She had never heard of the event discussed by the Duke. But why did it sound so familiar? Elaine scoured her memories.

"I heard from the knight captain. Before he became your guard, that young man was his most promising knight in training. And that is why I decided to let him participate in the upcoming expedition." Gerard continued his explanation. "Of course, since this is more or less a competition, the Emperor allowed some members of the participants' affiliated houses to come and watch."

So even without me, they would have still picked Cecil.

"This year, they will hold the competition at the Insidious Forest, bordering the Bael kingdom."

Insidious Forest? Bael kingdom?

Elaine gripped her dress. "Is the House of d'Artois, perhaps, also joining?"

"Yes, they will be one of our support." The Duke nodded. "How did you know?"

"Just a lucky guess." She returned a calm smile. However, her accelerated heartbeat exposed her true feeling. "When will the competition start?"

"In three weeks."

Though this expedition did not directly happen in the book, it was a significant event. During its exposition about the characters, Elaine recalled the story briefly discussing the monster-killing tournament between Étoile and Léonas. It marked the first encounter between the female protagonist, Celeste, the male protagonist, Elias, and Cecil. That meeting was the beginning of everything.

Even though the current timeline was still far from the actual beginning, the wheel of destiny finally began spinning, and Elaine could hardly contain her excitement. She knew the event also meant starting the countdown to her doom, but her longing for home far exceeded her reservation about dying in the book world.

"Father, you mentioned the Emperor will allow some spectators. Who would be qualified?" Elaine again picked up her tea, more relaxed after connecting the expedition to the storyline. Maybe she could tag along to watch the fateful meeting. Although she resided inside the villainess's body, Elaine remained a fan of the book. Is it not all fans' dream to watch a live reenactment of their favorite story?

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"Usually, only the participating noble houses' heads and their heirs may watch. However, since that young man is your guard and you are the future Crown Princess, I believe you should familiarize yourself with everything inside Étoile." Gerard returned to his desk. "If it is your desire, I can request with the Emperor to make an exception."

Elaine stood up and curtsied. "If it is not too much trouble, I would like to attend and expand my knowledge."

"Alright, I will request an audience with the Emperor."

"Thank you, father."

"You may leave." The Duke waved her dismissal and again poured into his work.

"Yes, father." Elaine walked out, and the double doors to the study closed behind her. Yusef, Cecil, and Mariam all waited outside.

"I hope you received an answer to your question, milady." Yusef bowed before Elaine.

"Yes, I did, and I am satisfied." She smiled. Her attention then switched to Cecil. "Sir Ascania, I don't believe they notified you of this matter yet, but I think you should hear it from the knight captain."

Cecil stayed silent, looking at her with unchanging eyes.

"You should go meet him now." She ordered.

"As you wish, milady." He bowed and proceeded toward the knight's training ground.

"Summon the carriage."

"Yes, milady."

Elaine rode the carriage with Mariam. During her quick journey back, she contemplated Gerard's information. Some details in the book and her current knowledge did not match. For example, how did Celeste get inside if even Estella needed the Emperor's special permission to attend the competition? If both countries strictly enforced the rules, then only Celeste's father and eldest brother could participate.

Did she sneak in? Knowing Celeste's personality in the original story, the probability that she did was very high. Interesting. The corner of her lips curled upward.

"Is something amusing you, milady?" Mariam gave Elaine a curious stare. Her mistress' mood had been alternating back and forth since this morning.

"No, it is nothing." Elaine did not explain, nor would Mariam understand if she had told her. For the rest of the trip, Elaine glanced out the window to distract herself. She watched the rustling leaves dancing with the wind and the flying birds swirling across the sky. One particular bird caught her attention—a lone raven standing quietly by itself on a branch. It did not interact with other birds, nor did it perform any eye-catching behavior. Yet its gaze somehow felt familiar. Elaine had seen it before, but she could not decide where.

"We have arrived, milady." The carriage halted, and the coachman notified Elaine.

She stopped Mariam from exiting. "No, I will not be getting off here. Bring me to the archives." She commanded. According to the book, something happened during the event that resulted in Celeste saving Cecil and gaining his trust and affection. But it would be foolish of her to assume the joint expedition would remain faithful to the source material and not affect her. Elaine needed to conduct her research in case unexpected situations happened. Even if she could not prevent it, she could at least come prepared.

"As you wish, milady." The coachman whipped and steered his horse toward the Croix's archives.

After reaching the archives, she told Mariam to stay inside the carriage and wait for her while she entered the building.

"Welcome back, Lady Estella. How can I be of service to you today?" The old archives keeper came down and greeted Elaine.

"I am glad to see you again, Herbert." Elaine smiled. "Could you help me find some records about Étoile's previous joint expeditions?"

"Of course, milady. It would be my pleasure." The old man inclined his body and again climbed the stair.