31~ Aside from your surname, you’re pretty much useless.
Class was over. Mentor Charis left the classroom with files under his arm, and the once quiet classroom reverted to its usual clamor and chaos.
Tillysha remained unaffected by the environment, sitting at her desk with her head slightly lowered, staring at the notebook filled with notes on the table, her thoughts drifting far away.
If there were still no indications or reactions after her transformation into a Divine Princess, does that mean it holds no significance for her?
She wasn’t a natural-born Divine Princess, so she had no understanding or concept about many aspects of Divine Princess knowledge—like the Divine Princess skill called “Self-Review.”
The so-called “Self-Review” is a skill that allows a Divine Princess to examine the specific abilities of their Divine Princess Realm and Divine Authority; it’s a unique skill exclusive to Divine Princesses.
But Tillysha could hardly feel that she possessed this ability, and without being able to use “Self-Review,” she had no way of knowing how to activate her Divine Princess Realm and Divine Authority, or what medium could trigger it.
Perhaps she could learn this skill from the Divine Princess textbook, but frustratingly, the section on “Self-Review,” this somewhat unimportant yet critical Divine Princess skill, was only briefly mentioned.
“An innate ability of the Divine Princess, which should be as natural as eating or drinking when activated.”
Besides these simple words, there was no detailed explanation. Other than knowing it’s a natural ability of the Divine Princess, no useful information was given.
It was also noted that some significant number of Divine Princesses only gained the “Self-Review” ability after their transformation, but Tillysha was no ordinary Divine Princess—just her inability to trigger her Divine Princess Realm was unusual.
She wasn’t sure if she would gain the ability to review herself after transforming, at least for now, she felt nothing.
She had to have this sense of crisis: if she couldn’t unlock “Self-Review” after transformation, how would she proceed?
A Divine Princess who couldn’t use their Realm and Divine Authority could not truly be called a Divine Princess.
“Still flipping through your notes after class, you’re quite studious, classmate.” Just as Tillysha was lost in thought, an untimely voice interrupted her thoughts.
Tillysha came back to her senses and noticed that an extravagantly dressed brunette with curly hair had somehow appeared beside her seat, her legs crossed, clad in black stockings, teasing her hair absentmindedly, and smiling at her.
“Kind words from a classmate.” Tillysha responded politely, closing her notebook.
Tillysha didn’t like being disturbed when she was studying or deep in thought, nor did she enjoy strangers casually striking up a conversation with her.
She tilted her head, pondering that she had clearly exuded a “do not disturb” aura, but how had someone still approached her?
Looking at the smiling brunette, if the person weren’t a fool who couldn’t read the situation, then there was probably a hidden motive.
If it wasn’t to pick a fight, Tillysha couldn’t see why she, dressed in cheap coarse cloth, with an ugly scar on her face and being an unawakened Divine Princess, was worth engaging in conversation.
“You shouldn’t call it kind words. This is the first time I’ve seen you in this classroom. To be so active on your first day is quite rare.” The brunette said with a smile.
This statement seemed to praise Tillysha, but she understood the implied meaning quite well.
“I’m seeing you for the first time. Why hadn’t I seen you before? How many classes have you skipped? After skipping so many classes, you suddenly start pretending to be a good student. Who are you trying to impress—is it the teacher or everyone else?”
Sometimes, being picked on has no special reason; sometimes it’s just that someone doesn’t like you.
And it doesn’t take much for someone to dislike you. Humans form groups based on a sense of identity, and they naturally harbor hostility and rejection towards those with opposing identities.
The outcasts are labeled as “different,” and through the fermentation of “superiority,” this targeted hostility and rejection become more aggressive.
“My name is Aileen Cardiff, from the Divine Princess family of Cardiff City in the southern part of the Empire, and I am the second daughter of the head of the Cardiff family. May I ask for your name?” Before Tillysha could say anything, the brunette grinned, gently placed a hand on her chest, and introduced herself.
There’s an unwritten rule among Divine Princesses: after one Divine Princess introduces themselves and declares their family name, the other must reciprocate.
Even if they aren’t Divine Princesses, out of politeness, they should at least offer their name.
Aileen’s aim was simple: to make Tillysha feel awkward.
Tillysha’s clothing and almost undetectable aura of a Divine Realm let the other Divine Princess students immediately determine that she was a Wild Divine Princess with no family name. Announcing her family name in front of her was like rubbing salt in the wound.
But accusing the other of intentionally humiliating her would be hard, as Aileen could easily claim innocence later, saying she didn’t know Tillysha was a Wild Divine Princess. In the end, it would make Tillysha seem petty.
Aileen’s lips curled into a barely noticeable arc; she wanted to see Tillysha squirm anxiously, struggling to say her name.
A Wild Divine Princess—she was already an insult to the Divine Princess Academy just by being here, and was trying to make a show of herself in front of everyone to win the teacher’s favor. Disgusting.
She must be taught a lesson, or who knows what she might do next?
“Tillysha.” To Aileen’s surprise, after hearing her comment, Tillysha merely responded with a slightly polite smile and then calmly stated her name without hesitation or psychological burden.
“Ahhh, Tillysha? What a wonderful name. Clearly, the person who gave you this name is quite cultured. I wonder, did your mother or father name you?” Tillysha’s reaction caught Aileen off guard, but it didn’t stop her from continuing her provocation.
Divine Princesses all come from noble families, where they’re trained not only in abilities and skills but also in etiquette. This environment ensures that even when they want to insult someone, they won’t descend into street-level vulgar name-calling but will instead subtly criticize and mock.
In other words, they’re masters of backhanded compliments.
This comment clearly implied that it was obvious Aileen knew either one of Tillysha’s parents was absent, and that was why she threw in the jab.
“Not either one.” Tillysha shook her head, smiling indifferently. “I named myself.”
“Hehe, Tillysha really has a sense of humor. Who doesn’t have a name given by their parents or elders? Can you name yourself the moment you’re born?” Aileen joked.
“Tillysha classmate, if you don’t have someone who can give you a name, just say so. We aren’t here to make fun of your background. Being stubborn like this is no fun, you know?”
“Hahaha… … …” Aileen’s words triggered laughter from many classmates.
“A name is just a symbol, really.” However, faced with Aileen’s mockery and the laughter filled mostly with ridicule from her classmates, Tillysha showed neither embarrassment nor annoyance. Instead, she maintained her smile.
“Naming myself, because I think surname is merely a symbol. Apart from distinguishing individuals, it’s not important. It seems Cardiff classmate and I have differing views on this.”
“But I understand—it seems Cardiff classmate values and emphasizes your surname so much because, aside from ‘Cardiff’ as your surname, you’re pretty much useless, right?” Tillysha’s snow-white delicate hand brushed her golden hair as she smiled softly, which looked angelically innocent as if she had just given a compliment, instead of a bluntly truthful and venomous remark.
(By the way, I’ll be updating twice daily till the end of this month. There won’t be any dragged-out climaxes reserved for subscription. We’ll be going subscription mode at the end of this month, roughly mid-March, and starting next month, I’ll be unable to keep up with the double updates due to no stockpile of chapters. Look forward to a burst of updates at subscription time. That’s all!)
