"Puppet Mask Grimoire"

Isabel gazed into the darkness, and those stories floated through her mind, fleeting like bubbles and phantoms.

Her consciousness became dulled in the hallucination, just like in a dream, unable to precisely control her thoughts.

"... Does this question really have a correct answer?"

This question arose in her mind.

But clearly, this statement is not the answer.

Therefore, after hesitating for a long time, Isabel cautiously answered, "Who is the Puppet Mask...?"

"Oh."

A deep laugh came, "Not good, not bad."

"You're insightful, but not mad enough; you're perceptive, but too clear-headed. You're not suited to inherit everything from me."

Just as Isabel had given the answer, a human figure appeared in the darkness.

—That was the alluring and seductive snake Queen from the very beginning of the story!

She held countless thin threads in her hands, and these threads were connected to the drooping masks.

From the very beginning, all the stories told about her "in the future" were under her control.

As the thin threads in the Snake Queen's hands continued to merge, the surrounding darkness shrank once more.

That dark and mysterious space transformed into an altar amidst the endless yellow sand.

It turns out that everything around me was an illusion.

Isabel suddenly realized.

The surrounding area was filled with countless snake-men, each wearing a mask.

Only the snake Queen standing before Isabel had no mask on her face.

"No, that's not right!" Isabel suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

Suddenly, the Snake Queen smiled seductively and reached out her hand towards her own face.

The Queen removed her pure white, faceless mask.

Beneath the mask lies another Isabel.

There was no Snake Tail, no white robe, no golden crown, and no red eyeshadow.

It was another "Isabel" wearing the exact same clothes and having the exact same face as Isabel! The only difference was that the "Isabel" was wearing bright red lipstick.

Her smile remained charming and full of confidence.

... And what about me?

"If you were me..."

Within the illusion, Isabel instinctively wondered, "Then who am I?"

The person opposite, "Isabel," chuckled and placed the mask on Isabel's face.

Her fingernails traced lines across Isabel's face, the sharp nails cutting through her skin, running from Isabel's forehead down to the base of her left ear. It was as if she wanted to peel her face off along the contours of the mask.

She whispered, "I am you..."

"—You are me."

When Isabel looked down in surprise, she only saw a thick Snake Tail.

In that instant, an indescribable fear surged through Isabel's heart, and she suddenly gasped and woke up with a start.

Isabel was drenched in sweat.

She looked up suddenly and found herself still sitting at her desk. She had not become the Snake Queen, nor had she ever left Avalon.

But in her hand, the pure white, faceless mask still lay quietly. One side of the mask was stained with fresh blood, and on the left side of Isabel's cheek was a short, curved mark from a knife cut.

Under Isabel's gaze, the blood-stained mask gradually began to twist and deform, eventually transforming into the image of Isabel with her head bowed and eyes downcast.

"Is this... the Puppet Mask?"

Isabel murmured softly.

She imitated the snake Queen in the illusion and easily removed her mask.

The mask then fell down on its own.

As it fell, a thin, ethereal thread suddenly appeared, connecting it to Isabel's right middle finger.

In that instant, Isabel felt a mysterious connection with the mask.

She glanced at the two Pope Guard in the corner of the study, who were looking over with some curiosity, and a thought suddenly popped into her mind.

Isabel smiled and beckoned to one of them, "Ke Er, come here for a moment."

"What are your orders, Your Her Majesty the Queen?"

A short-haired elf girl who looked to be about the same age as Isabel walked over.

"Try putting this mask on."

Isabel looked at her expectantly.

After Mycroft Hermes knocked on the door and received permission, he grabbed his briefcase and hurried into the Queen's study, where he expertly sat down opposite Queen.

This man, who was as carefree and plump as a fat seal, seemed somewhat anxious at this moment.

He rubbed his scalp, which was starting to fall out badly, and complained, "You should do something, Your Majesty—I think you should take a look at these documents yourself; I'm not quite sure about them."

As he spoke, he placed his entire briefcase on the table and pushed it over.

Isabel, sitting across from me at the desk, took the briefcase and looked up. "Where's the thing I asked you to get for me?"

"The minister's gift is also in there—it's an elf harp."

As Mycroft began to speak, Isabel had already taken out the silver-white harp.

"So beautiful!"

She couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

The small, silvery-white harp is decorated with leaves and vines. Among the leaves and vines are two deep red flowers—like roses. They are carved entirely from a single piece of gemstone.

It is also inlaid with an amber gemstone the size of an eyeball. Near the gemstone is a blue and white silk ribbon.

"Anastasia, may you be well..."

Isabel read the Elven Language.

She would most likely have instinctively asked, "Who is Anastasia?" But Iver had already told her about his experiences in her dream last night.

Therefore, Isabel could only sigh, "That girl's wish has been fulfilled, after all, this is one of the places with the most griffins in the world..."

She looked at Mycroft and said reassuringly, "Don't worry, Hermes. I've finished reading the Grimoire, and I'll deal with the backlog of documents as soon as possible."

"You should teach them a lesson."

Mycroft said with some displeasure, "Not long after Minister Iver left Avalon, those guys have become quite active—and now the infighting in the Round Table Hall is getting fiercer. Or are you planning to continue to maintain the political image of 'you being at odds with Minister Iver '?"

"It can't be kept secret for long, can it?"

Isabel said lightly, "Let's leave it at that for now—everything will be clear once I officially ascend to the throne. I remember you said that only the knights think we have a conflict, while the common people are spreading rumors about us? Then you can have the newspapers step up their efforts. As for the arguments... let them argue. They always need someone to argue with, and arguing for something ridiculous is always better than arguing over something intractable."

"There's been no problem with the public; in fact, the response has been quite positive. As you predicted, rather than focusing on complex political struggles involving numerous interests, people prefer romantic love stories that are artistically written, easy to understand, and have simple and straightforward plots. The novel you wrote anonymously, based on you and Minister Iver, has passed review. Without knowing your identity, several editors gave it very good reviews, so it's ready to go to print."

"But..."

Mycroft said, taking out a handkerchief to wipe his sweat. "My personal advice is that you'd better not drink too much in public."

"... What's wrong?"

Isabel paused for a moment. "I remember my Grandmother often drank with the people, and everyone liked it... Is it because I'm not approachable enough? Or do I look too young, not old enough to drink?"

"Oh, no. It's mainly because you never used to drink before, but you started drinking every day as soon as Minister Iver left."

Mycroft smiled wryly and wiped his sweat, "The current rumor is that you had a fight with Minister Iver, which is why he stormed off to Star Avalon to find Miss Aleister; while you're drowning your sorrows in alcohol every day, and you even said something like 'If I drink too much, I can see Iver ' before..."

Isabel felt a chill run down her spine. "What is all this...?"

She pondered for a long time with a conflicted expression, but couldn't come up with a way to refute the rumors.

"... Never mind, it doesn't matter. Anyway, when Iver comes back, everything will be clear."

Isabel clicked her tongue and gave up on letting her mind wander.

Instead of these things, it would be better to pray for Iver a bit more—maybe the Silver Crowned Dragon will hear her! She looked up and smiled at Mycroft, "By the way, do you see anything strange about me?"

"... Did you cast some kind of illusion?"

Mycroft immediately guessed why Isabel had asked that question.

Although he guessed Isabel's motive, he looked up and examined her closely. After a moment's thought, he shook his head. "I can't quite see it. At least there's nothing obviously out of place. Or, could you be more specific? Which part of the body do you want to observe for any sense of incongruity?"

To put it more precisely...

As Isabel spoke, she reached out and touched her face.

She then took off the mask.

Beneath the mask is a short-haired elf girl nicknamed "Ke Er".

Her appearance, temperament, clothes, height, and hairstyle all changed simultaneously.

Ke Er waved generously at Mycroft, revealing a cheerful smile completely different from Isabel's.

At that moment, Isabel pushed open the wardrobe door and jumped down from inside the wardrobe in the study.

"... Can you notice that she isn't me?"

Isabel continued from the previous sentence and asked a question.

Mycroft was taken aback for a moment upon seeing this.

Seeing the genuine astonishment on his face, Isabel's lips curled up slightly.

She smiled happily, "Then I'll trouble you to make another trip later... to take this mask to the Candle Holder Cathedral and deliver it to Iver."

"Don't worry, I'll handle these documents properly. Thank you for your help."

"... Yes, Your Her Majesty the Queen."

Mycroft reluctantly rose and bowed.

Update complete, meow!