At this moment, inside the Divine Maiden's palace, Sally was seated in meditation, fully focused on circulating her magical power.

  Recently, the three Grand Elders had personally sought her out to inform her that the Grand Magus Ruins secret realm was about to open. They had been continuously sending her magical crystals, meditation scrolls, and other resources.

  Sally immediately saw through their intentions, it was clear they wanted her to enter the secret realm to explore.

  She had tried to refuse outright, but despite her intelligence and cleverness, she ultimately could not refuse successfully. She had nearly been scolded by the Grand Elders for allegedly neglecting her responsibilities to the academy.

  With no other choice, she doubled down on her magical meditation, hoping to quickly advance her magical level, gain a little more self-preservation ability, and better handle unknown dangers within the secret realm.

  "Sally! Go to the Holy Ice Hall immediately and bring that one male brat to me! Move quickly!"

  Just as Sally was immersed in the rhythm of her magic circulation, the token at her waist suddenly trembled violently. A voice filled with anger, almost seeming to break through the token, resounded within her mind.

  Sally immediately reined in her magic and ended her meditation.

  Frowning, she quickly processed the information in the message with her sharp mind.

  Elara's tone was nearly overflowing with fury. Something major had clearly happened, and the target was none other than Ryan, who had just returned to the academy with the Headmistress.

  Sally did not dare to hesitate. She responded immediately.

  Only after the token's glow gradually faded did she exhale lightly and wipe the thin sweat forming at her temple.

  "What could the Grand Elders want with him?" Sally thought, recalling Elara's voice, thick with boundless rage. She felt a chill run down her spine and an uneasy premonition rise in her chest.

  At this rate, Ryan might be subjected to a mental space search or even soul-probing magic!

  Sally sighed silently and could not help but feel sorrow for Ryan. She offered a quiet prayer in her heart, hoping he could endure this ordeal and survive.

  Her sense of foreboding came from experience.

  When she had first crossed over and become the Divine Maiden, she had not inherited most of her predecessor's memories, leaving her unable to imitate the original's cold and dignified demeanor.

  To everyone at Glacial Arcana Academy, she appeared either to have magical power problems during meditation or to have been possessed by a malevolent spirit.

  At that time, the Grand Elders had taken control of her, conducting a thorough soul-probing investigation.

  Their tone toward her back then had been exactly the same as Elara's just now: icy, furious, and oppressive, leaving no room for argument. She had been confined and subjected to strict interrogation for dozens of days.

  Initially, the Grand Elders had not directly used soul-probing magic but patiently questioned her for many days. She could not reveal the details of her predecessor's past.

  Finally, with no other choice, the Grand Elders had used magic to probe her spiritual space and later conducted a meticulous soul search.

  Only after discovering that her memories were entirely blank did they finally feel reassured.

  They concluded that Sally's memory loss had been caused by a meditation error and allowed her to go free.

  As Sally imagined the situation Ryan was about to face, she also recalled her own past ordeal, shivering inwardly at the memory. She even chuckled to herself at some of the mental images she reconstructed.

  A moment later, she calmed her mind, circulating her magic to adjust her aura, instantly adopting a cold and detached demeanor.

  This was the composure the Divine Maiden was meant to have. Once she had settled herself, she rose and walked toward the direction of the Holy Ice Hall.

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  ...

  "Did you use some despicable trick?" Evelyn's cold eyes locked onto Ryan, and step by step, she pressed him against the wall.

  The oppressive pressure was overwhelming, leaving Ryan completely frozen.

  "Despicable trick?" Ryan leaned against the wall, his face full of shock.

  This time he was not pretending, he truly did not understand Evelyn's accusation.

  "Otherwise, how could I have allowed you to kiss me?" Evelyn, seeing him stunned, forced herself to speak the doubt gnawing at her heart.

  As the words left her mouth, the tips of her ears tinged with a faint blush. Thinking of the sensation of her lips being firmly pressed in the snow sent waves of shame and embarrassment down her spine.

  Only then did Ryan realize, and he asked in shock,"But wasn't that your choice?"

  "When have I ever chosen that? Did I give you permission to get close to me even half a step?" Evelyn denied forcefully.

  She refused to believe that she had voluntarily accepted Ryan's closeness. It must have been some trick of his, a magic to confuse the mind.

  "Does this really need to be said? You even closed your eyes at the time. If that wasn't consent, what was it?" Ryan said, lifting his chin slightly and slowly closing his eyes.

  He deliberately mimicked Evelyn's posture just before the kiss in the snow, even trying to replicate the rhythm of her breathing.

  "Do not imitate me!" Evelyn reacted immediately, stretching out her hands to press against Ryan's cheeks, forcing his head upright.

  The moment her fingertips touched his skin, a faint blush climbed up her own cheeks involuntarily.

  "Just tell me, back then, were you really willing?" Ryan persisted stubbornly, his eyes fixed on her flushed face.

  "Impossible! I had no idea why at that moment. Watching you approach, I didn't mobilize any magic to resist and even closed my eyes," Evelyn insisted, her tone slightly weaker than before.

  She still could not understand why she had let her guard down at that instant.

  By the time Mora's roar snapped her awake, everything had been irretrievably set in motion, Ryan's lips had no intention of loosening.

  "Then how about we try again? I'll verify it myself to see if you were really willing," Ryan said, reaching to wrap his hands around Evelyn's waist, attempting to recreate the rising excitement from that snowy moment.

  "Ah!" Evelyn's body flashed, instantly dodging, and she slapped Ryan with her free hand.

  Ryan pressed his hand to his cheek, looking pitifully at Evelyn."If you don't want to, you don't want to. Why do you have to hit me?"

  He murmured softly, his voice full of grievance, still covering his stung cheek.

  "Do not come any closer." Evelyn suddenly stepped back, putting at least three meters of distance between herself and Ryan.

  "What happens if I get close to you?" Ryan raised an eyebrow, a teasing tone in his voice, and shamelessly stepped forward.

  Evelyn instinctively raised her hands to summon the ultimate ice sword.

  She suddenly remembered that the ultimate ice sword was still unsealed. At Ryan's current magical level, it could easily wound him severely or even kill him instantly if she summoned it.

  Evelyn forced down the impulse to summon the ultimate ice sword. Her raised hands froze midair, and in the end, she could only lower them helplessly.

  Standing there empty-handed, she felt an unexpected awkwardness, unsure of what to do with herself.

  "Evelyn, don't be like this, okay?"

  Seizing the moment, Ryan stepped closer to her, deliberately lowering his voice. His tone carried a magnetic warmth, soft enough to drown someone.

  It had to be said, when he restrained his usual carefree demeanor and intentionally acted polite and refined, his handsome features actually exuded a certain gentlemanly charm.

  Evelyn looked up and met Ryan's deep, star-like eyes.

  Her heart skipped a beat uncontrollably, and for a moment, she felt a strange sway within herself, almost on the verge of blurting out agreement.

  She quickly snapped back to her senses, shaking her head fiercely in her mind, terrified: he must have used some kind of mind-affecting magic! Otherwise, how could her judgment, honed over tens of thousands of years, have been swayed by him so many times?

  Evelyn hurriedly stepped back again, instinctively holding her hands in front of her, afraid that Ryan would try to grab her like he had in the snow.

  Ryan, however, showed no intention of stopping. From their previous encounter, he had already understood Evelyn's nature.

  She appeared tough, but in reality, she responded to both gentleness and strength. The key was that when she was strong, whoever confronted her had to have the ability to overpower her, or she could easily break free.

  "If you come any closer, I will not hold back." Evelyn, pressed step by step, finally reached the point where her back hit the soft edge of the bed. With nowhere left to retreat, she gritted her teeth and spoke fiercely.

  The positions between them had completely reversed. Moments ago, Evelyn had been pressing forward, but now Ryan controlled the pace, closing in.

  Ryan's eyes fell on Evelyn, and suddenly a stream of information about her identity flashed in his mind:

  【Name: Evelyn】

  【Identity: Headmistress of Glacial Arcana Academy, Ryan's fiancée】

  【Magic Level: Seventh-tier Senior Mage】

  【Magical Weapon: ultimate ice sword,…】

  Ryan stared at the sudden information, utterly stunned.

  The entry about his fiancée left him even more confused. What exactly did this mean?

  Seeing Ryan frozen, Evelyn tried to sidestep him to create some distance.

  Ryan snapped back instantly, naturally not giving her the chance.

  "Trying to run?" Ryan chuckled lowly, flashing forward.

  Evelyn had reached her limit. She raised her left hand and slapped toward him.

  Ryan did not flinch at all. While sidestepping, he caught her soft hand, locking her fingers firmly in his palm.

  Then, he applied a slight pull, pressing his body against hers as he moved.

  Evelyn's back was already against the edge of the bed. With his pull and pressure, her balance faltered immediately.

  Behind her was the soft mattress. Ryan calculated perfectly, and together they fell onto the bed. He pressed precisely on top of her, trapping her firmly beneath him.