"No way..."

Moen's face turned pale immediately.

Without time to ponder anything else, he pulled out the black book right away and reviewed in detail everything he had experienced from yesterday to now.

"Indeed, the only thing that could impact the current situation is that maid named Norra!"

"In the original story, she couldn't possibly have had a chance to rest, because the original Moen Campbell was simply not such a kind and forgiving person!"

"Maybe it's the original Moen Campbell who harshly reprimanded her contributed to her worse misbehavior!"

"In other words, because of my kindness... I’ve altered the plot’s trajectory?"

Clutching the *Black Book* tightly in his hands, Moen slumped wearily onto the sofa.

"Then what have all my efforts been for?"

Celicia was still sleeping peacefully, like a princess in a fairy tale waiting for her prince to arrive and bestow true love's kiss.

But looking at her, Moen felt a deep sense of irony.

A princess who never meets her prince is nothing more than the Sleeping Beauty trapped in a lonely tower, and such a story will never reach a happy ending.

If Moen himself cannot perfectly ensure his own destructive fate, what awaits him might be an even more miserable ending.

Just like the prophetic nightmares described in the *Black Book.*

"Do not change." Those three words still echoed in his mind, followed inevitably by the bone-chilling vision of being cut into pieces by a thousand blades.

But Moen truly hadn't expected that all of his carefully laid plans could be completely derailed by a single, minor deviation in his actions!

Come on, though—wasn’t he the mighty protagonist of a power-fantasy world? Could he really be taken down this easily?

"No, no, it's not the time to jump to conclusions!"

"Remember, she's the protagonist we’re talking about—a heroine who could even stumble into the correct room among the hundreds within a duke’s estate just by getting lost!"

"She’s the true Chosen One of destiny. Even if the world’s trajectory has slightly deviated, her immense luck will undoubtedly correct it again!"

"It’s not over yet!"

A sudden flash of determination appeared in Moen's eyes, and roaring flames of passion reignited within his chest.

Although everything seemed dire, it was far from time for despair.

Believe in the protagonist and her destiny.

After all, in any normal power-fantasy girl’s love story, as long as the authors are not completely out of their mind, they would never write a disgusting scene where the heroine gets ruined by the yellow-haired scoundrel villain!

At worst, the protagonist might arrive at the very last minute, hanging by a thread—just like *Battle Through the Heavens* type of stories. Every last-minute heroic showing-up ramps up the tension for the audience!

So, until Celicia truly wakes up, nothing is decided yet!

Yes, until she wakes up!

"Ugh..."

A faint moan broke the silence in the room.

"..."

No, no way.

So soon?

It must be a hallucination! This has to be a hallucination!

"So hot..."

"..."

No, it’s not a hallucination.

It's over.

The light disappeared.

The fire was extinguished.

The hope was gone.

Moen felt an overwhelming chill seep through his entire body.

He stiffly turned his head to look at Celicia.

Sure enough, Celicia’s delicate brows were furrowed, and her body was instinctively twisting slightly.

She seemed uncomfortable somehow, but regardless, she looked as if she was moments away from absolutely waking up.

"It's all over now."

"The first thing Celicia will do once she wakes up is definitely try to kill me."

"I won’t even make it to the planned catastrophic ending—my life will end right here and right now."

"Ugh…"

Moen, already filled with despair, turned toward the still-closed door with desperate tears streaming down his face.

"Lady Ariel! Heroine! Savior! Why on earth are you taking so long—please be here and save me now!"

---

"How could Lea be so clumsy as to get cake all over my dress?"

At this very moment, Ariel—the very heroine that Moen was desperately calling for—was lifting the edge of her own gown and wandering aimlessly through the labyrinthine hallways of the duke’s estate, looking thoroughly lost.

A clear stain marred the corner of her skirt—a mark left by the cake that the careless Lea had dropped on her earlier.

Now Ariel was searching high and low for a restroom, though she hadn’t anticipated that the duke’s estate would be so complicated, or that she herself was such a directionless person.

As expected, she was completely lost.

Yet perhaps, guided by some unseen force or protected by the aura of immense luck in the protagonist, Ariel was unknowingly approaching Moen’s room—only a single turn away at this point.

It was clear: if she simply continued wandering in this direction, she would undoubtedly stumble upon the correct door in a matter of minutes, or perhaps even less.

However, this time, fate took an unexpected turn down a different path.

"Who’s there? Show yourself!"

Ariel suddenly turned toward a shadowed corner, her sharp eyes flashing with a hint of icy severity.

Tap.

In the darkness, a crisp sound of footsteps echoed.

A figure in a black-and-white maid's uniform slowly emerged.

It was a maid.

"My apologies, dear guest. This part of the estate is restricted."

The maid bowed respectfully to Ariel and continued in a composed tone:

"I must ask you to turn around immediately."

"Restricted?"

Letting out a sigh of relief, Ariel still couldn’t help raising a curious eyebrow.

"Restricted for what?"

"I'm afraid it's a matter of utmost confidentiality regarding the duke’s affairs. I cannot disclose further information."

"Tch, stingy."

Ariel clicked her tongue, feigning disinterest. Yet her lively black eyes darted around mischievously, clearly harboring some sort of scheme.

"Dear guest, it seems like your dress has been stained."

At this moment, the maid knelt slightly before Ariel and used one hand to lift the hem of her dress. Her fingertips glimmered faintly with a soft light.

"[Cleanse]."

With a flash of light, Ariel’s dress was as good as new.

"Amazing."

Ariel blinked wide-eyed in amazement.

"The maids in the duke’s estate can all use magic like that?"

"Just a little trick," the maid replied with a modest smile, rising to her feet.

"By the way, a limited amount of Pachichi Cakes will be served at the banquet. If the you enjoys desserts, I strongly recommend you don’t miss it."

"Pachichi Cakes!"

Ariel’s eyes lit up brightly.

Those were her favorite cakes!

Unfortunately, they were exorbitantly expensive, and there were only a handful of patissiers in the entire Berlland region who could make them. Therefore, she rarely had the chance to enjoy them.

"Thank you so much for your help!"

With a vigorous bow, Ariel expressed her gratitude to the maid. Then, without another word, she turned and sprinted off for the cakes.

Even her long gown couldn’t slow her down.

After all, Pachichi Cakes were only available for a limited time, even in places like the prestigious duke’s estate! If she didn’t hurry, they would definitely all be gone!

---

Having run some distance, Ariel began talking to herself aloud.

There was no one else nearby—it seemed she was simply monologuing.

"I know there was something wrong with that maid."

"That whole 'restricted zone' thing was definitely a lie."

"She reeks of blood, and the other person she’s trying to hide back is also suspicious."

"But—none of that has anything to do with me!"

"Whatever she’s stirring up, it’s happening inside the duke’s estate. It's none of my business."

"As for searching for Princess Celicia? Oh, come on. She’s an adult. It’s not like she could just vanish into thin air."

"Nothing could possibly be more important than my Pachichi Cake. Nothing!"

"My beloved Pachichi, here I come!"