3. Comrade, I’ve seen your name on the list

From Ivan Letty’s perspective.

For Ivan Letty, the lifelong Emperor of the Rosian Empire, the sacrifice of a comfortable stay in the Kremlin Palace was worth it to attend a speech at the largest academy in the Rosian Empire, the Lubyanka Academy.

Students at Lubyanka Academy, as long as they pass the corresponding tests and graduate successfully, will become the high-end talents and forces of the Rosian Empire in the future. With the third-year students nearing their “graduation” and entering the final period, it was essential for Emperor Ivan Letty to deliver a righteous speech encouraging the students to strive for success and graduate smoothly before the various tests of abilities and knowledge, both easy and strict.

At this moment, before Letty made her appearance, the third-year students waiting in the lecture hall were already restless, not to mention the younger students eagerly waiting by the doors and windows outside the hall.

Naturally, the moment that figure in a white military uniform, draped in a black coat, appeared—looking small yet towering—every student erupted into cheers in unison!

“Ivan Letty! Ivan Letty!…”

This was merely a common occurrence in the Rosia Empire, something that would happen as soon as everyone recognized Letty’s identity. Then, the surrounding cheers abruptly ceased the moment Letty raised her hand.

“Students of the third year at Rublyanka Academy…”

Letty had long since grown accustomed to this scene; she was no longer surprised or nervous, but rather looked forward to the group of future talents of the Rosia Empire before her.

“You should all be aware, even without me saying it: the third-year students at Rublyanka Academy are about to enter their final exams before graduation! Various tests and assessments will follow in quick succession!”

“But this is not a torment for you; it is a test of whether you can become senior talents of the Rosia Empire after graduation, to help make our empire even stronger alongside me! This test is certainly not without merit; I, the Emperor, will also prepare generous rewards for the outstanding among you to commend your efforts!”

“In the previous tests, the grand prize of Rublyanka Academy was unexpectedly taken by a foreign woman from the Great Ying Empire. Are you willing to accept that!? If not, then I want you to use honorable means to seize all the grand prizes this time! Let that woman take her loneliness!”

A deafening cheer erupted from the audience! Among them were shouts of support for Letty and for the Rosia Empire.

“This is Rosia!”

“Long live Emperor Ivan Letty!”

Such a scene no longer required any measure of “approval ratings” to gauge Ivan Letty’s status in the Rosia Empire. After all, anyone with a functioning brain knew who truly deserved to be the ruler of the Rosia Empire.

As she watched the students below, their enthusiasm bordering on madness, and listened to their excited roars, Letty waved her hand to signal them to calm down, then slowly walked off the stage.

Her responsibility was merely to “mobilize” in this regard, while there was still a mountain of content to explain regarding the “final exams” for the third-year students at Rublyanka Academy. This part was not Letty’s duty; it was the responsibility of the third-year student waiting at the podium for Letty to approach.

“Ahh~” Letty let out a long breath as she walked toward the girl with cherry-colored curls.

“Next up is you, Reyev.”

With a smile, she handed the amplification device to the girl herself.

The girl was also dressed in the uniform of a third-year student at Rublyanka Academy, but her uniform was slightly different from the others: she wore a black shawl over it, which made the two medals hanging from the shawl stand out prominently.

Reyev was the girl’s name. The reason she stood apart from the other third-year students, even being honored with Letty’s direct request for a task, was that her cloak represented a status similar to that of a student council within the academy! Moreover, she was one of the few remaining daughters of a great noble family in the Rosia Empire, close in identity and age to Letty, and they were somewhat acquainted, making her one of Letty’s few friends of the same age.

“…Yes! Lady Letty!”

After a brief moment of silence, Reyev snapped back to reality, immediately responding and taking the device Letty handed her. In this brief interaction, the girl also received a moment of communication with Letty.

“Reyev, you’re also a third-year student about to graduate, right? If you find the workload at the academy too heavy, it’s perfectly fine to delegate some tasks to the teachers; just make sure you excel in your own tests. If you had participated in the last project assessment, I certainly wouldn’t have had to smile at a foreign woman and give her the reward.”

“…”

“Rather than giving it to some strange person, I would much prefer to give this victory to you. This way, you can stay by my side without being accused by some old-fashioned folks in Rosia of relying on your family connections for your position.”

This was a blatant olive branch thrown by Letty, yet the girl did not respond immediately. However, Letty did not mind this; instead, she stood on her tiptoes like a friend and tapped Reyev on the shoulder, then winked.

“Anyway, this is an easy test for you, right? Don’t let me down, future aide~”

“…Yes.”

The girl, who seemed to have something on her mind, finally answered in a low voice. Just as Letty was about to leave with a sense of relief, Reyev suddenly called out to her!

“Wait, Lady Letty.”

“Mm?”

Her fists clenched for a moment, but when she met Letty’s puzzled gaze, the girl averted her eyes and shook her head.

“It’s nothing, just… I will do my best, Lady Letty.”

“Ha-la-xiu~ The great Empress has taken her leave~”

The girl watched as Letty departed, and at the same time, the previously heated atmosphere in the church cooled down with her absence.

With Ivan Letty the Empress gone, the students of Lubyanka Academy returned to a state of calm, waiting for the academy to announce the details of the upcoming final exams.

And the girl knew: this was her current “duty.”

She bit her lip, and only when Letty’s figure had completely vanished from her sight did she manage to lift her spirits a little. Then, as if to remind herself of something, she shook her head and muttered to herself.

“It’s just not the right time yet…”

Finally, steadying her mind and refocusing her attention, she walked up to the podium with a serious demeanor.

——

Tsk tsk, I wonder if the history-savvy students already know what’s about to happen.

Illustration: Reife