楼上的上瘾女士

Melinda smiled lightly as she asked,

"What if you were wrong and due to one reason or the other, Hal never told me about this side of you? Would you not have revealed it to me prematurely in that case?"

The Empress shrugged, 

"Maybe... But was I wrong? Has Hal not already told you of our meeting?" She said.

Melinda shook her head, 

"No, you are not wrong. He did tell me of your meeting with him and it is why I declined your claim."

The Empress\' mouth widened in sudden understanding, 

"Oh, I see. You feel I am trying to use you to get to him and you want to avoid that" she said to which Melinda cocked her head to the side a bit, 

"In part yes. But mostly I just don\'t like the idea that the only reason I even got on your radar, the only reason you even consider claiming a new student who, not to brag, is definitely only second to one among all participants in the Royal Academy was a tad bit... Insulting" she said with a wrinkle of her brows.

The Empress waved her hand and a gentle force of Cosmic energy brought the two chairs in front of her desk closer to her and Melinda.

The chairs now faced each other and the Empress gestured towards the one close to Melinda,

"Do sit" she said and with a small nod Melinda sat down just as the Empress sat on the other.

The Empress then flicked her wrist and retrieved a stool from inside her Spatial ring and also retrieved a bottle of cultivational beverage with two goblets that she set on the stool.

She filled both goblets and handed one to Melinda who knew and understood the immense significance of having the Empress of the Haron continent personally serve her drinks.

"Continue" the Empress then gestured after a sip of her beverage and after a sip of hers during which she marveled at the almost explosive effect of the beverage on her cultivation, Melinda continued, 

"First off, trying to get me to spill on Hal is a difficult task that had I not been worried about you actually trying, I would have bragged was impossible. 

So what then, my importance is all tied to how much information I can reveal about my fiance?

Despite his philandering nature, I like to think of my relationship with Hal as a partnership. Not a partnership where I simply have no choice but to live only for his goals but a partnership where that is my choice.

A partnership where that is what I want.

A partnership where I do not lose my individuality.

If all I am good for is a gateway into his plans, a pawn to be used to get at him, then I lose that individuality and would rather not be claimed.

Secondly, the amount of attention being your protégée would garner would be much too annoying and restricting.

If everyone starts tiptoeing around me because I might have a connection with the Empress who is not only the second most powerful figure, both politically and also most probably cultivationally, then where is the challenge?

How will I better myself?" Melinda paused to show that this was a question she was hoping to get answered.

Then the Empress burst into laughter.

"Well, I\'m glad my worries make you laugh. I wouldn\'t want to be taken seriously anyway" Melinda said with a sarcastic smile.

As she wiped a tear from the corner of her right eye, the Empress waved at Melinda as though to tell her to calm down.

Once the mirth was finally out of her system, the Empress began, 

"Sorry, dear. Your worries are genuine and I am not mocking them. It\'s just that your statement of me being the strongest politically was so touching and completely wrong that I could not help but laugh."

"Wrong?" Melinda was a tad confused and then the Empress leaned forward,

"Being my protegee does not mean people will tiptoe around you. Actually, you will be the target of a lot of oppression. Academy rules prohibit me and any of the elders from taking direct part in student conflict. 

Other than lecturing you and giving you impressive and effective ways to cultivate as well as impressive and effective ways to stand out among your generation, there is not much we do for you kids.

You earn your reputation yourself.

You fight for yourself.

And trust me, a lot of things in the Royal Academy are solved in altercations.

Only victors, only the strongest have the right to stand tall.

Now, it is a source of pride for all Elders when their protegee does well and as many of them have never liked my administration and would actually love to see me brought down, their protegees will most probably target you specifically.

If you wish to better yourself against worthy opponents, I doubt it will be hard to find competition.

If you don\'t believe me, you can ask two of my other students if you ever get the chance, they are my daughter Tanya and Elsa Evgeny.

Adversity was never far from the duo and was made even worse by their rivalry with each other.

Both chose to belong to different guilds so that they could constantly go against one another.

It\'s one of the reasons I have decided to only accept one student at a time.

Anyway,

It\'s hard to be at the top and as many beneath you will smile and admire you, just as many or maybe even more, will be devising plots to bring you down.

This is especially true in the Inner Court of the Imperial Palace.

However, I won\'t like to bore you with talks of politics and will much rather move right to soothing your first worry.

No, Melinda, I did not claim you to get at your little fiance.

My business with him is with him and with him alone.

Besides, what fun will it be to go through roundabout means to know him better when it will be more interesting to talk to him one on one?

No, I want to claim you because you have potential.

Because, like we Harons are said to be, you are blessed by the gods.

Although I suspect your blessing is both much truer and much more direct than ours."

Melinda assumed a confused expression, 

"Blessed by the gods"

"By one god, in particular, I presume. Although considering the history of your Dane family, I think it is far more likely to be a goddess than a god"

Melinda opened her mouth to speak but the Empress interrupted, 

"Oh, don\'t deny it. I can tell.

I can also help you nurture it.

My library is especially for such cases.

You are the perfect student for me Melinda and I for one would never be glad to force any woman into the shadow of any man.

Have I soothed your worries enough for you to reconsider my claim?" She asked.

"I believe you have" Melinda said with a light smile.

The Empress smiled before she downed the rest of the beverage inside her goblet as she said, 

"Wonderful. I should warn you though that now that you are my student, Laziness will not be tolerated. I want to see you filled with zeal and passion for all I will teach you.

Also, I want to reiterate that I cannot interfere in student conflicts unless I absolutely have to. As such, I cannot stop anyone from challenging you to a duel or from annoying you so much they frustrate you throughout your time in the Academy.

For most of the time, you will be on your own like any other student.

The rules of interference are even more binding for me than other elders in the Academy"

Her words were clearly meant as warnings but the more she spoke, the more Melinda grinned.

At the end of it, the golden-eyed beauty held out her now refilled goblet to clink it with the Empress\'

*Clink*

"I wouldn\'t have it any other way"