Chapter 84

Chapter 84

The gentle breeze whispered; even with the year drawing to a close, Capital Star remained pleasantly warm and bathed in bright sunshine.

Alice, textbooks tucked under her arm, hummed a soft tune as she passed beneath the blackstone pointed archway. She took the elevator to the sixth floor of the tower, then turned into another corridor, where she spotted a familiar figure standing by the railing, eyes downcast, gazing intently outwards.

The young man’s soft, curly black hair cascaded over his shoulders, loosely tied with a violet ribbon. From Alice’s vantage point, she could see a small portion of his profile bathed in sunlight, as if steeped in melancholy.

Faint dark circles shadowed his eyes, a clear indication he hadn’t slept well the previous night.

The corridor was only so wide, and with the prominent figure standing there, it was hardly realistic for Alice to pretend she hadn’t seen him. She sighed silently, approached, and initiated the greeting, “Good morning, Lor... Brother Lorca.”

She had almost blurted out “young master” again! Thankfully, her quick reflexes allowed her to change the word just in time, averting an awkward situation.

Alice cast a somewhat guilty glance at the young man, feeling a quiet frustration at her persistent inability to grow closer to Lorca.

Hearing her, Lorca glanced her way. Such a young and innocent child—her thoughts were as transparent as if written on her face. He rubbed his temples and said gently, “Good morning, Alice. Are you heading to class?”

“Yes, to Alchemy class,” she replied, pulling out the book she was carrying and waving it briefly in front of Lorca. Then, noticing the dark circles under his eyes, she hesitated before asking, “Did you not sleep well all night...? The dark circles look quite pronounced.”

Alice had her own suspicions about why Lorca hadn’t slept and was instead waiting here.

From his current position, he had the quickest and furthest view of the manor gates. If anyone were to visit the Oliver family, the person standing here would be the first to see them.

Understanding his intentions, Alice kindly advised, “Xiao Qing only left last night; she won’t be back for a few days. You should go get some proper sleep. Besides, even if she returns early, I doubt she’d want to see you looking so haggard and tired.”

Lorca was silent for a moment, knowing the girl spoke out of concern for him. He sighed, the exhaustion on his face now impossible to conceal, revealing his weariness. He said with a touch of dejection, “Thank you. I understand. I’ll go rest soon.”

“Alright, please take care of yourself. I need to get to class, so I’ll take my leave now!”

They exchanged polite farewells and walked away, turning their backs to each other. Just then, a loud honk echoed from the distant estate gates, followed by the clanking and grinding of chains, signaling the opening of the main gates.

Alice watched as Lorca, who had only taken two steps, immediately turned back to his original spot, leaning forward with both hands on the railing to look down—

Whatever he saw seemed to instantly erase the fatigue from his face, his expression shifting as quickly as if he’d taken an invigorating elixir. His eyes brightened, and he turned to leave. It was only then that he seemed to notice Alice still standing nearby, his tone becoming noticeably more proactive as he spoke to her: “Alice, could you do me a favor?”

“......” Alice had a premonition, but she asked anyway, “What kind of favor?”

“I didn’t bring my cane when I left. Could you help me downstairs?” After asking, Lorca considerately added, “But you probably have class to get to, right? Will you have time? If not, it’s fine—your class is more important.”

Alice: “......” With him saying that, how could she possibly refuse?

“Never mind, skipping class once or twice won’t hurt.”

Words could deceive, but the unconscious emotions emanating from the heart could not. Alice sensed waves of genuine happiness and delight from him. She sighed helplessly, then smiled and said, “Actually, I need to find Xiao Qing too—let’s go together.”

-

Having left in Qin Mengde’s private car and returned in the Oliver family’s official vehicle, Eve couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of irony.

She asked the black-haired woman sitting beside her, “Your car was taken by the Medici family. Will that be a problem?”

“Not at all,” Qin Mengde replied calmly, eyes closed as she rested. “That car belongs to Cavendish, and the weapons in it are Cavendish’s too. So even if the Medicis investigate, they’ll only find evidence pointing to Cavendish. What does that have to do with me?”

Eve admired her audaciousness in framing Cavendish and changed the subject. “So where do you plan to stay now? Without Cavendish’s protection, you definitely can’t stay in your private residence in the central district. Has the royal family mentioned when they’ll take you back? Offending the Medici family means the days ahead won’t be easy.”

It was a very pertinent question. After all, before last night, she hadn’t expected to offend the Medicis so thoroughly.

Qin Mengde pondered for a moment. “Are you asking because you have an idea?”

“Of course,” Eve smiled slightly, gesturing towards the estate outside. “Why else would I bring you here?”

Outside the window stood the Oliver family’s castle, a towering black Gothic structure surrounded by vibrant red roses. Qin Mengde opened her eyes, observed for a moment, and said with some surprise, “You want me to stay here?”

“Mhm.”

The two Oliver subordinates in the front seat, having listened to the entire conversation, finally spoke up: “...Lord Lu, I think this matter should be discussed with the family head first.”

After recent events, Eve had certainly made a name for herself in their eyes—even her pre-departure title of “Miss Lu” had been upgraded to the more respectful “Lord Lu.”

They had arrived at the scene earlier than Eve estimated—around the time she descended in her mecha to save Qin Mengde. Before they could even step forward to greet their temporary superior, they witnessed the alchemist fiercely beating the Medici family’s young master.

Whether it was the heir of one of the four great families or an ordinary person, Eve’s fighting style was brutally ruthless, leaving a deep impression on the two rookie guards who had yet to undertake many official missions.

Terrifying... Is this really the power an alchemist should possess?!

With such mixed feelings, they remained vigilant and cautious throughout the journey, not daring to speak a word. Even though Eve had bought a new mask on the way back, the image of her scarred, fierce face lingered in their minds.

Eve snorted. “Rather than worrying about finding an empty room in the vast Oliver family—a simple task—you two should focus on how to explain to the family head that you killed the Medici family’s Third Steward.”

The two fell silent immediately.

To be fair, it wasn’t entirely their fault. When they found the unconscious Third Steward, like any rookies on their first mission, their first instinct was to report everything unusual to their superiors.

However, still adhering to Oliver family protocols, they bypassed Eve and reported directly to the family head and the heir.

In the dead of night, Family Head Oliver, too old to stay up late, had long since gone to bed. Ludwig, however, was still awake. Known for stirring trouble, and given the recent bad blood between the Medicis and Olivers over the broken engagement, he was well aware of the Third Steward’s identity yet ordered his subordinates to kill him.

Even the deliberately eerie positioning of the body was directed by Ludwig via video call—when it came to macabre humor, few on Capital Star could rival him.

“The Third Steward’s death is of little consequence. As Cecil’s dedicated attendant, that boy caused enough trouble. Even if he had returned alive, Sparti wouldn’t have spared him.”

Family Head Oliver sat at his desk, listening to the pieced-together account of events. He turned a page of documents and said calmly, “Rather than that, you should first take a look at today’s urgent morning news.”

“What news?” A sense of foreboding instantly gripped Eve.

Family Head Oliver chuckled, clapped his hands, and the office’s administrative steward promptly pressed a button on the doorframe. The lights in the office dimmed, and a large screen descended from the ceiling, switching on with a beep.

All this flashy setup... turned out to be for a television.

“This station reports that early this morning, witnesses in the northeastern district of Capital Star’s central area spotted an unidentified object... shape resembling a mecha... though specifics await further confirmation...”

A beautiful AI anchor relayed the event smoothly on screen, followed by a short clip provided by a civilian. The shaky footage clearly conveyed the filmer’s excitement.

The video first showed a magnificent, light golden mecha, then a black mecha seemingly came out of nowhere, slamming into it like a cannonball. The two mechas tangled noisily on the ground for a while before both were retracted.

Dense lines of text scrolled above the broadcast. Eve skimmed them—while many saw the black mecha as a righteous intervention, quite a few pointed out that both had violated the rule against deploying mechas in the city, making them equally culpable.

Family Head Oliver clapped his hands again, and the television turned off. He turned to them and asked amiably, “Do any of you have anything to say about this?”

“...I do,” Eve raised her hand, expression serious. “I was piloting someone else’s mecha. Any investigation would lead to them, not me.”

“I’m glad you didn’t bring trouble home with this matter.”

Family Head Oliver nodded in approval, then turned to Qin Mengde, who had been sitting quietly since entering. His eyebrows rose slightly. “And what about this one? I recall you were supposed to cause trouble for the Medicis, not kidnap someone from Cavendish.”

The phrasing was rather crude. Eve coughed awkwardly and said, “It’s... complicated. Could you please ask everyone else to step out for a moment?”

Family Head Oliver snorted, and the others—including the administrative steward and the two who had been on the mission—promptly filed out. Once only Family Head Oliver, Eve, and Qin Mengde remained in the office, he said, “You may speak now.”

"Of course."

Eve gave Qin Mengde a look, who understood, removing the mask from her face.

A strikingly beautiful and sharp-featured face appeared behind the mask, immediately calling to mind another face that bore a strong resemblance to hers.

Family Head Oliver had certainly seen the Emperor in his younger days. Precisely because he had, his pupils contracted sharply in shock, and he rose somewhat unsteadily, the chair legs scraping harshly against the floor.

"You're the one from back then..."

He looked up again at Eve and Qin Mengde, both of whom wore calm and composed expressions. How could he not understand what these two were up to? "You've really brought me a huge problem! You have some nerve—are you trying to pit me against the Empress and the Crown Prince?"

"High risk brings high returns. I thought that was your kind of gamble," Eve said meaningfully. "Besides, the actual risk might not be as high as you think. If the Crown Prince were flawless, why would the Cavendish family go to the trouble of bringing her here?"

Some things others might not know, but Eve, as a transmigrator who'd read the book, knew all too well.

It was common knowledge that the male lead in a romance novel could never be perfect. To highlight certain traits of the female lead, they were often deliberately shaped through a series of narrative tropes.

Just as a delicate female lead needed an overbearing male lead to support her, if the female lead had healing abilities, her corresponding male lead would frequently get injured. In a Mary Sue novel with a sunny, angelic female lead like Alice, both the male lead and supporting male characters would have a string of flaws for her to fix—because only then could the female lead's transformative influence on them be highlighted, thereby emphasizing the great power of love.

For instance, Cecil's defining trait was selfish cruelty, which would turn into possessive loyalty after meeting the female lead; Ludwig was characterized by gloomy possessiveness, which would morph into a yandere vibe after encountering the female lead; Luo Wenzhou was meek and long-suffering, but after meeting the female lead, he became brave and resolute. Other male characters who fell for the female lead also had their own issues, ultimately transforming their flaws into charming quirks under her influence.

As one of the female lead's harem members, how could the Crown Prince not have a corresponding flaw?

Of course, as the main male lead, he needed a flaw, but it couldn’t be a personality flaw.

—The Crown Prince had a problem with his Spiritual State.

The Otto royal family’s Spiritual State was highly unique, with each branch possessing a distinct Oath Ability, which was also a crucial foundation for the Otto royal family’s rule.

But the current Crown Prince had not inherited this ability.

His mother, from a prestigious family, was his staunch supporter, but her dominance had also left an indelible mark on him. He had inherited the Cavendish family’s lineage Spiritual State too perfectly, to the point where he hadn’t inherited any of the abilities from his father’s side.

In the original novel, after learning of the Crown Prince’s predicament, Alice offered her ability to help him. The Queen Bee’s consciousness modification successfully concealed the Crown Prince’s innate deficiency in his personal Spiritual State, which formed the basis of Alice’s redemption of the Crown Prince—though Eve felt this was less about love and more about a pragmatic arrangement.

This issue wasn’t actually too difficult to solve. Of course, it would be most convenient if Alice were willing to use her Spiritual State Ability to help, but there were other methods as well.

Given the current level of development in Alchemy, most Spiritual State abilities could be simulated through combinations of formulas, and the Oath Ability was no exception. This was precisely the method the Crown Prince used to conceal his flaw before meeting Alice.

But now—Eve was curious. What would happen if the Oliver Family, which had Alice under its thumb and controlled all the top alchemists, decided to support another heir to the throne?

However, since the Crown Prince had no conflict of interest with her, Eve wasn’t yet prepared to take things to the extreme. Moreover, Qin Mengde’s shifting loyalties remained an issue.

She didn’t plan to bet everything on Qin Mengde. Their collaboration had originally only extended to Eve helping Qin Mengde gain a foothold in high society, while Qin Mengde would repay her with an advisory role with some official standing, similar to a princess’s advisor, to facilitate her access to real power.

After all, the Medici Family valued utility above all. If she wanted to return to her family safely in the future and gain further recognition, the first thing she needed to do was prove her worth.

As for whether to continue collaborating afterward, Eve planned to wait and see.

It never hurt to compare options.

Eve said casually, "Anyway, if the Cavendish family, as the Empress’s maternal family, isn’t afraid, what do you have to worry about? Smart people never put all their eggs in one basket."

Family Head Oliver put his pen down, pinched the bridge of his nose, and pondered for a moment.

It had to be said, Eve had indeed had his number. He was the type who, if there was even a 5% chance of success, would put in a hundred percent effort. Naturally, he was very interested in the matter of Qin Mengde and the royal family.

After weighing the options for a moment, Family Head Oliver finally let out a soft laugh.

"Lu, I admit your proposal is very appealing to me. It would be an honor for the future Princess to temporarily stay with the Oliver Family."

Hearing these words, which amounted to agreement, Eve breathed an internal sigh of relief. She had thought it would take more persuasion, perhaps even revealing some information about the Crown Prince, to convince him.

"Of course," Family Head Oliver added, "it would be even better if you were to join the Oliver Family as well. To be honest, I’m already reluctant to let you return to your original family."

"Thank you for your kindness, but I don’t think I’m the type to be a loyal employee my whole life."

"I know," the Family Head replied calmly. "You don’t seem like the type to willingly submit to others, which is why I’m inviting you to join our family."

What did that mean... Eve’s eyelids twitched violently. Family Head Oliver leaned forward slightly, his bright green eyes looking at her kindly, warm as a Capital Star spring breeze: "Both of my sons are unmarried and have no engagements. Whether in terms of looks, social status, or personal ability, even without a father’s bias, I believe they are quite the catch—what I mean is, see anyone you like?"

"Pfft—"

Before Eve could respond, Qin Mengde, who had been sipping tea and eavesdropping, couldn’t hold back and choked on her tea.

Qin Mengde was both shocked and impressed. She could only say that this was indeed the most cunning of the four great families—the Oliver Family. This flexible use of a matchmaking maneuver was something her former employer, the Cavendish family, couldn’t hope to match even after trying for eight centuries.

"What do you think?"

"...Not at all," Eve closed her eyes, through gritted teeth. "Please have some self-respect, alright?"