The office door was knocked on.
Ye Qiong didn't even look up.
"Come in."
The door swung open, and two purple-haired girls walked in, one after the other.
Ye Qiong slowly raised his head.
The girl in front had shoulder-length purple hair and wore a white dress, as pale as the frosty moon.
Her collar was adorned with purple buds of all sizes, and a crown woven from branches and thorns rested atop her head.
The girl behind her looked almost identical, though she seemed a little younger.
They came to the desk and bowed together.
"And you are?"
The purple-haired girl raised her head.
"My name is Castorice, and this is my younger sister, Polyxena."
Polyxena gave a slight nod.
"We're from the Haagen-Dazs Kingdom."
Castorice promptly took a file from her sleeve and placed it on the desk with both hands.
"We heard your academy was enrolling students, so we came to apply for admission."
Ye Qiong took the file and gave it a cursory glance before looking at them.
"Princesses of the Haagen-Dazs Kingdom?"
Castorice nodded.
"That's right."
She still carried herself with humility.
There was no arrogance, no haughtiness, not even the slightest trace of a royal bearing.
She stood there like an ordinary twelve-year-old girl, only dressed more elegantly than most.
Ye Qiong looked at her, his thoughts churning.
Castorice had been just like this in his previous life.
Always gentle in front of others, always unfailingly courteous, never putting herself above anyone.
Even though she bore the authority of death, and every touch could claim a life.
All she had ever wanted was to live like an ordinary person.
She wanted to dance with her friends, to embrace the warmth of life with her own hands...
But fate wouldn't even grant her a wish so small it hardly counted as one.
In Aethelria, she had sent off soul after soul.
She had kept each of their names in her heart, for a thousand years...
Alone, she had stood at the boundary between the underworld and the living, guarding that gate for everyone.
Now she stood here.
She was a princess of Haagen-Dazs, with her younger sister by her side...
At the thought, Ye Qiong sighed inwardly.
At least in this life, I can finally let her live as an ordinary person.
Ye Qiong gathered his thoughts and discreetly opened the system panel, inspecting the two girls' information.
[Name: Castorice] [Age: Twelve] [Level: 30] [Martial Soul: Hand of Gloom] [Soul Ring Configuration: Yellow, purple, purple (when fused with her younger sister Polyxena, they can become a thousand-year, three-thousand-year, and nine-thousand-year ring, respectively)] [Identity: Princess of the Haagen-Dazs Kingdom (one of a pair of twins)] [Name: Polyxena] [Age: Twelve] [Level: 30] [Martial Soul: Death Dragon Polyx] [Soul Ring Configuration: Same as Castorice] [Special Note: The twins are bound together; they must fight together to unleash their full power.]
After reading it, Ye Qiong paused.
When he had drawn Castorice's card, the system had ruled that he had summoned two people.
He had thought it was a buy-one-get-one-free deal.
He hadn't expected the sisters to be bound together by fate.
But Castorice and Polyxena had been like this in his previous life, too.
Only together could they wield the full authority of death.
Noticing Ye Qiong seemed lost in thought, Castorice quickly called to him softly.
"Principal?"
Ye Qiong came to his senses at once.
"Ah, welcome. Amphoreus Academy is pleased to have you both."
A faint smile appeared on Castorice's face.
Polyxena's eyes curved into a smile as well.
"Thank you, Principal."
Ye Qiong stood up and came out from behind the desk, walking over to them.
"The academy has a Soul Fighting match scheduled for tonight. Come along later; it'll be a good chance to meet everyone."
Polyxena blinked.
"A Soul Fighting match?"
"The Soto Soul Arena. All the students take part to build up their combat experience."
As he spoke, Ye Qiong headed for the door.
"I'll show you to your dorm first, and give you a chance to get familiar with the campus."
Castorice and Polyxena exchanged a glance, nodded, and followed him.
At dusk, in the plaza of Amphoreus Academy,
a few people were gathered together, chatting idly.
Ye Qiong walked over with Castorice and Polyxena.
When Wang Sheng saw Ye Qiong, he immediately got everyone to turn around.
They all turned and saw the Castorice sisters behind Ye Qiong. They stared in surprise.
New faces again? Whose family were these two from?
Ye Qiong walked to the center of the plaza and clapped his hands.
Everyone quieted down and formed a line of their own accord.
Ye Qiong turned to the side and began the introductions.
"Let me introduce our two new students today: Castorice and Polyxena. They're princesses from the Haagen-Dazs Kingdom."
Castorice gave everyone a slight bow.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Castorice."
Polyxena greeted them with a smile, too.
"My name is Polyxena. I'm Castorice's younger sister."
The others were surprised.
"You're a princess?"
Phainon glanced at the two girls. That familiar feeling rose in him again, but he still couldn't remember why.
Castorice shook her head, her voice gentle.
"My status doesn't matter. We're only here to study."
"I hope you'll all look after us."
Wang Sheng scratched his head and chuckled.
"Heh, Your Highness, you're really polite."
He'd thought all princesses were like Cerydra.
Cerydra remained seated on a stone bench, but her gaze never left the sisters.
She had no idea that someone was mentally gossiping about her. Had she known, she might have immediately ennobled them as a duke to be executed by decapitation.
She studied the sisters for a moment, then curled the corners of her mouth into a faint smile.
Another interesting pair of sisters.
Thanks to Castorice's personality and appearance, she soon fit in with the group and began to get acquainted with the girls.
Seeing that everyone had more or less gotten familiar with one another, Ye Qiong clapped his hands.
"All right, get ready. We'll head to the Soul Fighting Arena in a bit."
Wang Sheng immediately perked up.
"Are the newcomers competing today?"
Ye Qiong nodded. "The Castorice sisters will take part in the doubles match tonight. As for Anaxa and Her Highness Cerydra, I don't think you've seen what they can do yet, either. This is a good chance."
Wang Sheng clenched his fists excitedly.
"Now that'll be a sight to see."
That night, at the Soto Soul Arena.
The stands were still packed with a sea of spectators.
After Amphoreus Academy had made a dazzling impression in several matches in a row,
the once little-known new academy had become the Soul Arena's most talked-about team.
At that moment, the host, having just finished commentating on a match, walked onto the stage.
"Ladies and gentlemen! The next match is a doubles bout!"
"The two sides facing off are the Cat-Mouse Duo and the recently much-lauded Amphoreus Academy!"
"This time, they've sent out another new pair of sisters!"
The stands erupted at his words.
"Holy crap, more new faces? Where on earth are they finding all these newcomers?"