spaceships. They’re the most wonderful things! The great Brunhilde—can you imagine? My great-grandfather ruled the Galactic Empire aboard her.”
Hans Borg smiled, “You have your own spaceship too.”
“Oh, right! But I haven’t boarded her yet.”
“You’ll have the opportunity when you grow up. After your coming-of-age ceremony, you’ll tour the Roxston Star Domain, and then you can board her.”
“I can’t wait!”
The girl sang the military school’s anthem and bounced upstairs, followed by Hans Borg, who carried her bag with a wry smile.
Anna Bel rarely attends school now. During the Emperor’s illness, few cared about the heir’s absence from class. If the Emperor were to die, Anna Bel may never need to attend university again.
“Are you still getting used to school?” Anna Bel asked kindly. “I’m not at school, but if you encounter any difficulties, I’m sure Albert would help you.”
Wilhelmina said nothing, while Kerns glanced at her, well aware of the past issues between her and Albert. He couldn’t help but sneer at Anna Bel’s suggestion.
“How could we possibly disturb the future prince, right?”
“Watch your mouth, Kerns!” Anna Bel replied, embarrassed and annoyed but not truly angry.
Kerns laughed carelessly. Over the past two years, he had grown taller and slimmer, revealing his handsome features.
He inherited his father’s tall stature and straight nose and gained the royal family’s unique azure eyes and soft, full lips from Princess Catherine. Now a young nobleman, he was still naive but attractive, drawing attention from girls competing for his affection.
Wilhelmina missed the chubby boy from before.
She was enduring a challenging developmental period. Her body was thin, her back slightly hunched from studying, her eyes nearsighted, and acne was starting to appear on her face.
When her first menstruation came, she was mentally prepared but still terrified.
Waking up one morning to find blood had stained her nightgown, Wilhelmina screamed in the bathroom. Hans Borg and the nanny rushed in. The secretary’s face turned pale at the sight of the blood, a reaction Wilhelmina always remembered.
Ultimately, the amused nanny told Hans Borg to leave the bathroom and brought clean clothes for Wilhelmina to change into. When she emerged, the secretary had realized what happened, and his face had turned unusually red.
Later, she reflected that he was just a twenty-four-year-old young man at the time, with no girlfriend and no rumors surrounding him. She had never seen him, usually so elegant and composed, look so panicked over a little bleeding.
This year in Odin saw an unprecedented cold that hadn’t been experienced in fifty years. By mid-October, the mountains were already snow-covered, and by November, when it was usually autumn, the imperial capital was blanketed in white snow.
Due to lack of preparation, the heating systems in the Northern Hemisphere were under strain.
The drought and plague caused by extreme heat in the Southern Hemisphere exacerbated the disaster.
