NOVEL NEXT Chapter 89
“Well, so what?”
But the conversation didn’t end there. Upon hearing Bella’s remark, Alice looked at her with a “what does it matter?” expression and asked.
“So what do you mean?”
“Were you just planning to share that information and leave? It takes ages to get from here to Northwood. Knowing what that cathedral knight is up to over there won’t help us do anything.”
I scooped a spoonful of mango parfait and popped it into my mouth.
The sweet ice cream melded perfectly with the slightly tangy mango chunks, a harmony that was just right. The warm weather made it even better. Was this combination almost perfection? Perhaps that’s why it’s called parfait in French—the perfect dessert.
I regretted not having the parfait when I was in Velbur last time.
The fact that the Emperor had sent me as his substitute had completely clouded my judgment, and I hadn’t thought this far ahead.
I resolved that when I go to Velbur next time, I’d definitely try the recommended menu from the café Charlotte suggested.
“The moment Father gives us information, it’s because he wants us to do something.”
“Because he wants ‘us’ to do something, not ‘you.'”
“Ugh…”
Bella corrected Alice’s statement.
Those who were really on the mission from the Emperor weren’t Alice, the true princess, but were essentially the Emperor’s assassination squad known as ‘the Emperor’s Children.’ I was included among them.
While it seemed the number of missions and their danger had significantly decreased compared to the original story, the fact that I was involved in missions was still true.
“…So? What’s the reason to come all the way here just to inform us that you’re watching Sylvia?”
I took another spoonful of parfait. This time, I scooped up more fruit than ice cream. Even though the fruit was from far away, the juice was bursting with flavor. Could it taste even better if I had it fresh there?
“That assumption is wrong. Do you think that by hiding next to Sylvia, she won’t know? She’s probably been aware of it since Lucas was there.”
No, she probably didn’t know at first. After all, I hadn’t even noticed Mia Crowfield’s stalking skills were inferior to Lucas’s, so it was only natural I didn’t detect Lucas at all.
“If you ask where Lucas is now, she could probably answer immediately.”
No, I wouldn’t know. If I somehow learn Lucas’ location in the near future, I might be able to act like I knew, but honestly, I don’t think I would find out that soon.
Of course, there was no need to reveal that I didn’t know. It would be awkward to talk about untraceable information while making it obvious I had no clue about Lucas’s whereabouts.
Let’s just not respond.
“…You keep dodging the question, so why exactly are you revealing that information?”
Well, that was obviously an order to infiltrate the casino.
In the original, it was Claire who appeared to relay that information. Of course, the character name only listed her as ‘a girl with a decadent vibe.’ Luckily, this scene marked Claire’s first appearance, so the atmosphere wasn’t entirely about pretending to be unaware of known characters.
Alice plays a somewhat suspicious role at first, acting like “outwardly decent but hiding something.” She deceives players by showing up in conversations where the protagonist isn’t present, making it easy to mistake her for the hidden villain.
Besides, they don’t reveal the entire conversation either; it’s just enough snippets of dialogue to sound too obvious.
It was so obvious that no one believed it.
“Before the break… they talked about a dispatch practice, right? The plan has changed a bit. You guys will be headed to Northwood for this dispatch practice. Of course, you’ll be near the casino. Even if it looks otherwise, the surrounding area is completely forested.”
Since the area around the casino is a forest where people can’t just stroll in, the security around the casino would be tight. Anyway, they’ve cut down all the trees near the casino, and the only thing surrounding it is woods, so even if you run away after losing money, you can’t escape that enormous forest alive.
There’s a bit of history tied to local mafia here, but that’s a story for another day.
“They say it’s a pristine forest rarely seen in the Empire… but that also means that wild beasts pop out at any unexpected moment. Naturally, there are requests for hunting beasts in the area.”
“So?”
Poor Alice seemed utterly oblivious to her future.
‘If you’re really the Emperor’s daughter, try carrying out the same mission as us.’
That was Claire’s remark in this scene. Of course, right now, Claire might be either training or studying.
There’s only one reason to include a casino in a game like this.
To put the heroines in bunny girl costumes.
Given that it’s a strangely minor game that doesn’t have good figures either, there should at least be some fan service moments like this.
Of course, Claire would be infiltrating along. Both would be dressed in bunny girl outfits, wearing masks like at a ball, rummaging through the deepest parts of the casino and eventually, an event would trigger where Leo, while working at the casino, would discover them.
Leo would initially think, “No way the princess would be here acting like that.”
… And despite that, there were a few artists who stuck to that line, but that’s unrelated to the original game.
“So, what, you came to ask a favor.”
I wondered what reaction Alice would show.
Honestly, I was a bit curious. In the game, Alice didn’t show the reaction she was supposed to.
I took another spoonful of parfait, wondering about Bella’s next line and Alice’s response—
“To Sylvia.”
I froze.
“Well, I originally wanted to ask our true princess and see her reaction,” Bella said, smirking as she rolled her eyes toward me.
“Apparently, there’s someone here who already knows all the information without me needing to say more.”
“What did Father say?”
When Alice looked at me and asked, Bella shrugged and replied.
“He said to tell Sylvia.”
“……”
Alice bit her lip at that reply.
No, I wasn’t frozen because of the mission… Well, okay, I really didn’t want to do it, but it wasn’t just that.
“……Fine. I’ll make sure to convey it to Father.”
Alice glared at Bella.
Seeing Alice’s fierce expression, Bella shrank back with an expression that seemed to say, ‘Oh dear, how scary.’ Simply put, it wasn’t scary at all.
“This time, I’ll join the mission as ‘the other’ princess.”
Ugh.
No, no, no.
Going there for no reason would likely turn you into a bunny girl too.
Sure, from my perspective, Alice’s bunny girl outfit would just look like an ultra-high-quality cosplay of the original heroine, but the problem was that there was a high chance I would end up in a bunny outfit as well.
And… if the story continues along the lines of the game, Leo would find out about that outfit when he came across Jake. There was no way Alice would be wandering around alone in that bunny costume.
“Oh.”
Seeing Alice’s prideful face, Bella chuckled, finding it amusing.
“Are you saying you wanna play ‘Big Sister?’”
“Of course.”
Alice said, puffing out her chest at Bella’s words.
“As someone with royal blood flowing through my veins, I will keep my promise. Since I’ve declared that I’m Sylvia’s sister, I will protect her as a sister.”
No, that wasn’t the problem.
Alice must know my capabilities. She’s already aware I’ve navigated the battlefield, so she wouldn’t think that things would go terribly wrong if I went alone, or that I’d die.
This was literally a matter of pride.
The way she smiled at me seemed to say, ‘There’s a favor on your side too!’
“Well, fine.”
Bella shrugged at Alice.
“I was going to observe from a distance, but the story is getting interesting. Since the two sisters are infiltrating together, it would be disappointing if I didn’t join. I’ll go too.”
At Bella’s declaration, Alice shot her another sharp glare.
Bella met that gaze with confidence.
… If Bella joins the team…
Could anything be done before my fate was sealed?
The fact that my expression didn’t change at that moment was nothing short of a miracle.