The moonlight streaming through the tall window only emphasized how pale the princess's face was.
Luna let out a breath, a sound that felt foreign in the silence of her cold chamber. This room was not a grand tower in the center of the palace, but an old pavilion isolated in a neglected corner of the garden.
As the child of a concubine who had long passed away, her status as a "Princess" was nothing more than an empty title that protected her from starvation, but not from humiliation.
In the bloody struggle for the Imperial throne, she stood at the very bottom—forgotten by her father, the Emperor, and hated by her legitimate siblings.
She rose from her bed and approached a large bronze mirror whose surface had begun to dull.
The figure reflected there was a shadow of sorrowful beauty. The first thing that stood out was her hair. It was the most beautiful yet the saddest in the entire palace; pale pink—like the fading color of clouds at sunset—flowing down to her waist.
Usually, it shone brilliantly, but now it looked dull and tangled from nights spent tossing in fear.
Behind the disheveled strands, her eyes stared back with an almost empty gaze. Her pupils held a rare, magical violet color, like the deepest amethyst.
But that magical charm had dimmed. Thick, swollen dark circles framed her eyes, telling stories of sleepless nights and tears that dried before they could fall.
Prolonged exhaustion had begun to erode her physique. Beneath the thin silk nightgown clinging to her porcelain-pale skin, it was clear how much weight she had lost.
Her once-upright shoulders now looked frail and slumped. The curves of her body, which held the potential elegance of a mature woman, now appeared too sharp and fragile.
Luna touched the surface of the mirror, her trembling fingers tracing her own reflection. "Lunaris," she whispered hoarsely. "The moon. But why has the darkness of night become my prison?"
She knew that without sleep, she would not last long.
Yet the fear of what awaited her in the dream world was far more terrifying than death itself. In this palace, she was the Forgotten Princess, slowly fading into a ghost even before her time came.
"Miss Luna, you haven't slept?" asked one of the loyal maids who always attended her.
The maid had startled awake upon hearing the soft yet restless footsteps of her mistress within the room.
"You should know what I've been suffering all this time," Luna replied coldly, her voice hoarse and weary.
"Forgive me, Miss…" The maid could only lower her head.
She understood very well the suffering of the princess she served. Luna suffered from a strange, unseen illness. Whether it was purely medical or a dark curse planted by her power-hungry siblings within the palace, no one knew.
Every time she closed her eyes at night, the princess would awaken from terrifying nightmares.
High priests had been summoned to examine her condition, yet their prayers and blessings yielded no results.
Even the strongest sleeping potions failed to bring her peace; Luna would always awaken, gasping for breath, drenched in cold sweat.
The nightmares were shadows that never stopped chasing her.
Luna fell silent, staring blankly at her reflection in the large mirror. Once, she had been hailed as the symbol of eternal beauty throughout the empire.
But now, that beauty seemed to fade beneath the dark circles under her eyes—a forgotten glory of the past.
"I think… it's better if I don't go to the academy," Luna murmured softly, almost like a whisper to herself.
"Miss, as a member of the imperial family, you are obligated to attend."
"Do you think I can follow an education in this miserable condition?" Luna turned, looking at her maid with empty eyes.
"That…" The maid fell silent, unable to continue.
She knew that every member of the imperial family was required to study at the Academy. But with Luna's deteriorating mental and physical condition, going there would only make her a target of ridicule and an easy prey for her political enemies.
The maid could only pray silently, hoping that one day a miracle would come to save the princess, freeing her from the chains of those tormenting nightmares forever.
***
A cold breath of air filled my lungs; the atmosphere was utterly silent as I regained awareness from my meditation. The sun that once shone brightly had now been replaced by moonlight cutting through the darkness of night.
I slowly opened my eyes, then stood up in the middle of this quiet cave. A faint aura shimmered at the tips of my fingers.
"It turns out Neijiai methods are far more effective in this world," I muttered.
In my previous life, I had once studied under a monk. It was an accidental meeting during my college days. I remembered his words: "There is always a reason behind every encounter." Who would have thought that a martial art originally taught to cultivate inner peace would become a deadly weapon in this world?
In this world, that energy was called Mana. Since my transmigration, I had already been able to feel the flow of Mana within this body. What I did was simply process that energy according to the breathing techniques and Qi flow I had learned before. The synergy was staggering.
I clenched my right hand, focusing all the energy into my fist. Without hesitation, I threw a straight punch toward the nearest tree.
Crack! Crash!
In an instant, the tree—with a trunk as wide as a human body—shattered and collapsed in a single blow.
"Old Master, what you taught me… I will use it well here," I whispered into the silent night.
For the past few days, I had spent my time doing intense physical training on the hill behind.
In the afternoons, I continued meditating to control the flow of Mana so that it merged with every cell of my body.
There was no room for laziness. I knew well that the Academy was not merely a place of learning; it was more like a crucible akin to military training.
Even greater threats would soon emerge there. I had to strengthen myself to survive.
I was not Alvert—the protagonist blessed by the heavens, supported by a great family, and surrounded by a harem ready to help at any time.
I was just myself. A noble from a branch family who now had nothing.
Let alone political support, I didn't even have enough money to fund my education until graduation.
What I had now was only knowledge of the storyline and a System that—honestly—sometimes felt rather useless.
***
After finishing my training, I returned to my residence. I saw Hans already standing in front of the mansion, waiting anxiously.
"Young Master, we just received news that Miss Selena will be visiting this residence," Hans reported.
"Hah? Did I hear that wrong?" I frowned.
"We received her letter this morning, Young Master."
Who didn't know Selena von Leonhart? She was Zios's distant cousin. The problem was, her personality was extremely troublesome.
Moreover, she was one of the protagonist's future harem candidates. The story was simple: Selena was the type who refused to accept defeat. Eventually, she would be defeated by the protagonist and become obsessed with him.
That was the beginning of the story between Alvert and Selena—though not exactly a pure romance.
Rather, it was the story of a woman who fell for a man who collected harems like picking up stray cats on the street.
Why would she bother visiting this place now?
Still, there was no point in overthinking it. My plan wouldn't change. Her arrival would likely take a few days, but I had no intention of meeting her at all.
After cleaning up and having dinner, I returned to my room and immediately packed my belongings.
"System, open Inventory."
[Inventory]
I stored the items I needed into the system's storage space. This function was incredibly useful; I didn't have to carry a large backpack when traveling far. After finishing, I went to rest.
At dawn, I quietly left the residence. I didn't forget to leave a letter for Hans on the table.
My destination this time was the southern region. The city there held many rare herbal plants that could be used as ingredients for potions.
With my current strength, honestly, I wasn't worried about encountering bandits on the road even while traveling alone.
As I stood outside the gate, I looked at the mansion one last time. Even though my time here had been short, it felt a bit heavy to leave such a comfortable place.
The servants here were kind and already felt like family—unlike my previous life, where I was always alone after parting with my Master.
"See you again," I whispered softly as I stepped away, disappearing into the morning mist.
***
A few days later.
A luxurious horse carriage accompanied by dozens of soldiers arrived at Zios's residence.
A woman stepped down gracefully, tightly escorted by her personal knights. She looked at the old man standing in front of the mansion with several servants nearby.
"This place is truly pitiful," Selena muttered upon seeing the modest condition of Zios's mansion.
"Welcome, Miss Selena. Would you like to rest first?" Hans greeted with a formal bow.
"No need. Take me directly to Zios. I heard he caused trouble at the central ballroom party, didn't he?" Selena walked into the mansion without waiting for permission. "I'd like to discipline him a bit today," she added coldly.
"That…" Hans could only lower his head. Cold sweat began to trickle down his neck.
"Why do you look so pale? Are you unwell? Guards, bring a potion for Hans," Selena ordered sharply.
"No, Miss. I'm fine. It's just… the Young Master has been missing for several days."
"What?" Selena stopped in her tracks, momentarily stunned by Hans's words.
No one knew that the letter Zios left for Hans read:
—"Hans, I will go to the academy, but there are a few things I want to do first. If anyone looks for me, just say I've disappeared. Don't forget to burn this letter after reading it. I will send another letter to inform you of my condition, so don't worry."
Amid the awkward silence, one of Selena's personal knights spoke up.
"It seems that troublesome young master ran away out of shame over the mess he caused earlier," the knight remarked disdainfully.
"Hm, wasn't he said to have amnesia? I doubt someone like that would dare leave his residence alone," Selena replied, sounding doubtful.
"Miss, perhaps he'll return on his own once he runs out of money on the road."
"You're right. Besides, someone as foolish as him wouldn't dare go too far," Selena concluded, underestimating her cousin.
Selena's group decided to stay for a few days. She even ordered her troops to patrol and search for Zios in the surrounding area.
However, they didn't realize that all their efforts were in vain.
Because at this very moment, Zios was already far away, walking toward his new destiny.