Writing Letters to Myself

Charles Chu's eyes sparkled as a scheme popped into his head. Instantly, he came up with a brilliant plan: call for his subordinate who was a whiz at forging handwriting, have him write two letters—one to Professor Jade Evans and one to Princess Lily Hayes—inviting them to the same place. Then, he'd drag Alexander Hayes along to catch them red-handed. Easy!

Feeling quite pleased with his own cleverness, Charles Chu immediately sent someone to swipe samples of Jade Evans and Princess Lily Hayes's handwriting.

Everyone had seen Professor Jade Evans's handwriting before. Back during the tournament, Professor Evans personally wrote the answer sheet for the final question, and it was stored in the Ministry of Works for all the officials to gawk at and study.

Princess Lily Hayes's handwriting was even easier to get. Besides being the Princess Consort, she was also a savvy businesswoman who sometimes signed deals with her partners. All it took was a quick lift from one of her suppliers.

Charles Chu immediately sent his men to sneak into the Ministry of Works and swipe Professor Jade Evans's answer sheet. Then, he had his handwriting expert draft two letters to set up the meeting.

"Send the letters on the sly. Make sure no one suspects us," Charles Chu instructed.

"Yes, Professor Jade Evans!"

Lily handed the letter to Luo Luo, her expression serious. "Make sure this gets to Princess Lily Hayes without anyone noticing. Be discreet."

Luo Luo read the letter, her brow furrowing in confusion. Who could have sent it? Why was it so secretive?

Lily instructed, "Send this to Prince Alexander Hayes. And remember—no one else must know."

"This letter is so strange. Who sent it?" Lily asked.

The attendant replied, "A little beggar brought it. When I asked who gave it to him, he said he never saw the person's face."

Lily made a noncommittal sound, suspicion swirling in her mind as she tore open the letter. After reading it, her face lit up with curiosity.

Luo Luo, watching Lily's odd expression, couldn't help but ask, "Princess Consort, did something happen?"

Lily rubbed her brow with an amused, helpless look. "Luo Luo, someone wrote inviting me to meet up. Guess who signed the letter?"

Luo Luo's eyes widened. "Don't tell me... it's Princess Lily Hayes?"

"Exactly!" Lily replied, both amused and exasperated. "It's signed 'Princess Lily Hayes.' The contents are pretty much just an invitation to meet tomorrow. I have no idea who's behind this prank."

Luo Luo burst out laughing, sticking out her tongue playfully.

Lily couldn't help but get curious. Who on earth was pretending to be her, writing letters to herself under two different identities?

What kind of mischief was this person up to, anyway?

Lily took the letter and left. As usual, she disguised herself and headed to the academy. On the way, she kept wondering: who was behind this elaborate prank?

When she arrived at the academy and entered her courtyard, the gatekeeper came to report that another letter had arrived. He handed it to Professor Jade Evans and then left.

Seeing two envelopes with nearly identical packaging, Lily couldn't help but laugh. She said to Luo Luo, "Want to bet? I bet the signature on this one is 'Princess Lily Hayes.'"

Luo Luo giggled too, sticking out her tongue in playful agreement.

Lily opened the letter, and sure enough, just as she predicted, it was signed 'Princess Lily Hayes.' The contents were almost identical to the one she'd received at home that morning—an invitation to meet tomorrow.

Now Lily was genuinely curious. Who was this joker pretending to be her, writing letters to herself under two different names?

What kind of mischief was this person trying to pull?