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Returning to her lodging, Camilla collapsed onto the bed as if she had been thrown there. If her attending maid had seen her, she would have scolded her for such undignified behavior, but the room was empty except for her.

After staring blankly at the ceiling for a while, she suddenly frowned as if remembering something, then flipped over and buried her face in the bedsheets. After lying quietly for a moment, she flipped back over and stared at the ceiling again.

Repeating this cycle for about ten minutes, she began pounding the bed with her fists while lying face down. It was as if she was recalling something embarrassing and thrashing about in frustration.

“Why did I do that…!” she exclaimed, sitting up abruptly and ruffling her disheveled hair. Since returning to her room, she had been agonizing over everything that had happened with Gilbert.

After finishing her morning training, Camilla had gone to find Gilbert to have lunch with him. Her intention was to cheer him up, as he had been struggling with the recent New Resistance suppression efforts.

As expected, she found Gilbert deep in thought, likely due to the New Resistance issue. Camilla made a fuss and stood in front of him. Fortunately, her ridiculous antics made Gilbert smile, albeit more of a wry smile than a genuine one. Still, it achieved her goal of momentarily distracting him from his worries.

Yes, up to that point, everything had been perfect!

But then, during their conversation, Gilbert’s question became the catalyst for disaster. He asked why she, who usually didn’t care much about others’ feelings, was acting this way.

Camilla knew she treated Gilbert differently from others. She couldn’t help it—she was aware of her own feelings. But as if possessed, she ended up spilling everything she had been hiding in her heart.

She held nothing back, leaving no room for misunderstanding. She had confessed her feelings for Gilbert, and upon realizing what she had done, she forgot about their lunch plans and rushed back to her room, where she now pounded her bed in frustration.

How am I supposed to face Gilbert now…?

Though Camilla had always lived for excitement, she still had the emotions of a girl her age. Regardless of the reason, she had confessed to Gilbert. In their society, it was usually the men who initiated romantic advances, but there were exceptions.

Among the nobility, who valued appearances, it was generally frowned upon for a woman to express her feelings first. However, exceptions were made for those with exceptional abilities.

Given Camilla’s rapidly improving skills, she barely met that standard, so she didn’t need to worry about others’ opinions. Not that she cared about such things anyway.

What worried her now was facing Gilbert after confessing without any mental preparation. Since realizing her feelings during their last meal together, she had been nurturing those emotions.

But now, having blurted out her confession, even Camilla felt the pressure of facing Gilbert. The only consolation was that Gilbert didn’t seem to dislike her.

In fact, confessing might have been a good thing. Objectively, Gilbert was an attractive man. Brynhild, whom Camilla called a “muscle woman,” had even left her clan to enroll at Demia Empire Academy, declaring her intention to marry him.

If Camilla had hesitated, Brynhild might have snatched Gilbert away. Despite their constant bickering, Camilla couldn’t deny that Brynhild was an attractive person.

Brynhild had a perfectly proportioned, muscular body and a pretty face that even Camilla, as a fellow woman, envied. Camilla wasn’t unattractive herself, but her eccentric behavior often undermined her charm.

Moreover, Brynhild’s bold personality meant she was constantly trying to appeal to Gilbert. Though he seemed indifferent now, there was no guarantee he would remain that way.

While the confession had been unexpected, timing-wise, it might have been a good move.

“Pull yourself together, Camilla! You were going to do it anyway,” she muttered, lying on her back and staring at the ceiling. She slapped her cheeks with her palms, the force turning them red and making them burn.

Feeling the heat in her cheeks, Camilla felt a surge of determination. Though thinking of Gilbert made her feel embarrassed, her desire to be with him grew even stronger.

This was the moment when Camilla’s personality—always diving headfirst into anything that interested her—rose to the surface.

***

Seraphina sat alone in her office after dismissing her attendants and even Yannick, her guard. She stared into space, lost in thought, not even blinking.

A suffocating silence filled the office. The calm atmosphere was charged with an explosive tension, centered around Seraphina, who had remained silent until now.

“Annoying,” she muttered, her expressionless face finally showing a slight change. It was a subtle shift, just a slight twitch of her eyebrow, but it was noticeable given her usually icy demeanor.

Her face now showed irritation, anger, and fragments of an indescribable emotion. Though Seraphina was usually excellent at controlling her emotions, she found it difficult to do so now.

The reason for her emotional turmoil was simple and clear: Gilbert and Camilla’s conversation, specifically Camilla’s confession to Gilbert.

After receiving a report from Gilbert about Horizon, Seraphina had been engrossed in her work. She had been reorganizing units and making personnel appointments for the upcoming expedition, and time had flown by.

Taking a break from her work, she went for a walk with Yannick, her guard. While strolling, she happened to overhear Gilbert and Camilla’s conversation, specifically Camilla’s heartfelt confession.

Hearing the sincere confession, Seraphina’s mind went blank, and she returned to her office in a daze. Even now, she couldn’t hide her discomfort and sat alone in her room.

Why am I feeling so upset and angry?

Objectively, there was no reason for her to be angry. The strengthening bond between two members of her faction was something she should welcome.

Especially since Gilbert, who had zero chance of betrayal, and Camilla, who was unpredictable, forming a connection would likely solidify Camilla’s loyalty to her faction.

By all accounts, this was a good situation for Seraphina. There was no need for her to be so sensitive.

Yet, Seraphina couldn’t control her emotions. If anything, the fragments of her emotions grew larger and more intense as time passed.

If she were to describe the color of these emotional fragments, it would be black—not the deep black of the night sky, but the sticky, murky black of an abyss.

The intelligent Seraphina quickly realized what this emotion was.

It was jealousy.

Jealousy? The future ruler of the Empire, jealous?

Seraphina didn’t want to admit it. She couldn’t understand why she, who was destined to rise to the highest position, would feel jealous over the possibility of losing a man.

But there was no other word to describe this emotion. Though she had never felt it before, she wasn’t foolish enough to not recognize it.

Seraphina’s fingers tapped on her desk, a sign that her thoughts were racing.

After tapping for what felt like the time it took to drink a cup of tea, she suddenly stopped. Her chaotic thoughts had finally settled.

The conclusion she reached after much deliberation was simple.

Her feelings for the priest were more than just goodwill.

Seraphina honestly admitted everything. She accepted the feelings she had for Gilbert and the emotions she had just experienced without denial.

Now, she could face the emotions buried deep in her heart, emotions she hadn’t been aware of until now.

Even she had only just realized it.

The first princess of the Infractus Empire, Seraphina, was in love with Gilbert Lion Heart.

***

Gilbert, who had finally discovered the reason for Seraphina’s increasing Twisted Index, felt no joy. To be precise, it wasn’t that he wasn’t happy, but he had no idea how to handle the situation.

The increase in her Twisted Index was due to her feelings for him. Seraphina’s desire for talent had evolved into an obsession with Gilbert, who had repeatedly achieved outstanding results.

This obsession, for some reason, had developed into affection for Gilbert, and his actions now directly influenced her Twisted Index. The rapid increase in Seraphina’s Twisted Index after witnessing Camilla’s confession was proof of this.

Gilbert could only let out a deep sigh. He had found the cause, but he had no solution.

Initially, he thought joining her faction and satisfying her desire for talent would be enough, but it wasn’t.

To use Tactical Combat as an analogy, it was like unlocking Seraphina’s romance route, which had been impossible to open before.

This is driving me crazy.

Gilbert irritably ran his hand through his hair and leaned back in his chair. He felt all his motivation draining away.

The romance route that had been impossible to unlock had now been opened in real life, and it was the worst kind—one that would lead to a bad ending if not cleared.

He had no idea what the criteria for clearing the romance route even were. Simply promising to stay together forever wouldn’t solve the problem.

Moreover, he still hoped to return to his original world, which made the situation even more complicated.

If he returned to his world without a second thought, it seemed like this world would be doomed.

Additionally, the Seeker of the forcibly accepted Sub Scenario wasn’t just Seraphina. His master, Briana, was also involved, and there was still someone else whose identity remained unknown.

If Seraphina’s romance route had been unlocked, it was likely that Briana and the unknown person were under the same conditions.

Given the absurd difficulty of Tactical Combat, this wasn’t an unreasonable assumption.

And then there’s the Camilla issue.

Gilbert wasn’t a fool. He had noticed Camilla’s interest in him before, but he hadn’t realized it had developed into romantic feelings.

He had thought she was just intrigued by him as an interesting friend. In reality, her feelings had grown much deeper, and she had confessed outright.

In a way, it was very much like Camilla to act before thinking. But that didn’t make his headache any less severe.

Gilbert frowned as he thought about Camilla, Seraphina, and Briana. His sharp mind, which was so effective in battle, was of no help in this situation.

“Commander Gilbert.”

“Angelina?”

Lost in thought, Gilbert only noticed Angelina when she entered to deliver a report. He straightened his disheveled clothes and posture.

“You seem deep in thought.”

“There’s been a lot on my mind. Any news on Horizon’s movements?”

“Found and then some. Horizon doesn’t seem to be hiding at all.”

“…Did he declare war?”

“Did you expect this?”

“His records suggested as much.”

Gilbert quickly skimmed the report Angelina handed him. As he had anticipated, Horizon seemed to have given up on hiding. The records he left behind showed he took great pride in being a descendant of the Lion King.

Gilbert had suspected Horizon might try to follow in the Lion King’s footsteps, and it seemed he was right.

“Horizon is gathering the scattered New Resistance members and his forces in one place. The intelligence analysts agree he will soon reveal himself with an army.”

“I see. Where do you think he’ll appear first and where he’ll advance?”

Gilbert had a guess but decided to ask Angelina anyway.

“The place where the Lion King met his end. Obitus is the most likely.”

“I thought so.”

Gilbert’s guess matched Angelina’s. Given Horizon’s strong sense of self and desire to follow the Lion King, it was only natural he would aim for Obitus first.

“Understood. I’ll report this to Her Highness.”

“Horizon is expected to make his move within a week at the earliest, or a month at the latest. We need to be ready by then.”

“Understood. I’ll inform Her Highness of that as well.”

After Angelina left, Gilbert finished reading the report and headed to Seraphina’s office. Though he wasn’t ready to face her with his thoughts still in disarray, the impending war demanded his attention.

 

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