The imperial capital of Geltheim was still asleep in the early morning. The streetlamps lit by heraldic magic were gradually losing their glow as dawn broke. Reina Selyus, having left the Duke of Selyus's mansion, pulled her cloak collar high and walked with her face hidden. The cloth-wrapped bundle in her hand was heavy with food and silver coins. Bread, cheese, and salted meat she'd quietly taken from the kitchen last night. And ten silver coins she'd gathered bit by bit from her own inheritance. (I absolutely cannot be discovered.) Her chest was racing. Not from anxiety, but from something else entirely. A bodily reaction she'd never experienced in her past life. The magic rune on her left wrist grew faintly warm. She moved through the back alleys of the capital. A deserted lane before the merchants' shops opened—old cobblestones swallowing her footsteps. Soon, a dilapidated wooden building came into view. An orphanage in the outer district of the capital. One of the facilities run by the White Lily Order. She approached the back gate. A rusted iron door. The lock was simple. With knowledge from her past life and careful observation of this world, she knew how to open it. The moment she reached out her hand. "What are you doing there?" A low voice. From behind her. Reina Selyus's body went rigid. She turned slowly. The figure that came into view radiated an overwhelming presence beyond her imagination. A knight over 185 centimeters tall with neatly arranged jet-black hair. But what caught her eye most was his gaze. Steel-cold, blue-gray eyes that pierced through Reina Selyus like a blade. A blue magic rune tattooed on his right hand—the mark of the Imperial Knight's Crown. The black knight's uniform bore the imperial crest. And from that figure emanated an absolute, crushing presence. Walter Eldrich. The empire's greatest knight. (No... the game's capture target... he's real.) Reina Selyus screamed internally. But she couldn't let it show. She had to maintain composure. "I... that is—" Her voice was shaking. She could hear it herself. Walter Eldrich didn't move. He simply observed Reina Selyus. His gaze seemed to pierce through to her very soul. He looked down at the cloth bundle in her hands, then back at her face. "The Duke of Selyus's daughter. In such a place, in the dawn light. And that bundle..." His voice was low and calm. But beneath it lay an unmistakable pressure. "It's charity work." Reina Selyus answered on impulse. Those words were exactly what she'd planned to do as the first step of her destruction-avoidance strategy. "Charity work." Walter Eldrich repeated her words. His expression remained unchanged. "The reputation of the Duke of Selyus's daughter has reached even the privy council. An abhorrent young lady—arrogant, cruel, even disrespectful to the queen. Why would such a lady come to a place like this in the dawn light, hidden from everyone's eyes?" His words were perfectly accurate. He knew of all the misdeeds Reina Selyus had committed in the game "Princess of Longing." "I've had a change of heart." She forced the words out desperately. "A change of heart." Walter Eldrich took a step closer. Reina Selyus instinctively stepped back. But he didn't advance further—he simply watched her. "I'd like you to provide evidence sufficient to believe that claim." A quiet voice. Yet something was compressed within it. Doubt. Caution. And something strangely obsessive. "Then prove it to me. Whether you're truly acting out of goodwill, or scheming something." He declared it. "I will witness your work at the orphanage myself." (This is the worst.) Reina Selyus's inner voice screamed. She was being monitored by Walter Eldrich—the very person who caused her destruction ending. Nothing could be more unfortunate. But she couldn't refuse. Refusing would only deepen his suspicion. "As you wish." Reina Selyus bowed her head. The back gate opened. Walter Eldrich must have been watching beyond it since the moment Reina Selyus touched it. Or perhaps he'd been surveilling this place all along. Either way, his gaze had been fixed here long ago. The two entered the orphanage. The interior of the dilapidated building was surprisingly clean. The long tables had no breakfast prepared yet. The children would be waking soon. Reina Selyus opened her bundle and began arranging the food. Meanwhile, Walter Eldrich leaned against the wall, simply observing. Soon, the children woke. Orphans ranging from five to fifteen years old. Their expressions brightened when they saw Reina Selyus. She had already visited several times before. "It's Reina-san!" The youngest girl ran over. Reina Selyus lifted her up. "Good morning, Tina. Did you sleep well?" Natural words. A natural smile. Yet it wasn't an act. She truly didn't harbor ill feelings toward these children. Clumsy kindness, but sincere. The meal distribution began. Reina Selyus stared intently at the hand of a boy about eight years old. "You're hurt here. What happened?" "Um, yesterday, I was carrying a wooden box I found..." The boy answered. The wound was shallow, but showed signs of infection. It was swollen and purple. Reina Selyus took out a salve that smelled of medicinal herbs from the cloth she'd brought. Compassion. Or medical knowledge. Her knowledge from her past life should work in this world too. She carefully washed the boy's wound and applied the salve. Her movements clearly belonged to someone with medical expertise. Walter Eldrich narrowed his eyes. "Why do you possess such knowledge?" To his question, Reina Selyus deflected with "I simply read about it in books." But her voice was unnatural. (He has good instincts.) Reina Selyus murmured internally. In the game "Princess of Longing," Walter Eldrich was known for his extensive knowledge and keen observation. But reality exceeded the game. His sharp gaze seemed determined to expose Reina Selyus's secrets. The two walked through the main streets of the capital after finishing at the orphanage. The morning sun grew steadily stronger, and Geltheim began to wake. Merchants opened their shops, workers passed by on their way to work. Walter Eldrich remained expressionless. Yet his gaze never left Reina Selyus. "For now, I'll believe you. Your actions do contain elements of genuine goodwill." He said this. "But." He continued. "Your actions contain many contradictions. Acting in the dawn light, hidden from everyone's eyes. Medical knowledge. And even that medical knowledge itself—it's not something you should originally possess." His eyes pierced through her once more. "I will continue to observe your actions. In the process, those contradictions will become clear. And when that time comes—" "Either your true identity will be exposed, or all those contradictions will find explanation." He stopped there. Then he turned toward the Duke of Selyus's mansion and left. Reina Selyus watched his departing back. (This is the worst.) She whispered deep in her heart. But at the same time, another emotion was welling up inside her. Walter Eldrich's sharp gaze. His low voice. His overwhelming presence. All of it gave her body a strange sensation. Her chest was racing. The rune on her left wrist grew faintly warm. (What will happen?) She thought this while watching the knight's figure disappear into the crowd of the street. The Imperial Knight's Crown. The empire's greatest knight. In the game "Princess of Longing," the person who had cornered her many times. But reality was different. His gaze wasn't cornering her—it seemed to be watching her with some other emotion entirely. That was the feeling she had. She didn't know what lay hidden in the depths of those eyes. But in this moment, she felt driven by a desire to find out.