Chapter 21: return like for like
After playing around for a long time, Alice quietly changed her appearance, transforming herself into a shadowy figure that could slip unnoticed through the night. She slipped back into her family estate like a stealthy wraith, thanks to the excellent stealth skills she had honed in her previous life. Her movements were so smooth and silent that not a single soul noticed her return. If those old men who had been doggedly watching her in her previous life saw this scene, they would surely be amazed at her newfound stealth capabilities.
Since then, Alice began to practice diligently. She dedicated herself to the meticulous crafting of runes, each stroke of the pen a labor of love as she imbued the symbols with her essence. She immersed herself in the vast collection of books in the library, losing herself in the sea of knowledge as she pored over ancient tomes and scrolls. She also took great care in preparing various potions for her aunt, carefully selecting the ingredients and measuring the doses with precision, as if she were an alchemist creating masterpieces. Even the old lord of the family was shocked and gratified to see her so industrious and hardworking. His eyes widened in surprise as he watched Alice toil away, a proud smile slowly spreading across his face.
Caesar would visit on occasion. However, each time he came, he would mercilessly point out the deficiencies in Alice's practice results and deliver a stinging critique. His eyes were sharp as hawks, able to spot the tiniest flaws in her work. His words were like arrows, piercing straight to the heart of the matter and leaving Alice feeling bruised and chastened.
But Alice was not one to be daunted by difficulties. The more challenges she faced, the more her fighting spirit blazed like a raging fire. She secretly vowed to show Caesar her growth and transformation, to prove to him that she was also an outstanding genius in her own right!
Time flew by in a blur, as if it were a fleeting moment. Before she knew it, more than ten days had passed, and soon it was time for the flower banquet hosted by the empress dowager.
Rose said with a solemn expression, "Sister, why don't we find an excuse to decline the flower banquet?"
"What kind of excuse do you plan to give me?" Alice slightly raised her eyebrows, a glimmer of playfulness in her eyes as she regarded Rose with a quizzical look.
"Say that you are not feeling well."
Alice couldn't help but laugh when she heard this. She reached out and gently rubbed Rose's head, her touch warm and affectionate. She said, "Such a clumsy excuse. How could the empress dowager believe it? And how could the person behind the invitation believe it?"
Rose's face immediately fell, her eyes filled with helplessness as she realized the futility of the proposed excuse.
Alice smiled and comforted her, "Don't worry. This time no one will be able to bully me easily. Whoever dares to harm me, I will make him pay a heavy price!" Her voice was firm and resolute, as if she were making a solemn promise.
The old duke Alva knew that she was about to enter the royal palace. He specially came to Alice's residence, the Cloud Sparrow Pavilion, and gave her careful instructions, urging her to stay calm and composed.
Alice was holding a little white tiger that was completely snow-white and furry in her arms. She boarded the carriage of the Alva family, while Rose sat outside the carriage.
Recently, Alice was dressed in a red dress that was like a burning flame, completely abandoning her previous plain and low-key style.
Today, she was by no means going to play the role of a weak and defenseless flower.
The faces of those who had bullied and insulted her in the past flashed through her mind one by one, and a cold and fierce light instantly shot out from her eyes.
"Squeak." The little white tiger seemed to sense her surging emotions and rubbed its furry head against her palm, trying to comfort her.
Alice's thoughts were pulled back to reality by this gentle touch. She looked down at the little white tiger in her palm and asked curiously, "Shouldn't a divine beast be able to speak human language after being born?"
Upon hearing this, the little white tiger seemed to be greatly stimulated and immediately became anxious.
"Squeak." It squeaked urgently, and its voice was full of uneasiness.
Alice could truly feel the panic in the little white tiger's heart at this moment.
She gently raised her hand and stroked its head tenderly, saying, "Are you congenitally deficient? Were you born too early?"
The little white tiger actually nodded like a human. Its pair of glazed eyes sparkled with a bright light, just like the brightest stars in the night sky, extremely charming.
In fact, when Alice formed a contract with it, she had roughly sensed that its aura was a bit weak. Usually, whether in the contract space or in the outside world, it always fell into a deep sleep.
Alice softly comforted it, "When I reach the level of the Spirit King and can open my pupil technique again, I will definitely help you carefully examine your physical condition and repair it with all my might."
"Squeak." The little white tiger responded cheerfully, obviously full of expectation for her promise.
Alice stretched out her finger and gently poked it, smiling and saying, "Let me give you a name, okay?"
"Squeak." The little white tiger nodded in agreement.
"I seem to remember that you are a white tiger. Then I'll call you Snowball." Alice said after thinking for a moment.
The little white tiger immediately shook its head, obviously not satisfied with this name.
"Then... Starlight?" Alice asked tentatively.
The little white tiger shook its head even more vigorously. It didn't want a name like that at all.
Alice mentioned several names in succession, but the little white tiger always shook its head to refuse.
Finally, Alice stretched out two fingers, pinched its nape, lifted it up, and pretended to be fierce and said, "You will be called Frost Fang! There will be no more changes!"
The little white tiger was about to put on a pitiful look and appeal, but Rose's voice came from outside the carriage curtain, interrupting its plan.
"Sister, we have arrived at the gate of the royal palace."
"Okay."
Alice replied and then mercilessly threw Frost Fang, or rather, the newly named little fellow, into the contract space.
She suddenly pulled open the curtain of the carriage, gracefully lifted her leg and stepped out. Rose quickly reached out to help her down.
Alice looked around and saw many magnificent carriages and sedans parked at the gate of the royal palace. She saw quite a few familiar faces here.
"Oh, which beauty is this that I see arriving? It turns out to be just a waste with no magic power."
A voice full of sarcasm came. Alice followed the sound and saw a woman in a bright purple long dress with her chin slightly raised, full of arrogance and provocation.
A girl in a sweet pink dress frowned slightly and said disdainfully, "What is this waste doing here today when the queen mother is holding a grand flower banquet?"
"The countess is right. What is this waste doing here? Could it be that she wants to beg the queen mother to find a good family for her to marry?"
"Haha, just her?"
"..."
All kinds of contemptuous and demeaning words poured in like a tide, making Alice feel that they were really too noisy.
Alice slightly curled the corners of her mouth and swept a cold glance at them, saying, "You only know how to seek a sense of superiority in front of me. If one day I, a so-called waste, trample you underfoot, will you feel ashamed of yourselves?"
As soon as these words came out, the gate of the royal palace was silent for a few seconds.
"Alice, has your head been kicked? How could you say such absurd words!" Countess Lilia sneered coldly.
Sullivan.Julie, the sister of Irina, laughed scornfully, "Alice, how dare you say such words? Everyone here is stronger than you. What gives you the courage to say this? It's simply courting death!"
Alice's eyelids slightly drooped, as if muttering softly, "Courting death?"
"That's courting death!" Julie laughed out loud.
Rose felt extremely uncomfortable hearing these harsh words beside her. She secretly glanced at her young mistress, worried that she would be very sad.
Alice suddenly raised her eyes and looked at Julie. Julie was startled by her cold, deep eyes that seemed to be soaked in a pool of blood in ice and subconsciously took half a step back.
Alice had a wild and evil smile on her face and walked slowly and steadily towards Julie.
Seeing this, Julie felt a trace of fear in her heart and shouted bravely, "What do you want, you waste? Don't come near me!"
Alice let out a soft laugh.
The laughter was like the roar of an evil spirit from hell, making people's scalps tingle.
Julie felt more and more that something was wrong with her and was about to activate her magic power to attack. However, in the next moment -
Alice quickly took a few steps forward, grasped Julie's neck with one hand like an iron clamp. Her strength was so great that she could lift her up with one hand and then smash her hard onto the ground.
'Boom -'
"Aah..." Many noble ladies and maidservants witnessed this scene and all screamed subconsciously.
The ground where Julie was smashed cracked slightly. At this moment, Julie only felt her body numb for a few seconds, followed by a severe pain in her bones and a suffocating feeling of being tightly grasped by the neck.
Julie waved the magic power in her hand and attacked Alice, but Alice easily caught her wrist and then suddenly twisted it. In an instant, a sound like a pig's squeal rang out around.
"Didn't your sister Irina tell you that I'm not someone to be trifled with now?" Alice smiled innocently, but the smile looked extremely strange at this time.
Julie was in so much pain that she couldn't answer her question normally.
Alice sneered and stood up. Just when everyone thought she had let Julie go, her foot stepped mercilessly on Julie's face.
Everyone present was shocked into a daze!
Was this still the previous Alice who didn't dare to say a word before?
Why had she suddenly become so powerful?!
Julie's strength had reached the ninth level of a magic apprentice! How could a waste with no magic power defeat her so easily?
"Julie, this is called an eye for an eye!" Alice narrowed her phoenix-like eyes slightly, and her tone was extremely cold.
In Alice's memory, Julie was a person who openly bullied her without any disguise. She not only insulted and beat her, but also almost made the original owner lose her virginity in the most serious incident!
"Rose, let's go."
Alice withdrew her foot, called Rose, and then walked towards the gate of the royal palace.
"You waste, stop..."
Countess Lilia belatedly wanted to stop Alice, but only heard Alice say, "I have taken a magic potion. If you want to fight with me, just try to block my way!"
Taken a magic potion?
She had actually taken a magic potion?
No wonder she suddenly had such great strength. Coupled with Julie's momentary carelessness, Alice had taken the opportunity.
However, what kind of magic potion did a waste take to have such powerful strength? This became a doubt in everyone's mind.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone