Clara Valeria woke up with the strange, unfamiliar sensation of not having a schedule.
No lesson plans.
No magical theory notes.
No Archmagister complaints to prepare counters for.
No princess waiting for her with a smug smile and impossible expectations.
Just a day off.
For several seconds she stared at the ceiling of her guest chamber in the palace, trying to process the concept.
"A day off…" she muttered.
I miss her already- stop.
That had been Veronica's decree, delivered with all the seriousness of imperial law.
Clara rolled onto her side, burying her face into the pillow.
"…I think that was the first royal order in history that actually benefited the person receiving it."
Still, if she had the day free, she might as well use it.
And there was someone she needed to see.
***
It was a bright sunny morning in the capital of the Aethelgard Empire- Aethon. Sunlight spilled over the city's pale stone buildings, warming the wide boulevards and gleaming softly against the glass windows of merchant halls.
Among the capital's many bustling districts, is the famous Seraphel Avenue.
The long avenue stretched through the heart of the commercial quarter like a golden ribbon of opportunity. Elegant storefronts lined both sides of the street, their polished signs and colorful displays competing for the attention of passing crowds. Tailors draped fine silks across their windows, jewelers showcased rings that sparkled like captured starlight, and confectioners arranged delicate pastries beneath domed glass cases.
The street was alive with movement.
Seraphel Avenue was already buzzing with the late morning crowd when Clara arrived.
She paused near the entrance of a small bookshop, shielding her eyes slightly as she scanned the lively street. Carriages rolled past in a steady rhythm, merchants called out to potential customers, and somewhere nearby a street performer was playing a cheerful tune on a violin.
Right.
This was where they agreed to meet.
Clara shifted her weight, glancing around the avenue.
And then-
"Clara! Over here!"
She turned toward the voice.
Leanne stood near a flower stall across the street, waving both arms like she was trying to signal a passing ship. Her brown hair caught the sunlight in soft strands, and her bright emerald eyes lit up the moment Clara spotted her.
Clara couldn't help smiling.
There she was.
The heroine of the novel.
Looking exactly like how a main character should be.
Clara crossed the street, weaving between pedestrians until she reached her.
"You're early," Clara said.
Leanne tilted her head. "You say that like you expected me to be late."
"I did," Clara admitted. "You always get distracted by something on the way."
Leanne looked mildly offended for about two seconds before her attention immediately drifted to the shops lining the avenue.
"…Well, to be fair, look at this place," she said, gesturing around them. "Seraphel Avenue is incredible."
Clara followed her gaze.
Silk shops. Bakeries. Jewelers. Stalls selling trinkets and perfumes.
Leanne leaned closer, lowering her voice conspiratorially.
"Do you think they'd notice if we sampled pastries at every bakery?"
Clara snorted. "They absolutely would."
Leanne sighed dramatically.
Clara nudged her shoulder lightly as they began walking down the avenue together.
"So," Leanne said, glancing sideways at her. "How's life at the palace?"
Clara hesitated.
How did she even explain that?
"Well," she said carefully, "the food is good."
Leanne waited.
"And?"
"And the princess hasn't executed me yet."
Leanne blinked.
"…Clara."
"I'm joking," Clara said quickly.
Well mostly joking.
Leanne studied her face for a moment before shaking her head with a small laugh.
"You always say things like that so casually."
Clara just shrugged.
Walking beside her now, Clara couldn't help thinking back to the day they first met. Leanne had arrived at the Valeria estate a year ago with nothing but a worn travel cloak and the wary eyes of someone who had seen far too much of the world for a girl her age. A refugee from a fallen northern kingdom, she had wandered through imperial territory alone until fate- or perhaps stubborn survival- brought them together.
The Baron had taken her in after discovering her rare talent for magic, and somehow, over the months that followed, the quiet, guarded girl had slowly become family.
Now Leanne walked beside her through the lively streets of Aethon, laughing at something trivial, as if she had always belonged there.
Truthfully, walking beside Leanne like this felt… nice.
Normal.
For a moment, she could almost forget about the palace, the novel, the looming plot she knew was supposed to unfold in this very city.
Just two sisters wandering the capital on a sunny day.
Unfortunately-
Clara's brain chose that exact moment to remember something important.
Her steps slowed.
Seraphel Avenue.
This district.
A sunny day.
A very specific meeting was supposed to happen around here.
Clara's eyes slowly widened.
"…Oh no."
Leanne glanced at her.
"What?"
Clara stared down the street.
Because somewhere nearby-
This is where Leanne would first encounter the Male Lead- Nikolai.
Clara slowed slightly as they walked, her eyes drifting along the busy stretch of Seraphel Avenue.
Somewhere around here…
Her memory began flipping through the scenes of the novel like pages of a book she had once read far too quickly.
If she remembered correctly, this district had been where Leanne first crossed paths with Nikolai von Solari.
Not at the academy.
Not at a noble gathering.
But here, in the middle of the capital.
Clara frowned slightly, trying to piece together the details.
In the novel, Nikolai had been accompanying Prince Vincent on an expedition before officially attending the Academy. Something about investigating unusual beast wolves activity that's been active lately. The rumors had sounded trivial at first- wolves appearing where they shouldn't, behaving strangely, attacking in broad daylight.
But of course, nothing in a story ever stayed trivial.
She remembered a chase.
A narrow alley.
And something small running across the cobblestones.
Nikolai had been investigating alone, his keen senses following trails most would have missed. What he uncovered was far worse than he had anticipated: a wealthy merchant, outwardly respectable, had been employing forbidden magic.
The so-called "beast wolves" that had been terrorizing the outskirts of the city weren't natural- they were creations, magically enhanced abominations designed to intimidate, manipulate the market, and inflate the merchant's profits.
Nikolai chased them into the deepest corner of the district, a narrow alley and abandoned storage quarter that the city's citizens rarely visited.
There, among shadows and crumbling walls, the mage responsible for those experiments made a desperate, last-ditch attempt to save himself- consuming something that twisted his body into something no longer human.
The transformation was immediate and horrifying. The mage's form twisted unnaturally, fur sprouting along his limbs, his posture warping, until before Nikolai stood a half-human, half-beast monstrosity. Its strength and agility far exceeded anything he had encountered, and for the first time in years, Nikolai was truly tested.
Blow after blow, spell against claw, strategy against raw power, he fought relentlessly- but the creature cornered him, forcing him to retreat, step by step, toward the walls of the alley.
And then Leanne appeared. By chance, she had been passing through, carrying herself with quiet confidence despite the shadows and danger. With swift precision and a flash of her magic, she intervened, halting the creature's advance and giving Nikolai the moment he desperately needed to regain his footing.
The rescue was brief, abrupt, and chaotic, but it left a lasting impression on both of them.
It wasn't a grand, sweeping first encounter- there were no names exchanged, no words of promise- but it was enough.
Enough for Nikolai to memorize the shape of her face, the way she moved under pressure, the strength hidden beneath her youth.
Enough that when they crossed paths again, he would recognize her instantly, even if she could not recognize him in the mask that concealed his identity. And they would cross their paths again in the Academy.
Now I´m going to witness that scene… In real life, not just in words, kyaah!
And Clara was going to lead her there.
***
"Clara, why are we going this way?" Leanne asked, tilting her head. "The main market is back toward the fountain."
Clara gripped her shopping bag, her eyes darting toward a narrow, grime-streaked alleyway. "I heard a rumor that a shop here sells a specific type of dried lavender that helps with sleep, Lea. I wanted to get some for the Baron. He's been so stressed lately."
It was a lie, but a well-practiced one. Clara wasn't looking for lavender; she was looking for a blazing red eyed Duke in a life-or-death struggle.
"Okay," Leanne murmured, her hand instinctively drifting to the small mana-pouch at her waist. "But stay close. The air feels... heavy here."
As they turned the corner into the abandoned storage quarter, the ambient noise of the city died away. It was replaced by a sound that made the hair on Clara's neck stand up: the screech of metal against stone and a low, wet growl that sounded far too large for a dog.
This is it, Clara thought, her breath hitching.
Chapter- whatever that number was. The Lab-Rat's Last Stand.
Suddenly, a figure stumbled out from a side door fifty paces ahead. He was wearing tattered scholarly robes, his face pale and sweating. In his hand, he clutched a lead-lined box.
"Stay back!" the man shrieked, looking behind him. "I'll do it! I'll eat it!"
From the shadows emerged a tall, hooded figure. Even without his ceremonial armor, Nikolai von Solari was a vision of lethal elegance, as expected of the male lead. He held two short daggers, their blades humming with a faint, chilling blue mana.
"Don't be a fool, Corvus," Nikolai's voice was cold and authorative. "The shard will consume you before you can even taste the power."
The mage let out a manic, desperate sob and flipped the lid of the box. He didn't just eat the shard; he slammed it into his chest as if trying to merge it with his heart.
The transformation was a symphony of sickening cracks. The man's spine arched, snapping audibly as it lengthened. Black, bristly fur erupted through his skin, and his face elongated, teeth sharpening into jagged ivory daggers. The "Beast-Wolf" was no longer a dog-it was a bipedal nightmare, eight feet of muscle and corrupted purple mana.
The creature roared. Nikolai lunged, his daggers blurring in a flurry of strikes, but the beast was a mountain of raw power. It swiped, sending the Duke crashing into a stack of wooden crates.
"Clara, get back!" Leanne's voice was no longer that of a younger sister; it was the sharp, commanding tone of a mage.
Nikolai was pinned. The beast-monster's claws were inches from his throat, its toxic breath melting the leather of his cloak. The Duke's daggers were wedged against the creature's maw, but his strength was flagging.
Clara watched from the sidelines, her "fan-girl" brain short-circuiting. The 'Pinned-to-the-Wall' trope! The Duke's hood is down! He's bleeding from the temple! It's exactly like the illustration!
"LEANNE, NOW!" Clara screamed, though she didn't know if she was following the script or creating a new one.
Leanne didn't hesitate. She didn't have a staff, but she had the environment. She slammed her palms against the wet cobblestones, her mana sparking gold.
"Binding Aegis: Flare!"
A pillar of pure, white light erupted beneath the beast's feet. It wasn't enough to kill it, but the sudden heat and brilliance acted like a flashbang to the creature's enhanced senses. The beast recoiled, howling in pain as its glowing eyes blinked against the searing radiance.
Nikolai didn't waste a second. He rolled to the side, regained his footing with precise, measured movements, and delivered a spinning kick that sent the creature staggering back. Each motion was efficient, deadly- beautiful in a terrifying way.
Clara's breath caught. Her grip on Leanne's hand tightened without thought. Oh gods… that's him. That's the Duke. The actual Nikolai von Solari… in real life… fighting… like some action illustration come to life…
He glanced toward them, icy red eyes landing squarely on Leanne. For a heartbeat, the world went still. Smoke curled around shattered crates, shadows danced on the stone walls, and the snarling echoes of the beast faded into the background.
The "Main Lead" and the "Heroine" locked eyes.
Leanne's emerald gaze widened, instinct and courage burning bright, but she didn't falter. Clara could see the way her sister's hands trembled ever so slightly, how her magic thrummed with restrained power. She's amazing. She's… actually amazing, Clara thought, nearly forgetting to breathe.
The creature, disoriented and blinded, staggered again, giving Nikolai the opening he needed. With a series of swift, precise strikes, he subdued the half-beast, finally forcing it to collapse with a final, controlled spell that crackled with frost and silver light.
The alley fell silent. Smoke drifted lazily in the shafts of sunlight that managed to pierce the high walls. Nikolai's chest rose and fell steadily, though his posture betrayed no exhaustion. His mask glinted in the slanted light, hiding his face- but Clara could already tell the sharpness in his eyes, the controlled tension, the unyielding strength.
Leanne lowered her hands slowly, her magic dissipating in soft motes of green light. Her hair stuck to her forehead in damp strands, her cheeks flushed, but her eyes were alive with exhilaration. She hadn't realized it yet, but she had just saved a man whose reputation alone could intimidate noblemen.
Clara, unable to contain herself, let out the tiniest squeak of awe. "Oh gods… she actually did it. She actually saved him…" Her voice was drowned out by the settling dust, but the tremor of fangirling could not be hidden.
He locked eyes with Leanne for a heartbeat. "Thank you. I owe you," he said, voice low. Before she could respond, he was gone- slipping into the shadows of the narrow alley as if he had never been there.
Leanne blinked, stunned. Clara whispered, "That's… him. Moves like a shadow. Always disappears before you can catch up."
Leanne turned to her, eyes wide with adrenaline and confusion. "Clara… who-who was that?"
Clara forced herself to smile, guiding her sister's hand toward the street leading back to the market. "I-I don´t know either," acting skills on! Careful to keep her voice light, teasing. "For now… let's just be glad we're both alive. That's the main thing."
Leanne let out a small, shaky laugh, still catching her breath. "Alive… yes. Definitely alive."
Clara stole one last glance back toward the corner of the alley. The fallen creature lay still, the aftermath of forbidden magic lingering in the air.