Four Split Personalities

"You mean..."

Motan yawned, his interest waning as he asked, "That Fenrir Team you used to be part of, situated in Stacked Rock City in Marshal’s western territory, subordinate to the local autonomous army, and the catalyst for the Marshal’s flip-over incident?"

Double Leaf said nothing, her gaze remained icy cold as she continued to stare at the other.

"Of course, I can answer your question,"

Motan chuckled lightly, then shrugged and said, "But before that, I’d like to know why you suspect me, considering from any angle, Fenrir Team’s fate seems to be just an accident, precisely speaking, a destined accident. Not to mention Ned was bound to be discovered, it was the grand early phase of this disaster of a game. Why would you think that I, a noob like you, would be involved in that accident?"

Double Leaf looked steadily at Motan and said in a deep voice, "Even now, I think it might just be an unfortunate coincidence, as you just described. But even so, you still have suspicions against you."

"Oh?"

Motan blinked in surprise, his cheeks propped on his hand as he smacked his lips and said, "Do tell."

"Because it’s you."

"Because it’s me? What kind of bullshit answer is that?"

"There’s no other reason."

"Okay, so am I to understand that if the Eiffel Tower got smashed by a meteorite while I happen to be fishing on the south bank of the Seine River, you’d suspect, to some extent, that I summoned that meteorite?"

Motan asked with a pained look on his face.

Double Leaf thought for a few seconds, resting her chin in her hand, then nodded earnestly, "Mhm, it’s possible."

"Heh... hehe... Should I be flattered?"

Motan let out a dry laugh, then shook his head slightly, "It wasn’t me."

Double Leaf nodded and settled back into the lounge chair, taking out half a bottle of strawberry-flavored Mana Potion and taking a sip, "Mhm, that’s good then."

"You’re just going to believe me like that?"

Motan rolled his eyes and watched the girl in front of him with a twitching smile, "I merely denied it without any fuss, and you just believed it without any fuss?"

Double Leaf lazily lifted an eyelid to glance at him, her face expressionless as she asked, "So, were you lying just now?"

"Nope, it really wasn’t me."

"Oh, then that’s okay."

Motan: "..."

Double Leaf finished her potion, casually tossed the empty bottle into the corner waste bin of the study, and her lips curled into a mocking smile, "If you’re feeling perplexed or dumbfounded, feel free to come clean so I can have a good laugh at you."

"Ah, even though the heart is so close..."

Motan sighed deeply, staring at Double Leaf’s chest hidden under her mage robe, and lamented, "The distance between people is far indeed."

Double Leaf’s face darkened, "You, son of a..."

Just then, Leven’s voice suddenly came from outside the door, "Lady Shuangye, Prince His Highness has arrived."

The girl paused, then extinguished the flames in her hand and spoke in a muffled voice, "Understood, let His Highness in."

A minute later, Shu • Bresen, dressed in civilian clothes, entered the room with a smile, and asked the two, "Hope I’m not disturbing?"

"No, not at all."

Motan shook his head, all smiles as he said, "Look, we’re even dressed properly."

"Do you believe I could kill you right now?"

Double Leaf stared at him coldly.

Motan laughed it off, "Don’t believe."

"Hehe, it seems you two are quite close," Shu joked, failing to suppress a smile, then sat at the table with keen interest looking at Double Leaf, "So, Lady Shuangye, you’re also an ’Otherworlder’ like Tan Mo, huh?"

Double Leaf looked at the Prince in front of her, her face betraying shock before she replied with resignation, "It seems the ’bond’ between you two is much stronger than I thought."

"My tastes are quite normal."

Shu heard the implications in the girl’s words and smiled, "And Tan Mo hasn’t said anything. My guess just now was off the cuff; I didn’t expect to hit the jackpot."

Double Leaf stopped trying to hide her player identity and merely raised an eyebrow, "Maybe, but I guess you had already done your investigation before that ’off the cuff’ guess, right?"

Shu smiled in confirmation of the girl’s conclusion, then curiously asked, "What were you two discussing just now?"

"The dialectical relationship between breast size and the distance between hearts," Motan replied without a second thought.

Double Leaf then leisurely stood up, her robe sleeves gathered up, and smiled sweetly at the somewhat bewildered Shu, "Mind stepping aside, Your Highness? I’d hate to get blood on you if I lose control."

"Let’s get straight to the point..."

Shu touched his nose with some resignation, abandoning the idea of some small talk, and shrugged, "Firstly, Sak • Fu’s execution will start in half an hour. We can go together later. And then, Baffy • Marshal has escaped."

Double Leaf shot up from her seat, exclaiming, "Escaped?!"

Shu nodded slightly, speaking softly, "Yes, the former Grand Duke Marshal, who had all his powers nullified and stripped of all his possessions on the night of his trial, has escaped recently. He slipped away from the watchful eyes of nineteen Zijing Guards from the highly secure sixteenth level of the grey prison and is now untraceable."