Chapter 102 Akshia: You, Take It Off (Two-in-One)
The attendants who could enter the palace and serve the royal family had undergone rigorous selection, and their appearances and temperaments were all top-notch.
As the second princess of the Granwill Empire, Ophelia was naturally no stranger to this.
Although there were differences in fashion styles due to the era, the quality of this group of maids in the light curtain was comparable to those Ophelia had seen in the Granwill Empire’s palace.
However—
At this moment, the brilliance of all other maids was completely overshadowed by one person.
……
Clatter—
The royal confidential document fell to the ground, making a dull sound.
Ophelia fixed her gaze on the light curtain, or more accurately, on the breathtaking figure within it.
On that exquisitely pale face, an unusual hint of disarray surfaced.
For some reason, a sense of defeat unexpectedly arose in Ophelia’s heart—a defeat in feminine charm.
However, she quickly shook her head, driving those distracting thoughts out of her mind.
She was not yet thirteen, with much room for development.
Compared to this sense of defeat… what really concerned Ophelia was the true identity of that figure.
In the crimson eyes, a dark light flashed fleetingly.
Behind her, the immortal mercury surged up and down, countless complex data streams flowing through the matrix, then calculated.
An analysis and comparison was made between the figure in the light curtain and the image data stored in her database.
Thus, a credible conclusion was reached.
“Although the target has undergone extremely sophisticated disguise and used quite advanced methods of alteration…”
“From the bones, posture, and the lines of the face, we can still compare and deduce…”
“This person resembles Rast by over 99%.”
She turned her head, staring intently at the nearby Mr. Silver: “What happened?”
“Are you saying… my potential future brother-in-law is actually a cross-dressing pervert?”
As a mechanic, Ophelia’s database nearly contained all information regarding Rast in the present world.
According to the intelligence she possessed, Rast should not have such a kink.
But perhaps not… this potential future brother-in-law was extremely elusive, and reliable information only started accumulating after he entered Starry University a few months ago.
Disguising himself in the present world, revealing his true nature only in the Night World where he thought no one knew, is a very plausible deduction.
However—
If that were the case, it would mean she had actually lost in feminine charm to a cross-dressing powerhouse.
In the light curtain, that maid was stunningly beautiful, as if encompassing all the goodness in the world.
Leaving Ophelia speechless, having lost utterly.
“There’s also a possibility that Rast, like little Xiya, has an identity from the Sixth Epoch, and his memories were suppressed, dominated by his past life or something…”
Mr. Ferret blinked his beastly eyes and made a guess but soon shook his head.
He unconsciously denied this speculation in his heart.
The reason was simple; it was just that Mr. Silver had a strange intuition.
Even if Rast really had a past life and had awakened those memories… the dominant will would surely be Rast’s current consciousness.
This judgment stemmed from Mr. Silver’s glance into Rast’s psyche; beneath that gray mist, it seemed to hide some sharp essence, ready to pierce through layers of disguise at any moment.
Deep within his soul, there must be something deeper, like the core of a steam machine, driving that worn-out human shell, which had deteriorated with time, to keep moving forward.
This was an obsession that not even hundreds of years of stagnation could erode… let alone a few memory fragments from a past life?
Even if Rast truly had some past life from the old era, any unawakened memories would be ruthlessly devoured by his mind upon revival, just like a black hole that annihilates light.
“If not for a past life…”
“Then this boy dressing as a girl… must have some special purpose.”
Mr. Silver’s gaze was profound.
Although his ability to gather intelligence paled compared to Ophelia as a mechanic, Mr. Silver had spent more time interacting with Rast than Ophelia.
In fact, in a certain sense, Mr. Silver, who had followed Rast since he first arrived in the present world, might be the person who understood Rast best in this world, even more than Hiltina.
Therefore, after the initial shock wore off, Mr. Silver was not surprised by Rast’s behavior.
He was a born actor… and his experiences in Deep Blue Harbor had allowed him to come into contact with and imitate many people’s exteriors.
With simple disguise, changing hairstyles and costumes, then switching his persona… he could transform inside and out, altering even his appearance and temperament to become another person.
“From what I know of Rast, while he appears quite normal…”
“His obsessive tendencies could even overshadow those of your sister.”
Mr. Silver squinted: “The reason he usually masquerades as approachable and easy to get along with is simply that he believes it’s beneficial to himself.”
“Compared to evidently flawed characters like little Tina and little Xiya, Rast’s personality defects are actually much more severe than theirs.”
“He understands humanity and is skilled at exploiting it… but that also means that in his heart, nothing exists that can constrain or limit him.”
He flicked his tail, fixing his gaze on the light curtain.
For any normal male without unusual kinks, upon learning they had to dress as a woman, they would instinctively feel disgust, physical discomfort, or feel a hit to their dignity.
However, for Rast, it was different.
“As long as it benefits him in achieving his goals—”
“Then all the values, concepts of good and evil, morals, and laws seen through ordinary eyes can be completely discarded.”
“His spirit has long since become void.”
“Only remaining is that long-twisted obsession… or rather, the only wish.”
Listening to Mr. Silver’s explanation, Ophelia’s eyes flickered slightly.
“Is that so?”
The surging immortal metal behind her gradually calmed down, and Ophelia refocused her gaze on the light curtain.
“If that’s the case…”
“It implies that Rast disguising as a girl and entering the palace is not with good intentions.”
Her wine-red eyes glinted sharply.
“This really makes one look forward to what will happen next.”
……
In the light curtain.
Akshia, or Queen Helen, also had her gaze fixed on that maid.
She glanced at the clay doll in her hand, then at the figure in the distance.
In her violet eyes, a hint of confusion suddenly flashed.
Not just because of the other’s beauty, which bore a striking resemblance to the clay doll that had suddenly bound to her soul.
But also because—
When her gaze fell on that figure.
Helen felt a sudden sense of familiarity arise in her heart.
It was as if some subconscious force compelled her, making her feel she must protect that person during this time.
Helen tilted her head slightly, a few strands of ice-blue hair falling down.
She gently extended her fair index finger and tapped in the air.
In the next moment, accompanied by a surge of ice-blue light.
The maid figure disguised as Rast vanished from the ground below.
Then abruptly, it appeared right before her.
……
Rast felt the world around him spin.
After a breath, when his vision became clear again, the surrounding scenery had changed abruptly.
From the original cityscape to a quiet, vast palace bathed in the glow of dusk.
At the center of the palace stood a throne seemingly covered in eternal frost.
And on that throne, a girl with ice-blue hair was looking down at him.
Akshia?
Because the queen of the Netherworld rarely left the palace and, due to the stagnation of technology caused by the catastrophe, the knowledge of image crystals and cameras had not been uncovered.
Even with the Guardian of the Shore Organization’s intelligence network spread across the continent, they knew nothing of this queen’s specific appearance, not even any portraits.
At this moment, when he saw the girl seated on the ice-blue throne…
Rast almost thought it was the student council president of Starry University standing before him.
What’s going on?
Did Akshia follow me into the End of the Night World’s Echoes of the Era?
But setting aside the fact that I didn’t enter with her, and according to Professor Barbarossa’s introduction, the Echoes of the Era is clearly not meant for grouping.
Moreover…
Rast slightly raised his head, meeting the gaze of the ice-blue-haired girl on the throne.
In her eyes, which were identical to Akshia’s violet ones, there was now a flicker of curiosity and confusion.
Despite the striking resemblance in appearance and temperament, this was by no means the behavior Akshia should exhibit upon encountering him.
“Her Majesty Helen?”
A woman’s voice broke the silence between them.
It was the head maid of this palace, who had managed the entire process of selecting palace maids.
Earlier, it was also this head maid who guided him into the palace.
Perceiving the abnormality in her Majesty the Queen, she approached the throne and asked with some confusion.
Her Majesty Helen.
Helen.
This form of address somewhat lessened the surprise in Rast’s heart.
This was the name mentioned in the intelligence provided by the Guardian of the Shore Organization.
The mistress of the underworld, the queen of the Netherworld.
Moreover, she was the one who harbored the God of d*ath’s artifact… the origin of all calamities related to “Paradise.”
The similarities in appearance between Helen and Akshia could arise from numerous possibilities.
Perhaps because they shared some special entanglement due to both being part of the Reaper Sequence, or simply by coincidence, or for reasons related to a past life…
Maybe the Queen of Helen before him was Akshia’s great-great-great-great-great grandmother, and this resemblance stemmed from a bloodline inheritance.
However, regardless—
Even if the true Akshia was standing before him, what he needed to do would remain unchanged.
While Rast was deep in thought, he noticed out of the corner of his eye.
Beside the throne, in front of the head maid, the air suddenly revealed a line of ice-blue text.
“Others… let’s discuss it later.”
“Let me, and Her, be alone.”
“Understood, Your Majesty.”
The head maid responded respectfully.
She glanced at Rast: “It seems Her Majesty also holds you in quite high regard, just like I do.”
“However, that is only natural… after all, both your appearance and abilities, and your conduct, are impeccable.”
“I originally thought that with your talents, being a maid was somewhat beneath you… but since Her Majesty likes you so much, you should serve as Her personal attendant well.”
“Remember, as Her attendant, you must have the resolve to give your life for Her.”
“If it weren’t for Her, our peaceful and harmonious life in Paradise would not exist.”
After softly advising a few words, the head maid quietly withdrew.
Soon, in the distance, the newly selected maids were led away.
In the vast throne area—
Only Helen and Rast remained.
……
“What’s going on, why did little Xiya pick that guy at first glance even though her memories were suppressed?”
Mr. Silver shook his tail in confusion.
Although even with the aesthetics of a ferret, Mr. Silver had to admit that when Rast truly focused, he had the charm befitting the top gigolo in Deep Blue Harbor.
However, he was currently in a cross-dressing state.
Moreover, based on Mr. Silver’s understanding, Akshia was not the type to be easily swayed by appearance.
Even with different life experiences, since they shared the same soul, the essence of Queen Helen and Akshia’s hearts would remain unchanged.
“Is it because of what Little Ferret said before entering the Night World… urging her to protect Rast as much as possible in the Echoes of the Era?”
Ophelia narrowed her wine-red beautiful eyes.
“According to my information database, she has a personality that values promises highly; as long as her soul hasn’t warped, this nature will persist.”
“Even in the Night World, Akshia’s memories are only temporarily blocked, not erased; they still influence her subconsciously.”
“For instance, even if she doesn’t remember anything about the present world and the Night World… she will still instinctively want to protect and help Rast.”
Ophelia lifted her glass, observing the scene in the light curtain with great interest.
The male and female protagonists had finally met; she was curious about the story’s next development.
But the next moment, Ophelia was taken aback to find that part of the area in front of her light curtain had suddenly become hazy.
【Detected content possibly violating the Empire’s minor citizens’ mental health protection laws and the third amendment to the image transmission management regulations; portions of the scene have been shielded.】
Along with the prompt arose a quietly emerging ice-blue character beside Akshia’s fingertip.
“You…”
“Take it off.”
(End of Chapter)
