Yulia's memory of her former fiancé remained frozen on the day she first arrived in this world.

On that golden dais, he had stood forth as Princess Yulia's betrothed, shielding her illegitimate half-sister while sentencing her to death.

At the pier, just before the dawn, he had personally watched her depart on a path everyone deemed a one-way trip.

Back then, his expression had been cold, righteous, and unyielding. When he looked at Yulia, he was a judge without sentiment, stripping away her sins under the harsh sunlight and passing judgment without a hint of mercy.

Yet now, though his expression remained as upright and stoic as ever, there was no chill in his eyes.

In fact, Yulia detected a note of… concern?

She stood stunned for a long moment, thrown by the jarring contrast in Loren Eir's attitude, before remembering Caerus's magic.

When active, this spell blurred the image of the former Princess Yulia in the memories of those who knew her, twisting it into their own idealized—or biased—imaginations.

To Loren Eir, the original Yulia was imperious, arrogant, and self-absorbed. His memory of her automatically conformed to that image.

So, as they stood face-to-face, even though he saw Yulia's true appearance, he failed to recognize her.

Yulia gathered her senses. The scene was absurd to the point of hair-raising. She dared not imagine how agonizingly awkward it would be if he suddenly realized who she was.

She decided to drop the matter of the collision and focus on finding Caerus to leave.

Loren Eir, not expecting her to ignore him entirely, looked surprised and reached out to pull her back.

"Miss, I only meant to—"

Yulia felt a spike of irritation.

"I told you, I'm fine. Move."

Just as she started to step around him, a girl with walnut-colored hair approached.

"Sir Loren Eir? What… is happening here?"

The brief exchange between Loren and Yulia had already drawn the gaze of students near the garden corridor.

Loren Eir was a celebrated alumnus of Gaia Academy and the current Knight Commander of the Order of Radiance. While no one recognized the girl, her breathtaking beauty stood toe-to-toe with Loren's own charismatic aura.

Their conversation was a natural magnet for all eyes.

When Daisy arrived, this was what she saw:

The girl with cascading, rich sand-gold curls stood beside the youth in silver armor, looking as perfectly matched as the statues of a saint and his holy maiden in a cathedral.

The sunlight draped over them, making the scene as beautiful as an oil painting no one dared disturb.

—And then, the black-haired youth walking quickly beside her tore that painting to shreds, ruthlessly separating the two.

"Do you have any last words?"

Loren Eir, pinned by Caerus's hand on his shoulder: "?"

The crowd erupted into an uproar.

Loren Eir was the Knight Commander of the Temple of Radiance, second only to the High Priest. He was an elite mage commanding an entire legion of knights.

Not even the faculty of Gaia Academy, let alone nobles or kings, dared offend him lightly.

Who was this man?

How dare he offend Sir Loren—or, more accurately, did he not know who Sir Loren was?!

"Release her, sir," Loren Eir said, his voice dropping. "I was merely asking if this lady was injured by the collision. I had no intention of causing any disturbance. On what grounds, and in what capacity, do you threaten me in public? If you insist on this path, I shall not decline your challenge."

Yulia alone knew that Caerus wasn't joking. If no one intervened, he would make that last sentence of Loren's his literal final words.

Yulia stepped in front of Caerus, forcing a cold expression:

"No intention to disturb? I already told you I wasn't injured, so why block my path? Sir Knight Commander, while I don't think I possess such overwhelming charm, your actions make it hard for one not to overthink the situation, don't you agree?"

If anyone else said this, the onlookers would whisper, "How narcissistic."

But coming from this girl?

It sounded… reasonable.

She possessed the capital to make people chase after her.

The crowd exchanged glances, eyes gleaming with the fire of gossip.

Yulia knew full well Loren Eir didn't mean it that way, but she had already spotted Daisy in the crowd. Daisy's presence here meant she had undoubtedly usurped Princess Yulia's identity—and had likely "inherited" her former fiancé as well.

Tch. As a villainess, Yulia found it hard to resist the urge to stir up trouble for Daisy.

Loren Eir frowned slightly, defending himself.

"That was not my intention. If I have caused you distress, I offer my apologies."

Yulia felt a surge of relief; she would take this chance to back down and end the matter…

"No apology necessary," Caerus cut in coldly. "Death is the only sincere apology."

Yulia: …Does he feel uncomfortable if he doesn't cause a catastrophe every single day? Is this the "self-cultivation" of a villain?

"Who are you! How dare you speak so disrespectfully to Sir Loren!"

A fan of Loren's in the crowd spoke up for him.

Yulia's heart sank.

Just as she grabbed Caerus's arm, a burst of flames swirled with overwhelming force toward the young man. It landed precisely by his feet, igniting the hem of his white robe. He began to roll on the ground in terror.

Yet, no one cared about his pathetic state.

The gust of wind blew back Caerus's hood, revealing his face to the students watching near the fountain.

A tremor from the depths of their souls, indescribable in language, swept through their senses.

This instinctive power forced them to shut their mouths and lower their heads. They couldn't even summon the thought of rebellion, for every cell in their bodies and souls screamed at them—

Do not look directly.

Do not defy.

Your only course is submission.

"..."

Yulia stared in stunned silence at the crowd that had suddenly gone quiet and knelt in unison. She turned to Caerus.

"I—I'm really fine. It was really unnecessary to do that."

Though she knew that wherever the Black Dragon appeared, peace would be shattered, she hadn't expected it to reach this level.

The crowd remained trapped in the thrall of that bloodline suppression, their expressions dazed.

Caerus looked down at Loren Eir, who was kneeling before him. His gaze was colder than usual.

He remembered this person.

He had appeared in Yulia's dreams.

This was Yulia's fiancé.

No. Her former fiancé.

"...It has nothing to do with you," Caerus said, his tone unreadable. "I simply didn't like the look of him."

He glanced down at his arm, which Yulia was holding.

"Are you pleading for him?"

For some reason, the thought that she would plead for this former fiancé angered him more than the offense of these mortals.

…No.

Yulia was merely worried that if she didn't pin down this arm, he would kill everyone present.