Ella met Letia’s scrutinizing and distant gaze, a flicker of confusion crossing her heart.
She didn’t remember ever offending this young girl she was meeting for the first time.
Even that awkward chance encounter at the entrance of the Love Hotel earlier shouldn’t have invited this kind of near-instinctive wariness.
There was no anger in the girl’s eyes; it was more like the instinctive rejection a territorial animal feels toward an intruder.
Despite this, Ella’s good upbringing allowed her to quickly compose herself.
She bowed slightly, a signature Litt smile—pure and stainless as snow—blossoming on her face.
“I am very pleased to meet you, Miss Letia.”
“Likewise,”
Letia shrugged, casually withdrawing her sharp gaze, her tone flat and rippleless.
“I am also pleased to meet you.”
Truthfully, she didn’t harbor any strong hostility toward this real Litt.
After all, it was she, Letia, who had occupied the nest like a magpie, usurping the other’s position in the Script.
If the plot had followed its normal development, Litt would have been the one to end up with Red.
Letia would have been, at most, a Villain character used for Red to flex with to satisfy the readers—someone barely worth mentioning.
But the current Letia was not the Letia of the original plot.
Furthermore, she had borrowed Litt’s identity, ensuring that the current progression of the Script had hardly deviated.
So, in a way, she should actually thank The Real Litt for not showing up to mess things up.
Of course, precisely because The Real Litt had never intervened, there was currently almost no emotional development between her and Red.
In the end, Letia had naturally plucked the fruit for herself.
Just like with that Mixed-Blood Demon Tessaya before, because of her own appearance, Litt—the female lead of the original Script and Red’s Bright Moonlight—had already lost her part.
Tsk, this is fine too.
Letia sneered in her heart.
She had no interest in playing out some jealous drama.
If Red really wanted to develop something with those “original heroines,” he’d better make sure she survived this damn Script first.
“I must say…”
Otto spoke up at the right moment, his voice carrying a well-placed note of admiration that broke the subtle atmosphere between the two.
He paused pointedly, his gaze shifting between their smiles.
“The resemblance is truly striking… whether it’s that lovable appearance or this gentle and composed temperament.”
A playful smile played on Otto’s face.
He then raised a hand and waved it toward Ella.
“You may withdraw first. The little one over there is baring her teeth, looking like she’s protecting her food.”
“I obey the will of the Dear Bishop.”
Ella responded submissively, her perfect smile remaining unmoved.
She nodded slightly and her figure retreated silently, melting back into the heavy shadows in the corner of the study as if she had never appeared.
Only after confirming that the other woman’s gentle presence had completely vanished from her perception did Letia slowly refocus her gaze on Otto.
“What kind of play are you running? What benefit is there for you in letting me meet this Litt?”
Facing Letia’s undisguised questioning, Otto merely took a leisurely sip of his Red Tea, the enigmatic smile at the corners of his mouth remaining unchanged.
“Priest Letia,” he closed his book and leaned forward slightly, his deep eyes seeming capable of seeing through a person’s heart.
“I would like to ask you a question… how much do you know about Magic Artifacts?”
The smile on Otto’s face gradually deepened, a dangerous light flickering in his eyes.
“Perhaps you know what they are, but are you aware that every Magic Artifact comes with a secret and unique price?”
He deliberately slowed his speech, like a hunter watching his prey step into a trap.
“That Disguise Mask in your hand is also a Magic Artifact… so, do you know what its little-known side effect actually is?”
Kujitiya fell silent.
She narrowed her eyes, trying to see any clue from Otto’s expression.
She wasn’t sure if he was bluffing.
“There is no need to look at me like that,” Otto said to Letia after pouring boiling water into the teapot and making himself a cup of Red Tea.
“Letia, you know that I would never harm you. Even when you joined the Dawnblade to escape work at the Inquisition, I never blamed you, did I?”
“That is true.”
Letia did not deny it and nodded.
To others, Otto had always been a sub-human character, a villain who would use any means to achieve his goals and interests.
But he had never schemed against her, let alone framed her.
“Then tell me, what are the side effects?”
“Hehe~”
Otto let out a low, mysterious chuckle, his deep eyes locking onto Letia like a cold pool of water.
“If I said…”
He paused deliberately, making sure Letia heard every word clearly.
“If you wear this Mask for a long time, your true personality will dissipate bit by bit like a snowflake. Your soul will be silently twisted and reshaped until you eventually transform completely into the character set by the Mask, leaving not a trace of Letia behind…”
He leaned forward slightly, his voice like a magical whisper piercing straight into the small shock in Letia’s heart.
“Would you believe such a result?”
Letia froze where she stood.
She subconsciously looked down at the Disguise Mask in her hand, which was already as thin as a cicada’s wing.
If things were truly as Otto said, then why the Mask was getting thinner bit by bit seemed to make sense.
At this thought, an inexplicable fear rose in Letia’s heart.
The Disguise Mask in her hand… it felt as if it had turned into a mask of human skin, making her hair stand on end.
“How… how do you know all this?”
This question was vital; it concerned the source and credibility of Otto’s information.
However, Otto simply spread his hands gracefully, the smile of being in control of everything never wavering.
“Regarding the source of the information, please forgive me, but I have no comment.”
He skillfully bypassed this key question and pivoted back to the chilling subject, his tone carrying a sort of all-knowing inducement.
“But Letia, you should have felt it vaguely yourself, haven’t you?”
“This Mask keenly captures and infinitely amplifies the thoughts deep within your heart. It projects your inner world… in a nearly flawless manner upon your words, deeds, and even every subtle expression.”
“It makes you more and more like Litt… until even you start to get confused about which parts originate from your acting, and which actions you performed unintentionally under the Mask’s guidance…”
Otto’s gaze swept over the Mask in Letia’s hand like something tangible, and he said with a chuckle.
“I am right, aren’t I?”
“Finally, let me reiterate… I would never harm you, Letia.”
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.