The Villain Saint is my secondary account

"Yes, I guess I'm getting more used to being with the members of the Seven Stars Society now..."

"However, if I encounter some difficult problems, I think I might need your help again."

"No problem, Your Majesty, you can contact me anytime you need me."

“That will work out, thank you, Miss Freya. After all, I still lack truly reliable helpers at the academy. Lilia is intelligent, but her personality is rather unpredictable, and Ye Xiao's connections are too complicated, so it's not convenient for me to have too much open contact with him…”

"Ah, Your Holiness, um..."

"What's wrong, Miss Freya?"

"I... I've thought about it, and I can't just think of myself. Since the Holy Maiden needs me, I should do my part."

Freya's change of heart caught Ella somewhat off guard. Although she didn't know the reason, it was still a good thing.

After a brief conversation with Freya to arrange the afternoon enrollment time, Ella hurriedly went to her family's ducal mansion in the West District.

This trip was because her long-lost father, Duke Heville, was finally coming.

As someone's daughter, she should at least greet her family members when they come to visit.

Ella had only met this Duke Heville once before, when she first transmigrated, and her impression of him was quite good, though she felt he was a bit too doting.

As for her older brother, Ella had never met him, and her impressions of him came only from her past memories.

He is said to be a person with exceptional swordsmanship and wisdom. Unlike the previously infamous Ella, he is the pride of the family and is now learning to govern that vast fiefdom with Duke Heville.

Unlike the doting affection that Duke and Duchess Heville showed Ella in the family, this older brother disliked the previous Ella who had a spoiled personality.

Thinking about this gives Ella a strange sense of déjà vu.

In terms of moral depravity, her predecessor seems to be far worse than Princess Skadi.

After all, her reputation as a wicked heiress wasn't unfounded.

When Ella arrived at the Duke's mansion in the sanctuary carriage, she saw several high-class carriages bearing the coat of arms of the Heville family already parked outside the mansion's gate.

Ella wasn't surprised by this, after all, she had already spotted the whereabouts of her family's carriages through the spies of the crow familiars scattered throughout the imperial city. The reason she rushed over was because her family had already arrived at the Duke's mansion.

However, the Duke's mansion where Duke Heville often stayed in the capital was not the same property as the small estate where Marilyn and Wengeman stayed.

The latter is a private estate under Ella's name, while the former, in addition to the Duke himself, also houses many members of the Haivier family who work in the capital. In comparison, it is more like a public property of the Haivier family in the capital.

But Ella rarely returned to the Grand Duke's manor; compared to the Loren Sanctuary, the small estate, and the Septian Society, this place was relatively unfamiliar to her.

The servants of the mansion, seeing the white carriage bearing the insignia of the sanctuary, knew that their young mistress had arrived and hurried out the gate to greet her.

Led by a servant, Ella entered the room and immediately saw Duke Heville's serious face.

Ella paused, hesitated slightly, and was still thinking about how to address him when the father stood up and took three steps at a time to stand in front of Ella.

It seemed he initially intended to give Ella a big hug, but then the father seemed to realize that might be inappropriate. So, after clearing his throat twice, he lowered his outstretched arms, put them behind his back, and said gently:

"Hey, long time no see, Ella. How have you been lately?"

Um, wasn't it only a month ago that we last met? Is that a long time?

Despite inwardly complaining, Ella still gracefully lifted her skirt and bowed, saying, "It's been a long time, Father."

No matter what, having taken someone else's daughter and embezzled so many of their gold coins, Ella still had to be proper in her manners, and calling him "father" was well-deserved.

However, Duke Hevil was taken aback when he heard Ella address him.

Ella was somewhat confused by Duke Heville's reaction. After a moment, she heard him say in a trembling voice, "Ella, you...you've really grown up. This is the first time I've heard you call me father."

Huh? Were the father and daughter's relationship really bad before?

Ella was dumbfounded. Even in her mind, her impression of Duke Heville was mostly that he would buy her whatever she wanted. The fact that Ella's original terrible personality could be amplified was probably inseparable from the Duke's boundless pampering.

However, she didn't have a clear understanding of the original Ella's feelings for her father and the details of their interactions. After all, the original rebellious Ella's soul had disappeared, and there was no trace of her spirit or emotions left. Therefore, it wasn't something that left a deep impression; it would just be like sand in the tide, fleeting and gone in an instant.

However, this does seem to indicate that the original Ella didn't even care much about her parents.

Ella gave a forced smile, but fortunately, Duke Havil didn't notice anything amiss with his daughter.

"Ella, I heard your studies at the sanctuary have ended. Are you going back to the academy to report this afternoon?"

"Yes, Father."

No matter how Duke Heville made small talk, Ella obediently called him "Father" repeatedly, making him feel all tingly.

Duke Heville felt as if she were floating on a cloud, filled with a sense of relief that she could hardly believe how sensible her daughter had become.

He attributed this great change to the church's effective teachings, and even said he would visit the Loren Church later to thank them for their efforts.

In response, Ella could only say that the Duke's behavior as a father was indeed somewhat regrettable.

He's unqualified in some ways, but he does genuinely love his daughter; yet, he knows very little about her.

Regardless, this allowed Ella to easily get away with it, so from a personal perspective, she still had a good impression of Duke Heville, though she was a bit confused about family matters.

Sometimes, even small mistakes can lead to major disasters; perhaps that's just fate.

Chapter Forty-Two Fictional Objects

After seeing her father, Ella asked curiously where her older brother was.

“After resting, Allen went straight to the palace,” Duke Hevil said. “You know, he has a fairly good relationship with the First Prince Evans and the Second Prince Ken. Oh, I’ve also heard about what happened to Prince Ken. It’s really regrettable. It wasn’t your fault, Ella, don’t take it to heart.”

"I know, thank you, Father."

"But if you want to see Allen, I can have him come directly to the academy to find you after he returns."

“Um… well, then there’s no need to go to that trouble,” Ella didn’t want to meet a stranger who would give her a sour look. “I was just asking a simple question. You must have something else to do here.”

"It doesn't matter. Can he be busier than me? I can see him, so what's wrong with letting him see his sister?"

"Oh, that's really not necessary, Father..." Ella had only asked casually; she truly didn't want to see him.

After a long chat about everyday matters, Duke Heville insisted on personally escorting Ella to the academy.

He said that the next day was the scheduled day for the ministers to go to the palace for meetings, and he wanted to spend more time with his daughter today.

Ella was very annoyed. If the Duke had spent more time with his daughter earlier, things wouldn't have turned out this awkward.

Unable to resist the other's stubbornness, the two boarded the carriage together and headed to the academy under the escort of the Duke's servants.

Just as the results of the general entrance examination were being released, the Duke's luxurious carriage drove through the dense crowd of candidates into the academy gates, attracting considerable attention.

Players crowding among the throngs of people, peering at the list of those who had advanced from the exams posted by the academy, also turned their heads in surprise.

"What an impressive carriage procession! Is that some important person enrolling in school?"

"The carriage bears the crest of the Heville family, so it must be that saintess," explained a native examinee who recognized the crest. "Perhaps her study period at the Loren Sanctuary has ended, and she's returned to the academy."

"I'm so envious. We're struggling here, fighting tooth and nail for a regular spot, while others get personally sent out by the academy to welcome them."

"Alas, this is something we can't envy. She is the Holy Maiden who is favored even by the God of Light."

While the crowd outside the academy was buzzing with discussion, on a side tower inside the academy, Princess Skadi looked out the window at the carriage procession entering the academy square and couldn't help but purse her lips. "I almost forgot, today is also the day that woman returns to the academy to report for duty."

Ye Xiao was standing next to Skadi, looking at the scene in the square downstairs, stroking his chin and smiling bitterly.

The relationship between Ella and Skadi is... complicated.

"So Ye Xiao, have you thought this through? Is it really that hard to give me your name?"

"Well, haha, well..." Ye Xiao scratched his head, feeling quite troubled.

His words reflected his struggle with a request made by Princess Skadi after she recruited him into her faction.

That is to get Ye Xiao to bring his "partner" into the First Princess's faction as well.

According to the eldest princess, the upper-level students in the academy are basically divided into factions and take sides with each other, and there is no such thing as neutrality. If Ye Xiao's partner joins another faction, it is very likely that conflicts will arise because of this.

Therefore, the safest approach is to have "her" join the eldest princess's faction in the academy as well, so that there won't be any fighting due to different factions.

Ye Xiao understood Skadi's considerations, but the problem was... how could he pull her in? He couldn't very well pull Ella over and say, "Ha, Your Highness, you didn't expect this, did you? My girlfriend is actually the Holy Maiden!"

The heart he had painstakingly built up for the eldest princess might crumble into shards of glass in an instant.

However, it is an undeniable fact that Ye Xiao has a partner for Skadi, and Ye Xiao's attempts to deceive her in this regard would only backfire.

"Your Highness, I think we might need to discuss this with her..." Ye Xiao said, forcing a smile, "After all, we still have to respect her personal wishes."

"Why are you being so indecisive about this?" Skadi asked, puzzled, but thankfully it wasn't a serious matter. "Alright, then you two go back and discuss it properly. Although it's not urgent, it's something that still needs to be done."

After saying goodbye to Skadi, Ye Xiao kept thinking about this matter on his way to the academy's admissions office.

Skadi's request wasn't entirely troublesome; perhaps he could use it as an opportunity to recruit her as an assistant to the Great Empress.

After all, most of this guy's men are now other people's confidants, which makes Ye Xiao feel cold. Helping this guy find a few people is his way of doing his part.

Since he had already said he would support the other party, Ye Xiao intended to keep his word and provide some assistance to the eldest princess.

As for Ella, she's not in a hurry to publicly support Skadi.

Leaving aside the personal relationships between Ella and Skadi, and Lilia and Skadi, the fact that this hidden alliance, which stems from the shared origins of Ella and Ye Xiao, is being brought to the forefront so quickly makes both sides the target of other factions.

The First Princess's faction may not be very powerful, but she herself does possess the bloodline of two dragons from the Loren legend.

Ella's dual identity as the Holy Maiden of Light and the Duke's daughter is even more significant. If these two were to openly announce their cooperation, Ye Xiao estimated that the remaining royal factions would definitely unite to deal with them. Before figuring out the situation behind each royal faction, doing so would bring no benefits but only trouble, so it was really unnecessary.

On the other hand, Ye Xiao was also observing whether Princess Skadi could truly become a qualified queen, as she herself claimed. He could offer some support, but he couldn't go all out to ensure her ascension to the throne.

After all, it is Skadi who wants to become the queen, not Ye Xiao who wants to create an imperial puppet. Therefore, this path should ultimately depend on the eldest princess's own growth and efforts.

In a complex game of chess involving multiple forces, he is the player on both sides. By keeping this relationship hidden, the threat is far greater than if it were made public.

After clarifying the logic of this action, Ye Xiao began to consider that the "partner" he recruited should ideally be someone who shares his interests purely but has no emotional connection with him. He could simply pretend to be his partner without doing anything, and even just let the eldest princess know about it; there was no need to make it public. This way, he could serve as Skadi's ally and also resolve the eldest princess's lingering question about who Ye Xiao's "partner" really was.

Of course, Ye Xiao would make this very clear to the other party, stating that he was actually just looking for a partner.

The question is, who is the right person to be this role?

As Ye Xiao walked, he stared at the kitten lying on his collar, its head tilted back, glaring angrily at him.

Greta ruled him out first, since he can't even turn back into a human now.

Marilyn or Freya wouldn't be suitable either. As familiar partners, they have some emotional foundation. Pretending to be a couple is bound to be somewhat misunderstood, and Ye Xiao doesn't want to do anything to hurt a young girl's feelings.

...Are there any candidates who are very realistic, purely based on mutual interests, and don't need to be mixed with any emotions?

While struggling with her decision, Ye Xiao walked to the entrance of the college's admissions office. Looking at the line of regular students who had advanced and were queuing up with their certificates to enroll, she suddenly spotted a familiar figure.

She was a black-haired girl with a cool expression and a long sword at her waist. She stood gracefully among the candidates, and her otherworldly temperament was particularly eye-catching.

Su Xiyun, the guild leader of "Sword and Rose," well, it's not surprising that she passed the exam...

Wait a minute?

Ye Xiao immediately raised an eyebrow—hey, it seems he's found the right person.

Chapter Forty-Three: Intercepting the Spoils

"Miss Su, congratulations! It seems you've passed the admissions selection process as well."

A greeting rang out, and Su Xiyun, a girl in a black dress, turned her head and saw a young man with black-rimmed glasses, a youthful face, and a handsome appearance walking towards her side.

"You are……?"

“Cui Xiu, the younger brother of Mr. Cui Wen, the president of the Spade Troupe. We should have met yesterday, but you may not remember.”

"Oh, Hello."

Ye Xiao, who was about to step over the long line to chat with someone, saw this scene and couldn't help but raise his eyebrows slightly.

They beat us to it?

But it doesn't matter. Even if a flower is already taken, it's still good to loosen the soil. It won't stop him from going up and vying for it.

After all, he was an elite player who had personally assessed the character and quality of others. Ye Xiao's main reason for participating in the recruitment selection was to find suitable players to connect with. Why would he go through all that trouble if he gave up because of a small obstacle?

However, Ye Xiao had only taken two steps when two burly male students in academy uniforms suddenly blocked his way.

"You're Ye Xiao?"

What are you doing?

Ye Xiao looked at the two of them with a puzzled expression, "Do you two need something from me?"

"Not bad, as expected of a knight appointed by Her Highness the Princess, he's already got quite the airs even before entering the academy," a male student said with a grin.

Although Skadi announced the knighthood to her subordinates outside the door after leaving the lounge with Ye Xiao, the news spread far and wide, which was a bit too fast.