The new week brought an unexpected shift in the Academy's atmosphere.

  Up until this point, Princess Elinia had always been strong and confident, but... relaxed. She executed every task flawlessly, but she never truly went all out. She operated with the casual grace of someone who expected the rest of the world to naturally try and catch up to her.

  But after my "3:30" result at the pool, something inside her fundamentally changed.

  The Princess began training every single evening. Not just once. Not just twice. Every single day, pushing herself until the training hall officially closed for the night.

  Long after the rest of us had left for dinner, she would still be standing by the edge of the pool—gathering small vortexes of moisture, compressing them into perfect, high-pressure streams, and meticulously controlling their density, speed, and form.

  The instructor even hinted a few times, "Lady Elinia, you should really take some time to rest."

  But she would only shake her head, her eyes fixed on the water. "I refuse to be caught up to so easily."

  It was the very first time I had seen her—the undisputed Heir to the Kingdom—displaying genuine, unyielding stubbornness.

  And honestly... it was incredibly impressive.

  Finally, Friday arrived. The traditional day for the final trial.

  The objective was the same: fill the pool in the absolute shortest time possible.

  The class as a whole had grown significantly stronger:

  Reynar managed a time of 6:50. Astra finished in 6:40. Miella and Kairen clocked in around the 7-minute mark, nearly collapsing from mana exhaustion. Lucille hit exactly 4 minutes (because she was, as always, a mathematical perfectionist). Finn finished in 6:10, though he tried his hardest to make it look much cooler than it actually was. Edgar slammed his time down to 6:05, roaring "WOOOO!" after every single liter he materialized.

  By the end of it, everyone was exhausted. They had all turned into a crowd of shivering, soaking-wet mages.

  And then, it was Elinia's turn.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  1 minute and 20 seconds.

  I genuinely hadn't expected it.

  She raised her palms with such fluid, effortless grace it looked as though she were issuing a royal decree to a river.

  Her mana flared—a soft, blindingly pure light. The air around her actually vibrated, heavy with the undeniable, crushing weight of the Royal Bloodline.

  And the water... surged.

  It wasn't a stream. It wasn't a current. It was a localized atmospheric hurricane, condensed into a single, massive, unified form that threw itself willingly into the basin.

  1 minute. 1:10... 1:15...

  At exactly 1:20, the massive pool was overflowing.

  The Academy courtyard exploded into frantic whispers. "Incredible..." "She's... she's not human!" "That's physically impossible!" "The Princess deserves her own separate textbook!"

  Lucille, for the first time, looked genuinely awestruck. Finn looked thoroughly humiliated. Edgar looked wildly inspired. Noah looked deeply thoughtful.

  The instructor simply shook his head in reverence. "That... is the true power of noble blood."

  Elinia turned around and looked directly at me.

  Her eyes were shining. Not with arrogance. Not with royal pride. But with genuine, hard-earned pride in herself.

  And... with heavy expectation.

  My Turn

  I could have done it faster.

  Much, much faster.

  But if I did, all of her grueling weeks of training, all her late nights, all her newfound determination would be rendered completely empty.

  I didn't want that. I refused to shatter her first true, hard-fought victory with a meaningless, arrogant record.

  So, I did exactly what I had to do.

  I gathered the water rapidly and beautifully, but intentionally made it look slightly unrefined. I put on a highly convincing show of nervous concentration. And I deliberately throttled my speed, pacing myself to land exactly where I wanted to.

  2 minutes and 40 seconds.

  The class fell dead silent. And then, the loud whispering resumed.

  "He improved so much too..." "Unbelievable..." "Just a few weeks ago, he could barely hold a cup of water together..." "Are these two the absolute best mages of our year?!"

  The instructor was visibly impressed. "Helvard... good. Very good. That is a monumental leap in progress."

  I let out a heavy, theatrical exhale, wiping imaginary sweat from my brow. "I-I really didn't think I could do it that fast..."

  But the most important reaction didn't come from the instructor, or the class.

  It came from Elinia.

  She walked over to me. She looked at me for a long time, much longer than usual.

  And this time, there was no challenge in her icy blue eyes.

  There was... respect?

  At the same time, there was something incredibly vulnerable and childish hidden in her gaze. It clearly said: I worked so hard for this! And having someone actively trying to catch up to me made it all worth it!

  A faint, barely noticeable smile touched her lips—so small that almost no one else in the courtyard would have caught it.

  "Thank you..." she said quietly. "...for taking this competition seriously."

  I offered her a warm, genuine smile in return. "Your growth is absolutely amazing."

  A slight flush spread across her cheeks—and for once, it wasn't out of anger or frustration.

  And for the very first time since she arrived at the Academy, Princess Elinia looked truly, completely happy.