The servants of the Dawn Oath were keeping watch within the academy. After receiving that news, Elicia Valentine found herself unable to sleep no matter what. From the window of her quarters in the Hall of Dawn—the third floor of the east wing of Celestia Palace—she could see Reveria at night. The scattered lights of luminous lamps melted into the stone-paved streets. It was quiet. Too quiet, in fact, which only made her mind noisier. (I should have thought more deeply about the meaning of Ortan's letter.) Elicia sat on the edge of her bed, gently touching the starfrost necklace with her fingertips. A thin silver chain. She had worn it since the day of her transmigration, and it had glowed again last night. A way of glowing that wasn't written anywhere in the game. —If I can't sleep, I'll walk. With that decision, Elicia draped a thin cloak over her shoulders and left her room. The Moonlight Corridor was a connecting passage between the east and west wings of Celestia Palace. At night, luminous lamps glowed softly, and the white marble floor shone faintly. It felt like a completely different place from daytime—quiet and filled with a fantastical atmosphere. Elicia's footsteps echoed low against the stone floor. When she reached the middle of the corridor, there was a figure. Standing quietly in the darkness. Not moving a muscle. A tall man with jet-black hair tied low. His deep green eyes looked straight at her. Ortan Meryl. The Chief Chamberlain—the highest position overseeing all the palace's attendants. The hawk-feather tattoo on his right wrist glimmered faintly in the luminous lamp's light. Elicia stopped. [whispers] "...I couldn't sleep." As if making an excuse, she said this, and Ortan nodded slightly. [serious] "I was aware. I heard your footsteps." His tone was careful, pronouncing each word precisely. That was how Ortan spoke—with almost no emotion. Elicia trusted him, but at the same time, she thought of him as someone with unknowable depths. Ortan opened his mouth quietly. [serious] "The Dawn Oath is collecting records of Your Highness's movements. As I informed you in my letter, Duke Ule's activities extend beyond the academy. Just yesterday, we confirmed two individuals who recorded details of contact between Your Highness and Crown Prince Lucian." Her chest grew cold. The Dawn Oath—a political alliance of three ducal houses supporting Crown Prince Lucian. Originally, the Valentine family should have belonged to it, but since Elicia's "reformation," distance had grown between them. To them, Elicia was now an unpredictable entity. They might try to use her, or they might judge her an obstacle—there was no way to know which way it would go. [whispers] "...Then, what should I do?" "For now, I recommend minimizing contact in public settings." Ortan said that, then paused slightly. "And—" His deep green eyes turned toward Elicia's neck. [serious] "The necklace Your Highness possesses is not ordinary. I cannot provide details, but—it would be wise not to touch it in places where others might see." Elicia reflexively reached for the necklace—and stopped. (So he did notice after all.) [serious] "...How do you know about that?" Ortan's eyes narrowed slightly. Instead of answering, he smiled quietly. It was a smile with implications, but without hostility. "There may be things I can tell you someday. For now, only this caution." Elicia stared at his face. Trust and distrust existed simultaneously in her chest. What does this man know, and what is he hiding? But tonight, she felt she couldn't ask further. "...Thank you." Ortan bowed deeply and disappeared into the darkness of the corridor. Elicia stood there for a while, unable to move. Silence returned to the Moonlight Corridor. ＊ The next day was spent at the Royal Academy. The Library Tower—a four-story stone structure housing approximately forty thousand volumes—had few visitors on its top floor. Afternoon light streamed in diagonally through the high skylights installed for illumination. Dust drifted slowly through the shafts of light. The smell of old parchment and ink. Elicia was organizing historical documents. She was slightly worried that last night's sleeplessness showed under her eyes, but she decided against checking her reflection in the window. Even if she confirmed it, there was nothing she could do about it. "Your Highness." A voice called out. Elicia looked up. Lucian Castelno emerged from behind the bookshelves. His silver hair gleamed quietly in the light from the skylight. Black royal attire. The royal crest earring on his right ear. His 185-centimeter frame made the narrow top floor seem even more cramped. [cold] "There's no one around." Lucian glanced around to confirm, then turned toward Elicia. His icy blue eyes looked straight at her. [cold] "Can I ask? Ever since the second episode—no, since coming to the academy, you've kept changing. Why can you do that much?" It was a question with suppressed emotion, but quiet and heavy pressure behind it. Elicia thought this was a doubt that had been accumulating in Lucian for a long time. From when they first met in the library, from that dusk when he grabbed her wrist in the courtyard, from the time they read documents together in the library tower—he had been measuring something all along. And now, here, it became words. Elicia hesitated for a moment. (Should I be honest? But what, and how much?) [serious] "...I don't want to have regrets." The words came out naturally. "I think I couldn't bear it anymore—turning away every time I saw someone get hurt. I used to do that all the time before." Lucian said nothing. But his eyes—changed from their usual cold clarity to something subtle. They were no longer eyes trying to measure something. They had become eyes trying to receive something. Just for a moment. But it was there, and Elicia saw that change. (Lucian is shaken.) Something pulsed in her chest. Strongly, clearly. Even as Elicia felt it, she thought simultaneously—she must not be swept away by this emotion. Not now. She must not be swept away. But the stronger her attempt to restrain herself, the greater the turmoil in her chest became. Lucian looked away. His gaze turned outward through the window, looking into the distance. "...I see." Just two words. Unreadable emotion, his usual tone. But something was mixed into that voice, however faintly. Silence fell between them. It wasn't long. But it was the kind of silence that seemed to change something. ＊ As evening came, Elicia went out alone to the quiet courtyard. The rose garden at the center of the academy—the place called the "Courtyard of Silence"—was peaceful as always today. Red and pink roses still bloomed, but past their peak, their petals beginning to fall. Each time the wind blew, a sweet fragrance spread. Sitting on a stone bench, Elicia closed her eyes. Lucian's face floated in her mind. That expression of "shaken" emotion. Just remembering it made her chest flutter. "Sister." She looked up. Estavarl Valentine stood at the entrance to the garden. Chestnut-brown short hair, warm amber eyes. The family crest tattoo on his left hand was barely visible on his rolled-up sleeve. His usually gentle expression was different today. He looked like he had come with a decision made. [gentle] "I was waiting for you." "...Were you waiting here?" "I thought you'd come here." Estavarl sat down beside her on the stone bench. Like Elicia, he gazed at the roses. For a moment, quiet air flowed between them. [serious] "I've noticed that the way Crown Prince Lucian looks at you has changed." Elicia's hands stopped on her lap. "So I thought I had to be honest too." Estavarl turned toward Elicia. His amber eyes looked straight at her. [serious] "I also want to be by your side. Whether that's the same feeling as his, I still haven't sorted out in my own mind—but I couldn't help but say it honestly." The fragrance of roses drifted on the wind. Elicia looked at Estavarl's face. Eyes without lies. Sincere, gentle, and because of that—words that were very heavy. Her chest ached in a complicated way. She did love Estavarl. She understood that this sincerity was real. But her feelings for Lucian hadn't disappeared either. She couldn't decide between them. Not right now. Not yet. [serious] "...I can't give you an answer right now." That was all she could manage to say. "But I did receive your feelings properly." Estavarl was quiet for a moment. His expression was complex. Not so much wounded—more like he had received the answer he had prepared himself for. Eventually, he nodded quietly. [gentle] "...That's enough for now." ＊ Night. Ortan sent for her. The Chief Chamberlain's office—a refined but unadorned room facing the Moonlight Corridor. Documents were arranged neatly on shelves, and the night view of Celestia Palace was visible through the window. Ortan stood before his desk. When Elicia entered, he bowed and gestured for her to sit in the chair across from him. [serious] "I'll be direct. Both Crown Prince Lucian and Prince Estavarl have their hearts turned toward Your Highness. I am aware of that." Elicia couldn't say anything. She tried to read what lay beneath Ortan's words, but his deep green eyes were quiet, and his expression didn't change at all. [serious] "What I wish to convey is not a matter of emotion, but of safety. The situation where Your Highness is simultaneously receiving the affections of multiple members of the royal family provides the Dawn Oath with a political pretext. They can make it appear that you're balancing two factions, or they can isolate you—both become possible." His tone was practical. The words of a chamberlain with emotion stripped away. As Elicia listened, she suddenly realized something. (What is this man feeling toward me right now?) Ortan's face was unreadable. But—why call her in at night like this and carefully convey a warning? A letter would have sufficed. The fact that he didn't... Ortan continued speaking. "—However." The tone of his voice changed slightly. Just a little. [serious] "I do not deny the fact that Your Highness wishes to cherish someone." That single statement fell into her chest. It had a different temperature from the practical words before. Elicia looked at Ortan's face. His expression hadn't moved. But those words alone—came from somewhere else. (This man is also carrying something.) The moment she felt that, Elicia found she couldn't ask further. Not that she shouldn't ask. But not now. Ortan picked up a document. [serious] "One more thing. We've received information that the Dawn Oath will make a move in the near future. I'll provide details tomorrow or later. That concludes tonight's business." The conversation was cut short. Elicia stood and bowed. As she turned toward the door, she looked back once. Ortan had already lowered his gaze to the documents. His profile said nothing. But—the temperature of that one statement remained with Elicia. Back in her quarters, she looked out the window. The night of Reveria was scattered with luminous lamp lights. Three faces appeared in her mind in turn. Lucian's eyes, shaken. Estavarl's face, as if he had made a decision. Ortan's words, with a different temperature. None of these scenes existed in the game "The Radiant Princess." (The world is changing because of me.) It wasn't so much frightening as it was a quiet certainty that she had reached a point of no return. The Dawn Oath would move soon. Without touching the starfrost necklace tonight, Elicia simply gazed out the window into the darkness.