NOVEL NEXT Ch. 11
Rudolph smiled at me. Then, he took one final step and stood on the windowsill of my room.
There was no sound.
He entered my room like a mirage, looked around, and waved his hand lightly.
From the tip of Rudolph’s fingers, a white light flowed out. The light split into two paths, one towards me and the other towards Rudolph.
The light that came towards me wrapped around my neck in an instant. A chilling coldness emanated from where the light touched.
Before I could process it rationally, my instincts knew.
The moment I lied; this magic would slice through my neck.
My hands and feet grew cold, and my mouth went dry.
‘It’s okay. As long as I don’t lie, I won’t die from this magic.’
I thought to myself, trying to calm down.
‘I can do this, just like Imelda did…’
I recalled a scene from the original story. The moment Imelda finished all Three Questions of Carlyle when she met Rudolph.
Rudolph looked at the girl standing before him.
What a foolish child. She didn’t have much, yet she was willing to give everything to the man she fell in love with at first sight.
The Aschenbach family was annihilated by the emperor. Reviving them wouldn’t be easy, even for Rudolph. He wouldn’t have entertained such a ridiculous dream in the first place.
A child who didn’t know her place and desired something she could never achieve.
That was how Rudolph defined Imelda.
A smile naturally appeared on his face.
“Alright, I’ll support your love.”
Surprisingly, it was sincere.
Rudolph believed his sister would fail to restore the Aschenbach family and reclaim the honor of Tristan Aschenbach. That was why he supported Imelda.
Was there anything more entertaining than a desperate human struggling?
For that entertainment, he was willing to overlook Imelda’s annoying behavior for a while.
“Do your best.”
With those words, Rudolph left. Quietly, just as he had come in.
Imelda looked at the window where Rudolph had left and muttered.
“I survived.”
Everything had gone according to her plan.
Rudolph had come to her, suspicious of her ambitions. But because he underestimated her and found her intriguing, he decided not to kill her and to keep her alive for the time being.
My goal today was to reach the same conclusion as Imelda.
A sibling who was so pitiful in her outrageous dreams yet entertaining enough to watch.
Today, I would become that person to Rudolph.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes, brother.”
Recalling my goal, I felt at ease. My voice didn’t tremble as I responded to Rudolph, and I could even smile.
“Who should ask the first question?”
“As you wish, brother.”
According to the original story, Rudolph would probably ask the first question. As I thought this and responded, he nodded and immediately asked me.
“Did you expect that I would come to you?”
The same first question as in the original story.
But it was too ambiguous for me to answer.
I knew about the incident in the original story where Rudolph suddenly visited Imelda. So, I thought something similar might happen to me someday.
But I didn’t expect him to come today, at this exact time.
“That’s a hard question to answer.”
As I frowned slightly, Rudolph spoke again.
“Have you ever thought that I might come to you someday?”
The question became much more specific, and I had no choice but to answer.
“Yes.”
Rudolph looked at me with interest after my response.
“My turn now.”
I met Rudolph’s probing gaze and smiled brightly.
The real challenge started now.
One thing that many people didn’t know.
In the Three Questions of Carlyle, the questions were more important than the answers.
The answers returned in a simple form of
So, if you asked recklessly, you would end up giving away your information. But if you were too cautious, you wouldn’t gain anything from the other person.
It was a game of hiding your information while extracting theirs. This was the essence of the Three Questions of Carlyle.
That was why I had an advantage over Rudolph in this game.
I asked Rudolph my first question.
“Do you hate Brother Richard?”
Silence fell over the room.
A slight crack appeared in Rudolph’s perfect doll-like smile. I glimpsed his slightly widened blue eyes.
If I wasn’t mistaken, he was genuinely surprised.
“No.”
The moment of unease was brief. Rudolph soon composed himself and answered softly as always.
I smiled brightly, as if his answer made me genuinely happy.
Some might find that answer unexpected, but I knew.
Rudolph simply lacked the capacity to love or hate anyone.
He regarded emotions as nothing more than a mask worn to mimic others. Rudolph Sol Esperusa was like a withered old tree—beautiful on the outside but dried up within.
Why was I at an advantage in this game compared to Rudolph?
The reason was simple: unlike Rudolph, I already possessed information about him.
I knew that Rudolph had never felt any emotion other than curiosity in his entire life.
I also knew that he found life tedious, that he had no real interest in the throne, and that he had only entered the battle for it out of sheer boredom.
I didn’t need to extract any information from Rudolph through this game.
Thus, all my questions were for defense, not attack. They were simply tools to craft the image I wanted.
“It’s my turn to ask a question now.”
In the Three Questions of Carlyle, the order of questioning switched after each round. So, I would ask the first question this time, and Rudolph would go first in the third round.
Feigning nervousness, I took a deep breath.
“Is there a possibility of reconciliation between you two?”
I then hurriedly added, as if I had made a mistake.
“By
“I understand.”
Rudolph cut me off. I didn’t miss the irritation in his tone.
He pondered the question longer than expected. Finally, he said.
“I’m not sure what you mean by reconciliation. But I don’t want to talk about this any further, so I’ll just refuse to answer.”
That was unexpected. I thought he would say yes as long as the chance wasn’t zero, but was Richard such an uncertain element in Rudolph’s mind?
Well, given Richard’s temperament, it made sense…
Despite thinking this, I tilted my head in confusion and looked up at Rudolph, pretending not to understand.
Rudolph smiled gently at me, but the angelic kindness he had shown when we first met was gone.
Realizing this, my heart raced.
Rudolph had started to dismiss me. The conversation was only halfway through, yet he seemed to have lost much of his interest.
No wonder, considering how blatantly I was playing the role of the
Today’s goal was to appear as a sister with an impossible and absurd dream.
In the Esperusa Imperial Family, no dream could be more absurd than this. Even Imelda’s ambition to revive the traitor’s family seemed more realistic.
Imagining how pathetic I must look in Rudolph’s mind gave me a thrill.
Yes! I was a fool! A sister so naive that she was not even worth engaging with! That was me! You enjoyed watching the futile efforts of stupid humans, didn’t you? Ta-da, here I was!
“Then it’s my turn.”
Rudolph spoke.
“Oh.”
I snapped back to reality at Rudolph’s words. Feeling a bit embarrassed for being overly excited by myself, I forced a cough.
“Yes, ahem, Brother. Please ask your question.”
Get a grip, I told myself. We were only halfway through the questions. While I composed myself, Rudolph put his hand on his cheek, pretending to ponder his question.
It was a rather disingenuous act. He had likely prepared all three questions the moment he suggested the Three Questions of Carlyle.
But even in such obvious pretense, Rudolph Sol Esperusa was breathtakingly beautiful.
The genetic beauty of the Esperusa family, making everything forgivable, was truly frightening.
“Are you a Stella?”
After the act of pretending to think, the second question came out the same as in the original. The smooth progression made me feel at ease.
Stella.
A power of the ancient Gods rarely manifesting among the bloodline of the Esperusa Imperial Family, or one who possessed such power.
Among the currently living princes and princesses, only two have manifested as Stella.
The 9th Prince, Elijah Yul Esperusa; who locked himself away in the Ivory Palace.
And…
Though I hadn’t fully awakened my powers yet, in the distant future, I, the 17th Princess Lucilia El Esperusa, would awaken them significantly and play a decisive role in Imelda’s victory.
Yes, that was me.
The very power that told me whether mushrooms were poisonous or not as I wandered through the forest.
Of course, it was more than just distinguishing poisonous mushrooms. I’d only been using it minimally because it hadn’t fully manifested yet, and I didn’t need more.
In the original, Imelda was not a Stella. However, she used her veto power on this question to create confusion.
In my case, as a true Stella, I had no choice but to use the veto. Stella was my trump card, which I wanted to keep hidden until the very end. It couldn’t be revealed now.
“I refuse to answer.”
Rudolph nodded.
The turn now returned to Rudolph, and it was his turn to ask the final question.
“Please, ask your final question, Brother.”
Rudolph again pretended to ponder. His act of seriousness dragged on, as if he were deeply considering the question.
But it was obvious what the question would be.
The first question was the same as in the original, as was the second. Following this pattern, the third question would also be the same.
This question was difficult for Imelda, but it was an easy one for me.
Do you want to be emperor?
My answer was, of course,
There was only one emperor I desired. Imelda Bel Esperusa.
Come on, just ask. Let’s end this tiresome questioning. I urged Rudolph in my mind, aware of the unpleasant sensation around my neck.
“Alright, let me ask the final question.”
Finally, Rudolph spoke.
Was it just my imagination, or did he seem a bit hesitant? But the brief hesitation melted away into a smile, and when he finally asked, he looked as beautiful as ever.
“Are you truly Lucilia El Esperusa?”
Rudolph asked, still wearing the same gentle smile, in a kind voice.
But that question was the most lethal one for me.
“Ah.”
I froze, my mouth slightly agape.
I really should never have let my guard down.