"Your Highness Euphemia— are you in here?!"
The shouts from outside the cave grew louder, and the sound of hurried footsteps jolted Euphemia out of her trance.
Her eyes blinked rapidly, long eyelashes fluttering faintly in the dim light like startled butterfly wings.
"Um… you…"
The pink-haired princess unconsciously twisted the hem of her dress, her fingertips brushing against the still-warm contract mark on her arm.
She opened her mouth but didn't know how to explain the mysterious knight standing before her appraoching subordinates—especially not when this knight possessed beauty and might that defied reason.
'If Prince Schneizel brought a stranger like this back to the palace, even he'd be questioned by the advisors…'
Euphemia lowered her eyes, her soft pink lips pressed into a thin line. She could almost imagine how the stuffy ministers would exclaim in shock during an audience: "Your Highness! A knight of unknown origin? It's far too dangerous!"
The silver-haired fairy knight seemed to sense her unease. With her mask now gone, her breathtakingly beautiful face softened into a gentle smile.
She took Euphemia's hand and pressed a feather-light kiss upon its back.
"If you ever wish to see me again…" Lancelot's voice was like a harp played beneath moonlight—soothing, almost magical in of itself.
"Just call my name."
The lake-blue armor began to glow faintly, and silver-white hair stirred softly in the windless cave.
To Euphemia's astonishment, her fingertips passed right through the knight's gradually fading form.
"I'll always be with you," came the final whisper, dissolving into the air.
The fairy knight's figure broke apart into countless glittering motes of light—like fireflies drifting above a summer lake—slowly rising, then vanishing.
Instinctively, Euphemia reached out to hold her back, but caught only a wisp of cool, fragrant breeze.
"Princess Euphemia! We've finally found you!"
The voices of the search party, accompanied by hurried footsteps, came from the cave entrance. As they flocked towards her location, the light from several torches dispelled the darkness, illuminating Euphemia's lone figure standing before the ancient altar.
"Euphy! Are you alright?!"
Her attendants rushed to her side—draping a dry cloak over her shoulders before they dropped to their knees in apology.
Even her personal knight, Suzaku, wore a look of deep concern, terrified that something might have happened to her while she was alone.
But Euphemia's gaze remained fixed on the center of the altar, where a few lingering blue sparkles still hovered—like stardust at midnight.
"Lancelot…?"
She whispered the name, the same as the Empire's newest advanced Knightmare Frame, her fingers unconsciously tracing the contract mark on her arm.
For a fleeting moment, she thought she saw again those amber eyes watching her tenderly from the shadows.
(Is the fairy knight… truly a knight sent for me?)
The warm glow of the torches bathed her distant expression, and no one noticed the faint, sweet smile playing at the corner of her lips—Nor did anyone discover the red sigil slowly fading into the white of her skin.
"I'm fine," Euphemia finally said, turning to her worried companions with a reassuring smile. "I just… had a very beautiful dream."
As the group escorted her out of the cave, none of them saw a thread of silvery-blue light slip silently into the princess's shadow.
In the darkness untouched by moonlight, a satisfied chuckle echoed faintly.
★ ★ ★
Inside the system space, streams of deep blue data flowed like liquid light. The silver-haired fairy knight gracefully stretched her wrist.
The faint clink of her lake-blue armor echoed crisply in the quiet void.
"As expected of you Lady Hernia! You've already achieved 30% synchronization on your first appearance!"
The red orb zipped excitedly around her, its projection screen flashing with live analytics. "At this rate, we'll unlock even more power soon!"
Lancelot—or rather, Hernia, the spirit inhabiting this heroic vessel—raised a delicate brow.
Her slender fingers brushed over the Dragon Heart hidden beneath the chestplate, feeling the immense magical energy surging through this body.
Even though she was considered one of the strongest in her own world, this power—beyond human limits—still left her awestruck.
"This vessel… truly exceeds expectations," she murmured.
She gazed down at the magical circuits glowing faintly in her palm. The feeling of constraint she had upon first entering this world had completely vanished. Even the wounds from her original body were healed.
"The reward from the World Consciousness is... far too generous."
"Well, of course!" the system orb sniffled suddenly, its screen flickering with memories of Euphemia's past life. "Waaah… Master, look! She worked so hard for peace… and in the end…"
Hernia watched in silence as the image showed the pink-haired princess being executed by gunfire. A shadow flickered deep within her amber eyes.
As a future ruler in her own world, she'd witnessed no shortage of tragedy—but Euphemia li Britannia's story still tugged at her heart.
'An idealist betrayed by her own ideals… How utterly ironic.'
"Well then, our mission is simple," she said, snapping her fingers. The system instantly stopped its wailing.
"If we protect this 'Massacre Princess,' we can prevent Lelouch and Suzaku from turning against each other and curb the development of the F.L.E.I.J.A. weapon—essentially rewriting this world's tragic ending."
The red orb suddenly zoomed up to her face. "But Lady Hernia! Why not just stay by her side as the fairy knight?!"
"I'm not that much of a creep to follow her around twenty-four hours a day."
Hernia pushed the overly enthusiastic system away with a slight disdain. Her silver hair swayed gently as she shook her head.
Although she could feel this body's instinctual desire to be close to its Master, her noble upbringing made her scorn such stalker-like behavior.
'…Though that child really is unbearably adorable.'
She quickly stamped out the treacherous thought and cleared her throat. "Besides, isn't that what you're here for? Just alert me the moment she's in danger."
"Ehh—?!" The system let out an exaggerated wail. "But traveling in spiritual form consumes so much energy!"
Hernia gave a devilish smile. "Then what good are you? Useless system."
"How can you be this unreasonable?!" the orb whimpered, shrinking into a corner to sulk.
Watching the orb draw sad little circles on the floor, Hernia sighed and glanced at the projection—Euphemia was now surrounded by guards, leaving the cave, glancing back every so often like a lost animal.
"Don't worry," Hernia whispered to herself, her hand drifting unconsciously to her hip—where a sword should have been.
"This time… I'll make sure you get to see your ideal come true."
Through the bond of their contract, Euphemia's soul resonated warmly against hers—like sunlight in early spring.
★ ★ ★
T/N: Hernia Solace, her full name, seems to be a character from Elsword.