The next morning, as Lusian was getting ready to head to the academy, someone knocked softly on the door to his room.
"My lord, a young lady is requesting an audience with you."
Lusian looked up.
"With me?"
"Yes, my lord. She's waiting at the entrance."
Lusian frowned slightly.
He wasn't expecting any visitors this early.
He walked downstairs and crossed the foyer until he reached the main entrance. The moment he opened the door, he froze.
Isabella was standing on the other side.
She was wearing the maid uniform of House Douglas.
As soon as their eyes met, she bowed deeply.
"Good morning, my lord."
Lusian didn't answer immediately.
His eyes lingered on her uniform.
A sharp pain pierced his chest.
No.
It couldn't be.
Isabella.
In that uniform.
Exactly like in the game.
The memory came rushing back...
After Caleb's death, Isabella had been punished for her involvement in the incident. Her family had survived thanks to the protagonist's intervention, and as part of the agreement, she had ended up serving at the Douglas estate.
Lusian had changed the course of events.
He had uncovered the manipulation.
He had proven that Isabella was a victim.
He had managed to save her family.
And yet...
The outcome was still the same.
The girl standing before him was still wearing the Douglas maid uniform.
He felt his fingers slowly curl into a fist.
"So you've already started?"
Isabella raised her head.
"Yes."
Her voice was calm.
"I will do everything in my power to serve you and honor the agreement that allowed my family to be saved."
Lusian felt a knot form in his stomach.
Too many things had changed.
People who were supposed to die were still alive.
Paths that were meant to cross had never met.
And yet, some pieces kept returning to the same place.
"You don't have to do this."
Isabella blinked.
"My lord?"
"You can continue studying at the academy. You can stay with your family. I don't need a maid."
She looked at him for several seconds.
Then she slowly shook her head.
"I appreciate your consideration."
Her voice remained respectful, but there was determination behind it.
"However, I'm not doing this simply because the rules require it."
Lusian remained silent.
"My family is still together because of you," Isabella continued. "My brothers are alive. My father is alive as well."
She lowered her gaze slightly.
"I can't forget that."
Lusian sighed.
"You don't owe me your life."
"Perhaps not."
She met his eyes once more.
"But I chose to repay my debt this way."
That answer left him speechless.
He couldn't force her.
Nor could he take that choice away from her.
Finally, Lusian pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Very well."
He lowered his hand.
"If this is truly what you want, I won't stop you."
A small smile appeared on Isabella's face.
"Thank you, my lord."
She bowed once again.
"I won't disappoint you."
Lusian watched her for a few moments before turning away.
As he walked toward the exit, another thought struck him.
He had changed the path.
He had saved Isabella.
He had saved her family.
But fate kept trying to bring everything back to the same point.
And the worst part wasn't Isabella.
It was what this situation meant for the future.
If the Hero of Lightning ever found out about this...
He would still hate him.
Just as he did in the game.
Lusian clenched his teeth.
"Damn fate..."
And he left the residence.
Several streets away, a small bakery in the heart of the capital was beginning to fill with the aroma of freshly baked bread.
A discreet door at the back of the shop led to a private room.
Adelaine was already waiting by the window when Sofia entered, accompanied by one of her attendants.
"Hello, Adelaine."
"Have a seat."
Sofia arched an eyebrow before taking the chair across from her.
"Judging by your tone, I'd say you didn't invite me here for tea."
Adelaine set her teacup down on the table.
"No."
Sofia calmly picked up her own cup.
"Then speak."
The queen studied her for a few moments.
"Lusian."
Sofia let out a resigned sigh.
"I figured."
"And Eli."
Sofia's fingers paused for the briefest moment around the teacup.
It was a tiny gesture.
Adelaine didn't miss it.
"I see," Sofia replied at last.
"They're getting too close."
"They're young."
"I'm not talking about that."
Sofia looked up.
Adelaine held her gaze.
"You know exactly what I mean."
A brief silence settled between them.
Sofia took a sip of tea before asking,
"What do you propose?"
"That you remember who you are."
Sofia frowned slightly.
"You're the Duchess of House Douglas before you're Lusian's mother."
The words lingered in the air.
"I've always fulfilled my responsibilities."
"To the kingdom, yes."
Adelaine inclined her head slightly.
"But where Lusian is concerned... you stopped acting as the Duchess long ago."
A faint smile touched Sofia's lips.
"That sounds more like a reproach than advice."
Adelaine said nothing.
She rose from her chair and walked toward the window.
The capital was awakening beneath the morning light. Merchants were opening their shops. Carriages rolled through the avenues. Everything seemed peaceful.
"Do you know what the nobles see when they look at House Douglas?"
Sofia remained silent.
"They see the most powerful family in the kingdom."
Her voice grew more solemn.
"For decades, they've watched entire noble houses disappear. Some were defeated. Others lost their lands. Others simply ceased to exist after standing against House Douglas."
She turned her head slightly.
"Now imagine what they'll think if the Douglas heir grows close to the royal family."
Sofia rested an arm on the back of her chair.
"They'll think the Crown approves."
"No."
Adelaine slowly shook her head.
"They'll believe the Crown has ceased to be House Douglas's counterbalance. That the balance protecting the nobility under the king's authority has been broken... and without that safeguard, every noble house will begin looking for its own way to survive."
Silence settled over the room once again.
"And when the nobles believe the kingdom's balance of power has shifted... they'll begin seeking a new balance of their own."
Sofia immediately understood the implication.
"The Empire."
Adelaine nodded.
"The Empire seeks to annex the kingdom and bring it under its rule. With the noble houses on its side, it will become far too easy... and everyone will see it as inevitable."
Sofia let out a short laugh.
"So you want me to keep those two apart."
"I want to prevent a war before it can even begin."
Sofia stared into her tea for a few moments.
Then she looked up.
"What if, just this once, we let them choose for themselves?"
Adelaine turned sharply.
"Do you realize what you're saying?"
"Perfectly."
Sofia slowly rose to her feet.
"Didn't you ever want to choose your own life?"
Adelaine closed her eyes.
"You know I did."
Her answer came almost as a whisper.
"But there were duties that outweighed my desires."
Sofia smiled sadly.
"I still dream of that freedom."
She looked toward the window.
"So why deny it to my son?"
Adelaine stepped closer.
"Because he isn't just any young man."
Sofia lowered her gaze.
"I know."
Her voice weakened.
"And perhaps that's why I feel so guilty."
She took a deep breath.
"When I conceived Lusian, all I wanted was to hurt Laurence. I thought about my revenge before I thought about the child I was bringing into this world."
The words seemed torn from the depths of her heart.
"But everything changed the moment I held him in my arms."
Her eyes began to glisten.
"I realized he had done nothing wrong."
She paused.
"Since then, all I've tried to do is make up for it. I want him to have the freedom that was always denied to me."
Adelaine watched her in silence.
At last, she closed the distance between them and embraced her.
Sofia closed her eyes.
For a brief moment, the burden she had carried for so many years seemed to grow lighter.
"I understand," Adelaine murmured as she pulled away. "But that freedom will also have consequences."
Sofia nodded.
"I know."
Her gaze drifted back toward the window.
"And I'll do whatever it takes to protect him... I won't let anyone hurt him."
Outside, the city continued its daily routine, completely unaware of the conversation that had just taken place.
Not a single soul realized that the future of the kingdom had begun to be decided over a single cup of tea.
The arena trembled with the students' cheers.
Yet to Lusian, all that noise felt distant.
His attention was fixed on the person standing before him.
Leonardo.
The prince gripped his sword with both hands. A faint blue light coursed along the blade as tiny sparks crackled around his body.
Lusian recognized that expression.
Not that face.
Not that man.
But he knew that feeling.
Hatred.
He had seen those same eyes before.
In Alejandro.
Another of the future heroes.
Why am I so unlucky?
Lusian clenched his jaw slightly.
He had changed so many things.
And yet...
Everything keeps finding its way back to the same path.
Leonardo was the Bearer of Lightning.
One of the Four Chosen.
One of the men who, in the future Lusian remembered, would one day raise his sword against him.
And now he was here.
Standing right in front of him.
All because of Isabella.
The irony would have been amusing if it weren't so cruel.
Leonardo tightened his grip on the hilt.
Ever since learning that Isabella had been handed over to House Douglas, he had barely been able to sleep.
Every night, he imagined the same scene.
The Douglas mansion.
Closed doors.
Isabella completely alone.
He had no idea what happened behind those walls.
And precisely because he didn't know, his imagination filled the empty spaces with his worst fears.
To Leonardo, Isabella wasn't a maid.
She was the woman he loved.
And now she belonged to the family everyone feared.
House Douglas.
Lusian's family.
"Your family is despicable."
Leonardo's voice cut through the noise of the arena.
Lusian raised his gaze.
"You use your power to decide other people's lives, then expect everyone else to accept your commands."
Lusian remained silent for a few moments.
He wasn't angry.
He was tired.
Because he understood Leonardo far better than the prince could ever imagine.
"Watch your words, Your Highness."
Leonardo frowned.
"Isn't it the truth?"
"You don't know the whole story."
"I know Isabella was handed over to House Douglas."
"That was my mother's decision. And it didn't happen the way you think."
Leonardo's expression shifted slightly.
"I don't need to know every detail to understand what you're doing."
His voice trembled with rage.
"You took advantage of her situation."
Lusian let out a sigh.
"You have no idea what you're talking about."
"That's none of your business!"
Leonardo stepped forward.
"Isabella is important to me!"
Lusian looked at him steadily.
For a brief moment, he felt something akin to pity.
So this is how it begins.
Can I really not change anything?
The question surfaced in his mind before he could stop it.
But he couldn't afford to show even a hint of doubt.
"You want to be her savior," Lusian said calmly. "But you don't even understand what really happened."
"Shut up!"
Leonardo's aura erupted.
Blue lightning surged across his body, sending a cloud of dust swirling around his feet.
"I'll make your family pay for everything they've done."
Lusian lowered his sword slightly.
"Then come."
Leonardo vanished.
A burst of electricity shook the arena.
The prince appeared in front of Lusian and brought his sword down in a vertical slash.
CLANG!
Their blades collided.
Leonardo attacked again.
One.
Two.
Three consecutive strikes.
Lusian blocked every one, retreating only a few steps.
Electricity raced along Leonardo's blade and into Lusian's arms.
An unpleasant tingling spread through his muscles.
So this is the power of the Bearer of Lightning.
Leonardo spun and unleashed a bolt of electricity.
Lusian raised a barrier of dark mana.
BOOM!
The explosion forced him backward.
Leonardo seized the opening and charged again.
This time, Lusian didn't wait.
He deflected the blade.
Pivoted on his heel.
And appeared behind the prince.
Leonardo sensed the danger.
Lightning exploded beneath his feet, propelling him sideways just before Lusian's sword cut through the space where he had been.
He rolled across the sand.
Lusian was already upon him.
A kick slammed into his side.
"Ugh!"
Leonardo was launched several meters away.
Before he could stand, several spears of dark mana erupted from the ground.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Leonardo raised his sword.
An electric field spread around his body.
The spears crashed against the barrier and were deflected, but every impact made his arms tremble.
His breathing grew heavier.
His mana was dropping rapidly.
Lusian watched him carefully.
His offensive power is overwhelming.
But he's burning through too much mana.
Another burst of lightning exploded around the prince.
Leonardo gritted his teeth.
He couldn't lose.
Not to him.
Not while Isabella was in that mansion.
He drove his sword into the arena floor.
"RAAAAH!"
The sky answered.
A bolt of lightning descended from the clouds.
White light enveloped Leonardo.
For a single instant, the entire arena was illuminated.
Then—
BOOOOM!
The lightning struck him directly.
Leonardo used his own body as a conduit.
Electricity coursed through his arms, across his chest, and finally into his sword.
A massive blast shot toward Lusian.
Lusian's eyes widened.
"Seriously...?"
There was no time to think.
He planted his feet firmly in the sand and reinforced his body with mana.
The blast hit him.
CRAAACK!
His hair stood on end.
The muscles in his arms tightened violently.
Tiny sparks danced across his skin.
But he didn't fall.
He endured it.
Little by little, the electricity faded away.
The smoke cleared.
Lusian was still standing.
Breathing heavily.
Leonardo was too.
The prince could barely remain upright.
His sword trembled in his fingers.
His mana was nearly depleted.
Lusian raised his own sword.
"Do you surrender?"
Leonardo slowly lifted his head.
"No."
His voice was barely above a whisper.
"I won't surrender."
Lusian stared at him.
That look...
He knew it well.
Determination.
Pride.
And hatred.
The very same hatred that, years later, would lead this man to stand against him alongside the other heroes.
So I couldn't stop it after all.
Lusian clenched his teeth.
No matter how much I change... fate always finds a way to bring them back together.
Leonardo tried to raise his sword once more.
He couldn't.
Lusian appeared before him.
A single movement.
THUD!
The pommel of his sword struck the back of the prince's neck.
Leonardo's eyes closed.
His body collapsed onto the sand.
Dust billowed around him.
For several seconds, no one spoke.
Lusian remained motionless, looking down at the unconscious prince.
He had won.
But he felt no satisfaction.
Only an unpleasant weight in his chest.
He had defeated one of the four future heroes.
And instead of steering him away from the fate he remembered...
he had taken another step toward it.
Lusian slowly lowered his sword.
Saving Isabella didn't change the outcome.
It only changed the path that led to it.
And for the first time since arriving in this world, a doubt began to take shape in his mind.
What if the problem was never preventing the events...?
What if the real problem was that I still didn't have enough power to change how they ended?