Morning light shone diagonally into the room. Selim sat upright in her wheelchair, having already adjusted her state of mind, waiting for that unexpected guest from the Empire.
Knock! Knock!
The sound of knocking echoed.
“Please come in!” she responded softly.
A small leather boot was the first to cross the threshold, followed by a young girl with golden hair that sparkled like sunlight.
Although she was half a head shorter than Sophia, her figure was even more voluptuous, possessing what could be called a full-bodied grace.
Compared to the heroically imposing Sophia, there was a hint of childishness on her face, which added a touch of cuteness.
The newcomer was none other than Cecilia.
Those blue eyes, as beautiful as the stars, burst into Selim’s line of sight, causing Selim’s pupils to dilate involuntarily for a moment.
Selim never expected to meet Cecilia in her own room at this point in time; her brain even froze for a split second.
According to the logic of the game, it should have taken Cecilia another full year to break through to the Bright Moon rank. Why would she come looking for her now?
Staring into Selim’s wine-red eyes, Cecilia was also stunned. The noble she had imagined should have been an arrogant man.
She never expected that the noble she was visiting here would instead be a delicate and beautiful young girl who looked fragile enough to be blown away by the wind.
“Hello?” Cecilia waved her hand at Selim.
Although Cecilia didn’t know why the girl across from her kept staring at her, she had not forgotten the purpose of her trip.
She decided to ask for a pass first and then inquire about news regarding “Sister Selim.”
Hearing this, Selim regained her composure. She lowered her head, no longer staring into the other girl’s eyes, though a trace of a smile couldn’t help but surface at the corners of her mouth.
As the saying goes, love for one person cannot be hidden.
But love for two people… that must be hidden well.
Are you asking if Selim is panicking right now?
A little, certainly, but only a little. Even encountering such an unexpected situation, she didn’t believe she would crash.
The situation was still within her control. Cecilia hadn’t recognized her as Selim yet, so there was room for micro-manipulation.
Selim’s mind raced, and she had even figured out how to pin the blame on Charles.
This was just a small interlude. Selim quickly rehearsed her script in her head.
The first thing she had to do was lay the groundwork for her reaction when she “learned” of Cecilia’s identity.
Selim wanted to shape herself into a canary imprisoned here by Charles, playing the role of a tragic character who, even upon learning that her loved one had come to save her, dared not take that step for the sake of the other person’s safety.
“Hello, beautiful lady, cough, cough.” Selim covered her face with her sleeve and coughed lightly. “Apologies, my constitution is a bit weak. I’ve made a fool of myself.”
“No, it’s quite alright.” Cecilia hurriedly waved her hands, indicating that she didn’t mind.
Cecilia was not an entirely unreasonable person. Naturally, she wouldn’t make things difficult for a sick and weak girl. Moreover, this girl’s appearance was very much to Cecilia’s liking, only falling a few points short of the “Sister Selim” in her imagination.
“Please, have a seat.” Selim pointed to the chair in front of the table.
“Mhm.” Cecilia walked forward a few steps, lightly lifting her skirt, and sat down in a rather ladylike manner.
Seeing that Cecilia was seated, Selim put on an act of great effort as she maneuvered her wheelchair, using quite a lot of strength to reach the other side of the table.
During this process, Cecilia wanted to stand up and help several times, but she was stopped by Selim’s gaze.
“I am truly sorry for my negligence. Please allow me to brew a cup of hot tea for you.”
Selim reached out, her hand trembling as she lifted a pot of hot tea, intending to pour it into the teacup in front of her.
“Thank you, but I’ll do it myself.” Cecilia really couldn’t bear to watch any longer. With her extraordinary agility, she touched the handle of the teapot before Selim could even react.
Their fingers brushed lightly.
Clatter!
The teapot fell onto the table.
“Ah, I’m so sorry.” Cecilia pulled out a silk handkerchief and began to wipe the water stains on the table.
“It’s not your fault…” Selim clenched her fingers, a flush rising to her face. “I didn’t hold it steady.”
The scene of the teapot falling was not something Selim had done intentionally, though this accident actually served to further emphasize her fabricated persona.
The moment their fingers touched, the “blessing” of the Mother of Lustful Souls acted up—she actually had a reaction to Cecilia.
Though it wasn’t as intense as when she faced Sophia, it was not a good sign.
Having suffered from the many “blessings” of the Mother of Lustful Souls, the current Selim was practically bursting with desire.
Now, the unlimited-time task of deceiving Cecilia had upgraded to a time-limited challenge.
“Miss, may I ask why you have come to see me?” Selim quickly adjusted her state and spoke to Cecilia. “Is there anything I can help you with?”
“Oh, yes, yes.” Cecilia clumsily tossed aside the tea-soaked handkerchief and then spread a small golden booklet in front of Selim.
“This is a pass issued by the Empire to members of the ‘Eye of the Emperor’ organization. I need you to place a seal here to indicate your willingness to cooperate with the Empire’s work.”
“Eye of the Emperor?” Selim couldn’t help but frown upon hearing the name of this organization. She had played the game for so long but had never heard of it.
However, now was not the best time to learn about this organization. She would have plenty of opportunities in the future; there was no rush.
Selim searched through the small golden booklet and soon found the target she wanted.
“Cecilia Ross…”
While rubbing these words, Selim looked up at Cecilia.
“May I ask, Miss, is your name Cecilia Ross?” A hint of excitement appeared in her eyes as she looked at Cecilia, but it quickly dimmed.
“That’s right, I am Cecilia Ross…” Cecilia felt that the way the other person looked at her was a bit strange, as if it were mixed with something else. She couldn’t help but ask, “Do you happen to know me?”
“Cecilia… Cecilia…” Selim ignored Cecilia, merely repeating and muttering the name. Finally, as if jolted awake, she shook her head violently. “No, it’s nothing.”
“Cecilia…” Selim put on a very forced smile. “It’s a good name. It sounds lovely, doesn’t it?”
“Uh… thank you for the compliment?” Cecilia felt the other person was a bit odd, but she couldn’t say exactly what was strange. “This is the first time someone has praised my name for sounding good.”
“Is there something special about my name?”
“No, nothing.” As Selim spoke, her eyes were already welling with a few tears.
Selim was going to start playing hard to get.
She produced a seal from under the table, stamped it down hard, then closed the golden booklet and solemnly handed it to Cecilia.
“Cecilia, leave this place. Leave the Rhine Territory. The further away, the better. This place is not for you.”