Chapter 82: Discovering New Things

"Lady Yomo, how wonderful to have a private moment with you," Princess Victoria says to Yomo as both stand on a private terrace. They had stepped out of the party to get some "air," but Victoria decided to seize the opportunity, closing the door to have a more intimate conversation with this mysterious noble.

’So this is the Yomo everyone has been talking about lately... up until now I’ve only exchanged a few words with her at parties. She really is quite refined and clever... beautiful too,’ Victoria thinks as she approaches, leaning against the balcony railing beside Yomo.

"It’s a pleasure to speak with you, Princess Victoria," Yomo says with a smile, gesturing slowly with her glass toward her.

’She managed to quickly get involved with so many important nobles... what’s her secret? And where did she come from?... this foreigner is strange...’

"It’s also a pleasure to speak with you, Lady Yomo. I’m quite curious—I hope you don’t mind if I ask some questions."

"Of course not, ask whatever you like..." Yomo grants the opportunity that Victoria decides to seize and test.

"Why do you allow your servant... to do that?" Victoria begins by "attacking" Yomo’s noble integrity, speaking of her servant who is eating sweets from the tables in a highly inelegant and careless manner, even getting herself dirty.

"Hmmm, because it’s amusing to see how the common folk are so desperate for scraps. Isn’t Moros adorable?" Yomo had forced Moros to act like someone with no class, strengthening her human disguise, but also humiliating Moros in front of others.

’Seriously? She doesn’t even avoid admitting she does it out of sadism?...’ Victoria becomes uncertain of what to say; she had expected a more evasive attitude. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"W-Well that... I suppose it’s something to think about—"

"Really, Princess? Do you truly need to think that much about it? Inferior beings exist to serve superior beings like us. What is there to think about? Or do you think that sewer rat getting herself filthy with leftover sweets is on your level?"

’...Obviously not...’ Although Victoria agrees, it’s something she, as a princess who feigns kindness, cannot put into words.

"That sounds rather cruel..."

"Cruelty that can be sustained by power. After all, money buys a great many things."

"...I see. It must be quite expensive to maintain your beauty, no?" Victoria opts to take a jab, implying that Yomo’s beauty is artificial.

"A jewel covered in mud is still a jewel, and it needs no additions to maintain its value." Yomo’s response catches Victoria off guard. Most people avoid being so bold in front of her—she is a princess, after all.

"You’re right... well, I think we could attempt a friendship. What do you say? I have an invitation to my party and—"

"Your mask slipped. After all, someone who is truly kind wouldn’t invite someone who openly demonstrated contempt for other people." When Yomo says this, Victoria’s smile shrinks.

"..." She falls silent while Yomo drinks from her wine glass. Yomo looks down, sees a maid passing below, and lets the glass fall. Victoria hears the sound of shattering glass and a maid screaming in pain down below.

"...You’re perceptive."

"You’re the one who underestimates others too much. Not everyone around you is a fool, mediocre, or a coward," Yomo says, rolling her eyes.

"I am still a princess—"

"Queen."

"..."

"You’re more of a queen ruling from the shadows. So, ’False Queen,’ don’t expect that to scare me off."

"I think we can end this conversation here. I’m sorry to have troubled you, Lady Yomo." Victoria turns toward the door.

"Poison is rather bad, but assassination is rather obvious." When Yomo says this, Victoria stops and turns back to her, looking confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Poison is rather obvious—it leaves traces even if you know how to choose well, and it raises suspicion. But assassination too—when a king dies to assassins, it draws a great deal of attention to those set to inherit power."

"!!!"

"I don’t know what you’re talking about, but it’s tremendous arrogance to accuse a princess of attempted murder—"

"I never accused you, Princess Victoria."

"..." Victoria realizes she said too much.

"I said that poison and assassination are poor options for killing a king." Yomo gives Victoria a smile, and Victoria realizes she cannot leave now.

’She’s more dangerous than I expected... what a treacherous viper...’

"I merely assumed it was directed at me. My reaction is entirely natural and not proof of guilt, since I have many opponents and slanderous rumors about my person. Besides, it makes no sense for me to kill my father—after all, I gain nothing from it."

"...Indeed. You have more to lose since you’re not in the direct line of succession. You have siblings still alive whom you managed to push away by manipulating your old, senile father. But if he dies, they will undoubtedly return to seize power." Victoria realizes there is far more behind Yomo than she would like.

’An unexpected variable... how frustrating...’

"Why are you telling me these things?"

"You reek of blood and greed. I like your scent. Besides, that was a clever move with the perfume—how long have you been using it?"

"My perfume?" Victoria touches her neck and then looks into Yomo’s eyes. It makes her body shiver.

"Are you human?"

"...Who knows? For now, enjoy the compliment. And tell me—how many years have you been using it?"

"...I’ve used it since I was 13 years old..."

"Good. I see someone in this kingdom truly knows how to play the long game. False Magnolia—a fungus with a wonderful scent, a powerful drug with an intense relaxing effect and a few other side effects on the brain."

"13 years... using it since age 13 isn’t a good answer. You’re lying. You could only wear that perfume if you already had a tolerance to it. After all, you must have used it to gain more control over your father—that’s why you cling to him so much, isn’t it? So he’d spend years inhaling it."

"...I... have used it since I was 7 years old..." Victoria ends up admitting, realizing that lying could be problematic. Yomo knows too much.

"That’s more plausible. That’s... roughly 6 years depending on which month you started... enough time to build tolerance and then use doses that would be dangerous for others."

"How much do you know about me?" Victoria feels a certain fear. No one had ever discovered her tactics.

"Oh, sweetie, I know a great deal. I know your father did wrong things to you since you were 5 years old. I know you have a strong aversion to male contact because of it."

"I know you began having contact with dangerous people since you were 6, and from them you obtained certain resources and support. And I know you killed your benefactor 8 years ago, so that no one would know about your dirty dealings with a dangerous person."

"But do you know something funny about needing the help of others for years? There are traces that never disappear..." Yomo pulls from her clothes a black-covered book with a rose engraved on it, the pattern as if someone had used a knife on the leather.

"!!!" Victoria recognizes it as the record book of Elyen Bartor—the very woman who taught Victoria how to produce her much-used perfume and how to produce the medicine she used for years to build resistance to the effects of the False Magnolia.

’THAT WRETCHED WOMAN!!’ Victoria realizes her former ally kept records. Victoria had always suspected Elyen didn’t trust her, but after two years of searching she never found anything incriminating, so she dismissed something she shouldn’t have.

"You were careless. I found this relatively quickly, you know? It was quite well hidden, but when you’re someone like me—someone who knows how to look for things—it ends up being quite easy to find." Yomo’s tone is pure mockery.

"..." Victoria looks at the door, realizing she has fallen into a trap. She, who came to test Yomo, ended up being deceived.

"...Very bold, but this proves nothing! You have no proof against me. Books can be forged, and no one besides her knew the effects of the False Magnolia!"

"You’re right." When Yomo agrees, Victoria simply freezes, confused by Yomo’s extremely quick acceptance. She had expected blackmail, expected Yomo to try to prove the book’s legitimacy—and ends up not knowing how to react to the agreement.

In the end, Yomo truly has no "proof." An old book proves nothing concrete. Between a princess and an outsider whose origins no one knows, it’s obvious whose word is more credible.

Besides, Victoria still has control over the king, who would fall for her manipulations even if Yomo tried to spread this "truth."