48. Sis, I’m your brother

The intelligence brought by Louis XIV’s patrol team was surprisingly more precise and timely than my “script.” Not long after Louis XIV gave us the final reminder and completely switched back to “idol mode,” the sound of carriages could already be heard outside.

—

According to Louis IV, the other party was, after all, a noble of the “legitimate royal family of the Great Yng Empire.” I couldn’t be bothered with the ostenation of the luxurious carriages lined up outside; however… the “villains” that appeared alongside a series of elaborate death scripts, all without exception featuring “the death of O’Keefe,” had made me realize that I couldn’t afford to be careless for even a moment.

Soon, amidst the announcement from the servants, a figure waved away the attendants he had brought and stepped into the hall. Even though we had already set the scene perfectly— the highest-ranking queen sitting calmly with her rose tea, Uncle Zerola and Kephir standing on either side, while I continued to play the role of Kephir’s priest, pretending to be dead for a while longer— the other party showed no signs of wavering.

The elderly man with golden hair, dressed in the standard “upper-class” style of the Great Yng Empire—ugh, old man—was likely exuding an air of absolute confidence and a hint of “arrogance” due to his distinguished status and position . Even upon meeting Louis IV, this attitude showed no sign of diminishing, which undoubtedly indicated that this Louis XIII had a grudge against Louis IV.

【Louis XIII appears.】

Upon first contact, the script provided no further details about this old man, but given Louis IV’s recent warning, I had no intention of being careless.

The seated queen spoke up, and at that moment, I was quite grateful to this big BOSS for taking on the trouble.

“Lord Louis XIII~ What a surprise to receive a letter and visit Zerola’s home! I can’t believe you knew I was staying here recently~”

【Louis IV is setting a trap for Louis XIII…】

【But Louis XIII does not take the bait.】

“I inquired with the royal guard, after all, there are important matters to discuss with the queen today.”

Having said that, this obviously “cunning” old fellow turned his gaze to the queen’s side, wearing a smile that, while not as convincing as the queen’s, was still a skin-deep grin, greeting Uncle Zerola.

“Zerola, long time no see.”

“Mm.”

The usually jovial Uncle had put on a serious face, and as for Kephir, who already disliked such occasions, she appeared even more awkward.

“Miss Kephir as well.”

“…”

Kephir responded in silence, actually just feeling nervous. Fortunately, Kephir, being the ice-cold beauty she was, could manage to maintain her composure even with a stern expression.

Finally, the old man’s gaze swept over to me, standing behind Kephir. It seemed he completely disregarded me as a mere extra, but in reality…

【Louis XIII noticed O’Keefe.】

Wasn’t this all directed at me!

In a different context, this scene could be seen as a “challenge,” yet even so, Louis XIII appeared to possess a great deal of confidence, as if he believed that “neither the queen nor Zerola would dare to touch me,” showing not a hint of panic.

“Once the greetings are over, could you please tell me, Lord Louis XIII, what urgent matter requires you to bypass the official channels and come directly to me?”

This question from the queen was clearly what Louis XIII had been waiting for!

He revealed a “determined” smile and said, looking exceptionally “upright”: “Of course, it concerns the recent ‘restructuring of the council.’ The actions of Louis XXV have stirred up quite a storm, and everyone is saying he was arrested for attempting to manipulate the council. You… are aware of this, right, Your Majesty?”

The queen’s bright smile remained unchanged, and she nodded like an innocent girl unaware of the world: “Mm, yes, of course I know.”

Louis XIII’s smile suddenly turned sinister: “Then it’s simple. I do not wish to conceal the fact that Louis XXV is my vassal, but Your Majesty, what I’ve heard about the arrest and investigation process is somewhat different from what has been publicly announced. It seems that…”

More death scripts came rushing in, and I suddenly understood why Louis XIII had noticed me!

“You decided to arrest Louis XXV for investigation after receiving ‘advice’ from certain individuals, didn’t you?”

【O’Keefe is killed by Louis XIII!】

Louis XIII wouldn’t dare directly accuse the queen, so just as the queen had warned me, he had set his sights on me! What was worse, he had a solid basis for it, because previously, when I was at odds with the queen, I had indeed been forced to stay by her side and attend some public events!

However, Your Majesty, you really know how to shift the blame.

I was being targeted, and Kephiel suddenly calmed down from her tension. Uncle Zerola seemed ready to change the subject, but there was no escaping what was meant to happen. If I didn’t step up now, wouldn’t that just let Louis XIII succeed in his script against Kephiel?

After giving Louis XIV a look that said, “Remember this, Queen,” I took a step forward.

“The person you’re referring to is me. As a qualified priest, it is my right to express my opinion, a power granted by the Great Yng Empire. Is there a problem with that?”

I intended to confront him, but it turned out to be a lonely endeavor.

Louis XIII completely ignored me, as if I were just a piece of air, and then, in front of Louis XIV, he began to speak in a sarcastic tone as if he had found a weakness.

“Ah… Your Majesty, is it really appropriate to casually convict a noble like Louis XXV, who is so high in the ranks of the Great Yng Empire?”

Not just me, but even the Queen was being questioned. If the Queen took any action to defend me, it would give Louis XIII the opportunity he needed!

The script was written this way, so…

The Queen, as always, did not disappoint me.

She showed no intention of “protecting me,” instead feigning innocence, blinking and pretending to be clueless, as if saying, “I don’t understand what you’re talking about.” It was Kephiel who couldn’t hold back first.

“Mr. Louis XIII, what do you mean by doubting me?”

Ugh, this is bad; I didn’t manage to stop Kephiel in time—she clearly took the bait!

【Louis XIII questioned Kephiel!】

Sure enough, the next moment, just as the script said, Louis XIII turned his attention to Kephiel.

“No, no, no, how could I say that Miss Kephiel has a problem? Of course, I’m not doubting your family. It’s just… if this so-called ‘priest’ of yours really has any issues—”

He spoke with righteous indignation, as if he were looking out for Kephiel, but in reality, Louis XIII’s attitude and intentions were all too clear in the script!

【Louis XIII wants to use Kephiel to find a weakness!】

Kephiel was so anxious about my situation that she was about to fall into a trap! Meanwhile, the Queen, in order to “maintain her royal identity,” showed no intention of helping. Though I was frustrated, I knew the Queen hadn’t done anything wrong.

So, even though I was still facing the threat of a deadly script, I absolutely couldn’t just sit back and wait for my fate.

“Why don’t we have this priest accompany me back to investigate his identity and background with the Imperial Guard? That way, Miss Kephiel, you can clear your name. How does that sound?”

What was more important, my life or Kephiel’s identity? Of course, it was the latter! Helping Kephiel could very well save my life!

So why should I panic?

“Guards!”

The next moment, at Louis XIII’s command, a bunch of armed guards rushed in. Naturally, Kephiel wouldn’t back down and immediately chose to protect me, and all of this was certainly within Louis XIII’s expectations.

“What’s wrong, Miss Kephiel? Is there something preventing him from being investigated…”

Dealing with someone like this couldn’t be done with ordinary methods, so…

“Investigate your entire family, the Burette!”

I grabbed Kephiel’s wrist to prevent her from acting impulsively, then immediately spat out my words at Louis XIII!

I watched as his expression slowly shifted to one of surprise.

Playing mind games with me, huh? I have a script for this. I, Oujili De, am your ancestor! Those who are tough fear the cunning, and the cunning fear those who are reckless. Today, I’ll show you a different kind of fireworks!

“You want to investigate my identity? Alright, I’ll let you investigate.”

With that, I pulled out a “small ball” I had prepared earlier and smashed it onto the ground.

Immediately, I spoke to the indistinct figure inside.

“Hey, little sister~ it’s me. I have a man here saying your brother isn’t a decent person.”