Lately, I've been increasingly reminded that this world doesn't revolve around me.

No matter how much I try to skip over stories I don't want to deal with, ignoring everything else, these diligent characters just keep moving according to their own ideas.

Just as in the original story, where Alice was spurred on by her entanglement with Claire and infiltrated the casino dressed as a bunny girl, this time, too, Alice was prompted by Bella to sneak into the casino.

She must have realized a lot during their conversation yesterday. Bella's demeanor was completely different from usual, embodying the role of a woman with a tragic past. She once had dreams, but harsh reality turned her life upside down. If I hadn’t known the backstory, I might have fallen for it, too.

When Bella approached us back then, it was likely to provoke us, and perhaps also to tease Alice a little while she was at it.

In the end, I skipped over some intermediate steps and leapt straight into the action, and Alice went on her way, putting on the bunny girl outfit to sneak in. There’s no need to wonder who got that outfit for her—it could only have been Bella.

Suddenly, the door burst open.

"Hah!"

As I abruptly entered, Alice, holding a piece of blue cloth, let out a gasp.

She hadn't even put on her stockings yet.

"Did you plan to put this on here?"

"W-what!?"

When I asked her directly, Alice opened her mouth, perhaps intending to deny it, but after noticing where my gaze had landed on her hand, she quickly hid what she was holding behind her back.

I fully entered Alice's room and shut the door behind me.

"If you go out dressed like that from here, you'll draw too much attention."

"I... I know that too!"

Realizing I had caught on from the beginning, Alice spoke with a sigh of resignation.

When she dropped her hands, the cloth and stockings she was holding drooped down toward the floor. Looking around, I noticed a mask and bunny ears headband on the desk.

"I was just... going to wear it under my clothes and take off the outer layer later…."

"…"

But it seemed she couldn’t withstand my silent gaze. Alice blushed and lowered her head deeply.

There was something strangely pitiful about her appearance.

I had thought Alice had become far more confident than in the original story, thanks to the confidence I’d instilled in her since she was young. But maybe that wasn’t the case.

I held back a sigh. I knew that sighing in front of her now would only further hurt her pride.

"First, why don’t we sit down and talk? You can decide if you still want to go ahead with your plan afterward."

"…Okay."

At my suggestion, Alice sat down on the bed without a word.

Perhaps she, too, realized that what she was about to do wasn’t exactly befitting a princess.

Watching Alice plop down on the bed, I initially headed for a chair but then changed my mind and sat beside her.

Of course, I didn’t sit so close that we were touching. I left a bit of distance, just enough that she wouldn’t feel I was too far away.

"First of all, can you explain why you planned to go out dressed like this?"

Looking down at Alice’s hand as I asked,

"No, I wasn’t actually planning to go out like this—"

Turning her head toward me, seemingly about to offer an excuse, Alice caught a glimpse of my expression and stopped speaking.

"Well…"

After murmuring to herself for a moment, she finally spoke.

"It just feels like… I'm not doing anything."

"What do you mean, 'not doing anything'?"

"Even during the field training in Winterfield, I was just taking on tasks casually with friends, wasn’t I?"

"You were only doing what a student was expected to do."

"But… you achieved something incredible in the meantime. You could’ve received a medal right then and there, and no one would’ve found it odd."

"…"

True, that was the case. Technically, what I did had nothing to do with the mission and should have resulted in a failing grade. But Jennifer gave me a perfect score because the accomplishments couldn’t be ignored. And separately, I might even receive some sort of commendation for it.

"What I did, I did because it was my responsibility—"

"What responsibility?"

Alice interrupted me.

"What exactly is your responsibility?"

"That is—"

"What does it mean for someone like you, also a princess, to have a responsibility?"

"…"

Alice was looking directly at me. Though we sat side by side, she had turned her body toward me, gazing intently into my eyes.

And from her face, I felt a peculiar determination.

I had felt this atmosphere once before.

When I was entering the academy, Alice had been outraged when the emperor tried to send me to the northern battlefront instead. She had found morphine in my room and confronted the emperor, bringing me to the academy.

The look on Alice’s face now reminded me of that moment.

"Father doesn’t distinguish between you and me, or between Bella, Lucas, and Jayden either. You know that, don’t you?"

Alice clenched her fists tightly, the cloth in her hand crumpling.

"But when he heard that you saw me as the next empress, he said nothing. It’s not because he trusts my abilities more but because he believes in your determination more, isn’t it?"

Was that really what the conversation between the emperor and me had been about?

Looking back, it was likely that the emperor had placed more weight on my judgment than on Alice's intentions.

"Let me ask you something. I may have overlooked it before because I thought I had your approval… but why do you think I should be the next empress?"

"…"

"What exactly made you think I should be empress? My abilities? My personality? Or was it just my bloodline? Or perhaps you saw some use in me? Did you think I would somehow benefit you in the future?"

What did I see in Alice that made me think she should be empress?

The reason I treated Alice the way I did.

Honestly, it was simple.

I liked Alice.

It wasn’t just Alice; I liked all the characters who had been protagonists or heroes in Azeroth’s Chronicles.

The reason I treated Alice well was the same reason I treated Claire well—because these were characters I had liked even before coming to this world.

Honestly, I’d be lying if I said my heart hadn’t skipped a beat when I first met them.

There were pressing matters to attend to, enemies to face, countless considerations to make, and amidst all that, my first thought had been pure and simple—joy.

Meeting Claire was terrifying because I knew what would happen to her if I stayed close, just like in the original story. Meeting Alice brought joy, but also fear of the emperor and annoyance from Lucas, who always intruded.

Yet, I couldn’t erase the thrill of being part of that game’s storyline.

The reason I worked so hard here was ultimately because I wanted these characters to survive safely.

"…"

But, strangely enough.

Saying "just because I like them" was oddly difficult. Even knowing it wouldn’t be embarrassing if I went back on it afterward. I could simply laugh it off if it became awkward—

But for some reason, it felt like something I shouldn't say.

"See?"

However, Alice seemed to interpret my silence differently.

Rather than looking disappointed or sad, she wore an expression that seemed, strangely enough, relieved.

And I couldn’t quite understand why she looked that way.

"If that’s the case, let me prove it to you."

With a determined look, Alice gazed at me.

"Let me prove that I have the ability to sit on the throne. That I’m not someone who only needs your protection, but someone who can protect you, too."

"…"

"Not just someone claiming to be your sister, but someone who can truly stand beside you as a sister. Give me the chance to prove it."

"I…"

"Sure, maybe you already know everything. You probably see this as my stubbornness, and maybe it isn’t even something an older sister should ask for. But…"

Alice clenched her fists, the cloth in her hands crumpling further.

"But… I just want to do this."

Simply because she wanted to.

It was, when you looked closely, just a stubborn request without logic, merely for self-satisfaction.

But—

"…Alright."

In the end, I wasn’t that different in my reasoning either.

"In that case, I'll go with you. Princess… no, Alice, you may act as you wish. I’ll follow and help whenever needed."

"But—"

"The emperor isn’t someone who acts alone, is he? I think he’s allowed at least one person by his side."

If she’s going to do it, I’d prefer she does it where I can see her.

After all, isn’t this an important event?

"…"

Alice stared at me blankly.

And I could understand why.

For once, in this moment, I wasn’t trying to control my expression.