"Those who are confident about remembering what their current cultivation constitution feels like as of this moment can follow me."

Elder Shen’s voice boomed across the clearing, reaching the many people seated on the ground.

As part of their final preparation, everyone had been instructed to circulate their spiritual energy several times. It wasn’t just to ensure clear pathways, but more importantly, to foster familiarity.

Because apparently, the way they were going to coax their abilities out was to follow the changes.

And to do that—

One had to know what didn’t feel familiar.

So when Elder Shen called out, there was a brief pause—

Before someone stood.

Surprisingly, it was one little princess.

"Nina, are you going already?" Princess Marin asked, opening her eyes the moment she felt the movement beside her.

"I-I am!" Nina clenched her small hand into a fist, her expression tight with determination.

"I also tried writing down my usual route and any noticeable points and impressions, so hopefully, that would help!"

She looked serious as she clutched her bedazzled notebook. Normally, she would’ve written it down using her terminal, but for something precious like this, she felt it would be better to write it manually.

It not only served as her cheat sheet but also as a reassurance that she—who had followed the instructions and even made arrangements for Mr. Quackers and Snowy—was ready.

"Wow! You’re really prepared!" Marin’s eyes lit up, clearly impressed. "Then, I wish you luck!"

Princess Nina, who had deliberately chosen not to wear a dress today in preparation for whatever might happen, nodded firmly to her friend before stepping forward.

Only—

She paused.

Because she hadn’t expected to see him.

Her big brother.

"Brother!" Nina gasped, eyes widening as she looked up at Xavier. "Are you ready, too?"

"Mn." Xavier nodded slightly, his expression calm as always. "Since I already have access to my abilities, this is supplementary for me. It doesn’t matter when I take the fruit."

He glanced at her.

"So for now, I’m here to accompany you."

"WHAT?!" Nina practically squeaked, her face turning bright red in an instant.

But she wasn’t flustered.

No—

She was thrilled.

"Yes," Xavier continued. "We’ll likely be attuned to the same things, so it makes sense for me to guide you."

Nina looked up at her towering older brother, completely awestruck.

Because really—

What kind of day was this?

Not only would she be like her family after today, but now she even had her brother helping her!

Then, as if giving her an added bonus, who would’ve thought that the fruit would actually taste good?

Today—

Was truly perfect.

__

With a reddish-purple exterior, Princess Nina hadn’t expected the flesh inside to be white.

It seemed rather soft. Pulp-filled. Juicy-looking.

Tiny black seeds dotted the interior, and the Elders had already mentioned that those were edible too.

Nina gulped as she looked at it.

Her big brother had already offered to harvest it for her, so all she had to do now was eat. Technically, their parents had said they would come with her, but she had insisted on doing it herself, just like everyone else.

But when her brother stepped in—

Well.

She hadn’t even tried to refuse.

In fact, she liked it a little too much.

She’d have to apologize later for being biased and only letting her brother accompany her.

Still—

Right now, she was extremely thankful he did.

Because despite all her mental preparations, standing in front of the plant was... nerve-wracking.

Even for her.

Even for the princess who had once tried dealing with the King of the Orcs.

Ahem.

But she was a big girl now.

So, gathering her courage, she prepared to take a bite even as her heart pounded wildly in her chest.

She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself, looking very much like a tiny baby trying her best to act grown up.

Omph! 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

And then—

Nothing.

No blinding light.

No overwhelming surge.

No dramatic transformation.

The confused little princess blinked and slowly opened her eyes just as a scoop of the fruit was brought to her mouth.

"..."

"..."

It was her big brother, and he was once again feeding her.

But Nina couldn’t help but glance around first, with concern clearly written on her face.

Is that normal?

And then seeing that nothing unusual was happening to anyone else either—

Apparently, yes.

"Nina, you have to consume all of this first," Xavier explained calmly. "The Elders said it won’t necessarily manifest immediately. It’ll just become more obvious, so you need to focus. Eat everything first before trying to—"

Well, the Imperial Big Brother didn’t get to finish.

Because just as he was telling her not to expect anything to happen right away—

A sharp screech cut through the air.

Everyone turned.

It was Countess Jenna Taylor.

And for some reason—

She was dangling above the ground, her waist wrapped by leaves.

Wait. Leaves?!

"!!!"

"Mom!"

Jax’s voice rang out, sharp with alarm as he clutched his own fruit, staring at his mother dangling in the air.

Count Alexander, who had been standing right beside her, went completely pale. "Jenna!"

He instinctively stepped forward, his hand already moving as if to strike the plant that had wrapped around his wife, but Elder Wei intervened at once.

"No. Don’t touch her just yet."

"What?!" Alexander’s voice rose, panic breaking through. "But my wife, she’s—"

"She’s fine," the Elder said firmly. "She will remain fine, provided you don’t spook her."

That stopped him, though only just.

Elder Wei lifted his gaze toward the Countess, his voice steady and controlled. "Countess, please relax yourself. Take a deep breath."

Jenna’s eyes were still wide from the shock, but she forced herself to follow his instructions.

She inhaled slowly...

Then exhaled.

And repeated the process as the Elder guided her through it.

"Good. Just like that. Now, while keeping steady, please tell us what you were thinking about earlier."

"I-I..." she stammered, her voice trembling as her hands tried to hold on to the fruit. "I was thinking about the leaves. They looked nice today. Healthy. Very green. So I was hoping to see more of them after."

"Mom..." Jax murmured, still watching her anxiously.

"Okay, that’s good," Elder Wei said without missing a beat.

"Now think about wanting your feet to touch the ground. But do it slowly. Focus on thinking how your feet would touch the ground ever so slowly."

Jenna exhaled again, gathering her courage as she did exactly as instructed. She focused entirely on the idea of standing on solid ground, picturing the feeling clearly in her mind.

At first, nothing changed.

Then, slowly, she felt it.

A gentle lowering.

Her body descended little by little, the leaves loosening as if responding to her thoughts until her feet finally touched the soil.

"...!"

"Jenna!" Count Alexander moved immediately.

"Wait, Alex," she said quickly, stopping him with a raised hand. "I’m okay. Just stay there for a moment... I want to try something."

He hesitated, every instinct urging him forward, but the seriousness in her expression made him pause. Reluctantly, he stayed where he was.

Everyone else watched in silence.

The long leaves of the Queen of the Night began to slip away from her waist, slowly disentangling themselves in smooth, controlled motions as if guided by her will. No one spoke. No one moved. They simply watched, holding their breath.

Then, unexpectedly, Jenna smiled.

Bright and delighted.

"Wow. Very good!" she said, reaching out to pat one of the leaves before giving it a light shake, as if praising a well-behaved pet.

The people around her were left completely speechless, unable to process what they had just witnessed.

Elder Wei finally spoke, his tone calm but clearly satisfied.

"Well, it seems we’re one down."

"Congratulations, Countess Jenna, on discovering your affinity."

"!!!"