The clumsy girl, Sheele, might not recognize Selene, but as adults, her parents certainly did. After all, who in the Imperial Capital didn't know the Empire's second-highest military figure—General Selene von Habsburg?
When Sheele accidentally spilled a tray of food over Selene, the middle-aged couple nearly lost their souls from fright. Grabbing their daughter, they immediately knelt down.
For ordinary civilians without wealth or influence, standing before someone like Selene—a General of the Empire—any thought of defiance was unimaginable.
"General... please, don't punish Sheele. If you must punish someone, punish me instead," the man begged, clutching his wife and daughter tightly.
"It's fine. Get up..." Though still slightly dazed by the sudden commotion, Selene's reaction was quick. She lifted her hand slightly, and with a soft motion, a gentle force raised the kneeling family back to their feet.
"I don't intend to blame you. Go about your work... and also, as Esdeath said—bring out all your signature dishes."
"Y-Yes, General!"
Settling into a window-side seat, Selene studied the purple-haired girl nestled nervously in her parents' arms. The girl appeared around fifteen years old, with long violet hair cascading down her back, matching violet eyes, and a gentle expression framed by glasses with thin purple rims. She wore a pale lilac cheongsam-style dress, purple boots, and white thigh-high socks—her entire appearance radiated soft elegance.
"That girl's name is Sheele, you said?"
Sheele? The name clicked instantly in Selene's mind. Night Raid's Sheele was born and raised in the Imperial Capital. At this time, she would still be living peacefully here with her parents.
The resemblance was undeniable—the same purple hair, the same warm, absentminded eyes. Yes, it was her. The future assassin of Night Raid, the clumsy, kindhearted girl named Sheele.
The gentlest member of Night Raid—and the first to die.
She was a girl who had always been ridiculed for lacking talent, for never being good at anything. Only her closest friend had stood by her, offering encouragement when everyone else laughed.
Though airheaded and clumsy—always making mistakes and stumbling through life—Sheele was pure-hearted, selfless, and kind beyond measure.
In the first half of her life, she was nothing more than a kind, ordinary girl. Had fate not intervened, she likely would have spent her life quietly in the middle or lower districts of the Capital—an ordinary, absentminded girl living an uneventful life. But...
One night, when her friend was attacked by a former lover, Sheele witnessed the man choking her dear friend to death. In that moment of crisis, Sheele acted—drawing a weapon and killing the scum with her own hands.
But her friend, an ordinary citizen, was horrified. The scene had broken their bond, leaving fear where affection once was. From that moment, tragedy followed.
The dead man's companions sought revenge and slaughtered Sheele's family. When they came for her next, she killed them all in return.
From then on, Sheele became a wanted fugitive of the Empire. Yet during those moments of bloodshed, she discovered something about herself—a talent for killing.
Eventually, while working as an assassin in the Capital, she was recruited by the Revolutionary Army and joined Night Raid. Not long after... she died.
That was the short and tragic life of the girl named Sheele.
"Does she have something special about her?" Esdeath asked curiously, noticing the faraway look in Selene's eyes. She couldn't see what was so remarkable about this clumsy purple-haired waitress.
Could clumsiness itself be a kind of gift? Esdeath mused dryly as she watched Sheele fumble with another tray.
"Nothing special," Selene said, shaking her head lightly while lifting a glass of water. "Just a cute girl, that's all."
She had no particular thoughts. For now, Sheele offered no strategic or practical significance. Night Raid might not even form at all this time—everything was uncertain.
"Um... I-I'm so sorry, General..." Sheele stood before Selene, holding a large bottle of juice with trembling hands. Her eyes darted nervously as she bowed over and over in apology.
"It's alright. It's not your fault—my subordinate was the one who overreacted. I owe you an apology instead. But... Sheele, please be more careful next time, okay? Try not to be so reckless."
As she spoke, Selene reached out and gently rubbed Sheele's head.
For some reason, Selene found herself increasingly fond of this simple act of patting girls' head—it was oddly satisfying.
"Mhm... General, you're such a good person..." Sheele murmured, eyes half-closed, looking for all the world like a content little pet being petted by its owner. Her earlier fear seemed to fade away.
Ding—Good Person Card received.
Selene couldn't help but chuckle helplessly. She'd just been handed a good person card.
Remembering her task, Sheele hurriedly brought over a large bottle and set it down carefully on the table. "General, this is the fruit drink you ordered."
Just as she turned to leave, Selene suddenly called out to her.
Holding her forehead with one hand and the bottle in the other, Selene said with an awkward look, "Uh... Sheele, you brought the wrong one. I asked for juice... not wine."
"Wahhh! I-I'm so sorry, General! I'll change it right away!"
Realizing her mistake, Sheele panicked, rushing over to grab the bottle. But the moment she lifted it—her foot slipped.
Under the horrified gaze of her parents, who had just stepped out from the kitchen, Sheele and the bottle of wine went tumbling straight toward Selene.
"No—!"
Simulation — Gravity.
Selene wasn't about to let herself be drenched in alcohol. Using her gravitational control, she instantly pulled Sheele and the bottle safely back to the floor, watching the girl with a resigned expression.
Truly, this girl lived up to her reputation as the ultimate airhead—the same girl who once managed to wash both herself and Mine together while doing laundry. Selene had now witnessed it firsthand.
Huh? That didn't hurt...? Opening her eyes in confusion, Sheele blinked dizzily. But before she could react further, her father's furious shout echoed from behind her.
"Sheele! You've messed things up again!"
The stern tone made Sheele flinch. Clutching the bottle nervously, she turned around with teary eyes. "Papa... I..."
"Sheele, you... sigh." The man raised his hand but hesitated, seeing his daughter's frightened expression. In the end, he lowered it again with a weary sigh. "Go help in the kitchen for now."
Turning to Selene, Sheele's father looked ready to kneel once more in apology, but Selene, anticipating it, stopped him mid-motion with a flick of her hand.
"It's fine. Go on."
The man bowed deeply, a full ninety degrees, before retreating into the kitchen.
"What a clumsy, scatterbrained girl," Esdeath remarked, watching the retreating Sheele. "She's not suited for service work at all."
"Mm." Selene nodded in agreement. "Let's finish eating and head back soon."