Midnight Confessions and a Fateful Encounter

Ophelia found herself utterly stunned.

Emily tilted her head, her expression innocent yet seemingly brimming with mischievous ideas. Her smile was impish, quite unlike her demeanor during the day.

‘Do you all undergo a personality shift once night falls!?’

“Queen, you truly weren’t asleep! I guessed correctly! After all, your constant twitching and your violently pounding heart woke me up!”

Emily pounced on her once more.

Burying her head against Ophelia’s chest, her breath sent a strange sensation through Ophelia.

“Queen, you heard what Marta said, didn’t you? For your safety, perhaps we should replace Marta later?”

“You see, Marta isn’t even the strongest. Once you and I are together, once you wield power, you’ll have countless sharp and obedient swords at your disposal. There’s no need to cling to Marta as your only blade, right?”

Her eyes glinted.

“If you were so thoroughly pleased just now, and find yourself desiring such sensations later… I can satisfy you as well, you know? My fingers are even longer than Marta’s! I’ve played the piano before! I’m sure I’d be far more pleasurable than Marta!”

“So, let’s replace her?”

With a fluid motion, she shifted her position.

She pressed Ophelia onto the bed, placing her hands on either side of Ophelia’s head. Her eyes, shimmering with violet light, radiated a profound glow.

Ophelia’s heart pounded.

She was incredibly close, her hair brushing against Ophelia’s face, sending shivers of ticklish sensations through her. Ophelia found herself speechless for a moment, her face burning from the sheer intensity of her nervousness.

“Queen?”

Emily tilted her head.

“If you don’t speak, I’ll take that as your consent, won’t I? Eliminating Marta will then become part of my objectives as your assistant.”

“No…” Ophelia’s voice was barely a whisper.

“Hm?” Emily leaned in, cupping an ear as if listening intently.

“I said… no…” Ophelia felt a deep blush creep over her, as she instinctively recoiled from another girl being so close, which made her voice come out small.

Yet, despite its quietness, her voice was imbued with conviction.

“Marta is very important to me. I can’t just replace her like that…”

‘As long as I can still return.’

‘What if Marta truly relies on me now? I am merely a fleeting visitor. Perhaps once I leave, all these heroines will forget about me, for there is no “Ophelia” in their novel, after all.’

‘Still, I cannot break Marta’s heart.’

“Important to you? Queen, Marta harbors impure feelings for you. You need to consider this carefully, don’t you? She could do such things to you while you were asleep.”

‘Oh no, why did you have to bring that up!’ Ophelia’s face was once again awash with a crimson blush, feeling as though it were burning.

“This… indeed, is her problem. I will find a way to caution her later.”

“However, one thing has nothing to do with another.”

“If even I were to abandon Marta, there would be no place for her in this wide world. Emily, I consider both her and you to be important to me. Therefore, I will not cast you aside, not even if you harbor strange thoughts about me…”

Emily froze.

Her violet eyes flickered under the starlight, eventually settling into a bright, unwavering glow.

She took one of Ophelia’s hands and placed it against her own cheek.

“Queen… you truly are gentle.”

Closing her eyes, she rubbed her cheek against the back of Ophelia’s hand, savoring the warmth that caressed her skin. Then, opening her eyes, her violet gaze was as devout as if she had encountered a deity.

“I will obey your words.”

Ophelia exhaled a breath.

‘Excellent. It seems there are no issues this time. Emily is also nearing stability. Once she is completely settled, I must seek out the third heroine.’

‘That one will be the true heroine, the absolute female lead, and the one who will genuinely ascend to the throne as a woman in the future.’

‘Vina—a petite, golden-haired, blue-eyed woman who was also a princess. However, because she couldn’t use magic, she was constantly tormented by Hizeta, who was also a princess, and Eli, the prince. Despite her royal status, her life was worse than that of a servant; it was truly wretched.’

‘Later, the male lead unexpectedly met and rescued her, only to discover that this girl named Vina was a born ruler. The male lead, Luca, then dedicated himself to assisting her ascension to power, achieving a reversal of fortunes for both of them.’

‘However, Vina’s early life was truly, exceptionally miserable. Rumor had it she lived in a stable, without even winter clothes to ward off the cold. The thought of it made Ophelia’s heart ache, and she yearned to rescue her immediately.’

‘Just a little longer, two days… no, one day. Tomorrow, once Emily is stable, I’ll go find Vina! At the very least, I’ll let her experience some human warmth, so she doesn’t end up so reclusive.’

****

“Luca, everything you’ve said has utterly astonished me. How is it I never realized you were so remarkable before?”

Eli walked ahead, his hands clasped behind his head, clad in flamboyant and ostentatious attire, his stride one of arrogant disregard.

Luca followed behind him, dressed in a black trench coat and a top hat that cast a shadow over his face, obscuring his features from others.

He bowed low, walking behind Eli.

“It’s like the relationship between a connoisseur of horses and a thousand-mile steed (TL Note: A Chinese idiom referring to a talented person and someone who recognizes their talent). My meaning is that I am a thousand-mile steed, but only a person like the Prince can discover and truly harness me.”

“Prince, you truly possess the talent to be king.”

“Hahahahahahahaha!” Eli threw his head back in laughter. “I used to find you utterly disagreeable and always wanted to mess with you, but now the more I look at you, the more agreeable you seem! Excellent! So, that’s why you came to me instead of Hizeta, isn’t it!”

Luca’s lips twitched upward slightly.

“Hizeta… she is not fit to be king. She is merely a pitiable soul lost amidst the clamor.”

Eli paused, then clutched his stomach, laughing heartily as he pointed at Luca.

“You rascal, if Hizeta heard you say that, she’d flay you alive! Hahahahahahaha! A pitiable soul!”

He then reined in his laughter.

“So, the first step in our plan is for you to get your hands on those documents, then inform the ministers that you, too, can manage state affairs, allowing you to contend with the Queen on equal footing, correct?”

Luca’s eyes gleamed.

“Yes, that is the first step.”

“Good! I will help you, Luca, but you must be mindful: only by kneeling before me will you obtain what you desire, understand?” Eli turned to face Luca.

“Understood, understood.” Luca replied.

As they conversed and walked, Luca suddenly turned his head. He spotted a stable by the roadside, and within it stood a golden-haired, blue-eyed girl, utterly filthy.

Luca paused, taken aback.

Their eyes met inadvertently. Yet, the girl’s emerald green eyes flashed with such a gaze that a single look sent shivers through Luca’s entire body.

‘A born ruler.’

‘There stands a born ruler.’

Disregarding Eli, Luca walked over. Inside the filthy stable, he saw the girl: a grimy white dress and matted strands of hair.

‘So dirty, and a foul stench emanated from her. There was no place to bathe nearby; she likely hadn’t washed in a very long time.’

Suppressing his revulsion, Luca extended a hand to the girl. ‘It’s fine,’ he thought. ‘This filth is merely a small investment, as long as I can make this born ruler serve me.’

“Will you come with me? I can take you to a warmer, brighter place.”

He coaxed.

He knew exactly what such a girl would need.

“Come with me, won’t you? I can give you a home.”

However, the little girl did not extend her hand to him as he had anticipated.

She merely stared coldly at Luca, her emerald eyes devoid of emotion. Her lips parted, and she uttered a single syllable—

“Scram.”