But the Angel whom Lust had ostensibly invited, who actually leaned toward Pride or Vera—her main purpose was to keep an eye on George III?
Not William I, the Hand of Order. Not the Duke of South Wales, the Balancer... She had singled out George III, who was not even a Demigod in public!
That meant Princess Vera knew George III's true circumstances. That wasn't surprising, but she had revealed it without the slightest concern!
What was she trying to do?
Before their meeting today, Abner had thought of Vera as a marginal member of the Augustus Family with a few secrets. Though she had become a Demigod through her own efforts, she was still someone the family would sell out without hesitation...
But after their conversation, Abner discarded all his earlier guesses. The princess clearly hid far more than he had imagined. Her loyalties were unclear, her thoughts impossible to read, and she had never appeared in the original story. That made her background and aims even harder to fathom.
He could only make one rough judgment: although she was George III's sister, their relationship was poor. Otherwise, she would never have brought Xio, who bore a grudge against the king, into MI9, much less casually revealed the Loen Royal Family's deepest secret.
Was she doing it deliberately, using me to tip off the Churches of the True Gods behind me? Or was she certain I already knew, so she didn't care?
Now I'm starting to wonder whether coming to her for a partnership was the right choice... But Lilith's oracle told me to "go ahead and do it." Does that mean it won't be a problem? Or that she'll have my back if something goes wrong?
With that thought, Abner said, half testing her and half in wonder,