The door was slammed shut fiercely.

Aske half-opened his mouth, looking at everyone in the room.

Emperor Otto was distraught, the Acid Erosion Dragon looked indifferent, the Dragon of Imagination covered its face and sighed, Sealing Furnace Fire Otto looked complicated, his brother Ludwig shook his head ceaselessly, and the Duke of Bavaria was overwhelmed with guilt.

Six people, six expressions, which made Aske stare wide-eyed and tongue-tied, thinking to himself, could this melodrama of the year be any more intense?

Then he remembered something and quickly said,

"I'll go and bring her back."

"Please do," the Duke of Bavaria hastily said.

The fact that he even used "please" showed how chaotic his mind was at the moment.

However, upon reflection, letting the Duke of Bavaria or Emperor Otto, these two "fathers," try to persuade her would likely backfire; Aske, who had a better relationship with her yet no connection to her complex family ties, was indeed a more suitable person to offer guidance.

After telling everyone, Aske hurriedly left the room.

"Excuse me, have you seen a tall, blonde girl?" he asked a hotel waiter passing by in the hallway.

"Oh, she seemed to have gone to the stairwell," the waiter said, directing him.

Aske hurried to the stairwell, which split into two paths: up and down.

Suddenly and inexplicably, he recalled the night at Weisbach Palace when Eleanor had slipped out from the family banquet to meet him.

She should... probably choose to go to the rooftop terrace, right?

More importantly, if she decided to go down and leave the hotel through the lobby on the first floor, it would be very difficult for him to find her. But he firmly believed that Eleanor was not trying to escape for good—she just wanted to find a quiet place.

Walking up the stairs to the rooftop and stepping out of the stairwell, Aske saw the roof was empty, with only a few pigeons resting on the railing.

Ah, had he guessed wrong?

He sighed somewhat despondently, about to turn back downstairs to continue his search, when he heard a voice behind him:

"Squad Leader... you really did come looking for me."

"Eleanor?" Aske turned around and saw Eleanor leaning against the wall next to the door, her hands lightly supporting her body, her face melancholic.

"You're here," Aske breathed a sigh of relief, "Eleanor..."

"No need," Eleanor said softly, "I know what you want to say."

"What do you think I want to say?" Aske smiled.

"Strong people don't have such troubles, so you need to become strong," Eleanor spoke softly.

"Hey, am I some kind of 'strength freak'?" Aske protested excitedly.

"What's a strength freak?" Eleanor asked.

"It's a sort of monster that keeps telling you, 'You need to become strong,'" Aske made up on the spot.

"Oh." Eleanor looked down, her expression a mix of discomfort and despondency, "Aske, you don't need to counsel me; actually, I've figured it all out."

"You've figured it out?"

"You see, a person can never choose their own origins," Eleanor said with a forced smile, "but she can choose what kind of person to become."

"This statement is quite accurate and incisive," Aske then realized she wasn't being stubborn, just a bit melancholic.

"It's good that you can think it through," Aske nodded, "In the long run..."

"In the long run," Eleanor spoke softly, "being the Emperor's daughter certainly makes it easier to fulfill my political ambitions than being the Duke's daughter. Moreover, I can possess both identities."

"Eleanor, you..." Aske hesitated. Eleanor's demeanor was too calm as she spoke—so calm that she almost didn't seem like herself—not like the Knight Girl Aske had known before.

"Dirty," Eleanor suddenly said.

Aske: ?

"I feel dirty for having such thoughts," Eleanor expressed with disgust.

Aske breathed a sigh of relief. See, so she hasn't changed after all...

"I don't think so," Aske tried to console her, "It's normal to have such thoughts."

"Normal?" Eleanor shook her head with aversion, "If it was the old me... I would have greatly despised someone with such thoughts."

"Kids hate lots of things," Aske laughed heartily, "Later on, didn't they all end up loving them anyway?"

"'Loving them'? What does that mean?" Eleanor was puzzled.

"It's a classic tale," Aske explained, "A long time ago, a project was set up that let rich kids experience the life of the poor..."

Aske vividly retold the story, making Eleanor burst into laughter, even bringing her to tears:

"Really, how could they trick people like that..."

After she finished laughing, her melancholy gradually dissipated, and she said with relief:

"Actually, I understand what you mean, Aske. People tend to dwell on their past situations, which makes adapting to new environments challenging. Some choose resistance, self-blame, or even deceive themselves... But life has to move forward, right?"

Aske: ???

Wait, is that what I meant? How did I not know?

"Just like that kid you mentioned. Initially, he found the poor family's food nauseating and hard to swallow, but soon he adapted," Eleanor sighed deeply, "And me? It's just the identity of an Empire Princess, is it really that hard to accept? Am I being more pretentious than even a child?"

Aske: …

"Uh..." Aske wanted to say something more, but Eleanor had already wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and smiled:

"Thank you, Squad Leader. Whether as Weisbach's Eleanor or the Empire Princess Eleanor, both are parts of my identity—I won't change."

"Yeah, it's good that you figured it out," Aske thought, what else could I say? You've said everything...

"However, if I am the Empire Princess, how should we deal with the previous account of my assassination attempt on the Emperor?" Eleanor started to worry again.

"I think His Majesty probably doesn't mind that incident," Aske said truthfully, "otherwise, he wouldn't have come to find you."

"That's not how you say it," Eleanor immediately insisted, "After all, he was wrong first, so of course I had to stop him... What I mean is, since I am his daughter, I shouldn't use assassination but should first try to persuade him."

You didn't try to talk him out of it before attempting the assassination? Aske thought, then asked:

"What if he doesn't listen to you?"

"Then I use my identity as a princess to undermine his plans, disrupt his conspiracies, and stop his tyrannical acts," Eleanor answered, "Unless he plans to sever ties with me. If so, then great, I can use true force."

Aske: …

So you're not actually conflicted about assassinating your father, you just think you should try diplomacy before force!

However, the Eleanor of today, indeed matured much more than the "Naive Princess Sofie" from the game, despite her temperament being just as stubborn.

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