"Here is your water, milady."

"Thank you, Mariam." Elaine accepted the cup of water and took a sip, relieving her thirst and calming her nerve. "Did you say that we arrived?" She asked.

The young maid nodded. "Yes, milady. The coachman informed me we had reached the Insidious Forest."

Elaine glanced out the window and saw beyond the horizon stood a forest. Contrasting the bright weather above the Croix's entourage, dark, stormy clouds covered the forest vicinity. It earns its name, she thought. Merely looking at it through the safety inside her carriage already made Elaine uncomfortable. She kept recalling the nightmare. The place inside her dream. Was it inside the forest? Impossible. I have never been there before. It is just another illusion by the creatures, she tried reassuring herself.

Elaine reached for the dagger in her dress pocket and exhaled in relief. It is still here. Her last memory within the nightmare was of herself stabbing the monster's eye. Although Mariam woke her up afterward, the sensation of the struggle remained.

"We are here, milady." The carriage came to a halt, and Elaine again glanced outside. Surrounding her carriage were several other entourages, each coming with dozens of knights and soldiers. They all had symbols of their noble houses embedded in their chest armors, easing the identifying process.

Elaine's eyes scanned the crowd before resting on the d'Amboise insignia. Leading the group were the Duke of Lévis and his son, the male protagonist. The Duke appeared relaxed, talking and laughing, while Elias listened quietly with a stoic expression, unamused by his father's jokes. Elaine narrowed her eyes, searching for the black hair girl. She is not here. The male protagonist seemed to deem the event too dangerous to allow Clara's participation.

Elaine's gaze then moved away toward the d'Artois location. She recognized the female protagonist's father and eldest brother stepping down from their carriage. But where is Celeste? She was not with her family members. Did she sneak in without her family's knowledge? Elaine carefully studied the d'Artois troops and noticed two particular soldiers shorter and scrawnier than the rest. One appeared anxious, looking around like a thief in the night while pulling his companion's sleeve. The other soldier seemed annoyed, slapping the hands away. That must be Celeste and her maid. Did they bribe the two original soldiers to replace them?

While reading the book, Elaine admired the female protagonist's carefree and unafraid attitude. However, now that she experienced the book's world, Celeste's actions seem more reckless than admirable. But Celeste was the main character. Even if she were brash, nothing terrible would happen to her, and she would still triumph in the end. Elaine, in contrast, was required to consider her steps carefully or suffer unintended consequences. Only wanting to join the tournament as an observer, Elaine had no intention of warning the female protagonist. After all, she needed Celeste's presence to save Cecil from future dangers within the forest.

Finally, Elaine saw the carriage in front of her open its door, and Gerard stepped out. But before she could react, Cecil had already appeared before her carriage and opened the door for her. "Thank you, Sir Ascania." Elaine smiled and accepted his hand.

She could feel several gazes directed at her when she emerged. Some seemed perplexed, others amused. Elaine expected the reaction since few female nobles received special permission from the Emperor to observe the event. Ignoring the curious eyes, she headed toward the Duke. "Father," Elaine curtsied.

"Ah, my lovely daughter. Come, let us pay our respect to the Emperor." Gerard looked at her with a caring smile on his face.

Again with the doting father act. Elaine secretly rolled her eyes, though she returned his gesture with her best performance. "Yes, father." Her lips sweetly curled upward. They traveled to the front of the crowd. Besides the d'Amboise's troop, all other entourages retreated, creating a passage for Elaine and the Duke.

When they arrived, the Emperor had already turned his back to them, conversing with an imposing middle-aged man with crimson hair and golden eyes. That must be the Léonas Emperor. Elaine assumed. Similar to Étoile royalty's silver hair, others could identify the Léonas monarchs for their golden eyes. Standing beside the two Emperors was a young man with features similar to the Léonas ruler and the Third Prince. Alexander acknowledged Elaine and Gerard upon seeing them.

Alexander? What is he doing here? Where is the Crown Prince? Elaine concealed the confused expression from her countenance, though inside, she had many questions. The Duke said only the heir could attend. If so, the individual standing next to the Étoile Emperor should be Estella's fiancé, not the Third Prince.

"His Highness, the Crown Prince, had an unexpected situation requiring his attention. Therefore, his younger brother, the Third Prince, will attend in his place." Gerard explained without delving into details.

Elaine raised a brow. Unexpected situation? What trouble did he cause this time? Knowing Louis' debauchery tendencies, Elaine doubted his 'situation' was an official state affair. She wondered how the original Estella inside the story endured marrying such a disgrace. Even Elaine, though now only the Crown Prince's fiancée, the thought of spending the last two years of her life with him made her stomach churn. But it is a necessary step for me to go home. She reminded herself. And if returning to reality meant tolerating Louis for two years, then it was a small price to pay.

They waited till the Étoile Emperor finished his conversation, then Gerard stepped forward, kneeling before the two sovereigns. "Your Majesties, please forgive my impudence , but my daughter and I would like to pay our respects before the joint expedition start."