A Dangerous Game of Chess
"So, what exactly are you planning with Luna Lorencia, Mother?"
Clink, clink. The soft sound of a teaspoon stirring a teacup echoed through the room. Carmel elegantly sipped her black tea, the sugar cube now fully dissolved.
"Luna Lorencia... We didn't talk about anything special. Just the latest fashion trends, perhaps?"
"You say the exact same thing she did. But to meet so openly like this, doesn't that mean you no longer feel the need to hide it?"
"Think of it as a quiz I'm giving you. Fufu, Sera Rustier. I wonder if you can truly see through it?"
Carmel smiled, a look that was both seductive and cold. Perhaps because the curse's influence still lingered heavily, she looked exceptionally villainous today.
"Is it really wise to play it like that? After all, not a single one of your plans has ever succeeded, Mother. If you suffer another defeat, you will be subjected to the ultimate humiliation... Will you be able to handle it?"
Evoking memories of her humiliation was always effective. The history of disgrace she had accumulated thus far was Carmel's greatest weakness. Yet, this time seemed a little different.
"That is my line, Princess Sera. The moment everything is revealed will be the moment of your defeat. I am already looking forward to it—the sweet taste of the tears you will shed."
She must be incredibly confident in her plan this time. Or is this another buff from the curse?
I hadn't come here with any concrete evidence either. My best bet was simply to provoke Carmel and coax her into leaking her secrets. If she didn't make a slip-up, there wouldn't be much information to gain. In that case, let's shake her up a bit more.
"I'm thinking of adding a rather... unique flavor to your punishment this time."
Carmel didn't answer. She merely glanced at me, elegantly raising her teacup to her lips. Watching her haughty gestures, my dark, depraved fantasies began to catch fire in earnest.
"I'll bind you in chains, completely naked, and parade you before the commoners all day long. Ah, don't worry, I plan to cover your face. A simple hood or mask should do. As for your crime... let's see, a female spy from the Empire would be perfect."
Carmel set her teacup down and looked at me. Her expression remained blank. It was hard to read what she was thinking.
"It is a waste to share your lewd body—which belongs solely to me—with everyone... but a royal's duty is to love their people, after all. I suppose I can be generous enough to let them look. Can you picture it? The vulgar insults and degradation rained upon a sinner with such a scandalous body. On that day, your body will be defiled countless times in the minds of low-life men."
I saw Carmel's hand, resting on the table, clench tightly. It seemed to have an effect, even if it didn't show on her face. In a voice laced with a hint of emotion, Carmel spoke.
"Are you finished with your vulgar delusions? Very well, Princess Sera. If that is your taste, I will give you the chance to experience it firsthand. So you can fulfill your royal duties, of course. Though, naturally, I won't bother covering your face."
In truth, Princess Sera had already experienced such things multiple times. Not now, of course, but in the original novel.
At any rate, Carmel was a tough nut to crack today. Spouting more vulgar fantasies would likely be pointless. I held a few cards that could shake her, but it would be a waste to use them just for a simple provocation. Let's try a different angle, then.
"If you do manage to get your hands on the Roberts Merchant Guild, what do you plan to do with it, Mother?"
What Luna Lorencia wanted was the Roberts Merchant Guild. But I doubted Carmel would hand over the entire prize to Lorencia so easily. That was the reasoning behind my question.
Hmph. A smirk curled the corner of Carmel's lips.
"Isn't it obvious? I will buy rare jewels. Gems with a deep, brilliant luster that befit me. Is there anything more valuable than enhancing my beauty?"
"Fufu, how like you, Mother."
As I listened to Carmel's answer, a sense of unease washed over me. A strange dissonance. It was in the smirk she wore after hearing my question, and in her flawless, villainous response, which felt entirely rehearsed. What I saw in her was the satisfaction of a student seeing a question they had anticipated on an exam.
Maintaining my smile, I casually reached for my teacup. Swallowing the bitter, sugarless tea, my mind raced.
Something was wrong. I was missing something. The most unsettling part was that I couldn't even begin to grasp what that "something" was.
What was Carmel plotting with Lorencia? No, was that premise even true in the first place?
Calm down. Getting worked up over Carmel's every reaction when I lacked sufficient evidence would only play into her hands. A steady, composed mindset was what I needed right now. Staying unshaken was the rational choice.
But... I knew Carmel better than anyone. I had read the novel dozens of times, and even after transmigrating here, my eyes had always been fixed on her face.
When Carmel was happy, when she was angry, when she came, when she was embarrassed, when she despaired, and when she felt affection. I had perfectly preserved every single one of her expressions in the gallery of my mind.
That was why I could detect this subtle dissonance. My reason told me to stay calm. My intuition warned me that staying like this was dangerous. Which one should I follow?
"What is the matter, Sera? You are sweating all of a sudden."
Carmel reached toward my face with a handkerchief in her hand. Reflexively, I pulled my head back, dodging her touch. I grimaced, regretting that my physical reaction had betrayed my inner turmoil, but it was already too late.
"Fufu, ahaha, ahahahahahahat!"
Carmel's cold laughter pierced my ears. Drenched in mockery, she spoke.
"There is no need to be so frightened, Sera. You were the one who brought this up, weren't you? If you beg me desperately enough, I might just ravish you myself instead of the commoners. Though, of course, it will be in a way so humiliating it will dwarf everything I've suffered so far."
"...That will never happen. Never..."
My voice trembled, even to my own ears. Hearing it, Carmel wore an expression of chilling, ecstatic bliss—one I had never seen on her before.
"Good, I shall look forward to it. But do not disappoint me. If you give up too easily, the pleasure of conquering you won't be nearly as sweet. Fufu, fufufut."
Unable to hide my defeat, I abruptly stood up from my seat. As I fled the room, Carmel's laughter continued to echo behind my back.
Once Carmel's door clicked shut behind me, I let out a soft sigh. It was certain. She was definitely hiding something.
Carmel had openly invited Luna Lorencia. That was information I couldn't possibly miss. In other words, it was information Carmel had deliberately let me find out.
Her true trump card was still hidden. And it was powerful enough to make her this certain of victory. Just confirming that fact was a major harvest.
Even if it was just an act, playing the intimidated victim to Carmel bruised my pride a bit. Well, the higher she held her nose now, the greater the pleasure when I finally break her.
Furthermore, what I had discovered wasn't just that Carmel was hiding something. Her state was also highly unusual. She was no longer the Carmel who would get flustered by a simple kiss. This Carmel was as unyielding and cold as a castle carved of ice. She was a completely different person from before.
I could only attribute this to the effects of Mistylia. Was the curse growing stronger?
Could it be... that as her affection for me grew stronger, the curse's power amplified in tandem?
Come to think of it, even in our conversation just now, Carmel never mentioned killing me or mutilating my body. She only spoke of humiliating me, shaming me, and ravishing me herself. It was remarkably similar to the feelings I harbored toward her—a twisted form of affection and obsession.
While this meant that her affection for me still lay dormant deep inside her, it also brought a dark, ominous thought to mind. The possibility that the Curse of Mystillia was warping even Carmel's love.
Of course, it was somewhat ironic for me to say this when I harbored similar desires. But a time might come when it transcended mere dark fantasies—just like what the original Princess Sera had suffered in the novel.
In the novel, Sera had writhed in despair, stripped of her dignity as a princess, a woman, and a human being, piece by piece. A twisted, warped love that found ecstatic bliss in witnessing her ruin. There was no guarantee we wouldn't reach that absolute worst-case scenario.
Lorencia, Mistylia... I need to resolve both as soon as possible.
If I had to prioritize, Lorencia came first. That was a tangible, active threat unfolding even at this very moment. In other words, as long as I didn't lose that battle, Mistylia wouldn't pose an immediate danger.
I now had one more reason to accept Tina's invitation as quickly as possible.
I knew it was dangerous, but now was not the time to play it safe. I had to dive in—even if it meant plunging into a pitch-black swamp where who knew what lay in wait.
With that thought, I quickened my pace toward my room.