Chapter 515: When In Rome, Do As Romans Do

"I want to bury myself in a hole," Princess Sidonie muttered as she buried her head into William's chest.

Ian sighed as she patted the depressed princess' shoulder. She felt sorry for the princess because her other half, Morgana, could sometimes do embarrassing things without thinking of the consequences. 

The three of them were currently inside a private room in the Academy's dining area that was reserved for the members of the Royal Family of the Kraetor Empire. The morning classes had just ended, and Princess Sidonie had woken up from her slumber.

When she asked William if Morgana behaved while she was sleeping, the Half-Elf lightly coughed before telling the princess what her naugthy other half did. After hearing William's narrative, the Princess' expression immediately became stiff.

Princess Sidonie then stood up, and walked away without a word.

William and Ian became worried, so they followed her and ended up inside one of the private rooms where the members of the Royal Family dined during their stay at the academy.

"Morgana, you should hold yourself back during the day," William admonished the naughty girl who was busy coaxing Princess Sidonie inside their shared mindscape. "Sidonie has an image to maintain because she is a member of the Royal Family."

"Okay," Morgana replied as she temporarily took over Princess Sidonie's body. "I won't do it again. I will only attack you when we are alone."

Ian, who was listening from the side, shook her head helplessly. "I guess this is also fine. Sooner or later, the Emperor will announce Sidonie's engagement to you. I mean, that collar on her neck is very striking, no?"

William glanced at the Collar of Wisteria that had accompanied him during his childhood. It was currently placed on Princess Sidonie's neck because the latter had succeeded in convincing him to place the collar on her.

The Half-Elf knew that even if he went back in time, the result would still be the same. The Princess was one of the Seven Deadly Sins. If she wasn't kept in check, there's a high possibility that Princess Sidonie could bring ruin to the world.

In order to prevent that from happening, William agreed to her request to become her master. This way, William could stop her when she got carried away with using her Charm on other people.

William didn't want to admit it, but he had a feeling that if he had rejected her request that day, he would regret it for the rest of his life. 

Because of this, he had also opened up his heart to the Princess, and her other half, Morgana.

Their relationship had advanced steadily during the months that they worked together in order to prevent chaos from erupting in the Southern Continent. Since William had already come clean to his lovers that he intended to have nine wives, they also accepted Princess Sidonie and Morgana as his lovers.

To his surprise, it didn't take a long time before the four ladies got along really well. They even asked Princess Sidonie, and Morgana, to keep an eye on William, so that he wouldn't start flirting with the noble ladies in the Kraetor Empire.

"Has the Emperor said anything?" William asked. 

Princess Sidonie, who had her head buried in WIlliam's chest, raised her head and shook her head. 

"No," Princess Sidonie replied. "He hasn't said anything, but I'm sure that he's currently pondering what his next move will be. Will, be careful. I feel that Grandfather is scheming something behind our backs."

William nodded as he patted the Princess's head. "Did he give me the permission to enter Aamon's Temple?"

Ian, who was seated beside Princess Sidonie, looked at William in surprise.

"What's to be surprised about?" William asked with a smile. "My main reason for coming here was to find a way to lift the curse on your bodies. The sooner I meet Aamon, the sooner that You, Est, and Isaac, can return to your true bodies.

Princess Sidonie had already been told about Ashe's, Est's, and Isaac's circumstances. This was why she also did her best to negotiate with the Emperor to allow William to visit Aamon's Temple.

The Temple of the Grand Marquis of Hell was not open to the public. Only members of the Royal Family, and important leaders of the Kraetor Empire could enter its sacred grounds. Anyone who dared to go there without permission of the Emperor would face the wrath of the Kraetor Empire.

If possible, William didn't want to form hostilities with Emperor Leonidas because they would be in-laws in the future, after he and Sidonie got married.

Starting off on the wrong foot would just make the relationship strained in the long run.

"Grandfather said that he would consider it if you performed well after three months of being enrolled in the Academy," Princess Sidonie replied. 

"Also, he was very interested in your promised battle with Rebecca in the Misty Sect that will be happening seven months from now. He told me that if you lose, he will personally kick you out of the Empire," Princess Sidonie added.

William sighed as he scratched his head. 

His battle with Rebecca had been pushed back due to the mess that happened in the Southern Continent. Upon careful consideration, the Misty Sect decided to have their battle during the Founding Ceremony of their Sect.

This was a grand ceremony that happened every three years. The Misty Sect would send invitations to the important people in the Central Continent. 

Twelve Kingdoms, Six Sects, Eight Empires, Four Institutions, and One Church.

This was the distribution of power within the Central Continent. 

On the Southern Continent, there were only four powers that ruled the land. These were the Hellan Kingdom, the Anaesha Dynasty, the Zelan Dynasty, and the Kingdom of Freesia. 

These four held absolute power in the Southern Lands, but they were nothing compared to the forces in the Central Continent, which were rich in resources and manpower. 

'They really made it a big deal,' William thought as he remembered his Ex-Fiance whom he hadn't seen for a long time. He wondered how strong Rebecca had become. Although he wasn't worried about the outcome of the match, he was very curious about if he could win against her if he didn't use his trump cards.

'I guess I will cross that bridge when I get there,' William mused as closed his eyes. 'I wonder if Gramps and Sir Lawrence will be there as well. Knowing Gramps, he would not miss such an opportunity…'

Princess Sidonie and Ian exchanged a glance because William's mind had wandered away from them. They had a hunch about what he was thinking, so they didn't disturb him.

From the get go, Ian didn't like Rebecca. For her, Rebecca was too full of herself, and only used William as a shield to prevent other people from courting her.

This was something that she couldn't accept. How could the man she loved be used as a tool for the so-called genius of the Hellan Kingdom, in order to ward off her suitors?

Wendy had mixed feelings about William's battle with Rebecca because she considered the brown-haired lady a very close friend, akin to a sister.

Est, on the other hand, didn't like or dislike Rebecca. For her, Rebecca was also a victim of an arranged marriage that had been planned by her Elders when she was a baby. It was very common for the members of the Royal Family to have arranged marriages, so Est didn't think of this as a big issue.

Her only concern was that William might try to lose on purpose in order to give face to his Grandfather and Sir Lawrence. This was something that she didn't want to see because she believed that William shouldn't hold back, and put an end to their engagement properly.

"You said that Emperor Leonidas will consider my request depending on my performance over the next three months," William said as he looked at Princes Sidonie. "What is going to happen in three months?"

"A tournament for all the students of Silverwind Academy," Princess Sidonie replied. "The Winner will be personally awarded by the Emperor. According to tradition, the winner of the tournament may ask the Emperor to grant one wish. As long as this wish was within his capacity, the Emperor would grant it without fail."

William had noticed the slight anxiousness in Princess Sidonie's expression as she explained the grand prize of the competition. It was then when a thought formed inside his mind.

"Don't worry," William said as she firmly held her hand. "You are already my lover. I won't hand you to anyone."

"Un…" Princess Sidonie nodded her head and kissed William's cheek. 

She didn't mind being intimate with William as long as it was done in private. Princess Sidonie wasn't like Morgana who acted without thinking of the consequences of her actions.

With William's help, she was able to reign in the Power of Lust that was slowly awakening in her body. She would turn eighteen a month from now, and the Emperor had already prepared a grand ball for her debut.

This ball would be attended by all the elite heirs of the Empire, and a perfect opportunity to mingle with their peers, and of course, members of the Royal Family.

William didn't have a good memory when it came to tournaments.

When the Inter-Division battles were about to begin in the Hellan Royal Academy, the demons had attacked, quickly followed by the start of the war, which was followed by another war.

If not for the fact that he needed permission from the Emperor to enter Aamon's Temple, he would have already snuck past its guards in order to have an audience with Lady Astrid's twin brother.

'When in Rome, do as the Romans do,' William thought. 'I guess I have no choice but to participate in this tournament. This will also put Sidonie's mind at ease, just in case there is a fool who has decided to choose her as the reward for the tournament.'

"Will." Princess Sidonie said as she cupped William's face.

"Yes?" William replied with a smile.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

The two kissed passionately. After their kiss ended, William pulled Ashe, who had already transformed into her mermaid form, closer. 

William kissed her as well. 

"Me, too!" Morgana complained after switching with Princess Sidonie. "Don't show favoritism, Darling."

William chuckled as he softly pecked Morgana's lips three times, before giving her the kiss that she wanted. The two girls pressed their bodies on him as they savored this intimate moment. 

Inside the Dining Hall, where the students ate their lunch. A certain Shepherd had his fill of hugs and kisses from three ladies, who loved him with all of their hearts.