Counterattack [Interstellar] - Chapter 15

“This used to be Madam Jenny’s private property, but she only visited once every few years. Every year, she had to spend a significant amount of money maintaining the furniture and renovating the garden, which had long since become a burden to her. A few days ago, I discussed it with her, and she agreed to sell this place to me,” Alan said as he led Pei Yao on a tour of the Alice Estate. He continued slowly, “It’s quite peaceful here and the grounds are spacious. It’s more than enough to accommodate several thousand people. What do you think of using this as the new Guide Academy?”

Pei Yao nodded. The scenery was secondary; the best part was that there was a military base consisting mostly of commoners fifty thousand star-miles away. This both ensured the safety of the Guides and eliminated the possibility of a mutiny by guards who might harbor ill intentions or attempt to possess a Guide.

“This area will be converted into classrooms—the renovations are nearly complete. Over there are the dormitories; I’ve instructed them to use the White Tower’s conditions as a benchmark for preparation.” Alan paused with practiced poise and smiled. “However, this is the former residence of a Princess, after all. Though I’ve told them not to be too extravagant, it will likely still be far more comfortable than the White Tower.”

For no reason at all, Pei Yao was reminded of his own room in Alan’s palace. Prince Alan was a man of his word; the very next day, he had ordered the room to be redecorated. Thanks to Alan, the etiquette and scale were entirely based on the standards of a Prince. Once finished, it looked like a miniature version of Alan’s own room. Even the doors were modified to be identical. Whether Prince Alan was truly muddled or doing it for another reason, he had “accidentally” intruded into Pei Yao’s room several times over the past few days.

As Alan was currently mentally linked with Pei Yao, he naturally recalled the scenery he saw when he “mistakenly entered” Pei Yao’s room early that morning. Alan was incredibly satisfied; Major General Pei Yao’s physique was truly impressive.

Pei Yao awkwardly changed the subject. “Roughly when can the school open? The media has been paying close attention.”

“At the earliest, another month. However, registration for volunteers from the White Tower has already begun.” Alan gave a satisfied smile. “There are so many Guides who want to come here. I hear Dean Catherine of the White Tower Academy hasn’t slept well for several nights because of her fury.”

“Your Highness.” Not far away, Alan’s Etiquette Officer hung up his communicator and approached with a bow. “Dean Catherine has arrived. There was a prior appointment; she needs to discuss the curriculum, management, and the issue of volunteers for the new academy with you.”

Alan curled his lips into a smile. “It seems one really shouldn’t talk about people behind their backs. Wasn’t Madam Catherine originally scheduled for the afternoon? She’s actually arrived already.”

“Yes, because the Dean was traveling on…” The officer glanced at Pei Yao and continued, “Traveling on the Crown Prince’s starship, so she arrived several hours earlier than the appointment.”

Alan frowned slightly. Anthony had actually come.

It had been six days since the birthday banquet, and Alan had not allowed Pei Yao and Anthony to have any direct contact. Naturally, it wasn’t because Alan still suspected anything between them; it was simply that Anthony surely still bore a grudge over Alan “poaching” his subordinate. He likely still suspected Pei Yao of colluding with him. If the two met now, Anthony would certainly have nothing good to say. Alan checked the time and turned to Pei Yao. “We likely won’t be able to return to the Capital Star today. Help me contact old Edward and tell him he doesn’t need to prepare dinner for us.”

Pei Yao paused and asked, “Are you afraid the Crown Prince will make things difficult for me?”

Alan laughed. “No, he’s just very sullen right now. There’s no need to pay him any mind…”

“I cannot avoid the Crown Prince forever.” Pei Yao looked at Alan, his gaze calm. “Furthermore, I consider my conscience to be clear. I have nothing to fear.”

Alan almost couldn’t resist wanting to kiss Pei Yao again. Heaven knew he was most vulnerable to Pei Yao’s serious and earnest expressions; it was naively ridiculous, yet one couldn’t help but feel respect for it.

Alan smiled. “Fine, come with me. If he dares to be disrespectful to you, I will teach him how to behave on the spot.”

Pei Yao gave a small smile, straightened his uniform slightly, and followed Alan. As they neared the drawing room, Pei Yao asked uneasily, “Dean Catherine is here to discuss the new academy with you, but what is the Crown Prince doing here? Will I need to say anything in a moment?”

Alan lazily adjusted his cufflinks and said nonchalantly, “What else could Anthony be doing… he’s just here to back Catherine up. Oh, I forgot to tell you, Catherine—much like your respected Emperor—is a closet supporter of the ‘Allocation System.’ The most hilarious part is that she herself is a Guide. Heh…”

The Etiquette Officer opened the drawing room doors for Alan. Alan turned to Pei Yao and whispered with a smile, “All you need to do is refute all of her viewpoints. If you do well, I can reward you with a deep-level mental combing tonight… Brother Anthony, Madam Catherine.”

Alan greeted the two with a beaming smile. Anthony had clearly recovered from his previous dejection. Recently, there had been many new articles about his active promotion of the new Guide Academy, and “soft” articles had appeared online to rehabilitate the Crown Prince’s image. The situation was slowly improving, and Anthony’s complexion was much better than it had been a week ago. Anthony smiled and accepted Alan’s hug, saying, “You don’t mind my uninvited arrival, do you? I’ve wanted to visit for a while, and it just so happened Madam Catherine was coming.”

Alan turned his smile toward Catherine. She was nearly one hundred and fifty years old this year. Genetic surgery made her face look much younger than her peers, but after multiple procedures, her expressions always seemed a bit unnatural. She herself was not a woman who liked to smile, making her entire appearance look like she was wearing a mask; the dissonance was striking.

Catherine bowed elegantly to Alan. “Good day, Your Highness.”

“Good day.” Alan smiled and turned toward Pei Yao. “This is Major General Pei Yao, our new Principal.”

“Oh, I have heard.” Catherine gave Pei Yao a flat look. “You are quite lucky, Major General. Historically, no Dean of a Guide Academy has been under a hundred years old. You are clearly an exception.”

Pei Yao had always been immune to such sarcasm and felt nothing at the remark. He wasn’t very good at social pleasantries, but he didn’t want people to think Alan’s people were rude. After a moment’s thought, he said earnestly, “Thank you. You also don’t look at all like someone over a hundred.”

Alan’s expression turned complicated as he looked at Pei Yao. Anthony turned his head and coughed to hide a smile. Pei Yao looked back at Alan in confusion—wasn’t one supposed to praise a lady for her youth, her jewelry, or her lipstick color? Since the occasion wasn’t right for the latter, surely he could only praise her for maintaining herself well? Should he have praised her clothing instead? That seemed a bit frivolous…

Catherine clearly did not perceive Pei Yao’s goodwill. Hearing this, her face tightened further. Pei Yao, meanwhile, became increasingly confused—what exactly was going on?

Alan struggled to suppress his laughter. Catherine surely felt that Pei Yao was being sarcastic. Among those present, likely only Alan knew that Pei Yao had sincerely thought Madam Catherine looked very young. Poor Major General Pei Yao simply couldn’t distinguish between artificial youth and a normal person’s appearance…

“Let’s save the pleasantries for lunch later,” Anthony said with a smile, smoothing things over for everyone. “Madam Catherine, didn’t you have many things to say to Pei Yao?”

Catherine looked at Pei Yao with a cold face and asked, “I hear you have refused to let the White Tower provide teachers for you? Then may I ask how you intend to educate the young Guides?”

“Madam, I am the one who refused you,” Alan said with a smile. “I appreciate the sentiment, but the curriculum taught at the new school is vastly different from that of the White Tower. Bringing in your precious faculty wouldn’t allow them to fulfill their greatest potential. I thought about it and decided not to let them go to waste.”

Catherine’s brow furrowed even tighter. “Is that so… then if I may be so bold as to ask, has the curriculum for your new academy been set? I remember you saying before that here, Guides can freely choose what they want to learn. What courses will there be?”

Alan shook his head. “It’s only ‘freedom’ in a relative sense. Subjects like politics and physical education are still mandatory. Some courses will not be permitted for certain students to access. Everything else will follow the students’ personal interests.”

“Oh?” Anthony raised an eyebrow with interest. “There are courses that are forbidden? Like what?”

Alan glanced at Catherine and smiled. “Like… flower arrangement and harpsichord. If female Guides wish to learn them, we can respect their choice. But male Guides shouldn’t even think about it.”

Catherine looked at Alan in surprise, then turned to Pei Yao. Thinking Catherine was asking for his opinion, Pei Yao nodded and said, “Of course. The male Guides are all very young and their characters haven’t formed yet. How could they learn such things?”

Catherine sat bolt upright in anger. Alan’s stomach was beginning to hurt from suppressed laughter. He leaned over and whispered to Pei Yao, “Flower arrangement… is a mandatory course in the White Tower.”

Pei Yao had been busy researching the operations of the new academy with Alan and had been working around the clock; he hadn’t found the time to look into the White Tower’s curriculum. Hearing this, he hurried to apologize. “My apologies. I was unaware of that.”

“Prince Alan.” Catherine gripped her handbag with considerable agitation, saying angrily, “Is this the Principal you have chosen for the new academy?! The Guides of the White Tower are all elegant; they are angels sent by God! This is entirely based on our nurturing of them and a level of respect equal to that shown to the Royal Family. Major General Pei Yao actually has the gall to mock…”

“Madam.” Alan interrupted Catherine, the smile on his face fading. “I can testify that Major General Pei Yao spoke without malice. He is unfamiliar with the White Tower’s curriculum and was simply analyzing based on a commoner’s understanding. After all… no normal person could imagine that a boy would need to learn flower arrangement. Of course, I respect everyone’s hobbies, but it’s a different story if it’s forced upon them. Don’t you agree, Madam?”

As the Dean of the Guide Academy, it had been a long time since anyone had spoken to Catherine in such a manner. She didn’t dare to go toe-to-toe with Alan, so she turned her fire toward Pei Yao, asking coldly, “Then may I ask Major General Pei Yao: what do you believe is the most important thing for Guides to learn?”

Pei Yao’s brow furrowed slightly. Catherine had not answered Alan; such rudeness—was she provoking Alan?

Pei Yao could usually ignore hostility directed at himself, but it was different if the anger was aimed at Alan. Pei Yao looked back at Catherine coldly and said in a deep voice, “The ability to protect themselves, as well as finding a path where they can realize their own value and fulfill their dreams.”

Catherine sneered. “A Guide’s value is to assist Sentinels! There is no need to search for it!”

“That is likely just your own wishful thinking. Before being a Guide, a Guide is first a human being. Even if you are their Dean, you can never replace them in choosing their own lives.” Pei Yao looked sternly at Catherine, his voice cold. “Perhaps you succeeded in doing so before, but after today, that ends.”

“At least here, my students—before they choose to be marked by a Sentinel—must first recognize themselves and understand what they want and do not want. Before they are brainwashed, I want them to clearly understand that their lives are forever their own. Their happiness can be influenced by a Sentinel, but not dictated.” Pei Yao looked intently at Catherine. “Therefore, they do not need to violate their own wills to learn those fancy courses intended to please Sentinels. For female Guides, I will first teach them self-defense so that they will not be bullied by anyone in the future. For male Guides, I will first teach them how to be men, not toys for the rich and powerful.”

Catherine looked at Pei Yao in horror, saying frantically, “You are simply unreasonable! My students would absolutely never accept such a barbarian’s education! They…”

“There are so many volunteers among them that I have to ask Prince Alan to expand the Alice Estate.” Pei Yao remained expressionless. “Clearly, there are still many Guides willing to accept the Prince’s propositions.”

Catherine’s face turned bright red. She stood up and said repeatedly, “Very well, Major General… I understand. You want to ruin my Guides. I see…”

Pei Yao also stood up and said, “Ruin them? You have likely forgotten that the regrettable Guide from before committed suicide within the White Tower.”

“We all know the reason why he committed suicide quite clearly. Every effort we make today is to ensure such a tragedy never happens again. Prince Alan even ended his own recuperation early for this, rushing to the Capital Star to face this complex situation with us!” Pei Yao’s gaze was sharp, looking directly at Catherine. “Is this your attitude toward the Prince who is constantly cleaning up after you? Is your stance to hurriedly sabotage this rare improvement in the situation?”

The protective instinct for his Guide and the blood of a loyal hound burned within Pei Yao simultaneously, leaving the usually silver-tongued Catherine speechless in his wake.

To the side, Alan’s gaze had never left Pei Yao… The man gave him a new surprise every minute. If no one else were present, Alan would have wanted to strip him bare right then and there.

A Major General Pei Yao, furious because his Guide was being provoked, was simply too sexy.