Even Aurora was taken aback by the unexpected bad news.

Aurora's mind was racing as she sat in the history lesson. It was supposed to be just another day at the academy, but with the news of the Knight Captain's untimely death, everything had changed.

In the game, Aurora thought, the Knight Captain was never said to be dead in either of the routes. Could her actions have played a role in the Captain's death? The thought made her feel sick. On top of that, Finnick's absence only added to the unease.

She then remembered Ruby's connection with Finnick and turned towards her. Ruby hung her head, her hair shielding her face from view, making it difficult for Aurora to gauge her expression.

At that moment, Aurora felt the urge to go to her and give her a hug, but with class already in session, she was stuck in her seat.

Aurora sighed as she struggled to focus on the history lesson. Despite the fantastical world she lived in, the subject matter was dry and dull. The endless lists of dates and events blurred together in her mind, and her thoughts wandered to darker places.

As she ruminated on the events, a heavy weight settled in her chest. The full magnitude of her actions was hitting her, and she couldn't ignore the fact that she had contributed, however indirectly, to someone's death.

It's fine, it's just an NPC, she thought, trying to justify it. The most important thing is her own survival. It's either her or them.

It's not like she did it on purpose, another thought appears.

Who cares if she acts a little selfish? She never asked to be in this situation either.

Her mind keeps making excuses, making her less and less like a heroine and more and more like a villainess. And with that, the class ended.

Aurora stood and walked toward Ruby. The small girl sat there in silence, not even glancing at her.

"Can I hug you?" Aurora asked.

Ruby looked at her, confusion written all over her face. "Huh?"

"Can I?" Aurora repeated, her voice soft and gentle.

"I don't need it," Ruby replied, her tone uncertain.

"I know," Aurora said. No matter how much she tried to justify it, she couldn't shake the feeling of unease that lingered in her heart. She felt like she needed this more than Ruby did. "But... can I?"

Ruby hesitated for a moment before mumbling, "We-well, if you insist."

Aurora enveloped her in a warm embrace. The feel of Ruby's small, warm body against hers eased her heart just a little. Ruby blushed, looking a little embarrassed, but Aurora could feel the tension in her shoulders beginning to relax.

Aurora asked, "Do you want to look for Finnick?"

"No," Ruby replied, her voice small and defeated.

"You don't need to lie to me," Aurora said, her tone gentle but firm.

Ruby bit her lip. "I don't have feelings for him anymore," she whispered.

Lied again, Aurora said.

"I'm not!" Ruby said, with frustration. "It doesn't matter anyway. Even if I could find him, he wouldn't want me. He doesn't need me."

"That's not true," Aurora said, her voice filled with conviction.

Ruby let out a laugh. "Didn't you notice?" she asked, looking up at her friend. "Nova isn't here. It's not just a coincidence, I'm sure she's with Finnick right now."

"But still..." she started, but was cut off as Ruby buried her face in Aurora's chest.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"Can we just stay like this?" Ruby whispered. "So I can give up on him."

Aurora wrapped her arms around Ruby, holding her close.

"Okay," she said softly, offering her friend the comfort and support she needed.

***

Aurora had been trying to focus on her book for the past few minutes, but her mind just wouldn't settle. She kept rereading the same line over and over again, unable to concentrate. She sighed and closed the book, placing it on the table beside her empty cup.

"Do you want to drink more tea, miss?" Lyra asked, noticing her frustration.

"Sure," Aurora replied, absentmindedly.

Lyra refilled her cup with hot tea and Aurora took it, the warm aroma helping to relax her a bit.

Just as she was about to take a sip, she heard a whisper in her ear. She put down the cup and stood up.

"Something wrong, miss?" Lyra asked, concern in her voice.

"Someone's waiting for me outside," Aurora replied, before making her way to the door.

"Who?" Lyra asked.

"Stay here," Aurora said firmly, before making her way out.

As she walked towards the academy garden, she saw a man with purple hair. He looked at her and smiled.

"Nice to see you again," the man, Dante, said. "You're as beautiful as ever."

"Sure," Aurora replied, her tone uninterested.

Dante sighed. "You're so apathetic, it makes me sad. Should I remind you that being directly in contact with me is special? Most clients from the information guild are usually handled by my subordinates, you know?"

Aurora listened to Dante's words, but she remained unfazed.

"If you let most things be handled by your subordinates, don't you have a lot of free time?" Aurora asked. "Are you bored, that's why you're willing to go to such lengths for me?"

Dante chuckled. "You got me there. Well, partially. You're still a pretty valuable client after all. I can't let my subordinates mess it up."

"So," Aurora continued, "what brings you here today?"

He nodded. "I'm sure you've already heard. As always, your information is accurate. The king sent his best knight to put an end to the rebels once and for all. But he underestimated the rebels and trusted his knight too much, and now the raid has failed. The knight captain died in the process."

"Wait, failed?" Aurora exclaimed. "I heard about the knight captain, but nobody mentioned the raid failing."

Dante shrugged. "They're probably trying to save face. It's quite embarrassing if people find out not only did the knight captain die, but the raid failed as well." He paused, then asked, "You didn't see this outcome with your powers?"

Aurora sighed. "That's not how it works. I don't have control over what I see with my future sight."

"Fair enough," Dante said, understanding.

"But why did the raid fail?" Aurora asked, trying to piece the information together.

Dante smiled bitterly. "They had traitors within the kingdom's knights. That's why even the knight captain, who was the strongest in terms of skill, couldn't handle a stabbing from the back by someone he considered a comrade. And based on this, it's likely that the rebels are being supported by nobles."

Aurora's mind raced. Supported by nobles? She thought. That didn't happen in the game. Not at this time, at least.

"We're already trying to figure out who they are," Dante continued. "It's still too early, but so far we suspect that James Winchester may have connections to this."

Aurora was shocked. "What? You mean the son of the Prime Minister?"

One of the capture target.

Dante nodded. "We're not completely sure yet, but our investigation hit a roadblock. Duke Wilder seems to be getting in our way."

"Nova Wilder," Aurora murmured.

"Yes," Dante agreed. "Nova seems to be helping James hide. We wouldn't have found out about it if you didn't ask us to keep an eye on her. In a way, your request also helped us."

Aurora looked confused. What exactly happened here?

Aurora then turned to Dante. There's no point in keeping this information a secret, she thought.

"I know who's actually behind the rebels," Aurora said. "Do you want to hear it?"

Dante eagerly replied, "Of course! Why wouldn't I?"

"It was the second prince," Aurora revealed. "The reason... Well, it should be obvious."

"The second prince?" Dante said, sounding intrigued. "That makes sense. If things continue as they are, Prince Casper will be the next king, even though people keep praising the second prince as a genius. But there's still no concrete evidence linking the rebels to him. Are you sure about this?"

Aurora nodded firmly. "Of course I'm sure. I'd be dead if the king found out my information was false. After all, I'm accusing a prince of leading criminals."

Dante agreed. "Our necks are on the line too. So I'll try my best to find some proof before telling the king about this."

"That's probably for the best," Aurora said.

What bothers her the most is why James is siding with the second prince. In the game, James always criticized Prince Casper for his weak-willedness and inferior complex, but he still would never go so far as to switch sides to the second prince.

That means Nova must have something to do with it. But that doesn't make sense. Why would she help the rival of her own fiancé?

Aurora felt frustrated. Nova has finally made her move, and yet Aurora can't even understand what she's trying to do.

"Well, I guess that's it for today," Dante said.

"Wait," Aurora said. "Can you find Finnick for me? Where is he and what's he doing?"

Right. If Nova is with James right now, then Finnick is moving alone. Thinking about this just makes Aurora more confused. Finnick and Prince Casper were supposed to be Nova's ally. But why is she antagonizing them? If Nova has something to do with this, doesn't that mean she indirectly killed Finnick's dad too? More than Aurora did, at least.

"Finnick?" Dante grumbled. "The son of the knight captain, huh? It seems like after hearing the news of his father's death, he decided to take matters into his own hands and try to get revenge. Although his exact location is unknown."

"So he's hunting the rebels?" Aurora asked. "Can you find him?"

"Sure," Dante said. "I'll see what we can do. Is that all?"

Aurora nodded.

***

It was a quiet night at the library, and Sera was lost in her book, the only sound in the room the soft rustling of pages.

A sudden sound caught Sera's attention, causing her to turn towards its source in the other side of the room. At first, she thought it might be her friend Aurora, who often came to the library, but as she looked up she saw that it was someone she hadn't interact in years--James, her former childhood friend.

Sera's heart skipped a beat as she saw he walk toward her.

"Sera," James said, a smile spreading across his face. "As I thought, it was you."

"Ja-james," Sera replied, trying to sound nonchalant. "It's... been a long time since we talk, right?"

"It has," James agreed, getting closer to where she was sitting. "What are you reading?"

Sera held up the book, feeling suddenly self-conscious.

"It's a mystery novel," she said, hoping he wouldn't judge her.

"I love mysteries," James said, taking the book from her and flipping through the pages. "I used to read them all the time when we were kids."

Sera smiled, feeling a warmth spread through her. She and James had always shared a love of books and stories, and it was comforting to know that some things never changed.

"I didn't think you still read," she said.

"Of course I still read," James replied, handing the book back to her. "I just don't have as much time for it as I used to."

Sera was taken aback as she looked into James's eyes behind his glasses. He had a look of desperation and urgency in them, which made her heart skip a beat.

"So why are you here?" she asked, her voice shaky. "I-I mean I'm happy you came here, but... "

James took a deep breath before speaking. "I'm looking for you," he said firmly.

Sera's eyes widened in surprise. "M-me? Why?"

James gazed into her eyes, his expression serious. "I need some help. Can you hear me out?" he asked.

***