Chapter 480
A Diagonal Performance for Three
After Eivass laid Sherlock on the bed, he lowered his voice and looked back at Isabel. “He’s asleep and can’t hear anything.”
—This was a mystical art from the Twilight Path, the “Turtle Breath” technique.
It allowed one to adjust their bodily indicators to a state of sleep while maintaining keen awareness of their surroundings. It wasn’t a profound technique and could be forcefully employed through a Mage’s imitation ability.
Princess Isabel was unaware of this technique’s existence.
But she understood Eivass’s meaning—he wasn’t asleep, he was faking it.
So, what was she supposed to perform?
Princess Isabel looked at Eivass, her eyes seeking answers, and also lowered her voice. “What should I do? And… Mr. Hermes sustained such severe injuries. How long will it take for him to recover?”
“At most four or five days, but I hope to heal him today or tomorrow.”
Eivass glanced at Princess Isabel and replied quickly.
—There was a possibility he might not survive the ritual, but there was also a chance he could be killed within a day.
“However, before I treat him, there are a few things I need to say to you…”
Then, Eivass bowed respectfully to Princess Isabel. “Your Highness… no, I should now address you as Her Majesty the Queen of Avalon. Let’s speak frankly.”
Princess Isabel’s heart stirred, and her tone became cold. “What is it? Is there something?”
Following Eivass’s expression and actions, under Princess Isabel’s improvisation, her tone instantly became firm.
She knew what Eivass wanted her to perform.
“I’m just a bit confused… or rather, I suddenly had an idea.”
Eivass sat by the bed, looked up at Princess Isabel, and said softly, “Wasn’t the Star Antimony people’s conspiracy a little too smooth?”
“…What do you mean?”
“—I mean the Star Antimony people’s plan to replace you with a puppet. Assassinate Queen Sophia, and then arrange a puppet princess to replace the real Princess Isabel…
“I investigated this conspiracy with the great detective Hermes before. He reported it to Queen Sophia, and I wrote to you, but both messages were intercepted. But now I’m wondering, were my letters really intercepted?”
Eivass looked intently at Princess Isabel. “I’m wondering if there’s another possibility—that the ‘bound Isabel’ whom Madam Shafiya mentioned was indeed the real Princess Isabel?”
“—Are you suggesting that I am the puppet?”
Princess Isabel let out a cold scoff. “Why would you think that?”
“Of course, there’s another possibility. That the ‘bound Isabel’ is indeed a puppet, but you, who have been living in the Silver and Tin Hall, might not have been the original Princess Isabel for a long time. It’s just that she was a low-class puppet with ‘ball joints,’ while you are a newer model with better technology.”
Eivass said seriously, “After all, from what I know… that Princess Isabel was a weak and naive little girl who had never received monarchical education.
“Don’t you think it’s strange that you remained so unusually calm amidst the great changes happening in Avalon?”
Indeed.
The consultant lying on the bed thought to himself.
The current Princess Isabel was vastly different from the shy little girl in the introductory scene—that girl seemed even shyer than Aurora, but the current Princess Isabel appeared more aggressive than Her Majesty the Queen.
“…So that’s why.”
Princess Isabel showed a look of weariness on her face.
She glanced at Eivass and said indifferently, “I understand what you’re thinking—I attended the banquet with my grandmother and was forced to leave. Then a new ‘fake Isabel’ appeared. As long as I fight my way back, everyone will think I am the real Isabel. No one will consider the possibility that two fakes have been acting from the start… It’s very clever of you to think of this.”
“So? Isabel… ‘Your Majesty’?”
Eivass’s gaze was resolute, his tone calm but carrying a hint of sarcasm. “Can you give me a clear answer?”
Upon hearing this, the consultant’s ears perked up.
“…Hmph.”
Princess Isabel sighed, her tone revealing loneliness and self-mockery. “Do you know about the royal curse, Mr. Bishop?”
“I have heard of it.”
“Every heir gradually died, leaving only me in the end. But my grandmother wasn’t entirely unaware of this curse… She just didn’t know if it was the work of the Star Antimony people or the Iris people.
“But she knew that ultimately, only one person would remain in Avalon. So from the very beginning, she placed her last hope on me.
“From the time I could form memories, I played the role of ‘Isabel’ in the public’s mind, always maintaining a weak demeanor that no one would expect anything from. Only by doing so could I survive. It’s clear that the Curse Master and the assassins overlooked me… allowing me to live to the end.”
“…So that’s how it is.”
Eivass murmured.
Princess Isabel scoffed, “What, you believe me so easily? Aren’t you going to ask why only one person would remain?”
“No need,” Eivass said solemnly, “because I know about that ritual.”
“…What?”
Princess Isabel was genuinely surprised.
—Should she reveal the Shadow of Avalon ritual to the “consultant”?
Her mind struggled to keep up with Eivass’s thoughts, but her body followed suit without hesitation. “You’re not talking about Merlin’s…”
“The Ritual to Protect the Nation—Shadow of Avalon. A miraculous ritual created by the Great Sage Merlin—It can be triggered when only one Du Lac remains in the same era. It revives Lancelot I, who is of the Sixth Tier, and kills all invaders within the realm.”
“…Who told you about this ritual?” Princess Isabel’s voice was low and dangerous.
“Naturally, Her Majesty Queen Sophia. Otherwise, I would never dare mention this to you.”
Eivass stated calmly, “I had mentioned to her many times that allowing the Curse Master to act like this would only lead Avalon into a desperate situation. It was only recently that she told me about this ritual.
“—And she entrusted Princess Isabel to me.”
Every word he spoke was the truth, thus sounding incredibly sincere. “So when she suddenly announced her engagement to the Star Antimony people, I immediately felt something was wrong. It was more like a desperate plea for help because she couldn’t speak… Looking back now, Her Majesty did indeed detect a problem.
“Since Your Highness also knows about the existence of the Shadow of Avalon, you are certainly not a puppet—I apologize for my previous assumptions. That was merely a jest, please don’t take it seriously. If you wish to punish me, I will accept any punishment after everything has settled down.”
—So that’s how it is.
The consultant thought, so this was how the ambiguous relationship between Eivass and Her Majesty Isabel was born.
He had always felt that if both of them were so tenacious, there was no reason for their relationship to become so close. And he had no idea when they actually started dating, but suddenly it felt like they were about to get married.
Now, it seemed that was probably just an act—their actual relationship was very tense, but they appeared harmonious and intimate when performing for outsiders.
In reality, they were just a power couple who kept each other in check.
Miss Alistair probably wasn’t trying to steal a man, but rather protecting Eivass.
That made sense!
“…But from another perspective, I wish you were a puppet now.”
Eivass sighed and said frankly, “I never knew that beneath your appearance, you would hide such a strong… even…”
“Cold-blooded and ruthless, wasn’t it?” Princess Isabel raised an eyebrow. “What are you afraid of? Why don’t you say it?”
“…Yes. When we first interacted, I always believed that ‘Princess Isabel’ was a fragile girl whom I had to protect.”
“A joke. If I were truly that naive, I would have died long ago. If you observe carefully, you’ll notice I never eat with strangers—because there’s no one I can fully trust.”
Princess Isabel’s lips curved slightly, revealing a charming yet emotionless, ice-cold smile. “What, are you disappointed now?”
She stepped forward, raised a finger, and tilted Eivass’s chin. “Or… do you just like weak, frail little girls? A true queen cannot touch the devoted heart of the Bishop?”
Her voice was slow and deliberate, like Minister of Affairs Eivass’s tone during the Round Table Hall meeting.
She leaned close to Eivass’s ear and whispered, “Or should I prove to the Bishop… that this warm body isn’t a puppet?”
“…I dare not.”
“I think you’re quite daring.”
Princess Isabel sneered. “Never mind that—heal Mr. Hermes and prepare to leave.”
Hearing this, the consultant could finally confirm… the information from the “Secret Chamber” was indeed correct.
During this Ascension Ritual, he had indeed gathered crucial secret information that could absolutely not be obtained through normal channels.
The real Princess Isabel was indeed very formidable, but she was exceptionally good at disguising herself. Extraordinary beings on the Path of Beauty were like that; while some were not good at acting at all, others were exceptionally skilled actors.
But at the same time, the information was somewhat flawed—
Because they had vastly underestimated Princess Isabel’s strength and danger!
A woman who had been disguising herself since she could remember, feigning madness and ignorance, when she finally stopped pretending and revealed her fangs, what kind of crazy actions would she take?
—The consultant even had a dangerous thought.
Could Emma’s loss of control have been deliberately induced by Queen Isabel?
She wanted Emma to lose control and attack her, thereby gaining the support of the Church!
It made sense. If Emma truly wanted to kill Isabel, how could she have survived?
Queen Isabel was not yet twenty years old, so how high could her level as an Extraordinary be? If Emma truly wanted to attack Isabel, would she have to choose a time when Isabel had Lixia as a bodyguard?
Just thinking about it sent a chill down the consultant’s spine.
All of this was Isabel’s conspiracy!
Even in this timeline, the Star Antimony people’s plot to assassinate Queen Sophia and replace her with a fake princess to attack Avalon… might fail.
—Because of the “Shadow of Avalon” ritual!
If their army truly reached Glass Island, this ritual would likely be triggered immediately.
At this moment, Eivass happened to ask, “We should indeed leave, that Flame Demon is too dangerous… but where are we going?”
“Take me to the Church.”
“Leaving Avalon? Aren’t we going to activate the Shadow of Avalon ritual?” Eivass countered.
“…It depends.”
Princess Isabel paused.
—Did Eivass mean to activate the Shadow of Avalon?
A hint of worry flashed in her eyes.
But her tone was firm enough. “If the ritual is truly necessary—we must first report to the Church. We are currently victims and can receive support and assistance from the Church. But if we initiate the ritual first, that might not be the case.”
The consultant’s heart trembled—it was true!
The Avalon people were too cunning, this was indeed a trap!
They must avoid Avalon! They absolutely must not provoke this madwoman again!
There would probably be new traps waiting for them—
(End of Chapter)
