"You."
The cold voice made Ethan jump. The grimoire nearly slipped from his hands.
Seraphina von Crystallis stood in the doorway of the hidden study, her expression unreadable.
"How did you find this place?" she demanded.
Ethan's mind raced. The first heroine. Crown princess. A-Rank powerhouse. If she decided he was a threat, he would be destroyed.
He needed to be careful.
"I was researching architectural history," he said, keeping his voice calm. "I noticed the bookshelf was positioned incorrectly based on the structural design. I investigated."
It wasn't technically a lie.
Seraphina's eyes narrowed. "You noticed an architectural anomaly in a library you've been in for less than a week?"
"I have good eyes."
For a long moment, she studied him. Her gaze fell on the grimoire in his hands.
"That book," she said. "What is it?"
Ethan considered lying. But his [Eyes of the Reader] showed him something unexpected.
[SERAPHINA VON CRYSTALLIS]
Current Emotion: Curiosity (High), Suspicion (Medium)
Hidden Status: Searching for a cure to her mother's illness
Note: Responds better to honesty than deception. Values intelligence and capability over flattery.
Right, Ethan remembered. In the novel, she hated how everyone lied to her. She respected people who spoke plainly.
"It's a grimoire," he said honestly. "Written by a sage who taught here centuries ago. It contains foundational magical theory—the kind that could help someone with poor magical talent develop their abilities."
"Someone like you," Seraphina said. It wasn't a question.
"Yes."
"You're F-Rank."
"I am."
"The lowest in our year."
"Also true."
Seraphina tilted her head. "And yet you found a hidden room that has gone undiscovered for centuries, identified a legendary grimoire, and are speaking to me without trembling."
Ethan shrugged. "Would trembling help?"
Something flickered across her face. It might have been amusement.
"You're strange," she said.
"Thank you?"
"It wasn't a compliment." But her tone had softened marginally. "What's your name?"
"Ethan Blackwood."
"Blackwood." She frowned. "Any relation to Professor Theron?"
"He's my uncle."
"The failed mage." There was no cruelty in her voice—just statement of fact. "You come from a line of mediocrity."
"And yet here I am," Ethan said, "finding things that you, an A-Rank princess, didn't notice."
The temperature in the room dropped several degrees. Literally.
Careful, Ethan warned himself. Don't push too far.
But Seraphina didn't attack. Instead, she laughed—a small, surprised sound, as if she wasn't used to the action.
"You have courage," she admitted. "Foolish courage, but courage nonetheless."
She turned to leave, then paused.
"Ethan Blackwood," she said without looking back. "If you're truly intelligent, you'll know that finding something valuable makes you a target. There are people in this academy who would kill for that grimoire."
"Is that a warning or a threat?"
"Consider it both."
She left, her silver hair swaying with each step.
[AFFECTION TRACKER UPDATED]
Seraphina von Crystallis
Previous Status: Unknown (Default: 0)
Current Status: Interested (15/100)
Note: First interaction successful. She respects boldness but despises arrogance. Recommend demonstrating capability to improve standing.
Ethan stared at the notification.
In the original novel, Seraphina's affection for Lucien started at negative values. She had actively disliked him during their first meeting.
And yet, somehow, Ethan had managed to gain positive affection from their first encounter.
The butterfly effect, he thought. Things are already changing.
He returned to studying the grimoire, but his mind was racing.
The protagonist was supposed to be the one who won the heroines' hearts. But Ethan had knowledge Lucien didn't—knowledge of what each heroine truly valued, what they truly needed.
What if he could form connections with them before Lucien?
What if he could become more than an extra?