The next afternoon, Caine went to the Queen’s office as agreed in the early hours of the morning to continue his discussion with Corellia regarding the attacker.
Corellia had absolutely no intention of revealing that she was the attacker herself—at least, not the version of her that existed right now.
Because she knew that as long as she didn’t take action, there was no need to guard against any attacker (Altina: *It’s hard to say.*), Corellia was naturally not as invested in the matter as Caine.
After Caine explicitly rejected her suggestions of arranging secret guards or moving him to a different room, Corellia finally decided to conduct a discreet investigation of the people within the Royal Palace to find this so-called attacker. Caine expressed his agreement.
As for what to do before the culprit was found, Caine said it was no big deal. He would just continue to keep watch. If he truly ran out of energy to do so, it wouldn’t be too late to find someone else to take his place.
After all, staying awake all night was a grueling ordeal. If someone were to keep watch, they would likely have to hide in a wardrobe for the entire night. Most people probably wouldn’t want to spend a whole night cramped inside his wardrobe (Edwina: *It’s hard to say.*).
In any case, once they finished discussing the matter, Caine intended to leave.
It wasn’t right to constantly disturb the Queen’s rest or her work.
However, Corellia had no intention of letting him go so easily. She took the opportunity to ask him many questions that seemed unrelated to government affairs but were actually central to them.
For instance, his views on the higher academies, his thoughts on the domestic roads, and his perspective on the Church.
After all, it was only because of Corellia’s permission that Caine was able to eat, drink, and live here for free (though a fee had actually been collected, paid for with his body), and since there were no outsiders present, he spoke freely.
Even though Caine could tell Corellia was seeking his opinion, he maintained his honest persona and pretended not to notice, giving his views as objectively and neutrally as possible.
The higher academies were certainly necessary, but rather than allocating funds for noble schools to indulge in luxury, it would be better to build more elementary schools.
The roads certainly needed maintenance and expansion; good roads were essential for a better economy.
As for the Church? To be honest, Caine wanted to tell them to get lost, but since the national situation was unique, he couldn’t completely dismiss them. He could only suggest minimizing the Church’s role and influence among the people. He advised against letting religious authority further encroach upon royal power and suggested slowly weakening the influence of religion over time.
“…That’s about all. Of course, this is just my personal opinion. If it differs from yours, Corellia, I hope you don’t mind.”
After finishing his answers, Caine gave a polite smile. He apologized first to avoid upsetting the Queen.
The Queen always maintained a cold, expressionless face that made it impossible to tell what she was thinking.
Of course, Caine was overthinking it. The truth was that he and Corellia were very much alike.
At the very least, these views aligned perfectly with Corellia’s own.
Caine thought he was merely answering questions about his perspective on things, unaware that he was only deepening Corellia’s desire for him.
His answers made Corellia even more certain that her actions were correct.
Caine, whose values and worldviews aligned so closely with her own, was the most suitable man for her. Letting him go would be a massive loss; she had to keep him by her side no matter what.
There were some things she couldn’t even say to her sister, her daughter, or her childhood friend. But if it were another version of herself, she wouldn’t have to worry about a thing.
…Furthermore, their physical compatibility was also incredibly high. She hadn’t realized she could be that wild.
“…Corellia?”
Corellia had fallen into a silence while staring at Caine’s face. This made Caine feel a bit creeped out, and his polite smile became somewhat awkward.
He tried calling her name.
“…It’s nothing, Caine. I was just surprised that your views are so highly consistent with mine. Since we are the same person, it’s natural for us to be similar and have similar opinions, but I didn’t expect them to be this identical. Your appearance is the only thing that doesn’t look like a woman at all; otherwise, I think there would be no problem with you playing my role directly.”
After being prompted by Caine, the snapped-back Corellia didn’t show any nervousness or embarrassment. She simply stated in a flat, icy tone that her cold self was surprised.
“…Please don’t say such terrifying things, Corellia. The current situation is already tricky enough.”
Caine let out a troubled laugh, and Vanessa’s face inadvertently floated into his mind.
It was fortunate that his appearance wasn’t particularly similar to Corellia’s. It was only after coming to this world, influenced by the role of the tragic prince, that his hair and eye color had changed.
If his appearance were also very close to Corellia’s, even if Caine could accept it, that mother-obsessed Princess would likely target him even more.
“…Yes, differences in appearance are the most trivial matter. It really isn’t important that we don’t look alike.”
Corellia had only made the comment to hide her thoughts. After Caine expressed his stance, she naturally agreed.
If Caine really did look remarkably like her, she probably wouldn’t have done those wild things.
His current appearance was better.
Compared to a delicate, beautiful man who looked like a woman, a handsome young man with a masculine air suited her aesthetic much better.
Seeing that Corellia was indeed just making a casual remark rather than expressing regret that they didn’t look alike, Caine breathed a sigh of relief.
It was a good thing they didn’t. If they did, would Corellia actually treat him as a double and make him act as the Queen? There would be no peaceful days left for him then.
*Knock, knock, knock.*
As Caine and Corellia were chatting, a knock on the office door drew their attention.
When the visitor announced her name, both Caine and Corellia looked toward the door almost simultaneously.
With Corellia’s permission, the ever-polite Edwina pushed open the door from the outside.
Edwina, who had intended to immediately pay her respects to her mother upon opening the door, froze for a moment when she noticed Caine was also inside.
Clearly, she had come to see Corellia and hadn’t expected Caine to be there.
However, she quickly regained her composure and bowed to the two people she considered her mothers:
“Good day, Mother. I am deeply sorry for disturbing your work.”
It was a standard greeting. Edwina had received a royal education, after all. When she deliberately adopted a royal persona, her conduct was impeccable and beyond reproach.
…Even though she was currently struggling to hide her excitement and nervousness, it wasn’t visible on the surface.
As for why she was excited and nervous?
It was because she felt she was one step closer to the day her wish would be granted.
It was a good thing that her two mothers were getting along. Once their relationship improved, they would surely shower her, their daughter, with love, right? (Corellia: *It’s hard to say.*)
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