[Vol. 7] Chapter 227: True Face
After a moment of silence and hesitation, the red-haired young man, who now seemed to have let go of his desire to fight, hesitated briefly before softly speaking again.
“Although it’s a bit embarrassing… as your foolish brother, I still have one last question. I hope I can hear the answer from you.”
“……”
At this point, even though Carinvega was overflowing with the urge to make a sarcastic comment, she could only force herself to hold back. Facing this unfamiliar side of her brother, she did her best to keep a calm expression and gave a small nod.
But honestly, her mind was already in chaos.
To be fair, this whole “Part Four” storyline was just too dramatic. After all, Xiluo Frederick had appeared quite a bit in the first three parts of [Starlight Concerto]. He was even involved in some key plot events. But up to the part Carinvega had played, there hadn’t been any clue that his arrogant personality was just an act?!
So, believing in the “script” as she always had, Carinvega had never once questioned her royal brother’s character. This whole conversation today had hit her with a huge shock, and along with a strong sense of uneasiness that the situation was completely out of control.
Whether it was that Xiluo’s character had gone off-script, or that the first three parts were always meant to set up a big reveal that only now exploded, it all pointed to one thing.
What was happening now was a major turning point that could completely change the direction of the entire game’s story.
If handled badly, everything done so far could fall apart completely.
Maybe even... lead to a bad ending, where the heroine or other key characters die.
Of course, Xiluo had no way of knowing that his sister was actually a traveler from another world. Seeing that Carinvega didn’t reject his repeated questions, and having finally gotten answers to his doubts, his face relaxed. The heavy expression he had earlier was gone, and now he even smiled a little.
“Thank you. Actually, this last question is pretty simple. It’s just a small guess of mine. If it makes you uncomfortable, you don’t have to answer…”
“Little sister, being able to do all those amazing things, it’s not just because you’re smart, right? You have some kind of special power. A power that’s… something like seeing into the future, isn’t it?”
“…Huh?”
………………………………………………
“Huh… I really didn’t notice before, but Xiluo was pretending to be clueless all along? From an actor’s perspective, this guy really sold the part. Guess I underestimated him a little~”
In a distant villa under the control of the headmistress of Sainz Academy, three beautiful women were quietly watching the conversation between Carinvega and Xiluo unfold on a crystal screen. Among them, the black-haired girl in a white robe smacked her lips and let out a sigh.
That’s right, this private talk between two members of the imperial family, Carinvega and Xiluo, was actually being observed the whole time by Violet, Sethlin, and Lucine.
It wasn’t that they were intentionally eavesdropping. It’s just that those two royals probably didn’t realize that, to ensure the safety of the tournament, Sainz had long since modified the venue using technology similar to the [Fantasy Sky Courtyard]. In that space, a certain high-ranking prince with the highest authority could monitor any part of the area at any time, and even interfere remotely in some cases. This resting room was no exception.
Both Carinvega and Xiluo were direct members of the Austre Empire’s royal family, and as such, were top-priority subjects of Sainz' attention, whether for protection… or surveillance. Naturally, when Lucine noticed the two of them secretly meeting in private, she wasn’t about to ignore it.
The loli princess smiled and took a small sip of her overwhelmingly sweet tea, then gave a calm comment.
“If Xiluo Frederick were really just an idiot, how could he become the leader of the Lionheart Society, one of the academy’s top three student groups, and hold such impressive power? It’s not hard to figure out, Miss Violet simply didn’t know him well enough. She didn’t pay enough attention.”
“All those political games and disguises among mortals mean nothing to real gods or higher beings. Xiluo is a capable boy, and he even has some secret cooperation with me. But his vision is still too narrow. He’s bound by worldly things like power and wealth. That’s why he’s failed.”
“But that Princess Carinvega… now she’s really interesting. It seems like she’s aware that we’re watching from the shadows. And Xiluo even believes she can see into the future. But according to my investigations, this royal girl is just an ordinary person, completely normal. How could she possibly sense the presence of [Origin Power]?”
“It’s only simulated [Origin Power]. And a very poor simulation at that. Miss Lucine, these two things are not even close to being on the same level.”
The ever-serious Goddess of Life quickly corrected her, but before Lucine could respond, she nodded as if to agree.
“Still, Princess Carinvega is full of mysteries. Out of all the key people currently influencing the city’s future, she’s the only one whose goals and powers I still don’t fully understand. Every move she makes is unexpected. She’s an intriguing variable. She is definitely not just a normal person…”
While casually commenting, the two powerful women both turned their eyes toward a certain priestess who hadn’t spoken again since earlier and now wore a slightly strange expression.
“Violet, you’ve spent some time close to her before. What do you think?”
“Uh…”
After a short hesitation, the black-haired girl cautiously said,
“I mean… is it possible that… she wasn’t thinking about anything at all? That it was just Xiluo talking to himself from beginning to end? Think about it, Carinvega never directly said there was someone watching them, right? And she mostly just replied passively, one sentence at a time. If you ask me, maybe the princess didn’t even know Xiluo would come to talk to her today, let alone have everything under control like he assumed.”
“…?”
Lucine tilted her head in surprise, staring at the priestess with an expression that clearly said, “What on earth are you talking about?” Even though she didn’t say anything out loud, her doubt was obvious. But Sethlin, who understood Violet better and knew she never spoke without a reason, began to think seriously.
“You mean… it was just an accident that looked clever? That’s not entirely impossible, but at the very least, a normal person wouldn’t be able to pull that off. Have you already figured out the truth about Carinvega’s abilities?”
The black-haired girl nodded slightly.
“I have a rough idea, but to be sure, I still need more clear evidence.”
Lucine frowned unconsciously and couldn’t help but remind her,
“I’m not sure what you’re planning, but we don’t have much time left. The final match starts tomorrow. Miss Violet, I hope you won’t let your curiosity ruin everything. Don’t forget… the Twilight Council is our real enemy.”
Even though Lucine’s tone wasn’t exactly friendly, the priestess didn’t get upset—she just laughed lightly and said,
“Relax, relax, I know what I’m doing. Maybe it looks like different people playing different games to you, but the Twilight Council’s goals, our goals, the Austre Empire’s goals… and the secrets surrounding Carinvega. These things are all tied together by one key point… It just hasn’t fully shown itself yet.”
“Just wait and see. I will uncover what it really is.”