The morning sun slipped through the curtain gap, reflecting off the glass tabletop to illuminate the quiet bedroom.

Luyi’s eyelashes fluttered twice.

In a drowsy haze, she felt a bit warm.

*What happened last night?*

She’d had a wild dream—

First, she became the Virtuous Maiden, nearly turned into the Champion’s plaything. At the critical moment, she awakened dual top-tier talents from *Dusk*, instantly obliterating the Champion.

Later, to escape, she forced an Abyssal Demon to bind her to the Soulfall Domain.

*So it was all a dream, after all?*

But why such an absurd dream?

*If I’m fantasizing,* she thought, *why not imagine my trashy light novel getting picked up by an editor? Climbing to manga adaptation, reaching the peak of my career?*

Yet soon, she sensed something strange about her body.

A pressure on her chest.

And the feeling of being tightly embraced.

Blinking sleepily, Luyi glanced down.

Snow-white skin. A pair of shapely, firm breasts.

And… a dark crimson figure nestled against them.

*Huh?*

Luyi stared, frozen.

Sensing Luyi’s rising temperature and quickening heartbeat, Alices slowly withdrew her arms. She rubbed her eyes, yawned, and offered a lazy smile when she met Luyi’s dazed gaze. "Morn… morning, Lord Luyi…"

Her hand settled back on Luyi’s chest. She nuzzled her leg against Luyi’s thigh, already drifting off again.

*Lord Luyi smells so sweet… so soft…*

*Hehe…*

*Never thought Lord Luyi would cling to my bed…*

Just as sleep pulled her under, another thought struck her.

*What if Lord Luyi wouldn’t come to my room?*

*And this… is her room?*

"Wah!"

Jolted awake, she yanked her hand and leg back, scrambling to create distance. Panic sent her rolling across the bed—she lost balance and tumbled off with a thud.

"H-haha, Lord Luyi…"

Ignoring the ache in her head, she scrambled up, gripping the bed’s edge, hair wildly disheveled.

"Can I say this was… a misunderstanding?"

…

"Sniff… Lord Luyi, I’m sorry!"

"Truly, deeply sorry!"

Alices bowed frantically beside her, crimson hair swaying like a disheveled flame.

Luyi turned away, silently adjusting her undergarments before changing into the Silverflow Aria gown.

Her silence and turned back hid her own unease.

*So she wandered into the wrong room half-asleep for water?*

*It fits her careless nature.*

But what could Luyi even say?

"Just… leave it," she sighed, signaling Alices to stop apologizing.

"T-thank you for your mercy, Lord Luyi!"

Seeing Alices’s tear-filled eyes and trembling lips, Luyi suddenly felt she’d reduced the girl to utter humility.

…

"Please dine, Lord Luyi."

The butler had prepared everything in the dining hall.

Despite their fearsome name, the Abyssal Demons’ cuisine was ordinary—no exotic delicacies, just familiar human fare.

As a former Virtuous Maiden, Luyi’s table manners were impeccable.

*The food is surprisingly good,* she mused between bites.

Alices sat with her head bowed, still repentant over the morning’s incident.

"After this, I wish to visit the library."

"Y-yes, of course."

Alices clapped her hands. A servant appeared instantly, bowing deeply as he presented Luyi with a translucent card.

"Father opened the Royal Archives years ago," the girl explained. "Most sections are open to all, except restricted zones requiring clearance. This card grants you the highest access. The address is on the back—easy to find."

"Lord Luyi, you’re new to the Soulfall Domain. Unfamiliar with the districts. Perhaps I should—"

"No need."

Luyi shook her head. "I’ll only be looking. I’ll return shortly."

Alices could only nod obediently.

Strangely, after just one night pressed against Luyi, she felt her abilities subtly… evolving.

…

Soon, Luyi stood before the Royal Archives.

Her gown shimmered, shifting into a dark dress. Thick-rimmed glasses and tightly braided twin tails masked her ethereal aura.

No one noticed her passing.

The library sprawled endlessly, shelves stacked like mountains under ancient dust. Even at this hour, it bustled—not just scholars, but couples whispering sweet nothings, students scrolling muted videos on imprint devices, others napping at tables to escape the heat.

Luyi searched for specific texts.

But after scanning a few shelves, she froze.

*Disaster.*

She couldn’t read half the Abyssal Demons’ script!

True, she’d only studied two years at the Sacred Court’s academy after arriving in this world. Their curriculum focused narrowly on Sacred Court doctrine, disconnected from the wider realm.

She knew spoken Demon Tongue—that’s how she communicated—but literacy? The Sacred Court barely taught writing.

*After all,* she recalled bitterly, *they called the Demon Race primitive, greedy savages with no culture to speak of.*

*Foolish!*

Her pupils trembled.

*Trapped in that echo chamber too long…*

*What’s the point of coming here if I can’t read anything?*

Unaware, she drifted deeper into the restricted zone—accessible only with her highest-clearance card.

*I’m about to become illiterate—*

"Eh… what’s this?"

Her gaze snagged on a row of dust-caked tomes.

These characters felt… familiar.

"*Dusk*’s script?" she murmured. She tiptoed, pulling down the least dusty volume. "Similar, but… like a clumsy imitation."

*Looks like a manual on ancient demonic combat techniques?*

Though riddled with errors, she deciphered fragments.

Flipping pages, she found a half-drawn, chaotic source power circuit—clearly a high-tier combat skill.

Spotting paper and pen on a nearby desk, she sat down. Sketching corrections came effortlessly.

…

Outside the library, two figures approached.

One tall and stern. One aged yet sharp-eyed.

Passersby paled, scrambling aside with reverent bows.

"Third Prince! Elder Noriki!" the guards saluted, swinging the doors open.

"Your guidance honors me, Elder Noriki."

"Your Highness flatters this old man. Serving you is my privilege."

Ignoring the shelves, they strode toward the library’s heart.

"After half a year’s seclusion," the Third Prince said, "I finally dare return. To complete that fragmented ancient combat skill."

"I shall spare no effort to assist you, Your Highness," Noriki vowed.

The prince’s lips curved.

*Today, I finish it.*

*One more lethal trump card awaits.*