“Are you telling me… Duke Roy, he…!”
The voices of Fina and Aisha drifted to her ears, their gazes stealing glances at Luwei from time to time… seemingly carrying a sense of inquiry.
Yet, Luwei, left to grieve on her own, had no intention of acknowledging them.
The news of Duke Roy’s passing was too sudden, like a depth charge, stirring up monstrous waves in Luwei’s heart.
Is Plot Correction truly impossible to defy…?
Luwei’s eyes gradually dimmed.
[The House Carys declines; Luwei loses the backing of Duke Roy and is eventually driven out of the Kingdom of Avalon…]
Although, under Luwei’s interference, this plot had taken a drastically different shape…
The final result would not change.
Just thinking about that point filled Luwei with a suffocating sense of powerlessness.
A set outcome, achieved through different means; it was inevitable, impossible to defy.
Then, what was the point of continuing to resist?
Just to be led by the nose by these plot points, like a clown on a high stage, like… the characters inside those Recording Stones.
Even though the audience already knew the ending, they still performed pointlessly—those incredibly dull stories.
As if firmly believing that the same seed, under one’s own cultivation, would surely bloom into completely different flowers…
What kind of joke is that?
How could the process ever be more important than the result?
Just as Luwei was feeling unsettled…
The two before her seemed to have reached some sort of consensus.
The murmuring died down, and they approached Luwei.
“Luwei, how much do you know about the Demon Race…?”
Fina suddenly asked a question that came out of nowhere.
At these words, Luwei finally shifted her gaze away from the window…
Looking at the two young girls before her, her expression remained calm.
“Everything.”
As a game designer, Luwei understood the vast majority of the game’s mechanical settings.
And that, of course, included… the Demon Race.
They originated from the Abyss in the far north, harboring deep malice toward life, and would periodically conduct invasions.
Consistent with most game settings, the Demon Race looked little different from humans, and they had a leader known as the Demon King.
And in “Bonds,” there was a novel setting regarding the Demon Race—
Demon Invasion.
This was a recurring event in the game and one of the driving forces compelling players to improve their strength and develop technology.
New servers where players were completely wiped out during a Demon Invasion would lose their qualification for independent operation.
The players of the new server would be directly merged into an old server, oppressed by the long-established high-level players; it was a form of punishment, one could say.
However, obviously,
In this real world, the penalty for a Demon Invasion would not be as simple as merging servers…
“Then you should know…”
Fina observed Luwei’s expression, carefully weighing her words, “The Demon Race is insidious, cunning, and holds grudges.”
“And Linbei City… or even the Kares Territory, as the first target of the Demon Race’s southward advance, is already in an incredibly dangerous situation.”
“What are you trying to say?”
Facing the indirect Fina, Luwei merely replied coldly.
But Fina did not show any impatience at her icy demeanor…
Instead, seeing the pitiful girl before her, reduced to such a state overnight… she felt a pang of sympathy.
Clearly, there were still dried tear tracks on her face, yet she pulled a small face, pretending to be cold and indifferent…
Fina knew—
This was clearly a helpless little beast, subconsciously arming itself with fangs and claws.
“I want to say…”
“It’s alright, you can still rely on me.”
Fina said in a gentle tone… she finally shed all the pretense she had maintained toward Luwei.
“I can take you in, I can protect you…”
“The Royal Palace of Avalon will always be the backing at your back.”
The smile on Fina’s face was as warm as the breeze, like the sun in March, making one want to draw near…
But that warm sun could not dissolve the chill in Luwei’s heart.
You can rely on me…
What a truly tempting thing to say.
Luwei’s expression remained indifferent… as for the slight stir in her heart, it was quickly suppressed by an even greater despair.
How could she not want to stop right here?
She even wanted to abandon her status as the Duke’s daughter, to abandon this game panel.
Under the heavy pressure of this past month, she had long since been exhausted in body and mind, constantly hiding her true feelings and walking with extreme caution.
But in the end…
A self-deprecating arc curled at the corner of Luwei’s mouth.
Isn’t this… exactly as it was before?
Even if, right now,
She accepted Fina’s invitation, shed all burdens, lived a carefree life in the Royal Palace, and clung to this fleeting, fake peace…
The “plot” belonging to Luwei would pursue her without mercy and destroy her life.
And even…
A greater suspicion suddenly arose in Luwei’s heart.
Could this act of Fina taking her in—
Actually be leading to one of the bad endings for “Villain Luwei”?
She couldn’t help but recall the night before she set off for the Royal Palace,
That deeply worrying dream…
Thinking this, a strong sense of heart palpitation arose in Luwei once again.
She looked around in confusion, as if trying to find the source of this unease…
Then, Luwei’s gaze fell upon Aisha, who stood silently not far away.
Does she… have something she wants to say…?
The timid maid was averting her eyes, her gaze shifting between Luwei and Fina…
Noticing Luwei’s searching look, Aisha’s expression froze, and a flash of struggle crossed her eyes,
And then—
She quietly shook her head at Luwei…
“…!”
This minute movement sparked a thousand thoughts in Luwei’s mind.
Something is wrong with Fina…?
Luwei’s heart jolted… the look she gave Fina was now filled with a subtle, hidden vigilance.
The latter was blinking her eyes innocently, still waiting for Luwei’s reply…
Luwei recalled the entire process of her trip to the Royal Palace…
But the more she thought back, the more she could detect that subtle feeling of being controlled.
Fina’s attitude toward her had been the fundamental reason Luwei’s perception of her had changed…
After she arrived at the Royal Palace, the expected house arrest, surveillance, or even mockery and insults had not occurred.
Fina had just acted quite coldly, leaving Luwei on the sidelines and ignoring her.
This attitude was actually quite consistent with Fina’s behavior in the original plot—
[After Luwei met her miserable end, Fina only showed up to provide a trivial amount of aid.]
Even later, to make the plot logic consistent, the writers had arranged for Fina to have a missing-person ending.
At this point,
Everyone standing on Luwei’s side was either dead or injured, had broken ties with her, or had vanished without a trace.
But now…
Fina was actually willing to provide such aid—[Letting Luwei live in the Royal Palace, while she herself unconditionally took responsibility for protecting her?]
Was that even possible?
Thinking of this…
Luwei massaged her temples with a bitter smile,
I never expected that the laxity of these past few days… would actually strip away my most basic ability to judge.
Luwei’s heart turned cold, and even that last trace of warmth was suppressed.
If Fina’s previous cold attitude and her restrained kindness… were actually intended to lower Luwei’s guard?
It was only today that Fina tried to use her warmth—using a more intense emotion—to completely shatter Luwei’s psychological defense.
Remaining cold while she was at her strongest, extending an arm when she was at her weakest, and providing shelter when she was most helpless…
Why did everything feel so perfectly timed…?
The deeper she pondered, the more frightened Luwei became.
It made sense; as the most gifted heir to the Avalon Palace… the schemes of the Third Princess, Fina, could never be as simple as they appeared on the surface.
So, being gentle, kind, and understanding… was that just a masquerade?
Looking at Fina, who smiled shallowly at her and waited for her answer,
Luwei felt her body trembling…
“Fina…” she said, her expression complex,
“What is your true purpose?”
At these words, the gentle smile on Fina’s face froze.