Three-Way Diagonal Performance

After Iver placed Sherlock on the bed, he lowered his voice and turned to look at Isabel: "He's asleep, he can't hear anything."

—That was a mysterious technique from the Path of Twilight, the art of "Turtle Breathing".

It allows one to adjust various bodily indicators to a sleep state while maintaining keen awareness of the outside world. It's not a profound skill; it can be forcibly performed by relying on a mage's ability to mimic.

Isabel was unaware of the existence of this skill.

But she understood what Iver meant—he wasn't asleep; he was pretending.

So what am I supposed to act? Isabel looked at Iver with a questioning gaze and lowered her voice as well. "What should I do? And... how long will it take for Mr. Hermes to recover from such a serious injury?"

"It will take at most four or five days, but I hope to cure him today or tomorrow."

Iver glanced at Isabel and quickly replied.

—It's possible that he could live until the end of the ceremony, but it's also possible that he could be killed within a day.

"However, before the treatment begins, there are a few things I need to say to you..."

Then, Iver bowed respectfully to Isabel: "Princess Highness... no, I should now address you as Her Majesty the Queen of Avalon. Let's have a frank conversation."

Isabel's heart skipped a beat, and her tone turned cold. "What is it? Is there something you need?"

Following Iver's expressions and gestures, and under Isabel's impromptu performance, her tone instantly became firm.

She knew what role Iver wanted her to play.

"I'm just a little confused... or rather, I just suddenly had an idea."

Iver sat on the edge of the bed, looked up at Isabel, and said softly, "Isn't the Stibnite Person's conspiracy going a little too smoothly?"

"...What do you mean?"

"—That's Xingti's plan to replace you with Doll. Assassinate Queen Sophia, and then arrange for a Doll 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 were blocked. But now I'm wondering, was my letter really blocked?"

Iver stared intently at Isabel: "I'm wondering if there's another possibility—that the 'bound Isabel ' that Ms. Shafiya mentioned is indeed the real Isabel?"

"—You mean to say that I am the Doll?"

Isabel gave a cold, dismissive laugh, "Why would you think that?"

"Of course, there is another possibility. That is, the 'bound Isabel ' is indeed Doll, but you, who have been living in the Silver and Tin Palace, may not be the original Princess. It's just that she was a lower-class Doll with 'ball joints,' while you are a newer Doll with better technology."

Iver said seriously, "After all, based on what I know... Princess Isabel is a weak and naive little girl who has never received any monarchical education."

"Don't you think you were too calm during the great changes that occurred in Avalon?"

That's true.

The consultant, lying in bed, thought to himself.

The current Isabel is vastly different from the timid little girl in the introductory scene—that girl looked even more shy than Aurora, but the current Isabel appears more aggressive than Her Majesty the Queen.

"... So that's the reason."

Isabel's face showed signs of weariness.

She glanced at Iver and said calmly, "I understand what you're thinking—I went to the banquet with my Grandmother and was forced to leave. Then a new 'fake Isabel ' appeared. So if I go back, everyone will think I'm the real Isabel. No one will consider whether there were two fake Isabel acting from the very beginning... You're smart to think of that."

"So? Isabel... 'Your Majesty'?"

Iver's gaze was resolute, his tone calm yet tinged with a hint of sarcasm. "Can you give me a definite answer?"

Upon hearing this, the consultant immediately perked up his ears.

"...snort."

Isabel sighed, her tone revealing a sense of desolation and self-mockery. "Do you know about the royal curse, Your Bishop?"

"I've heard of it."

"Each heir gradually died, leaving only me in the end. But in fact, my Grandmother was not unaware of this curse... she just didn't know whether it was done by the Stibnite Person or the Iris People."

"But she knew that in the end, only one person would be left in Avalon. So from the very beginning, she placed her last hope on me."

"From the time I can remember, I've been playing the role of ' Isabel ' in the public eye, always maintaining a weak and unreliable behavior that no one believes in. Only in this way can I survive. Clearly, the Curse Master and the assassin overlooked me... and let me live to the end."

"... So that's how it is."

"Iver murmured."

Isabel scoffed, "What, you believe me so easily? Aren't you going to ask why there will inevitably be one person left?"

"No need," Iver said in a deep voice, "Because I know about that ritual."

"...What?"

Isabel was truly taken aback.

—Should she also tell the "Advisor" about the Shadow of Avalon Ritual? Her mind was a little slow to catch up with Iver's thoughts, but her body followed suit without hesitation. "You're not talking about Merlin's..."

"Nation Protecting Ritual · Shadow of Avalon. A miraculous ritual initiated by the Great Sage Merlin —it can be triggered when only one person from the same era of Du Lac remains. It resurrects Lancelot I, the ancestor of the Sixth Level, and kills all invaders within the territory."

"... Who told you about this ritual?" Isabel's tone was low and dangerous.

"Naturally, it is Her Majesty Queen Sophia; otherwise, I would never have dared to mention this to you."

Iver said calmly, "I've mentioned to her many times that letting the Curse Master run rampant will only lead Avalon into a desperate situation. Until recently, she told me about the ritual."

"—And, Your Princess, you have been entrusted to me."

Every word he spoke was the truth, making him seem incredibly sincere. "So when she suddenly announced her engagement to the Stibnite Person, I immediately sensed something was wrong. It was more like she was desperately seeking my help because she couldn't speak... Now it seems Her Majesty the Queen did indeed notice the problem."

"Since Your Highness is aware of the existence of the Shadow of Avalon, you certainly are not Doll —I apologize for my previous guess. That was merely a joke, please do not take it seriously. If you wish to punish me, I will do so after everything has settled down."

--I see.

The advisor thought to himself, "So this is where the ambiguous relationship between Iver and Her Isabel began."

He had always felt that if both of them were so strong-willed, there was no reason for their relationship to become so close. And he had no idea when they started dating; suddenly it felt like they were getting married.

Looking back now, it was probably just acting—their actual relationship was very tense, but they appeared harmonious and intimate to outsiders.

In reality, they are nothing more than a power couple who check and balance each other.

That "Miss Aleister" probably wasn't trying to steal a man, but rather protecting Iver.

That makes sense! "... But from another perspective, I wish you were Doll now."

Iver sighed and said bluntly, "I never knew that beneath your outward appearance lay such strength... even..."

"Cold-blooded and ruthless, isn't that right?" Isabel raised an eyebrow. "What are you afraid of? Why don't you dare to speak up?"

"... Yes. When we first met, I always thought that ' Princess Isabel ' was a delicate girl I would protect."

"What a joke. If I were really that naive, I'd probably be dead by now. If you observe closely, you'll find that I never eat with strangers—because there's no one I can completely trust."

Isabel's lips curled slightly upward, revealing a captivating yet emotionless, icy smile, "What, disappointed now?"

She stepped forward and lifted Iver's chin with a finger. "Or... do you really like delicate little girls that much? Can't a true Queen touch the bishop's Heart of Dedication?"

Her voice was slow and deliberate, much like the tone of Minister of Everything Iver at Round Table Hall Conference.

She leaned close to Iver's ear and whispered, "Or should I prove to His Holiness the Bishop... that this warm body isn't Doll?"

"... I dare not."

"I think you're pretty daring."

Isabel sneered, "Let's not talk about that now—heal Mr. Hermes's injuries, and then we'll prepare to leave."

Hearing this, the advisor was finally able to confirm that the information from the "secret room" was indeed correct.

During this Promotion Ritual, he did indeed gather very important secret intelligence that could never be obtained through normal channels.

The real Isabel is indeed very strong, but she is exceptionally good at disguising herself. This is true of the extraordinary individuals on the Path of Beauty; while some are completely inept at acting, others are exceptionally skilled in it.

But at the same time, there were some problems with the intelligence—

Because they had far underestimated Isabel's strength and danger! What crazy things would a woman who had been pretending and acting crazy since she was old enough to understand do now that she had finally stopped pretending and was showing her fangs? —A dangerous thought even popped into the consultant's mind.

Could it be that Emma's loss of control was deliberately orchestrated by Queen Isabel? Did she want Emma to attack her in order to gain the support of the Theocracy?

Come to think of it, if Emma really wanted to kill Isabel, how could she possibly have survived? Queen Isabel was not even twenty years old; how high could her level as a superhuman be? If Emma really wanted to attack Isabel, would she have chosen a time when Isabel had Ligeia as her bodyguard?

Just thinking about it sent chills down the consultant's spine.

All of this is Isabel's conspiracy! Even in this timeline, Star Antimony's plot to assassinate Queen Sophia and replace the fake Princess to attack Avalon... might fail.

—Because of that "Shadow of Avalon" ritual! If their army actually arrives at Glass Island, the ritual will probably be triggered immediately.

At that moment, Iver asked at just the right time, "We do need to leave; that Balrog is too dangerous... but where do we go?"

"Take me to the Theocracy."

"Leave Avalon? Aren't we going to activate the Shadow of Avalon Ritual?" Iver countered.

"... It depends on the situation."

Isabel paused for a moment.

—Does Iver mean he wants to activate the Shadow of Avalon?

A hint of worry flashed in her eyes.

But her tone was firm enough. "If that ritual is really necessary—we must first report to the Theocracy. Right now, we are the victims and can receive support and assistance from the Theocracy. But if we initiate the ritual first, that may not be the case."

The consultant was shocked—it really was true!

The Avalon are too cunning; this was definitely a trap!

We must avoid Avalon! We absolutely cannot provoke that madwoman again! There are likely more traps waiting for us—

Update complete!