Moonlight filtered thinly through the corridor. The palace at night wore a different face than by day. During daylight hours, servants and nobles moved ceaselessly through the halls, but in the deep of night, only one's own footsteps echoed through the passages. Selina Verdia sat before her desk, still wearing her black mantle. In her hand was a single sheet of paper. *I wish to meet you at the palace archive at the hour of midnight. Tell no one.* That was all it said. The signature belonged to Vald Granveria—the empire's emperor, written in his own hand. *(…So this is what they mean by a secret letter.)* That was her first thought when she'd picked up the envelope that had slipped silently through her door's gap just moments ago. The next instant, her inner voice had screamed. *(A secret meeting!? Just the two of us in the archive at night!? This is obviously a romance flag, isn't it!?)* Even Selina, whose reputation rested on composure and levelheadedness, nearly fell over at that. But she quickly regained her focus. *(Calm down. Calm down, me. This is a chance. The palace archive should have ancient documents, and the hidden history not depicted in the original 'The Holy Light Princess'—the Rift Incident, the Remnant Glow of Ashes—information like that might be sleeping there. This is an intelligence-gathering opportunity. Nothing more, nothing less.)* Telling herself this, she pulled her black mantle tighter. *(…But why midnight? Isn't this the exact same situation as secretly investigating something?)* She sighed once. She decided to ignore the strange noise her chest was making. Selina stood and left her room, her footsteps carefully muffled. 　＊ The palace archive was located on the third floor of the east wing of Kouyoku Palace—the emperor's residence. It was normally used by scholars and court advisors, a vast space with wooden bookshelves reaching to the ceiling lining the walls. When Selina pushed open the heavy door, she was greeted by the pale orange light of magical lamps. These lamps were cheaper to maintain than holy light magic and were permanently installed in places like this where people came and went even at night. But tonight, there were fewer lights than usual. The illumination didn't reach into every corner, and thin shadows fell between the shelves. The smell of old paper, ink, and faint dust. "You came." A voice from the depths. She didn't need to turn around to recognize it—that low voice, stripped of all emotion. Vald Granveria stood beside the central large desk. Not in formal dress, but in a simple black jacket. His silver-gray short hair caught the magical lamp's light with a quiet gleam. His deep crimson eyes held Selina's gaze directly. Selina gave a light bow. "[serious] As you commanded," Polite, but brief. Her expression calm, her guard completely raised. Vald's mouth moved slightly. Not quite a smile. Just a hint of tension leaving his face. "An honest answer," "[sarcastic] I couldn't think of any other response," Vald gestured to a book resting on the desk. It was thick, its cover discolored brown. So ancient it seemed it would crumble at a touch. "Can you read this? It's written in ancient script," Selina stepped closer and peered at the book. *(Ancient script…! My knowledge from my past life won't help at all with this.)* Fine, complex characters were packed densely across the page. The system was different from modern Granverian. She could barely recognize a few characters, but she couldn't grasp the overall meaning at all. *(But…)* Selina rested her chin in her hand, thinking. In the history classes at the academy, there had been a little basic ancient script instruction. Combined with her memories from her past life— "I'll try," She settled onto a chair before the book. Vald remained standing beside her, leaning down to look at the same text. The distance between them: thirty centimeters. *(Close. Why is he so close?)* Selina pretended not to notice and focused on the characters. She traced her eyes along the first line. The second. The third— *(This character has a shape close to "light." The one next to it is…a verb? The meaning is…)* Vald's body heat was beside her. His breathing, barely audible. For some reason, just that alone made the character shapes refuse to enter her mind. "[serious] Your Majesty, could you stand a bit further away?" "[cold] I cannot see from anywhere else," *Absolute lie,* Selina thought. The book was open on the desk—it could be read from anywhere. But Vald didn't budge an inch. *(This man is definitely doing this on purpose…!)* Selina took a deep breath and turned her attention back to the characters. Focus. Focus. Ignore that the emperor is beside you, that his deep crimson eyes are following the same page, that his clothes carry the faint scent of ink and leather—all of it is nothing. The purpose is intelligence gathering. That's all. 　＊ How much time had passed? Selina picked up the characters one by one, slowly advancing through the page. When she'd read about a quarter of it, she felt a strange sensation on the back of her neck. A gaze. Not from beside her—from directly to the side, staring intently. Not at the characters. At me. Selina's fingertip stopped dead. *(…I know. I know, and I'm going to turn around.)* The moment she turned her face sideways, she nearly gasped. Vald's face was there. Less than ten centimeters away. His deep crimson eyes looked directly at Selina's face—at her eyes—straight on. Just that alone made her breath catch. "[surprised] …Your Majesty," "[serious] What?" "[serious] You're too close," "[cold] I see," He didn't move. Not a millimeter. Selina felt her face grow warm. This wasn't anger. If it were anger, it would be easier. "…What were you looking at?" "[serious] Your eyes," An answer without hesitation. Selina found herself at a loss for words. "When you concentrate, you're…interesting. When you're trying to solve something, the color of your eyes changes," "[serious] …What does that mean, exactly?" "It means what I said," Vald's right hand slowly extended toward Selina's cheek. She thought he would touch her. He stopped just short. His fingertips froze in midair. One second. Two seconds. Vald exhaled slowly. "Forgive me," The tone of his voice changed slightly. Something else mixed into the coldness. "I had no intention of crossing a line. But…when I'm with you, I feel something strange," Selina couldn't say anything. *(Something strange. I never thought the highest authority in the kingdom would speak like that.)* But looking at his profile, she noticed something. It was the same face she'd seen that night in the garden. Loneliness. Loneliness that couldn't be hidden. And—Selina's own face tonight might be the same. The magical lamp's light flickered across the ancient book. Two shadows stretched across the bookshelf wall. 　＊ Vald took a step back. A deep breath. His posture straightened. The emperor's face returned to its usual stillness. "That's enough for tonight. I didn't mean to trouble you," "[serious] No…I, that is," Her words wouldn't come smoothly. She couldn't calculate what to say in this situation. Even her past-life knowledge of otome games failed her tonight. Vald looked at Selina directly. For the first time tonight, something like hesitation appeared in those deep crimson eyes. "Selina," He spoke only her name. No title. No honorific. "I am drawn to you. Not as an emperor, but as a man," *(A confession!!!)* Selina's inner voice exploded. *(This is a complete confession! There's nothing like this in the original! I was supposed to avoid destruction flags, so why is a romance flag sprouting up!?)* Her expression didn't move. Not at all. Selina's training as a noblewoman did its greatest work in this very moment. "…However, that attraction may put you in danger," Vald continued. Real weight entered his voice for the first time. Selina received those words deep in her chest. Danger. When this man said "danger," he meant it. The man who held the kingdom's fate in his hands had spoken of danger before his own feelings. That alone told her how troublesome this emotion was. "…I am honored by your feelings, Your Majesty," She answered quietly, but honestly. "However, I also need time to organize my own emotions," Vald was silent for a moment. Then he smiled. It resembled that faint smile he'd shown at the grand audience. "I understand. I won't rush you," He took a step, then another, away from the desk. He began walking toward the door, then turned back halfway. "But don't forget. I won't give up on you," With only that, Vald left the archive. The door closed quietly. The magical lamp's light continued to flicker unchanged. The smell of old paper lingered. Selina was left alone in the archive. She placed her hand on her chest. Her pulse was racing. *(…I'm completely falling in love.)* She was surprised at herself. She'd come tonight intending to avoid destruction, and this was the ending that awaited her. *(What do I do?)* She meant it sincerely. Her knowledge of the original story had predicted nothing of tonight's events. Vald Granveria was not the "cold villain" written in the book. He was lonely, clumsy, and yet sincere. Selina gently closed the ancient document on the desk. The translation was still incomplete. *(I'll have to come again, then…)* She sighed and headed for the door. When she stepped into the corridor, only moonlight greeted her. No one was there. No trace of Vald remained. Selina walked through the silent hallway, repeating his confession in her mind. ——I won't give up on you. "…What's even happening here? This is the opposite of avoiding destruction," The words came out before she could stop them, and she laughed bitterly. For the first time, her true feelings emerged in a place where no one could hear. Her voice was swallowed by the night corridor and disappeared. Her heartbeat took a long time to settle.