The moonlight spilled through the lace-curtained windows of the Montagne estate's west wing, silvering the velvet and turning shadow into soft threat. Xian was on his way to the garden as promised.
Upon his arrival, the scent of steeped bergamot lingered like perfume, elegant and slightly bitter. The garden lanterns flickered low, casting long shadows over cobbled stone and ivy-covered walls.
He found Carmillia, sitting by an elegant table with a single seat opposite to her. Behind, the two swordmaidens stood at silently, still in their dark armor.
The tea had already been set out, but no maid had appeared to serve. It was then that he realized what to do.
Xian stepped forward and poured on Carmillia's cup with care. Not a single drop spilled even as her gaze is fixed on him like she was watching an interesting trick.
"How efficient." She murmured, accepting her cup. "Have you served before?" Xian have never done that of course, and he didn't know if he did it properly since he just repeated what learned from training.
"No, my lady." Xian replied calmly. "But I strive to meet your expectations." And to meet a certain level of standing in her eyes. Enough that she wouldn't just get rid of him at every chance she have.
"Hmm. That would imply you know what they are." Her voice was soft and casual, but the air shifted. A subtle pressure can be felt.
Xian straightened. "I listen well."
"Do you?" She took a sip in her cup. "Then perhaps, you've heard what they say to me."
Xian didn't answer. Of course he knew it well. The Guillotine Flower and many other titles. Of course, silence is the best response.
She smiled faintly at Xian who chose not to answer.
"Let's start with a little game." She said finally. "A question for a question. You may decline to answer once. No lies. The same goes for me."
The system chimed faintly in his view.
[Conversation Event: A Villainess's Curiosity]
[Difficulty: High. Mood Impact: +30][Extra Rewards ???]
[Wrong answer leads to torture and execution.]
[Answer the villainess carefully!]
Xian grimaced at the penalty. She really called for him just to ruin everything all over again? He wanted to test his newfound strength on this suspecting villainess and regress, but with the swordmaidens present, he had no chance of even using it.
Xian could only bow his head slightly, still not taking a seat opposite her. "Understood."
She rested her cheek against her fist and asked her first question. "First Question. Why do you think my father sent you to me?"
"To serve." Xian didn't flinch. He already somewhat knew that part of his circumstances.
"Not good enough." But Carmillia wasn't so pleased with his curt answer.
"To protect you." He decided to go for an impromptu bullshit. "In a way that even you weren't supposed to notice."
Her eyes glinted, and the mood meter in his vision ticked upward: +9.
"… You can ask your first question now."
Xian took a discreet deep breath.
A back and forth questioning. One chance to stay silent. And no lies.
But even without lies, one can twist the truth with enough information.
"Is her highness suspicious of my loyalty?"
Carmillia's lips moved, and let out a small bewitching chuckle. Xian deliberately appeared troubled, since doing so can hit two birds with one stone. It was all in order to present her an 'act'.
She can stay silent or lie, but that wouldn't matter much to Xian.
For a subordinate to take this chance to clear himself of suspicion is a trap for the naive. Xian was playing into that naivety, to establish a reticent and withdrawn young man immersed in his duty and desire to prove himself useful.
"Of course not. Your quick wittedness and knowledge saved me. Why would I doubt my savior?" When Carmillia dropped that line as if she owed him, Xian knew that his plan was successful.
"Then, I'm glad." That impression will slowly form in her head, thinking that she got a grasp of his nature. A nature that was slightly similar to the protagonist she liked messing with so much.
Carmillia surprisingly liked obedient puppy dog like personalities. There was one route in the game where she cornered the protagonist until she was the only one the player could rely on. Of course, it was a Ruin run, a bad end.
The protagonist became a broken man who's over reliant to her, and in the end was discarded to his death.
"Then it's my turn. How much do you know about your role?"
Xian considered. "Enough to understand I'm not just here to be a butler. Not enough to know why I was chosen."
"Quite an honest answer." She beckoned for him to continue the exchange.
"Then… How can I earn your trust, milady?" Xian thought for a moment before saying. He didn't really care about her trust yet, as the opportunity lies in the academy scenarios.
Carmillia seemed to be taken aback slightly. "My, you certainly know how to ask questions."
Xian only bowed in silence waiting for her answer. Carmillia was not in a hurry and reached out for the teapot herself. Drinking hot tea at night was out of place for Xian's common sense.
She gently swayed the teapot before pouring it… on one of the empty cups.
"Well, for starters… would you like some tea?" Her eyes looked at him sharply as she uttered those words.
'Shit.'
In the table, a set for two was prepared. But Xian took note that there's no way the other cup is for him. Even if it is, he shouldn't get ahead of himself, especially in front of Carmillia.
'Is it laced with poison?' He couldn't help but have some apprehension. Its Carmillia after all. His plan to be a naive and determined young man backfired.
"What's wrong? Didn't you say that you want me to trust you?" Her smile seemed to provoke him. That if he's really loyal, he would take it, and if he doesn't then… he's failed to accept her goodwill.
A traitor would hesitate, heck even someone who isn't would. Refusing it would mean he didn't believe in her trust to him. But taking it might just make him regress.
Xian felt annoyed inside. He needed more information what's her problem to this so called 'specialized butler' and why she's trying to get rid of him.
Is it to avoid surveillance? The coachman did mention that she hates that but this body seemed to be directly affiliated with the patriarch's subordinates. She would never try to defy the duke at her current level.
Or is it just because of appearance? Next time he might need to wear a mask before facing her.
Now he was left in a situation where he has to drink the 'tea' she's offering. He could only hope that its a gesture of acceptance.
"Then pardon—." Xian halted his words. His hands twitched as he recalled a memory and a fact.
"Pardon my rudeness. But I cannot accept your offer."
"You're refusing it?" Carmillia questioned in bewilderment.
Xian knew the game Rozenfall, Romance and Ruin well. Of course, he didn't totally memorize every nook and cranny, every choice and outcome. But only the things that stood out to him the most.
He had first played the other routes and conquered the other heroines, and along the way he's been captivated with Carmillia every time she appeared. Also heartbroken because she met a bad end every time.
There's one remarkable scene with her and the protagonist.
It's when she asked for his name. That happened when Carmillia's interest towards the protagonist reached it's peak. It was a significant thing, since she rarely called someone by their name.
Hence, she also have the habit of giving nicknames to the characters because she refused to remember their name. Sometimes, it sounded funny and fitting so she gained quite a few fans just because of that.
A faint smile crept up in Xian's face, making the villainess raise her eyebrows.
"I'm not yet a servant worthy of what you 'offered' my lady." Xian couldn't count how many times and how long he had gestured a bow. "But rest assured that I will prove myself regardless."
Carmillia's face completely lost any semblance of reaction. Xian knew well what that meant.
'She's confused.' Because his reasoning is completely justified yet also threw her off at the same time.
Had he not remembered that particular scene, or even if his fixation with Carmillia lacked, he would've taken that tea and drank from it.
There's probably no poison but a whole other meaning to accepting it or silently refusing it.
'She was testing if I would overstep my boundaries if presented a chance.'
'Or if I'm gonna be cautious and afraid of her. A guilty conscience, she was trying to see in me.'
There was no way out in either way of those, but this is reality. He can spin a narrative however he wants, unbound by the choices and responses in the game.
Refusing was the right answer that presented the most favorable outcome. With a little touch of a glib tongue and pretending.
"Is that so." Carmillia huffed in her seat and leaned back, seemingly in thought.
"Then this is my last question."
"How did you know the coachman is a traitor?"
For this part it was easier for Xian to get his way out. Something probable but also something they cannot confirm as the truth. And even if she investigates, it would only amount to vague results.
"As part of my future duties, I had trained with the coachman. We got quite close and I knew he was someone who took care of himself well. Enough that he wouldn't be out of commission just when the lady wants a tour."
And with that it should be fine. Carmillia never bothered to pay much attention to her servants unless she deemed necessary like right now, and neither did the two swordmaidens by her side.
She could ask Moris, but knowing him, his answer would likely not satisfy her.
"Alright that's enough for now. Save your question for later."
"Its late now. I'll be sleeping so leave."
[Event Complete!]
[Bonus + 15 to Carmillia's Mood]
[+30 Mood Impact]
[Items Received]
[Recall Ticket] [Prying Lens] [Thread watch Ticket]