Deciphering the Identity

Albert, his face stern, remained silent for a considerable pause. He then shook his head, finally addressing Fú Nī Yà with a jocular question.

“What rumors have you been listening to now, and how could I possibly harbor such thoughts?”

“Wouldn’t you, Albert, be the one most aware of whether such thoughts exist within you?” Fú Nī Yà bit her lip lightly. “A prince without a claim to succession, yet secretly employing a mage with SSS+ talent, and furthermore demanding absolute secrecy regarding them… if such a person claims to have no ambition, would you, Albert, truly believe it yourself?”

Fú Nī Yà had, in fact, been puzzled by this matter for a considerable time.

Had her talent been S+ or even SS, Albert’s actions might have been understandable. After all, he possessed a fiefdom and required a court mage, so securing a promising maid in advance would have been perfectly justifiable.

However, her talent was SSS+. According to Master Valentin, this talent of hers was utterly unique, unprecedented in the annals of history.

To draw a parallel from Fú Nī Yà’s previous life, for a minister to secretly keep an imperial seal from a previous dynasty as a mere plaything was acceptable, posing no issue.

While an imperial seal from a former dynasty was certainly precious, it was ultimately not a matter of great consequence.

But if the seal he secretly possessed was the Imperial Seal of the Realm (TL Note: The legendary seal symbolizing the legitimacy of the Emperor in ancient China), then that would be akin to an addiction to playing Jenga (TL Note: A game where players remove blocks from a tower and place them on top, risking its collapse), escalating to a point where he was toying with the lives of his entire clan.

From the time they had spent together, Fú Nī Yà did not believe Albert to be such an irrational person.

That made it very intriguing: a person who was usually so rational, secretly harboring a strategic-level weapon like herself without any apparent reason. What could he possibly be planning?

Aside from ambition, there was no other plausible explanation.

“An interesting thought…” After a moment of contemplation, Albert sorted through and understood Fú Nī Yà’s reasoning. However, he still countered, “But didn’t Master Valentin also know about this, and hasn’t he kept it quiet?”

“Master Valentin isn’t one for playing the power games of nobles,” Fú Nī Yà replied.

While the saying ‘scientists only care about research’ was as laughable as ‘soldiers are inherently simple-minded,’ it was undeniable that Master Valentin, being so engrossed in magic, possessed a political acumen undoubtedly far lower than Albert’s.

Perhaps, in his eyes, Albert was truly acting out of a desire to protect Fú Nī Yà.

Leaving aside the fact that Fú Nī Yà enjoyed the favor of the God of Knowledge, and whether anyone would dare risk a curse to take her life, was a point in itself.

Just considering Fú Nī Yà’s SSS+ talent alone, once it was revealed, any faction would undoubtedly cherish her like a treasure, which would be far safer than her current state of anonymity.

“The current Emperor is my father,” Albert continued, “how could I possibly betray him?”

Albert continued, but Fú Nī Yà remained unconvinced internally.

‘Who said a father-son relationship precluded betrayal?’

‘Tales of filial piety and paternal benevolence, whether in games or reality, were never in short supply.’

‘Isn’t that right, Li Arthas Shimin (TL Note: A humorous combination of the Chinese Tang Dynasty Emperor Li Shimin and the Warcraft character Arthas, both known for overthrowing their fathers)?’

Fú Nī Yà knew, however, that Albert’s words referred to the power disparity between him and his father, rather than their emotional bond.

‘—He is my father; he has amassed far more power than I have. How could I possibly dare to betray him?’

Such was the true meaning behind Albert’s words.

Regarding this very point, Fú Nī Yà had already anticipated the reason.

“Who can guarantee that this Emperor will live to a hundred years?” Fú Nī Yà smiled faintly. “Perhaps he will pass away in two or three years? Wouldn’t you agree, Albert?”

“What do you mean, Fú Nī Yà?”

In Albert’s words, a hint of chill had imperceptibly crept in.

“Albert, you’re a reincarnator, aren’t you? Or, to put it another way, you can, to some extent, see events that will happen in the future, can’t you?”

“!!!”

Albert’s breathing immediately quickened slightly.

However, he quickly calmed himself.

“The future? What are you talking about?”

“That’s why I hate riddlers so much! Can’t we just talk openly and honestly?” Seeing Albert’s unyielding demeanor, Fú Nī Yà angrily tugged at her own hair, her cheeks puffing out like small steamed buns.

Yet she also knew that Albert would never openly admit it.

‘Such individuals would forever remain stubborn, refusing to give up until they hit a wall, or metaphorically, until they reached the Yellow River (TL Note: A Chinese idiom meaning ‘to not give up until one reaches the end of the road’ or ‘to persist until all hope is lost’).’

‘In that case, let me, Fú Nī Yà, shatter your illusions!’

Fú Nī Yà inwardly declared, and then began to question Albert.

“If you couldn’t see the future, Albert, why would you go to an auction house and spend a hundred thousand gold coins to buy me?”

“Coincidence.”

“Why, on the very first day you bought me, did you try to make me learn magic?”

“A whim.”

“Why, when my SSS+ talent was measured, were you, Albert, not as shocked as Master Valentin and Jo?”

“I have a rather composed nature.”

“Why, after my magical talent was discovered, did you revoke my s*ave status?”

“To win you over—!”

Albert stared intently at Fú Nī Yà.

Fú Nī Yà, meanwhile, blinked adorably at Albert and flashed a mischievous grin. “Hehe~ Albert, didn’t you revoke my s*ave status even before my magical talent was measured? How peculiar…”

Not only that, Albert’s behavior had been strange on numerous occasions.

For instance, not long ago, he had asserted that common citizens would eventually replace the nobility.

Fú Nī Yà possessed knowledge from another world, so her guessing this was not strange. But for Albert, a native of this world, to see so far ahead was rather unsettling.

‘He wasn’t a sociologist specializing in such matters.’

Seeing the young woman’s playful demeanor, Albert’s fist unconsciously clenched, only to relax again.

After a long while, he finally spoke.

“How did you come to know the concept of reincarnation?”

Generally speaking, even if someone noticed his strange behavior, they wouldn’t typically consider reincarnation as a possibility.

Even if he were to tell others himself, how many would believe him remained a question mark.

“Hmm… in novels, I’ve read quite a lot of similar plots?” Fú Nī Yà mused, then spoke.

“What kind of novels have such plots…”

Recalling the cliché knight novels prevalent in the market, Albert couldn’t help but sigh.

‘If any novel had such an idea, it would have been wildly popular by now; how could he possibly not know?’

Fú Nī Yà’s words were clearly evasive.

But what did evasion matter? The young woman was now the dominant party in their conversation and thus entitled to such evasiveness.

Finally, Albert waved his hand and nodded in admission.

“I am a reincarnator, and I do harbor ambitions for the throne. Is there anything else you wish to say?”

“Don’t worry, I have no intention of leaking your secret~”

Having finally forced Albert to reveal what he had been hiding, Fú Nī Yà’s tone shed its seriousness, reverting to its usual playfulness.

With a curious glint in her eyes, she scurried a few steps closer to Albert. “More importantly, could you first tell me what happened in your world before your reincarnation?”

Looking at the young woman, who was now as curious as a child, Albert found it impossible to reconcile her with the Fú Nī Yà of moments ago, whose eyes had been filled with calculated shrewdness as she ruthlessly uncovered his secrets.

‘Which one is the real you?’

Albert couldn’t help but murmur.

His voice was so soft that Fú Nī Yà instinctively leaned closer, her ear brushing against Albert’s cheek.

“What are you saying, Albert?”

“No, nothing.”

Albert felt the lingering fragrance of her body at his nose and gazed at the young woman’s long, jade-like ears, an impulse to bite them stirring within him.

However, he quickly regained his composure and began to recount the events of his previous life.

He started from inheriting his fiefdom, then moved to Emperor Uther’s demise, followed by Aion’s drastic change in temperament after his ascension, his subsequent assassination, and finally, Aion’s daughter taking the throne, plunging the empire into civil war.

“Hmm? So, if that’s the case… Albert, in the future, you’ll be seizing your niece’s position?”

Fú Nī Yà commented that she seemed to recall a similar plot from history books.

However, in that story, it was a nephew, not a niece, whose position was seized.

‘Who was that person, now?’

The young woman involuntarily fell into deep thought.