The Villain Professor's Second Chance

There are strands of red hairs on the bangs of her majesty today.

But it's not that important right now.

They all stood straighter, each one aware of her mood, though the exact reason behind it was known to only a few. To most, this seemed like Aurelia at her worst—fiery, irritable, and pressuring them with a silent intensity. But the prime minister and the most seasoned ministers recognized it for what it truly was: a rare moment of absolute focus.

Whenever Queen Aurelia was in this state, something serious was occupying her mind, something that set her in motion like a storm over the horizon. It didn't happen often. Once or twice a year, at most. But when it did, the entire court braced for impact. Today was one of those days.

And although her commands were crisp and efficient, there was an unspoken pressure, like a wave about to crash over them.

The first minister stepped forward, his hands trembling slightly as he held a stack of documents. "Your Majesty, the report from the southern provinces—"

"Summarize it," Aurelia snapped, her voice echoing in the hall. She didn't raise her tone, but the weight of her words was enough to make the minister's knees buckle.

"Y-Yes, Your Majesty," he stammered. "The crops have been failing, and the local nobles are requesting aid from the crown's treasury to—"

"Tell them to cut their expenses and reinvest into their farmlands. Send the treasury a warning if they ask again. Next."

The minister blinked, surprised at how quickly she'd dismantled the issue, but he nodded and stepped back, grateful he wasn't being hung for wasting her time.

The next minister approached cautiously, glancing nervously at the objects floating in the air around her—tables, chairs, even the heavy iron chandelier above their heads, all suspended mid-air by her psychokinesis. She wasn't even looking at them, wasn't focused on them in the slightest. It was just there, part of the background, her power manifesting as she directed her attention elsewhere.

One of the newer ministers, a young man who had only recently joined the council, looked like he was about to ask why everything was floating, but a single glance from Aurelia silenced him. He swallowed hard and kept his mouth shut.

The next report poured in, this time from the military. "Your Majesty, there have been increased border skirmishes with the neighboring kingdom. We believe it's a precursor to—"

"Double the patrols, have General Istvan oversee the defense, and send a message to their ambassador. Make it clear that another step into our lands will be considered an act of war," Aurelia said smoothly, her eyes locked on the military advisor with a calm intensity. "Remind them that they are not in a position to fight us. If they persist, crush them. Next."

Her mind was like a finely tuned machine, moving from one issue to the next with ruthless efficiency. Every command was precise, decisive, leaving no room for argument or hesitation. It was as though she already knew the answers before the ministers even opened their mouths. The reports kept coming, each one handled with the same calculated brilliance, leaving the court in awe.

It wasn't often that they saw her like this—calm, efficient, focused. Normally, Aurelia was fiery, prone to outbursts of swearing, calling everyone bastards and idiots if they dared to waste her time. But today, she was in complete control.

Yet, there was a weight to the air. The way the objects floated around her, heavy things like the marble table and thick wooden doors hovering effortlessly, seemed more than just a display of power. The ministers exchanged glances, the rumor that had been circling for days now buzzing at the back of their minds. They all had heard it: Queen Aurelia was preparing for something.

More specifically, she was preparing for someone.

Professor Draven Arcanum von Drakhan, the Earl of Drakhan, had challenged her.

The words hung unspoken in the air. Nobody dared to mention it outright, but the rumors were clear: Draven had issued some kind of challenge to the queen, and it had lit a fire inside her. Perhaps the professor, known for his cold intellect and razor-sharp mind, had underestimated her. Perhaps he'd pushed just a bit too far with his condescending air.

Or maybe, just maybe, he knew exactly how to get under her skin.

The ministers could see it—the subtle changes. Aurelia's fierce focus wasn't just because of the reports or the state of the kingdom. It was because she was determined to defeat him, to prove that no one, not even Draven, could stand above her. Her pride as both a ruler and a genius was at stake, and everyone in the room felt the pressure of that unspoken battle.

One minister, braver than the rest, dared to ask, "Your Majesty… about the floating—"

He stopped mid-sentence when she shot him a glare that could freeze lava. The man's mouth snapped shut, and he bowed low, not daring to finish his question. Aurelia didn't even need to speak. The message was clear: Don't ask. Just keep up.

The reports ended as abruptly as they had begun, with each minister dismissed as quickly as they had arrived. Aurelia leaned back in her chair—though it was floating three feet off the ground—and let out a long breath, her mind still spinning with thoughts. Draven. That cold, calculating bastard. She was going to make him eat his words, whatever those words had been.

The specifics of the challenge didn't matter. All that mattered was that she would win.

Once the ministers had cleared out, Aurelia rose from her floating throne, stretching her arms above her head, and began walking toward the private chambers where her next meeting was scheduled. Unlike other rulers, Aurelia didn't waste time inspecting every little detail of her kingdom herself. She delegated, trusted her people, and showed an iron fist when necessary.

Anyone caught tampering with reports, giving false information, or trying to deceive her met a swift end. Hanging was the preferred method—it sent a message. Deception was not tolerated in her court.

Yet, she was not naive. Even in her genius, Aurelia knew that ruling a kingdom required more than just delegation and punishment. It required understanding, an intellect sharp enough to catch lies before they even formed on someone's lips. And that, she had in abundance. Today, however, her mind wasn't on matters of state. It was on something far more personal.

"Send them in," she called as she approached the grand chamber. Her voice rang with authority, and the guards quickly moved to open the doors. Inside, a group of men and women sat around a large, ornate table. Each one of them was a master of the game of Go, the ancient strategy game that required patience, foresight, and a brilliant mind to master.

Aurelia had never cared much for the game before. She found it tedious, preferring action over slow, methodical thinking. But now, things were different. Draven had challenged her, and Go was his arena. She would meet him there, and she would crush him.

The players around the table looked nervous. They had all heard the rumors, too, about the queen's newfound obsession with the game. Some whispered that she was trying to sharpen her intellect even further, to become unbeatable. But none of them knew the real reason. None of them knew that the queen didn't care about Go at all. This wasn't about the game—it was about beating Draven.

"Your Majesty," one of the Go masters, an older man with a silver beard, bowed deeply as she approached. "We are honored to have been summoned."

"Good," Aurelia said, seating herself at the head of the table. "Let's begin."

The game started quickly, the Go masters taking turns placing their stones on the board with deliberate precision. Each move was calculated, thought out several steps in advance. They played slowly, carefully, as though testing the waters before committing to a full strategy. But Aurelia had no time for such caution.

She slammed her stone onto the board with a fierce intensity that made the players jump. "Let's move this along, shall we? I'm not here for your little games. I need the best strategies you've got."

The Go masters exchanged nervous glances. They had never seen someone approach the game with such aggression, such impatience. But Aurelia wasn't interested in playing by the rules. She was here to win, and she was here to win quickly.

One by one, the Go masters tried to outwit her, laying traps, setting up defensive strategies, but Aurelia saw through them all. She wasn't a master of the game, not by a long shot, but her mind was a battlefield, constantly calculating, shifting, adapting. She saw the patterns, the weaknesses, and she exploited them mercilessly.

The older man with the silver beard, clearly the most experienced of the group, placed his stone on the board with a satisfied smile. "A clever move, Your Majesty," he said, his tone gentle but confident. "But I'm afraid this is where your strategy ends."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Aurelia stared at the board for a moment, her eyes narrowing. The man had set a trap, a clever one, but she wasn't about to walk into it. Her fingers hovered over the board for just a second before she slammed her stone down with a grin. "Not today, old man."