“Are you… suggesting we just kill time?”
“Yes. Forget about work for now.”
“…”
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ urgently warns you that the Empress’s condition seems unusual!]
Empress Sister gave me a meaningful smile.
And at that moment, I became certain.
That wasn’t the real Empress Sister.
Declaring a day off in the middle of a chaotic period when every part of the imperial palace was bustling?
She had done it before, but only after finishing all her work and suffering from burnout.
She had never taken an unplanned break while her workload was piling up like this.
‘Sylvia must be thinking the same thing.’
I glanced back and met Sylvia’s eyes. She gave me a small nod.
We had fought side by side through life and death, crossing countless battlefields together.
At this point, we could read each other’s thoughts just by looking into each other’s eyes.
If anything were to happen, Sylvia would act immediately and subdue that fake Empress Sister.
I didn’t need to worry about being caught off guard.
‘What did they do? A disguise? Or is it Sephiroth’s sorcery again?’
A flood of thoughts rushed through my mind.
I was almost 90% sure, but it was still just a suspicion.
I lacked concrete proof.
Whoever this imposter was, they had fooled everyone in the imperial palace.
If I carelessly accused them of being a fake without solid evidence, I would only end up being politically outmaneuvered.
I needed to catch them making a mistake and secure undeniable proof.
Luckily, they didn’t have the Empress Sister’s Spirit’s Eye, so they couldn’t read my mind.
I would just have to bait them into slipping up.
“I will leave so you can finish dressing, Your Majesty.”
“No need. Before you arrived, I was considering changing and fixing my hair. But now that you’re here, there’s no point.”
“Weren’t you planning to go out?”
“Go out? When I could be called into a meeting at any moment? I can’t afford to leave the palace. For now, I’m practically a prisoner here.”
“…”
She stood up from her dressing table and walked toward me.
It was true that, given the state of the imperial palace, Empress Sister couldn’t afford to leave.
But her actions contradicted that logic.
If she wasn’t planning to go out, why bother doing her hair and makeup?
Unless there was a formal audience or an important meeting, she never wore makeup, claiming it was cumbersome and time-consuming.
And why stop halfway through preparing?
Was there any reason to stop just because I arrived?
The more I observed, the more suspicious I became.
“You look confused. Are you catching on?”
“Yes, Your Majesty…”
“Heh… Then take a guess.”
She smiled playfully.
For a moment, my poker face almost slipped from sheer shock.
‘That was way too obvious.’
This person…
Did they even try to act like Empress Sister?
Empress Sister was a machine-like person who valued efficiency above all else.
She hated unnecessary meetings and absolutely loathed meaningless wordplay.
If someone spoke to her, the phrase she most often repeated was: “So, what’s the point?”
Yet this imposter was deliberately avoiding a direct answer, playing a guessing game?
They clearly had a poor understanding of the real Empress Sister.
“I honestly have no idea. It just feels like you’re messing with me…”
“Well, that’s not entirely wrong. Sit down.”
“Yes…”
“Turn around. It’s a little embarrassing.”
“Yes…”
After making me sit, she lightly leaned her head against my back.
I felt her steady breath and the warmth of her exhale against me.
“…”
“…”
I waited for her to say something.
But she remained silent for a long time.
This wasn’t like her.
Even if an attack came from behind, Sylvia was there to react instantly.
So, I wasn’t too concerned about being ambushed.
“Your body is so cold…”
“Your Majesty’s body temperature seems a bit high.”
“Hmm… Why do you think that is?”
“…”
Maybe because we were so close, but even without turning around, I could catch a faint scent from her.
At first, I thought it was the same scent as usual.
But something was different.
‘Slightly sour? Sweet? Peach-like? What is this?’
A sticky yet sour scent, subtly hidden within the usual fragrance of the Empress Sister.
It couldn’t be sweat—she hadn’t perspired at all.
That meant… she definitely wasn’t the real Empress Sister.
I couldn’t take it anymore. I immediately pushed myself up from my seat.
“Stop right there. Did you really think you could fool me?”
“…Huh?”
“Don’t play dumb. Well, I’ll admit, your attempt wasn’t bad. Even I was fooled for a moment. Your disguise was top-tier. But you couldn’t deceive my nose. The real Empress Sister doesn’t have this sticky, sour, peachy-sweet scent.”
“My… my scent!? That’s impossible…!”
She jumped to her feet, pointing at me in outrage, her face turning beet red.
Got her.
I struck a nerve.
“Empress Sister, in the middle of a chaotic day, calls me over just to kill time? Do you think she’s that idle?”
“…”
“And she stops changing clothes midway, greeting a guest in such thin nightwear? Do you take the Empress Sister for some exhibitionist seductress?”
“…”
“She also doesn’t enjoy dragging conversations out with pointless riddles. Do you really think the Empress Sister would act like some love-struck girl?”
“…”
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ is in awe of your chilling deduction!]
As I laid out my reasoning, pointing out each flaw, the Empress Sister’s head drooped lower and lower, her face burning with embarrassment.
She wanted to argue, but she couldn’t.
Because my deductions were flawless.
“So where is the real Emperor’s Sister now? It would be better to give up useless resistance. All magic will be destroyed by black magic, and force will be stopped by the Sword Master.”
“So? Where is the real Empress Sister? You might as well give up. Magic will be countered by Black Magic, and any resistance will be stopped by a Sword Master.”
“Y-you… damn it…”
“Finally taking off the mask, huh? Fake.”
“Fake!? What nonsense! You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you? You’re just trying to humiliate me—!”
“…Huh?”
Whoosh!
In an instant, the Empress Sister lunged forward and grabbed me by the collar.
I had expected Sylvia to step in, but… she didn’t move.
Huh?
Why was she looking at me like I was the biggest fool in the world?
Even Kali, who had been impressed a moment ago, was now shaking their head.
“…Are you truly… Her Majesty?”
“L-let’s just say you didn’t see anything. We’ll call this an unprecedented case of imperial kidnapping and impersonation…”
“I have committed a grave sin, Your Majesty!!!”
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ shakes their head, saying they saw this coming from a mile away.]
I reacted immediately, dropping to my knees and slamming my forehead onto the floor.
Unintentionally, I had spoken absolute blasphemy.
No exaggeration—I had committed an offense worthy of death.
If I wanted to live, there was only one option left:
Beg for mercy with everything I had.
“My Lord, the family will be fine. We shall carry on under Lady Irene’s leadership, so you may pass on without worry…”
“HEY!?”
Sylvia, ever composed, bowed respectfully as if already sending me off to the afterlife.
But wait, I hadn’t died yet!
“You insolent wretch… You accused me of being an imposter just as an excuse to finally say everything you’ve been holding back, didn’t you?”
“Absolutely not, Your Majesty! I simply felt that you were acting very different from usual! You did do many things today that are completely unlike you!”
“…Are you trying to add more crimes while you’re at it? It sounds like you’re asking for a punishment worse than death.”
“I shall sew my mouth shut, Your Majesty…”
“Then allow me to sew it for you myself…!”
Clack!
Empress Sister grabbed my chin and lifted it.
I met her gaze once more.
Her eyes flickered wildly between embarrassment, anger, and sheer bewilderment—
A stunning blend of emotions I had never seen from her before.
I had never imagined I’d live to see the day she looked this flustered.
Life was full of surprises.
