25. In the End, I Still Softened My Heart
“Wang… Jie?”
Compared to me, it was probably Ke Fei’er who was more surprised. She looked at the queen in disbelief, as if she couldn’t comprehend the queen’s earlier words, and asked, “You said… what?”
Though she felt jealousy and envy, in Ke Fei’er’s impression, the queen should have long since moved past the stage of “because Ou Qi Li De is dangerous and hard to control, we must find a way to eliminate him.” However, this time, having already seen the content from the script, I knew very well: even if Ke Fei’er optimistically thought she had misheard, the queen’s repeated words could not be changed!
“Ah~ So didn’t Wang Jie just say it?”
The queen, gradually getting into the “mood,” let out a rather “sorrowful” sigh, “Of course, it’s based on the judgment of what is beneficial for the Great Ying Empire. When dear Mr. Ou Qi Li De becomes dangerous and unpredictable, Wang Jie naturally has to take some measures~”
The innocent and cheerful, or rather “self-evident,” voice of the girl sounded even colder than the night breeze blowing around us; after a feigned sigh, the happy smile the queen displayed seemed to represent her complete lack of regret, even to the point of being too lazy to cover it up; clearly, she could have easily found an excuse to deceive Ke Fei’er, but… it was as if the queen was deliberately provoking Ke Fei’er, revealing her recent “actions” with no pretense whatsoever.
“Otherwise, why would Wang Jie say Ou Qi Li De is very lucky~ Because this time he discovered it in time, and dear Ke Fei’er is also very strong, not letting him succeed, Wang Jie can only let it go~”
“Your Majesty!!?”
Ke Fei’er could certainly not tolerate such a thing and immediately stepped forward, wanting to grab the queen! This bizarre situation left the members of Professor Moriarty’s patrol team at a loss; instinctively, they wanted to draw their swords to protect the queen, but seeing Ke Fei’er confronting the queen for such a reason, they could only stand there, unsure of what to do.
So, I couldn’t just wait idly either.
At the moment Ke Fei’er became impulsive, I grabbed her arm. After all… the recent attack was not instigated by a woman. The content in the script indicating “the queen is lying” was enough to explain everything; she had chosen not to reveal the truth but instead opted to “take the blame.”
Although the script didn’t tell me the reasons behind this, I couldn’t let the misunderstanding continue.
“Ke Fei’er, don’t you know how many truths the queen has spoken? Don’t jump to conclusions so quickly.”
I didn’t have time to care about the “confession” that had just happened; I provocatively looked at the queen, after all, calming Ke Fei’er down was the top priority. I didn’t want to see Ke Fei’er and the queen actually come to blows over a misunderstanding, especially one related to me. Such a result would be bad for everyone.
[As for Louis IV… ]
The script appeared once more, but this time Ke Fei’er’s anger left me no time to pay attention!
“Ou Qi Li De! You can’t really be fooled by her, can you!? What a coincidence tonight…”
“Then don’t take it out on the queen! Whether the queen instigated it or not can’t be decided by just one sentence!”
“It was my decision~” The queen, seemingly wanting to stoke the flames further, unexpectedly threw out a provocative remark at that moment!
“Your Majesty, shut up! I know very well how much truth there is in your words!”
I shot an annoyed glance at the queen, and for a moment, I truly noticed: the facade of fake smiles on the queen’s face seemed to have vanished, but I didn’t have time to think further. “Ke Fei’er, think about the consequences before making a decision; you’d better not forget what kind of environment we are in right now.”
I had a feeling the queen was doing this on purpose, to make Ke Fei’er directly conclude that she was the “mastermind” without considering anything else. At first glance, this was clearly inviting trouble, but in reality, it was to protect Ke Fei’er; after all, by doing this, Ke Fei’er’s anger would only be vented on the queen and wouldn’t lead to any thoughts of “investigating others.”
So… the queen’s willingness to take the blame was to prevent us from investigating the true mastermind behind the attack on me!? But, but Louis IV was clearly already at the pinnacle of the Great Ying Empire; what could possibly make her go so far as to become a punching bag to stop us!?
I didn’t have the chance to ask for now, as Ke Fei’er, though she had finally calmed down a bit from her impulsiveness, still hadn’t fully accepted my persuasion. Addressing Louis IV, who had transformed from “Wang Jie” to “Your Majesty,” she carried an absolute hostility, gripping my hand and speaking in a low voice.
“Your Majesty, I will return with Ou Qi Li De for the next leg of the journey! There’s no need for you and your team. Please feel free!”
At this point, the queen’s response remained cheerful, her eyes seemingly sparkling with little stars.
“Ah~ Sister Wang understands your feelings very well~ Then I won’t stop you. Be sure to be careful on your way back~ See you in the capital~”
At this point, it seemed the queen had no intention of wanting to “confess.” Of course, I wanted to immediately clear up this strange misunderstanding, but the queen was determined to conceal the truth, and the script was filled with nothing but [Louis IV is lying.] content.
“!”
Kefier, nearly provoked once again, shot the queen a glare filled with absolute fury, and without giving me a chance to explain further, she grabbed my arm and left.
Compared to the late-night stroll that had turned into a date between Kefier and me, I was now more worried about this deep misunderstanding than how we would get back. The existence capable of sending out the legendary “Saint” as a dirty assassin—what kind of identity did it possess that made the queen willing to lie and suffer, taking the blame herself? Otherwise, Kefier and I could have investigated further.
Moreover, is the queen herself not afraid? So afraid that she even forgot I have “prophecies” and already know she’s lying. For now, I’ll set that aside. When Kefier calms down later, and I’m in the mood to deal with “you,” don’t think you can hide anything from me, pretending to be the self-sacrificing big sister.
Afterward.
Watching the two leave, I stood there like a puppet, maintaining the pre-set “disguise” with a cheerful smile. In an instant, all of Louise’s disguises crumbled. She turned her head silently, expressionless, meeting Moriarty’s hesitant gaze, which was clearly filled with questions but could only be suppressed.
“It’s just that for some reasons, I needed to send them both away. Is there a problem, Moriarty?”
“…No, none.”
Even if there were, the queen was in such a furious state that it was impossible to say anything.
After silently mocking herself, Moriarty looked up. “Then what shall we do next…”
“Let’s change the itinerary.”
Louise rubbed her cheeks, gradually “rubbing” away the cheerful smile she had always worn. However, this time the disguise was not so perfect, as anyone could hear: there was not a trace of warmth left in the queen’s voice.
“I suddenly remembered I left some things at Glamorgan Castle. Before we return to the Great Yng Empire’s capital, no matter what…”
“…we must go retrieve them, Lady Moriarty~”
——
It’s painful. To be honest, writing the queen’s part really strains my brain; I feel like I’m going to explode.
I hope it doesn’t collapse. Anyone can collapse, just don’t let it be the queen, ahhh!