The Villainess's Reputation [Kingdom Building]

"You and Hughes… slept together."

Alice's voice was no longer playful. Her gaze was sharp, serious, the teasing edge gone as she looked Ravenna straight in the eye.

[ Statement is False]

The system's verdict flashed clearly before Ravenna's eyes.

"Come on, Alice," Ravenna said, a little sharper than she intended. "Why would you even think I would do that? It's not true."

Alice tilted her head slightly, her lips twitching into a sly smile. "Hmm… is that the blessing talking, or you? Which answer should I trust more?"

Ravenna's composure slipped, irritation bubbling beneath her calm mask. "Of course it's the lie detection! I didn't!"

Alice chuckled softly at her reaction, clearly enjoying how the usually unflappable Ravenna was unraveling. She leaned back in the chair, spectacles glinting as she smirked. "However," she said, voice dripping with mischief, "you did try to, before our wedding."

[ Statement is True]

The truth hung in the air like a hammer dropping.

Ravenna froze. "T-that… I—" her words stumbled out as her face darkened slightly. At last, she let out a sigh, lowering her head just a little. "It's true."

Marie gasped beside her, eyes wide, her jaw nearly dropping to the floor. She stared at her master in disbelief, finally understanding the image of Ravenna the tyrant-lord, the bashful seducer.

Alice, on the other hand, looked positively delighted. "See? You do have shame when it comes to lust." She chuckled, her tone dripping with victory.

"I am the Apostle of the Goddess of Lust," Ravenna muttered, running a hand through her hair in frustration. "Don't twist this around. You just wanted to toy with me in front of Marie." She sighed again, standing up straighter, the embarrassment slowly melting back into steel composure. "Enough games. Let's test this properly now."

Marie swallowed nervously, her voice trembling as she spoke up. "M-Master… did you try to sleep with all your childhood friends?"

Ravenna nearly choked, shooting her disciple a glare.

"That's precisely it, Lady Marie," Alice said with a laugh, leaning back comfortably. "You're starting to understand her better."

Ravenna groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Focus. Alice, give me a statement that neither of us can possibly know. Something impossible for you to verify."

Alice adjusted her spectacles and thought for a moment. Then she said evenly, "Emperor Andrew is in his throne room right now."

[ Statement is Invalid: You have been refunded 2000 Reputation Points]

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A new kind of notification appeared. Ravenna's eyes narrowed, intrigued.

"I see…" she murmured. "So it only works if the speaker themselves knows the truth of their words. If they don't, the statement becomes invalid."

Alice's brow furrowed. "So… what about events that haven't happened yet? Predictions of the future?"

Ravenna tapped her chin, her mind racing. "That's worth testing." Alice gave a small nod, then spoke deliberately: "Mina will get a fever in the next week."

The system pulsed once more, but instead of invalidating the claim, a strange new notification appeared.

[ Statement has a very low percentage of being the truth]

"Wait… what!?" Ravenna gasped, her eyes widening as she stared at the floating text. She had expected another invalid response, nothing more. But instead… the system had given her a prediction.

Once Ravenna said that she received a possibility of the statement, Alice's eyes gleamed, her teasing smile replaced by genuine curiosity. "So the blessing can measure probabilities… for the future if the statement hasn't happened yet?"

Ravenna's mind spun at the implications, her heart beating faster. This isn't just a lie detector. It's something much more.

Morgen Dukedom, Kingdom of Estra: A Vassal State of the Ancorna Empire, Southern Borderlands, Near the Conley Empire

The winds of the south howled with a vengeance. Winter had settled upon the borderlands like a tyrant, and in the Morgen Dukedom the snow did not simply fall, it consumed. Entire rows of homes were buried waist-deep, roofs groaning under the relentless weight of ice, the streets rendered impassable save for the creaking, iron-bound carriages of the knightly orders.

The storm showed no mercy. The blizzard raged without pause, biting through cloaks and armor alike, but within its cruelty there was one thin thread of hope: the Conley Empire's advance had stalled. Their army, so bold in autumn, was now broken. Half had been forced to retreat and regroup; the rest lay frozen beneath the endless drifts, claimed by the snowstorms and the blades of Estra's defenders.

Against this backdrop of survival, the Lord's Mansion stood proud yet beleaguered. Snow banks climbed halfway up its walls, making it look less like a fortress and more like a ship half-sunken in a sea of white. Inside, however, the bitter cold gave way to warmth, for every hall and chamber was lit by the soft glow of marigold flowers. These blooms pulsed faintly with golden light, their petals exuding gentle waves of heat. Without them, the manor would have been nothing more than a frozen tomb.

In his study, Kevin Morgen sat hunched over a desk overflowing with reports, maps, and requisition forms. He was always a man built by battles, hardened by duty, but exhaustion weighed heavily on his shoulders. His eyelids threatened to close against the soothing warmth of the flowers, but he forced himself awake. There was no luxury of rest; the dukedom bled resources, and survival demanded solutions.

"We keep having one problem after another, don't we?" Aria Morgen's voice drifted across the room. She sat elegantly on the sofa opposite his desk, a book in her hands, her long hair falling like a shadow across her lap.

Kevin chuckled bitterly, rubbing his temples. "That's true. The dungeon is far too deep for us to eradicate in any reasonable time. Until then, this blizzard will not end. We must find a way to endure."

"But unlike us," Aria countered, closing the book with a soft thud, "the peasants can't afford large supplies of flowers for heating spells. Father… this is a disaster waiting to happen."

Kevin sighed, leaning back in his chair. "And to make matters worse, prices are rising. With political unrest in the free cities, marigold shipments are being cut off or taxed at absurd rates."

Aria's eyes sharpened. She reached across the desk, picking up a sealed letter Kevin had yet to open. She weighed it in her hand as if judging its worth. "Then perhaps it's time you asked for help."

"Help?" Kevin arched a brow. "From who?"

"From Cousin, Her Highness Ravenna Solarius," Aria said calmly. "Word has reached even here: she not only defeated Imperial forces at Kim Island, but Prince Nolan himself is dead. She is… seems to be gaining power."

Kevin's head snapped up, shock cutting through his weariness. "What? Nolan is dead?" His voice carried disbelief as he stood abruptly, nearly scattering papers from the desk.