Later that night, I drugged Lilly's dinner with some sleeping pills and waited for her to fall deep asleep in our dorm.

The pills were made using my creation magic, which was easily done after a bit of research and time.

I lit a small candle by my desk and opened up the diary that Ace had given me earlier today.

I scanned through the book, carefully lifting up each page with caution.

With each additional page that I had read, I grew more and more disgusted by the Marquis' behavior.

Without a doubt, he was corrupt and each page was riddled with immoral crimes and proof of his misdemeanor.

The fact that he was able to even write these things with such carefree handwriting into a diary just like this...was just...

...Actually...Why would he ever feel the need to record these things in the first place?

This diary was the perfect proof against his crimes, the greatest flaw of his plan, and if it were taken away by someone else, it could easily destroy his life.

...Did he write these things down...because he was enjoying the risk and the pleasure of having such a detrimental diary by his side...?

This was the only reason I could come up with behind his reasons for recording his life down in a book.

As I kept reading, I learned more about what the Marquis' intentions were.

Several times throughout the beginning of the diary, he had sought out my death and had sent numerous assassins after me at a young age.

Hmm...

For some reason, I actually can't recall ever meeting any of these assassins before.

Did...my servant, Grey, or my father...possibly kill them all before they could get to me...?

Pffffffft.

Hahahahaha!

No way...that would never happen.

I'm certain that in my family, I am the only one who has ever committed murder before!

There was no way that my father has ever killed assassins for me!

Well...Grey, on the other hand, may have killed someone before...but I doubt he would kill anyone just to protect me.

He's the type of person who would watch assassins torture his master secretly within the shadows.

Anyway, at the beginning of the diary, the Marquis seemed to have wanted my head more than anything else.

But...in the latter half of the diary...it was as if he didn't care about taking my life anymore.

In fact, it seemed as if though he were doing everything he could in order for me to not get involved.

...What was the Marquis thinking...?

I scanned through a few more pages to try to figure some things out, but nothing came to mind.

The only thing that was remotely important that I found while scrolling through the pages was about information regarding an "unknown man" who struck a deal with the Marquis and eventually became his boss of sorts.

Which means...the Marquis wasn't my 'final boss.'

I sighed and groaned a bit as I rubbed the sides of my head and closed the diary.

I had no more will to read such a disgusting book anyway.

Instead, I opened up the second thing that Ace had handed over to me, a paper folder.

Opening up the folder, I picked up the papers inside and scanned through the pages.

It seemed to consist of business documents, contracts, and important records.

"...Embezzlement...murder...illegal smuggling...coercing with enemy factions..." I murmured quickly as I went through all the pages.

The amount of corruption within these pages was almost uncountable.

"Haha...this is crazy..." I muttered under my breath with a small chuckle.

With this...getting revenge on the Marquis and Marquess would be easy.

But...

"You know...you can wake up now, Lilly," I said out loud into the darkness of our room.

At first, it seemed as if she were possibly still asleep from the effects of the sleeping drug I gave her, but soon enough, I could hear the creaking of the wooden floor as Lilly moved behind me and held a knife against my throat.

"How did you know I was awake, Lady Cyllia?" Lilly said softly as she referred to me politely using my title.

"Hahaha...You underestimate me. What type of spy wouldn't have resistance to a few drugs or so?" I laughed as I held both my hands upward in a symbol of non-resistance.

"So...you were testing me...?" Lilly murmured.

I sighed.

From the start, I already knew Lilly was a spy.

But I had no idea what type of spy she was.

Was she some random commoner that the Marquis and Marquess chose to spy on me without too much thought?

Or...was she actually professionally trained for the role?

And, in accordance with my small drug test, Lilly was definitely trained.

Now that I knew that...all I had to do was...

"Of course I was...Besides, you're too suspicious for your own good. You know that you take too many 'small walks' every day, right?" I chuckled calmly as she pointed her knife closer to my throat.

"...Ahh...so the reports of you being a clumsy airheaded girl with infinite amounts of naivety and idiocracy were all false. You were more aware of your surroundings than I had thought..." Lilly sighed.

...Excuse me...?

Where the heck did she get that idea from?!

"Haha...I don't know who told you that about me...but I assure you that I am none of those things," I said, slightly offended by her words.

"So now that you know I'm a spy...What are you going to do now?" Lilly asked as she moved her blade so close to my neck that I could feel the tip pierce through my skin.

"Nothing. I overheard you talking with the Marquis couple. No matter what, you aren't allowed to kill me. Sure, you can mutilate my body, cut out my tongue, or leave me half-dead, but you will never be able to end my life," I smiled.

"...Are you saying it's okay if I torture you then?"

"No, of course not. I'm just saying that you can't kill me no matter what, so that eliminates my biggest worry."

"You fear death, but you don't fear endless pain and suffering. And I can tell you that the latter is much worse than the first."

"Haha...What if I told you that you can't torture me, much less even touch me?"

"...What do you mean by tha-"

"You won't ever be able to accomplish your goal, whatever it is unless I am healthy and well."

"...What are you implying, Lady Cyllia?"

"Say for example that you stab me a few times and bring me to a state of half-death...Perhaps you've forgotten that I have very deep ties with the royal family. You'd never be able to see the light of day again and everything you and your bosses are planning would fail."

"...If it is the royal family, then there is no problem."

"Oh? Are you implying that you have the royal family backing you up?"

"..."

"Well, I guess your silence answers my question."

The thought that the Marquis and Marquess were partnered with the royal family crossed my mind briefly before, but it was too ridiculous of an idea for me to actually act on it.

Uncle Gloria, the king of Silverbell, was a foolish person who believed in the 'ultimate justice.'

The idea that Uncle Gloria would be a part of this mess was hard to consider properly.

But...how was it possible for this much corruption to be covered up without any word of it reaching the rest of society...?

There wasn't even a single bad rumor regarding the Marquis and Marquess family, which was almost impossible to achieve in these times.

The only ones with enough power and influence in this time period to manage the public's opinion and knowings...was only the royal family.

I let out a small breath of disbelief.

"...Well, if the royal family won't scare you...then I'm sure you realize that even if you try, you won't be able to overwhelm me in strength and power...right?" I chuckled as I leaked out an inhuman amount of mana.

One of the few things I have kept closed from a majority of the public eye was just how vast my mana pool truly was.

If it would take 15 trained royal mages to burn this entire school to the ground, then it would only take one of me to freeze this hellish school over and turn it into a lovely snowglobe.

I was confident enough to say that if Lilly were to attack me, I would be able to defend myself long enough.

Almost immediately, Lilly leaped three times backward away from me as an instinctive self-defense reaction.

Oh?

Did my mana scare her...?

Hmm...maybe I should try doing this whenever the troublesome male leads come near me.

I could already imagine them running away as I release all my mana...heh...

"You don't have to run that far away you know...You have light magic, right?" I called out to her.

Light magic.

Without a doubt, light magic was one of the most OP magic attributes of the game.

Even though light magic was considered a 'mythical' attribute and not a 'legendary' one in terms of how common it was, it was still a magic attribute that was valued much higher than that of creation or destruction magic.

Those who could wield light magic had the ability to heal others within brief moments, create piercing light arrow-thingies, and the best part was...light-magic users could not take damage from other spells.

As long as Lilly had mana, she could convert my own magic spells into harmless balls of light.

Obviously, there were some restrictions to her magic, but all-in-all, I wouldn't even be able to scratch her until she ran out of mana completely.

"Hey, Lilly. Be honest with me...Is it actually your choice to spy on me like this?" I asked.

"...Are you trying to negotiate with me?!" Lilly replied.

"No...I was just asking an honest question that I have been wondering about for a while now."

"Why?"

"You don't strike me as a person who enjoys doing this type of dirty work."

"What a stupid question."

"Just answer it then."

Lilly bit her tongue and stayed silent.

I mean...how was she meant to answer my question anyway?

If she admitted to disliking her job, then it would be the same as admitting to the fact that she didn't want to be on the Marquis and Marquess' side to begin with.

"Do you have a good reason for doing all of this, Lilly? Perhaps you're doing it for the money...or the power...or for responsibility..." I listed as I carefully watched Lilly's expressions.

Lilly didn't say anything as she glared at me as I continued to list down multiple possibilities behind her train of thought.

"...or...perhaps you really didn't want to be a part of this line of work...but you were forced to do it anyway...by your family? Your friends...? Perhaps your whole precious little village forced you into this..." I murmured.

"How did you kno-" Lilly was about to yell before I cut her off.

"For a spy, Lilly, you're quite awful at keeping your emotions to yourself. Not that it's a bad thing, of course," I chuckled.

"...How is it possible for you to know this much...? It's as if you already know everything..."

"Haha...You're joking. It's impossible to know everything. I know many things about this world in particular, but if I knew everything, I wouldn't need to investigate the Marquis and Marquess at all! In fact, I wouldn't even need to go through the trouble of this conversation."

"You didn't answer my question," Lilly growled.

"I think you're mistaken about your position in this situation, Lilly. The one who's asking the questions now is me."

"I'm the one with the knife," Lilly said as she held her blade toward me.

"But I'm the one with the gun," I replied as I used my creation magic to whip out a lovely gun in my hands and pointed it at her.

Without a doubt, I knew Lilly was probably proficient with the use of daggers, swords, and the like.

But against a modern weapon like mine, she probably wouldn't be able to win in a proper fight, especially if I add in some of my other magic into the mix.

"What is...a...gun?" Lilly asked with a perplexed face.

"Hmm...How should I explain this...Uh...Well, guns are like bows, but instead of arrows, they shoot lightning-fast bullets that can insta-kill someone if I manage to get a headshot," I smiled.

Lilly looked at me as if I were spouting nonsense and just shook her head with a sigh.

"I always knew you were the eccentric type..." Lilly groaned.

"Wow...I always thought you were the sweet type...but I guess your true colors are showing now," I shrugged.

"I'm a spy. You should already know that I've never been honest with my feelings to you."

"You're lying," I muttered.

"...Excuse me?"

"You've definitely shown me your real side before."

"No, I haven't."

"Yes, you have."

"When."

"On the first day of school. I told you to disregard the thoughts of other nobles. That you weren't some worthless commoner. To be proud of yourself. If I recall correctly, you started to bawl like a baby and-"

"I don't remember such a thing."

"Well try to exercise your brain a bit and think back to the first day of school. I'm sure you'll remember it eventually. It happened in...'Chapter 40,' I think?"

"...Chapter 40...?" Lilly asked, clearly confused about what I was talking about.

"Oh. Don't mind me. I just thought it had been a while since I broke the fourth wall and all..." I muttered to myself.

"...Okay?"

"Anyway, can you remember?"

"What good would it do for you even if I were to remember?"

"Well, first of all, it would give me the right to say 'I told you so~' and brag about how I was right and you were wrong. And second...you would remember what you told me that day."

"...What did I tell you?"

"You told me...that I was the very first person in your life to ever treat you with kindness. And by the looks of it, you weren't lying back then."

"So what."

"Why do you work with people who treat you like trash?"

"...They've never treated me like tras-"

"You're lying. If you were treated well, you wouldn't have broken down by a few nice words from me back then."

"..."

"Look, I'm not telling you this because I'm your enemy and I want to destroy the Marquis and Marquess...but you should totally ditch the two and run from them."

"The Marquis and Marquess don't matter to me...! I've never liked them anyway. If it were just them...I would have left long ago."

"Does that mean you have a reason for staying with them?"

"Yes..."

"Is it a good reason?"

"No."

"What's your reason then-"

"Ugh...Why am I even answering your questions anyway?!" Lilly yelled as she suddenly snapped after realizing she had been exposing everything she was meant to keep hidden.

"It doesn't matter whether you keep things secret or not anymore. I already know you're a spy."

"It doesn't matter whether you know I'm a spy or not. That's not the point."

"Hey, Lilly, I want to ask you a ridiculous question. Would you hear me out?"

"No."

"Aww...Come on~ You're being so cold. I thought we were good friends before."

"That was before you realized I was a spy."

"Hmm...Well, I guess that's true. But, either way, you're going to have to hear me out."

"..."

"Instead of siding with the Marquis and Marquess...why don't you work for me instead?" I asked with a wide grin.

"WHAT?! ARE YOU CRAZY?!" Lilly screeched.

"Shh...You don't want to accidentally wake up our neighbors, right? It's quite late at night right now, after all," I chuckled as I silenced her.

Lilly stared at me as if I had just gone insane.

Well, maybe I was already insane.

I've always been pretty insane, right?

"I'm a spy from the opposite side. What makes you think I would switch sides so easily???"

"First of all, you are a terrible spy. Most spies wouldn't normally announce to their enemy that they are 'a spy from the opposite side.'"

"...Even if that is the case, I would still be able to easily backstab you. You're quite stupid to believe that just everything will go your way."

"But I believe that you won't backstab me...and even if you did, I am certain you wouldn't be able to ruin my plans anyway."

"You have nothing you can offer me."

"Haha...There isn't much that a Marquisdom can offer that a Dukedom can't. Whatever that Marquis and Marquess offered you...I can give you more. After I get rid of the Marquis and Marquess, I'll lend you my support with all of my power."

"You have no power."

"I will have power. For now, all I have is the empty title of the Duke's daughter...but in the future, I will be the crown princess and eventually the queen."

"You won't be able to help me."

"I always love challenges. Challenges are fun. Whatever your situation is, I will be able to save you," I said with confidence in my voice.

"You are too weak."

"I am strong enough to help you, Lilly. Join my side."

"..."

"Is there anything else you want to say?"

"...Why are you doing this? I'm just a pawn. A bird without wings."

"Hmm...that's a good question. Maybe it's because I thought you would be useful..." I murmured.

"I...see..." Lilly responded with a pained expression on her face.

"I mean...the Marquis and Marquess wouldn't have sent you after me if they didn't truly believe you could do your job properly. And yet, right now, you aren't even attempting to fight back. Doesn't that mean...my words sound appealing to you...?"

"..."

"Let's work together, Lilly."

Lilly faced me with her eyes staring straight into mine.

"...In return...if I help you...you must promise to give me one thing..." Lilly said.

"What is it that you want?" I asked with a smile.

"...Freedom."

"Consider it done," I said as I shook hands with her.

Ah...This was perfect.

Finally...I've managed to grab ahold of my first very own chess piece.

.

.

A While Later

.

.

I left Lilly alone in our dorm room as I left the premises.

Part of me knew that she needed some time for herself.

I sighed.

I needed to plan ahead...

If Lilly were to betray me, it would not affect my plans.

But if Lilly were to stay loyal, it would only benefit me.

Either way, it was perfect.

I continued to wander around the school while slowly basking in the moonlight.

The school really was beautiful at night.

Thanks to the way that the school was built, everything almost seemed to glitter under the light of the moon and the entire vibe of the school was quiet and peaceful.

It was the perfect environment to think about my future moves.

Actually...

"Marielle..." I said out loud in the darkness.

Within moments, the living shadow that Grey had given me appeared from the ground in all of its glory.

"Follow Lilly for me...and report back if she ever does anything outside of our plans," I told Marielle.

It's better to be safe than sorry.

Marielle gave me a small nod and disappeared into the night.

The shadow that Grey had given me was much more useful than I had thought.

I should probably thank him later...

"What is a young lady like you doing outside at this hour...?" a voice suddenly said from behind me.

"GAH!" I screeched in surprise as I turned around.

...Was that...Wolfe...?

When my eyes landed on the boy's face, I was briefly confused.

The boy had the exact same face and hair as Wolfe's...but...his eyes were a completely different color.

Unlike Wolfe's forest-green eyes, a sign of his royal lineage, he had bright honey eyes.

Also, Wolfe always had extremely bad posture and a tired look in his eyes...but the boy in front of me was standing like a proper noble and looked wide awake, which was strange since it was around 4:30 AM in the morning.

But no matter how I looked at it, the person in front of me was definitely Wolfe.

And yet...why weren't his eyes green...?

Wait.

If I recalled correctly, in the otome game, the game-version of Wolfe changed the color of his eyes using his illusion magic in order to keep his prince-identity secret and to sneak out at night.

Was this what was happening right now?!?!?!

But why...?!

Unlike the game, everyone in this world already knew who Wolfe was...which meant that changing the color of his eyes to sneak out would have been pointless.

Also, if he were trying to sneak out, why would he make himself known to me and try to start a conversation?!

It didn't make sense...

"Is that...you....Wolfe...?" I asked the boy in front of me with uncertainty.

"...Excuse me...? Who is...Wolfe...?" he asked me with confusion clearly etched on his face.

...He didn't seem to be lying.

Did Wolfe have a doppelganger or something at school?!

Why did this boy look so much like him...???

"I'm sorry...you just look like someone I know. My name is Lady Cyllia. It's a pleasure to meet you," I said politely.

This guy was extremely suspicious.

I sighed.

Maybe I was just on edge after the conversation I had with Lilly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well," he nodded without saying anything next.

"Uhh...Would you care to tell me your name as well??" I asked.

Wasn't it common courtesy to tell someone your name after they introduce themselves to you???

"Haha...Due to some special circumstances...I must withhold my name from you. I'm sure you won't mind...right?" he laughed.

"Oh. U-Uh...no. I won't mind at all. Forgive me for asking," I stuttered.

...What...was wrong with me...?!

Why did I say that?!?!

Of course, I would mind whether or not he tells me his name or not!!

"Thank you for not prying, Lady Cyllia," he smiled.

"It's no problem at all," I nodded.

"Although, I must say that I find it quite humorous for you to mistake me for someone else," he chuckled.

"Huh? Oh, yeah...Sorry. You really do look like someone I know," I said.

"Oh, really? Could you describe him to me?" he asked.

"Haha...I'm sorry, I really don't think I shoul-"

"Please, don't feel the need to be so secretive around me. Go ahead and tell me."

Why was this guy being so pushy?!

I don't want to tell you what Wolfe looks like!

Can't you take the stupid hint?!

Ugh...I guess I'll have to politely decline him again.

"Huh? Okay, of course, I'll tell you. He has the exact same red hair like yours and his face looks identical to yours too. The only difference is that he has green eyes since he's a prince and all," I chuckled.

"Thank you for telling me," he smiled.

I covered my mouth with my hands.

Something was wrong.

Words I didn't want to say were spilling out.

"Would you like to follow me on my walk, Lady Cyllia? It's quite a beautiful night...the moon and stars are quite pretty, I must say..." he asked me.

No.

I have to decline him.

"No, I'm quite tired tonight so I would rather not go on a walk with yo-"

"Are you sure? You don't seem very tired to me and I assure you that it will be quite fun and enjoyable. You look like you need a break as well..." he murmured to me.

...He's...right.

I need...a break...and...a walk...with him...sounds...fun.

...I...want...to...go on...a...walk with...him...

"Let's go, okay?" he asked as he held his hand out to mine.

"Of course," I said with a smile as I reached out my hand to his.

I...will...follow him...wherever...he...goes...

...Follow him...

...Wherever he...goes...

"It'll be a lot of fun, Lady Cyllia. You can trust me," he said as he took a few steps forward as I walked by his side.

...I...can trust...him...

...I trust...him...a...lot...

...The...walk...fun...

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!" I screeched as I suddenly snapped out of it and pushed the dude next to me away.

That was close.

I almost let him lead me on to wherever he wanted.

What if he was planning on kidnapping me?!

What if he planned on killing me?!

He could have done anything to me and I would have let him if he asked.

Staying by this dude was extremely dangerous.

I needed to get out of here.

I turned around and immediately began to run away before he stopped me.

"Where are you going, Lady Cyllia? Isn't it a bit rude to run away from someone like this? Won't you stay by my side?" he asked as his voice grew colder.

Every inch of my body wanted to tell him that I didn't want to leave...that I wanted to stay by his side.

My heart and mind were being played by this man.

...He...seems...upset...sad...

...It's rude...to run...

I...want...to...stay with...him...

STTTTTTOOOOOOOOPPPPP!!!!

I punched myself in the face.

"...Whatever...you are doing...stop it..." I managed to croak out.

This was bad.

Really bad.

By the looks of things, this guy had the ability to control people with his words.

...Who was he???

He looked exactly like Wolfe...and yet...this man was definitely not Wolfe...

I knew Wolfe well enough to know that he wasn't like this...

Who. Was. This. Man?

"Don't ask any questions, Lady Cyllia. It isn't good to pry. Would you please be a good girl an-" he was about to say until he suddenly stopped and froze.

What was wrong?

He looked at me with a look of disappointment as he sighed.

"...It looks like time is out...I hope to see you again soon, Lady Cyllia...Please, forget about me until we meet again," he said as he suddenly disappeared before my eyes.

I dropped to my knees.

No...I can't forget this dude...

I need to remember him so I can watch out for him...

I can't...forget...

I...can't...forget...

I...need...to...remember...

I had an extremely bad headache all of a sudden.

What was going on???

My mind...was extremely fuzzy and it felt as if though a million bees were buzzing in my mind.

Why does my head hurt so much???

Actually...

Why was I here in the first place?

Ugh...all I could remember was that I left for a walk after striking a deal with Lilly.

I think I met someone too...but I couldn't really remember what happened.

For some reason though...I had a really bad feeling in my chest.

A really...bad feeling.

----------------------------------------

A/N: That's it for this chapter! Ohohoho...A lot happened in this chapter, so I hope you guys were able to follow along!

Apparently, Wolfe has an evil doppelganger now~ Who knows why? ;)

Also, Lilly has apparently switched sides as well! Will she backstab Cordelia? Will she stay loyal? Or will she do something else completely? Or maybe...will she do none of the above? Who knows~? ;)

What are your theories? Please comment if you have any!

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it though~ I had a lot of fun with this one~

Stay safe, everyone~

Okie byeee!

Word Count: 4279