"Ah… my head hurts so bad…" Noctis groaned. "But… what happened? The clock struck ten, and after that I don't remember anything… Did I faint?"
He slowly sat upright, holding his head as the lingering pain throbbed through it.
"Did I fail again? But… this isn't my room."
Noctis looked around, carefully observing his surroundings.
"Wait… this is Il—"
The door to the room suddenly burst open.
"Young miss, get up! It's already seven in the morning. You can't sleep the entire day."
The familiar voice echoed through the room.
"Clarisse?" Noctis asked in confusion. "Wait— how am I supposed to explain this situation?"
He quickly tried to regain his composure and searched for a place to hide.
But before he could move, Clarisse was already standing in front of him.
"Okay… L-Listen, I can ex—"
Before he could finish speaking, Clarisse simply walked past him.
No.
She didn't walk past him.
She phased straight through him as if his body was nothing more than air.
"Miss, wake up already!" Clarisse said while pulling the blanket away from Ilya.
"No… let me sleep a little longer…" Ilya murmured, yawning as she turned over.
Noctis stood silently, watching the scene unfold.
After a moment, he could only arrive at one conclusion.
This is a memory… or rather, a third-person view of what happened on June 4th.
'Did I succeed then? But why am I seeing this? Is the mansion trying to show me something?'
Questions piled up endlessly in his mind, but no answers came.
So instead, he simply watched.
Noctis began moving through the mansion. His body passed effortlessly through walls and doors, as if they did not exist.
The memory continued.
Clarisse helped Ilya get ready for the day, and after wishing her a happy birthday, she left for work.
Curious, Noctis followed closely behind.
Clarisse descended the staircase and headed toward Ian's office.
Standing outside the door, just like a statue, was the butler.
Gerald.
Noctis observed him carefully.
'So they're real… these people are definitely human.'
Clarisse cautiously approached him.
"Greetings, Mr. Gerald. How have you been?" she said, giving a slight bow.
"Everything has been well so far," Gerald replied calmly. "What about you and Miss Ilya?"
"I'm fine. But Miss Ilya… today is her birthday, yet there's no celebration at all."
"Then have you come to me to resolve that issue?" Gerald asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes. I thought you might be able to help since you're the closest person to Sir Ian."
Gerald placed a finger on his chin, thinking for a moment.
"Then… do you want me to convince Sir Ian to hold a celebration?"
"Um… yes. If you don't mind, could you—"
"I'm sorry, but I cannot help with that."
Gerald interrupted her before she could finish.
"I already informed Sir Ian about it yesterday. He showed no interest and gave no orders regarding it. So I don't believe it will be possible."
"I-I see…"
Disappointment filled Clarisse's face as she turned to leave.
Gerald watched her silently for a moment before letting out a small sigh.
"Wait. I think we can still do something about it."
Clarisse turned back immediately.
"Hm? Really? But what else can we do if even you couldn't convince him?" she asked with concern.
"I can explain," Gerald replied, "but perhaps we should talk somewhere else."
The two of them headed toward the library, with Noctis quietly following behind.
They sat down and began discussing their plan.
Noctis listened carefully.
"This conversation… it's almost the same as the one I had with Clarisse," he muttered. "Does that mean I replaced Gerald's role while he was stuck guarding Ian's office?"
After about thirty to forty-five minutes, their discussion ended.
'So Gerald will convince Ilya, while Clarisse will persuade the head servant and the others using Gerald's authority', Noctis concluded, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
Gerald then left the library and made his way upstairs.
Noctis followed.
Soon enough, Gerald reached the third floor.
A conversation followed—one nearly identical to the one Noctis himself had with Ilya.
"What? He convinced her that easily?"
Noctis frowned.
"So I really was playing on hardcore difficulty…"
Shaking his head, he shifted his attention elsewhere.
He walked toward the garden.
Looking around, he saw only two ordinary gardeners tending to their work.
'So… Silas really was just like me. This event took place even before he came.'
Noctis was lost in thought.
But just as he was about to head back inside—
The world shifted.
Time accelerated.
Everything around him blurred.
And before he could process what was happening, he found himself standing inside the mansion once again.
Right outside Ian's office.
He looked at one of the hallway clocks.
5:44 PM.
'So you only want me to see the important parts… is that it?
Then it should be about time for her to arrive.'
Suddenly—
The sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the hallway.
A child came running around the corner.
It was Ilya.
She rushed toward Gerald, who was standing in front of Ian's office.
Breathing heavily, she handed him a letter.
Gerald gently accepted it and nodded before knocking on the office door.
Inside the office, Noctis stood beside Ian as he read the letter.
There was no doubt about it.
This was a letter written by a child desperately longing for her father's love.
But that wasn't what troubled Noctis.
His gaze shifted toward Ian Vexwood's face.
'His eyes… they look perfectly normal.
Then what did the diary mean when it said not to look into his eyes?'
Ian quietly placed the letter aside.
He covered part of his face with his hand and lowered his gaze.
Noctis remained silent.
His attention drifted toward the clock in the office.
'This one is working normally too…
Am I missing something?'
As Noctis continued watching the clock, Ian slowly raised his head again.
Noctis turned toward him.
The expression on Ian Vexwood's face held neither guilt nor sadness.
It was filled with pure anger.
And rage.
"No way…" Noctis muttered in disbelief.
"What is this bastard planning to do? Does he seriously not care about his own daughter?"
Disgust flashed across his face.
Then—
The world shifted again.
Time accelerated once more.
This time, Noctis found himself standing in the main hall.
He looked at the clock nearby.
9:59 PM.
Ilya entered the hall with Clarisse walking beside her.
Gerald was already present.
The hall had been decorated.
Food covered the long table in the center of the room, along with a cake and small decorations.
Everything was ready.
Noctis' gaze slowly lifted upward.
Toward the chandelier.
'It looks normal… at least from here.'
The clock struck ten.
Immediately, Clarisse, Gerald, and the rest of the servants began singing.
Their voices filled the hall.
Everyone wished Ilya a happy birthday.
Ilya stepped forward.
Just as she was about to blow out the candles—
Footsteps echoed through the hall.
One person.
Slow.
Heavy.
The singing stopped instantly.
Silence fell over the room as everyone turned toward the sound.
At the far end of the hall—
Standing at the entrance—
Was a single man.
Ian Vexwood.