Immortal Supreme: Sovereign of the Grand Dao-Chapter 313: Someone Still Dump Enough to Offend Me

"Why would Prince Arthur bother with commoners?"

"Look at how they’re dressed. Definitely not nobility."

Philia kept her head high and her expression neutral. She was used to judgment and disdain. It didn’t bother her anymore.

Touki, however, seemed oblivious to the stares. He was too busy looking at all the food options. "Wow! Big sis, they have everything!"

They got their meals and found seats at a less crowded table. As they ate, Philia observed the other students.

Most were indeed from noble families. Their bearing, their confidence, their casual displays of wealth—it all spoke to privileged backgrounds. Very few appeared to be commoners like herself and Touki.

"This is going to be interesting," she muttered.

"What is?" Touki asked through a mouthful of food.

"Navigating the social dynamics here," Philia replied. "We’re outsiders. That makes us targets."

"If anyone tries to bully us, I’ll just show them my martial spirit!" Touki declared.

"No," Philia said firmly. "We don’t want to make enemies. At least not unnecessarily. We keep our heads down, focus on training, and prove ourselves through results."

"That’s boring," Touki complained.

"That’s smart," Philia corrected. "Trust me."

As they finished their meal, a group of students approached their table. Three young men, all wearing the uniforms of senior students. Their expressions were not friendly.

"So you’re the special disciples everyone’s talking about," the leader said. He was tall with blonde hair and an arrogant sneer. "Commoners receiving royal patronage. How... unusual."

Philia met his gaze steadily. "Is there something we can help you with?"

"Just wanted to introduce ourselves," the blonde said. "I’m Marcus Thornwood. Third son of Duke Thornwood. These are my associates."

He didn’t bother introducing the others. Clearly they were just followers.

"It’s nice to meet you," Philia said politely. Though she could tell this was anything but a friendly introduction.

"I wonder what you did to earn the Crown Prince’s favor," Marcus continued. His tone was insinuating. "Must have been quite impressive. Or perhaps... quite desperate?"

Touki bristled. "Watch what you say about big bro Arthur!"

Marcus’s eyes gleamed with malicious amusement. "Big bro? How familiar. Tell me, boy, does the Crown Prince know you call him that?"

"He doesn’t mind," Touki shot back. "Because we’re his friends!"

"Friends?" Marcus laughed. "That’s rich. The Crown Prince taking commoner friends. What is the world coming to?"

Philia placed a hand on Touki’s arm, warning him to stay calm. "If you’ll excuse us, we need to prepare for tomorrow’s classes."

She stood, pulling Touki up with her. They moved to leave.

But Marcus stepped into their path. "Not so fast. I think we should establish some things. This academy has a hierarchy. Noble families at the top. Commoners at the bottom. Royal patronage doesn’t change that."

"Move aside," Philia said. Her voice was cold.

"Or what?" Marcus challenged. "You’ll run crying to the Crown Prince? He’s not here to protect you. And he won’t always be around to shield you from reality."

The tension in the air grew thick. Other students were watching now, waiting to see what would happen.

Touki’s power began to stir. Philia could feel it. Her brother was getting angry, and when that happened, his special physique reacted.

Before things could escalate further, a new voice cut through the tension.

"Is there a problem here?"

Everyone turned. An older student approached. He wore the badge of a student council member. His expression was stern.

"No problem," Marcus said quickly. His tone became respectful. "Just welcoming the new students."

"It didn’t look like a welcome," the council member said. "It looked like harassment. Should I report this to the Vice Principal?"

"That won’t be necessary," Marcus replied. He shot Philia and Touki one last look before stepping aside. "We were just leaving anyway."

He and his followers departed. The council member watched them go before turning to Philia and Touki.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"We’re fine," Philia replied. "Thank you for intervening."

"No need to thank me," the council member said. "I’m just doing my job. But be careful. Marcus Thornwood and his group have influence here. They won’t forget this."

"We understand," Philia said.

The council member nodded and walked away. Philia and Touki finally left the dining hall.

As they walked back to their quarters, Touki was unusually quiet. Finally he spoke. "Big sis, why do people like that exist?"

"Because they’ve never faced real hardship," Philia replied. "They think their family names make them superior. They don’t understand that true strength comes from within, not from titles."

"I don’t like them," Touki muttered.

"Neither do I," Philia agreed. "But we don’t have to like them. We just have to be better than them."

They reached their quarters and prepared for bed. Tomorrow would be their first real day at the Royal Academy.

As Philia lay in her comfortable new bed, staring at the ceiling, she thought about everything that had happened.

Prince Arthur’s protection had given them this opportunity. But it had also painted targets on their backs. They would need to prove themselves worthy of that protection.

’We’ll become strong,’ she vowed silently. ’Strong enough that people like Marcus Thornwood will think twice before challenging us.’

’Strong enough to stand beside Prince Arthur without shame.’

With that thought, she closed her eyes and let sleep claim her.

Tomorrow would be the beginning of a new Chapter in their lives. And she was determined to make it count.

That same night, Arthur received a report from Helia detailing everything about Philia and Touki’s arrival at the academy.

Reading through the end, Arthur wondered out loud, "Is there still someone dump enough to offend me at this point?"

"Your highness, should I take action?" Helia asked.

"No need," Arthur shook his head.

"If they can’t even face this much pressure then why put in the effort? Besides, the cultivation world is much more cruel. They already have my backing so those arrogant brats won’t go too far, but..."

"Send a warning to the Duke...he should be smart enough to know what exactly he should do."

"As you have instructed..."

===== 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

A/N: Finally I can focus on Arthur now!