Chapter 399
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 399
Chapter Title: I'll Work Hard
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[Uh, um.]
She scratched her head for a moment.
Yuna Kyung opened her beak with a thoroughly unimpressed look on her face.
[So you're really going to grant that request?]
"For now."
[Disguising White Sis as Poonsu Sis and sneaking her into the Kremlin Palace?]
"Yeah."
[......To ask the competent and righteous savior who's somewhere in the Kremlin Palace to help the revolutionaries?]
"That's right."
Yuna Kyung blinked at Rimon's response.
She opened and closed her beak several times before blurting out without thinking.
[Have you lost your mind, Team Leader?]
Smack.
[Ow! Why'd you hit me?!]
"You thought you could talk like that and not get smacked?"
[That's not rude talk; it's a cold, hard fact! What's the point of pulling off something this insane just to convince yourself?]
Yuna Kyung wrapped her wings around her forehead defiantly.
Rimon was right there, so sneaking into the Kremlin Palace just to convince him? It was perfect nonsense.
To her, Rimon replied indifferently.
"Don't worry. I never intended to do the infiltration or convincing properly in the first place."
[Then why are you even doing it? Just reveal who you are, and we wouldn't need any of this!]
"......Do you even know what would happen if I revealed my identity?"
[We wouldn't have to go through all this pointless hassle.]
"Instead, I'd be begging the revolutionaries for help 24/7."
[Well......]
Yuna Kyung was at a loss for words.
These were revolutionaries already gearing up for the crazy stunt of infiltrating the Kremlin Palace just to make contact with Rimon.
If they knew who he was, how desperately they'd plead for his help was obvious even without prophetic powers.
Of course, if he agreed to help, that would solve it......
"So you're not even gonna say I should just help them out."
[......These revolutionaries want Poonsu Sis dead, right? That's a bit much.]
Yuna Kyung let out a sigh.
Yekaterina was the princess of the Seven Dragon Society.
Rimon killing her offhandedly could easily spark a full-scale war with the entire Seven Dragon Society—a recklessly dangerous move.
It would be the same even if she weren't their princess.
Even if they cloaked it in the grand cause of revolution, what Sergei was asking for was essentially a hit job.
Rimon, who was so picky about his opponents, would never accept such a request.
The only incomprehensible part was one thing.
[Then at least you should've turned it down. Why'd you accept the request?]
"Why? If I hadn't formally accepted it back then, even superficially, I wouldn't have been able to infiltrate the revolutionaries like this."
[......So you lied?]
"Don't say something that'll get misunderstood. Who's lying?"
Rimon shrugged.
He would sneak into the Kremlin Palace.
They'd asked him to request the Sword Duke's help, so he'd seriously consider aiding the revolutionaries, at least.
But he never promised to help them, so reporting that the Sword Duke refused after consideration wasn't a lie.
Yuna Kyung stared at the shameless Rimon with a look of utter dismay.
[Wow, you con artist.]
"Think of it as wisdom in life."
[That's an insult to wisdom.]
"If you've got complaints, settle it with skill."
[That's code for 'shut them up with your sword' if anyone talks smack.]
For a moment, she grumbled about his lack of conscience as he declared his intent to scam without batting an eye.
Then Yuna Kyung suddenly asked.
[By the way, where'd White Sis go?]
"Oh, she went to get some clothes fitted."
[Clothes?]
"Yeah. The content matters, but the packaging is important too."
As Yuna Kyung tilted her head at the cryptic words.
The door burst open.
A girl appeared.
"Rino, I wanted to know if this is our love nest."
"......It's not a love nest; it's temporary lodging. That revolutionary guy said there's no more need for surveillance, so they'd give us a more comfortable room, remember?"
"Either way, it's the same room. A man and woman under the same roof—that's cohabitation. So it's a love nest."
"You forgetting we're supposed to be siblings on the surface?"
"It's fine. Love conquers all obstacles. Blood ties are a minor issue."
"They're not minor at all, you idiot princess......"
As Rimon pressed his temple watching Aynsha clench her fist expressionlessly.
Yuna Kyung blinked.
[......White Sis?]
"I want to know why you're calling me."
[No, uh...... The new clothes suit you really well.]
"They don't suit me at all. The taste is the worst. I want to take them off right now."
Even hearing Aynsha's blunt rebuttal, Yuna Kyung couldn't shake her dubious expression.
Because she looked completely different from her usual self.
Long silver hair braided down her back.
A tiara perched atop it.
A traditional nomadic outfit hugging her body.
And a fur cape draped over her slender shoulders.
The only difference was expressiveness—anyone could see Aynsha now looked exactly like Yekaterina.
[Now that I see it, I get why Poonsu Sis keeps calling her 'little sis' and clinging to her......]
"I don't get it. I'm nothing like Yekaterina. We don't look alike at all."
[No, I get how you feel, but saying you don't look alike at all is stretching it.]
"It's not stretching; it's fact."
Just changing hair color and wearing the same clothes made them indistinguishable.
They really could pass for twins.
As Aynsha protested even more expressionlessly upon hearing Yuna Kyung's offhand admiration.
Rimon narrowed his eyes.
He approached Aynsha, scrutinizing her silver eyes and hair closely before asking.
"Doesn't look like simple dye or contacts. An item?"
"Precisely, a potion."
"A potion that only changes hair and eye color. Guess the revolutionaries have some high-level alchemist players."
"Not just the potion. These clothes are spot-on too."
"Yeah, I thought they nailed it."
Rimon fiddled with the cape, traditional outfit, and crown replicating Yekaterina's attire and nodded approvingly.
It wasn't something prepped long ago.
Producing fakes this good in just a day or two showed how much effort the revolutionaries were putting in.
Then.
One particularly off-putting part caught Rimon's eye.
"By the way, idiot princess, what's stuffed in your chest?"
"Padding. It's pretty soft. Feel it."
"......Ah, okay?"
Whatever made her so proud.
Rimon scratched his chin watching Aynsha puff out her chest.
He extended his hand.
He groped the unusually padded bust over her clothes and nodded.
"Hmm, definitely soft."
"But it's fake. My real chest feels better. It'll grow even bigger soon. So look forward to it."
"Your dreams are big, at least."
As Rimon chuckled at Aynsha, utterly convinced she'd be glamorous.
Yuna Kyung muttered dubiously.
[Man...... You two are something else, in every way.]
"Huh? What're you talking about?"
"I want to know what kind of compliment that is."
[......No, just forget it.]
Even pets kept more distance from their owners.
Aynsha proudly offering her padded inserts for him to touch, and Rimon casually doing it.
As Yuna Kyung sulked with a strange sense of being sidelined.
Knock knock.
"Supervisor Rino, is Researcher Elshar here by any chance?"
"Yeah, she's here."
The door slid open.
"Ah, good. I heard she vanished right after changing clothes and was worried where she'd......"
Bachemenski's smiling face froze solid the moment he opened the door fully.
Rimon and Aynsha tilted their heads at the blatantly weird sight.
"What's up?"
"Wh-what are you doing right now?"
"What it looks like."
"What it...... looks like?"
As Bachemenski's pupils shook at Aynsha's deadpan reply.
Rimon withdrew his hand from her chest and said.
"I was worried when you said you were sending her straight to the Kremlin like this, but seeing the perfect disguise, it might actually work."
"......Ah! D-disguise! You were checking the disguise!"
"And?"
"Ahaha. My bad, I thought you were up to something weird without realizing......"
"Weird? What?"
As if there could be any other reason besides verifying the disguise.
Bachemenski sweated seeing Rimon's indifferent question and Aynsha's blank head-tilt.
He hurriedly cleared his throat.
"Ahem! Anyway, if the disguise check is done, come on out. Researcher Elshar has a lot to practice before infiltrating the Kremlin Palace."
"Like what?"
"Things like expression and speech adjustments."
"......That might be tough."
"Don't worry. We have plenty of experts among my siblings."
"Eh......?"
Rimon wore a subtle expression.
Aynsha already had no talent for lying.
Imitating the strong-personality Yekaterina seemed dubious no matter how he thought about it.
But Aynsha confidently declared.
"Don't worry. I can lie well now. I can imitate Yekaterina perfectly."
"Saying that with a straight face kills your credibility, sis."
How she managed to brag so expressionlessly was a mystery.
Unlike Rimon, who clicked his tongue in amazement at her uncanny skill, Bachemenski clung to hope.
Aynsha was a genius among geniuses, quirks aside.
Acting to mimic Yekaterina would be a cinch for her.
At least, that's what he believed.
......Until a few days later.
When even the battle-hardened revolutionary elites in disguise infiltration threw in the towel.
Before seeing Aynsha, still only capable of a faint smile on her expressionless face.
"How can this be......"
"Told you it'd be tough."
"Even so, there's a limit. How can someone suck this much at acting?"
"It's possible, which is why you're despairing right now."
As if unable to believe facial muscles could atrophy this much.
Rimon clicked his tongue at the dumbfounded Bachemenski slumped on the floor but wasn't particularly disappointed.
Their real goal was catching the Liberation Brigade moles among the revolutionaries anyway.
And the more time the revolutionaries wasted on this pointless infiltration plan, the better for digging up their info.
But moments later.
Meeting Sergei, Rimon had to admit he'd underestimated the revolutionaries.
"No choice. We'll proceed with the plan as is."
"You're sending her into the Kremlin Palace like that?"
"More practice won't yield results in the short term."
"Your life's on the line here—aren't you taking this too lightly?"
"Don't misunderstand. I'm not taking the Elshar sisters' lives lightly. We've acquired unsettling intel, leaving us no options."
"Unsettling intel?"
"That dictator is preparing a massive purge of revolutionaries."
"......"
"I understand worrying for your sister, but please bear with us. We have no more time."
Rimon furrowed his brow.
Drowning men grasp at straws.
He understood why the hopeless revolutionaries were rushing the plan.
Aynsha wouldn't be in real danger regardless of how the infiltration went.
But separately, this quintessentially 'revolutionary' recklessness left Rimon with a sour taste.
Especially since they wouldn't even allow Rimon to accompany her, citing interference with the infiltration.
As he opened his mouth to vent that displeasure.
A blunt voice cut in.
"Don't worry about me. Preparations are perfect. No reason to hesitate further."
"......Why are you so gung-ho about this?"
"Obviously. It's a chance to stick it to Yekaterina. Energized as a bad girl."
"Ah, got it."
Seeing the person assigned the ostensibly most dangerous mission brimming with enthusiasm made it hard for Rimon to hide his unease.
Aynsha suddenly called to him.
"Rino."
"Yeah?"
"I'll do my job. So you do yours diligently too, Rino."
"Telling me to work hard at mine?"
"Correct."
With her usual blank face.
Fist clenched with enthusiasm.
And clear, sunken eyes.
Staring straight at him, the white-haired girl held his gaze for a moment.
Rimon finally spoke.
"Working hard is good, but please don't cause any incidents."
Why did he feel parental anxiety assigning his first errand to the Seven Dragon Society princess, whom few in the world could rival?
Swallowing the unanswerable question, Rimon could only sigh.