"Is this... just a waste of ti?"
"Yes. Forget about work and just leave it behind."
"...."
[The evil god, 'Kali,' warns that the empress is not behaving normally!]
The fake empress smiled mysteriously. At that mont, I beca even more certain.
This wasn't the real empress.
The mont I stepped into the palace, there was no part of it that seed calm or orderly. Everything was chaotic, yet she declared a holiday for herself and planned to just relax? It wasn't that she had never done this before, but those tis were when she had completed her work and needed a break due to burnout. This wasn’t one of those tis—there was still plenty of work piling up.
'Sylvia must be thinking the sa thing.'
I glanced over my shoulder and caught Sylvia’s eye, who gave a subtle nod. After everything we had been through together—crossing lines of ti and space—I could read her thoughts with just a glance.
If anything were to happen, I could trust Sylvia to act and take down this imposter empress. There was no need to worry about an ambush.
'What thod did she use? Disguise? Or maybe another spell from Sephiroth?'
A mix of thoughts crossed my mind. I had almost 90% certainty, but it was still just a suspicion. I lacked proof.
The person who had deceived everyone in the palace, to raise a theory of disguise without solid proof would only make a target for political maneuvering. I needed concrete evidence.
Since the imposter wouldn’t have the real empress’s ability to read minds, I decided to wait for a mistake. It was only a matter of ti before she slipped up and revealed sothing that could serve as proof.
"I’ll give you so space to finish getting ready." "No need for that. I was going to change my clothes and do my hair before you arrived, but since you’re here now, I won’t bother." "Wasn't there an outing planned?" "Outing? In a ti like this, with so much work piled up, how could I leave the palace? For the ti being, I’m as good as a prisoner trapped here." "...."
Sylvia and I exchanged glances. The palace was in disarray, and the empress surely couldn’t leave. But what she was doing right now didn’t match her usual behavior.
Why would she start getting dressed and put on makeup when she wasn’t going anywhere? Normally, on days without scheduled etings, the empress never bothered with costics. She always preferred to stay barefaced, claiming that makeup was an unnecessary waste of ti.
And now, halfway through getting dressed, she suddenly decided to stop? Was there a reason for this interruption? I couldn't understand her actions, so I couldn't shake off my suspicion.
"You look confused. Are you figuring sothing out?" "Yes, Your Majesty..." "Hmm... Well then, guess what I’m thinking."
The empress gave a playful smile. I nearly broke my poker face from the surprise.
'That was too obvious.'
This person... Was she really trying to impersonate the empress?
The real empress is a person who values efficiency above all else. She hates unnecessary etings and conversations, and she has no patience for pointless small talk.
She would never drag out a conversation unnecessarily, especially with the kind of whimsical behavior the imposter was showing.
"Honestly, I don’t know what you’re trying to do. All I can tell is you’re playing gas with ..." "Well, that’s not entirely incorrect. Please, sit down."
"Yes..."
The empress gestured for to sit, then walked up behind . As she did, I felt her head lightly touch my back. The gentle warmth of her breath reached , and I felt it on my skin.
"...." "...."
I was waiting for her to speak, but she remained silent, not saying a word. Why was she acting like this? Was there sothing wrong with her?
I was sure that, with Sylvia right behind , there was no need to worry about any sudden attack. Still, sothing about this felt off.
"Your body feels so cold..." "It seems like Your Majesty’s body temperature is a bit higher than usual." "Hmm... Why do you think that?" "...."
I was now sitting with the imposter so close to . Despite being turned around, I could still sll a faint scent in the air. At first, I thought it was the usual scent of the empress, but sothing was different. It was subtly sweet—like a peach fragrance—but with a hint of sothing sour.
'What is this? A fruity scent?'
The sll was sticky and tart, but it definitely wasn’t sweat, as she wasn’t even perspiring.
That confird it. This wasn’t the empress.
I couldn't stand it any longer. I imdiately stood up from my seat.
"Enough. You thought you could fool ?" "....Huh?" "Nice try. I almost believed you were the real empress, but you can't fool my nose. The real empress doesn’t sll like peaches or anything sweet. It’s a completely different scent." "Wh-what? The sll!? That’s impossible...!"
The fake empress stood up abruptly, pointing at in shock as her face turned bright red.
"You're really telling that today, of all days, the empress has nothing better to do than to ask to co here just to pass the ti? You think the empress is so kind of lazy person?" "...." "Then you’re in such a hurry to change into these thin pajamas and greet a guest? You think the empress is so kind of exhibitionist?" "...." "And the empress doesn’t like aningless chatter or dragging conversations out. Do you really think she would start acting like so lovesick fool?" "...."
[The evil god, 'Kali,' is impressed by your chilling deduction!]
As I systematically pointed out the contradictions in her actions, the imposter’s head dropped lower, her face flushed with embarrassnt. She couldn’t deny any of it; everything I said was spot-on.
"So where is the real empress? You better stop resisting. Without magic, which has already been countered by dark magic, and without the strength of a Swordmaster, you won’t be able to stop ." "Th-this is ridiculous...!"
"Finally, the mask cos off, huh? A fake." "Fake!? There's no way! You're just doing this on purpose! You’re trying to make a fool of !"
"...Excuse ?"
In a flash, the fake empress lunged at , grabbing my collar. I had expected Sylvia to step in and stop her, but when I turned, I saw Sylvia standing still, not moving at all. I was left frozen in surprise.
Why was Sylvia looking at like I was the one who was stupid? My perfect deduction couldn’t possibly have been wrong!
"Really, Your Majesty... Is this really you?" "Let’s just say it’s not. At this point, we’ll have to make up so story about an unprecedented imperial kidnapping and impersonation incident."
"I’ve committed a grave sin, Your Majesty!!!"
[The evil god, 'Kali,' shakes her head at your hasty judgnt.]
I acted quickly, standing up and imdiately bowing down to the floor, having realized I had spoken rashly. I had made a terrible mistake. If I wanted to live, I had no choice but to beg for rcy.
"My lord, the family will be fine. Irene will be the new head and continue well, so don’t worry, you can die in peace..."
"Hey!?"
Sylvia was already offering her condolences, preparing for my inevitable death. Was I really about to die?
"This shaless little—did you really just accuse of being a fake to make say everything I’ve been holding back? Is that it?" "Not at all, Your Majesty! I just thought you were acting a bit differently today, that’s all... You... You’ve been doing things you wouldn’t normally do." "...So now you want to add even more charges to the cri?" "Should I just sew my mouth shut, Your Majesty?"
"Should I sew it shut for you then...!"
In one swift motion, the fake empress grabbed my chin, lifting my face to et hers. Her expression was a mix of embarrassnt, anger, and confusion, but it was perfectly blended and sohow seed harmonious.
Her eyes shook uncontrollably, and seeing her in this state was truly a rare sight. It was a mont that would stay with forever.
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