Chapter 608: Puppet Mask Tantra
Isabel stared at the darkness, and the stories floated in her mind, passing by quickly like bubbles and phantoms.
Her consciousness became dull in the hallucination, just like in a dream, unable to accurately control her thoughts.
“…Is there really a correct answer to this question?”
Such doubts arose in her mind.
But obviously, this sentence is not the answer.
After hesitating for a long time, Isabel finally answered cautiously: "Who is Puppet Face?"
"Oh."
The deep laugh came: "It's neither good nor bad.
"You are insightful, but not crazy enough; you are perceptive, but too lucid. You are not fit to inherit all of mine."
Just as Isabel had answered, a human figure appeared in the darkness.
——That was the charming and enchanting snake queen in the original story!
In her hands were countless thin threads, which were connected to the hanging masks.
From the very beginning, all the stories told around her "in the future" were under her control.
As the thin lines in the hands of the Snake Queen continued to merge, the dark scene around her shrank again.
The dark and mysterious space turned into an altar in the yellow sand.
It turns out that everything around is an illusion.
Isabel suddenly realized.
There were densely packed snake people standing silently around, each of them wearing a mask.
Only the snake queen standing in front of Isabel had no mask on her face.
——No, that’s not right!
Isabel was suddenly startled.
The snake queen suddenly smiled charmingly and stretched out her hand towards her face.
The queen took off her pure white faceless mask.
Beneath the mask is another Isabel.
There was no snake tail, no white robe, no golden crown, and no red eyeshadow.
It’s another “Isabel” wearing exactly the same clothes and having exactly the same face as Isabel!
The only difference from herself was that "Isabelle" wore bright lipstick.
Her smile was still charming and full of confidence.
...What about me?
"If you were me..."
Isabel, in the illusion, subconsciously wondered: "Then who am I?"
The "Isabelle" opposite chuckled and put the mask on Isabel's face.
Her nails roamed across Isabel's face, their sharp nails piercing the skin, moving from Isabel's forehead to the base of her left ear. It was as if she wanted to peel her face off directly along the contours of the mask.
She whispered softly: "I am you...
“—You are me.”
Isabel suddenly looked down and saw only a thick snake tail.
At that moment, an indescribable fear arose in Isabel's heart. She suddenly gasped and woke up suddenly.
Isabel sweated profusely.
She suddenly looked up and found herself still sitting at her desk. She had not become the Snake Queen, nor had she ever left Avalon.
But in her hands, the pure white faceless mask still lay quietly. One side of the mask was stained with fresh blood, and there was a short arc mark on the left side of Isabel's cheek, where the knife had cut it.
Under Isabel's gaze, the blood-stained mask gradually began to twist and deform, and finally turned into the appearance of Isabel with her eyebrows lowered and her eyes downcast.
"Is this... a puppet mask?"
Isabel murmured softly.
She imitated the snake queen in the illusion and gently removed the mask.
The mask fell off by itself.
As it fell, an illusory thread suddenly emerged, connecting it to Isabel's right middle finger.
At that moment, Isabel felt a mysterious connection between herself and the mask.
She looked towards the corner of the study, at the two Pope's guards who were looking at her curiously, and suddenly an idea came to her mind.
Isabel smiled and stretched out her hand to one of them, saying, "Ke'er, come here."
"What are your orders, Your Majesty?"
A short-haired elf girl who looked about the same age as Isabel walked over.
"Try this mask on."
Isabel looked at her expectantly.
…
After Mycroft Hermes knocked on the door and received a response, he hurried into the Queen's study with his briefcase and sat down opposite the Queen skillfully.
This man, who was as carefree and fat as a fat seal, seemed a little anxious at this moment.
He rubbed his scalp, which had begun to lose a lot of hair, and complained, "Your Majesty, please do something. I think you should look at these documents yourself. I'm not sure."
As he said this, he put his entire briefcase on the table and pushed it over.
Isabel, who was sitting across from the desk, took the briefcase and looked up at the same time: "Where's the thing I asked you to get for me?"
"The minister's gift is also in there—it's an elven harp."
As Mycroft began to speak, Isabel had already taken out the silver harp.
“So beautiful!”
She couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
A small, silver-white harp, adorned with leaves and vines. Among the leaves and vines, two red flowers—as crimson as roses—were carved from a single piece of gemstone.
It was also inlaid with an amber gem the size of an eyeball, and near the gem was a blue and white silk ribbon.
"Anastasia, I wish you good health..."
Isabel read out the Elvish language.
Originally, she would have subconsciously asked, "Who is Anastasia?" But Aiwass had already told her about his experience in his dream last night.
Therefore, Isabel could only sigh: "That girl's wish can be considered fulfilled. After all, this is the place with the most griffins in the world..."
She looked at Mycroft and said soothingly, "Don't worry, Sir Hermes. I have finished reading the secret book, and I will deal with the backlog of documents as soon as possible."
"You have to teach them a lesson."
Mycroft was a little dissatisfied. "Not long after Minister Aiwass left Avalon, those guys became active one after another. Now the fighting in the Round Table Hall is getting more intense. Or do you intend to continue to maintain the political image of 'you and Minister Aiwass are enemies'?"
"It won't be hidden for long."
Isabel said briskly, "Let's leave it at that for now—everything will be clear once I officially ascend the throne. I remember you saying that only the knights think we have a conflict, while the people are spreading rumors about us. Then you can ask the newspapers to step up their efforts. As for the quarrel... let them quarrel. They'll always find someone to quarrel with, and quarreling over such a ridiculous reason is better than quarreling over a problem that's difficult to resolve."
"There haven't been any issues with the public; in fact, the response has been quite positive. As you might expect, rather than focusing on complex political struggles involving numerous interests, the public prefers romantic love stories that are artistically written, easy to understand, and have simple and clear plots. Your anonymous novel, based on you and Minister Aiwass, has passed review. Without knowing your identity, several editors have given it very positive reviews, and we are now preparing to begin printing.
"but……"
Mycroft said, taking out a handkerchief and wiping the sweat off his face. "My personal advice: it's best not to drink too much in public."
“…What’s wrong?”
Isabel was stunned for a moment. "I remember my grandmother often drinking with the public, and everyone loved it... Is it because I'm not approachable enough? Or do I look too young to drink?"
"Oh, that's not the case. The main thing is that you never had the habit of drinking before, and as soon as Minister Aiwass left, you started drinking every day."
Mycroft smiled wryly and wiped his sweat. "The folklore now says that you had a quarrel with Minister Aiwass, so he left Avalon in a rage and went to the Star to find Miss Aleister. And you drank every day to drown your sorrows, and you even said something like 'If I drink too much, I will see Aiwass'..."
Isabel's scalp tingled: "What the hell is going on..."
She thought for a long time with a conflicted look on her face, but couldn't figure out how to dispel the rumor.
"... Never mind. Anyway, when Aiwass comes back, everything will be clear."
Isabel smacked her lips and gave up her wild thoughts.
Compared to these things, it is better to pray for Aiwass a few more times - maybe the Silver Crown Dragon will hear it!
She looked up and smiled at Mycroft. "By the way, do you see anything strange about me?"
"...Did you cast some kind of illusion?"
Mycroft guessed immediately why Isabel asked this.
Although he guessed Isabel's motive, he looked up and examined her carefully. After a moment's thought, he shook his head. "Not really. At least there's nothing obviously wrong. Or, could you be more specific? Which specific part do you want to observe for the sense of incongruity?"
"To be more specific..."
Isabel said, reaching up to touch her face.
Then she took off the mask.
Under the mask is a short-haired elf girl nicknamed "Ke'er".
Her appearance, temperament, clothes, height, and hairstyle all changed at the same time.
Ke'er waved generously at Mycroft, showing a cheerful smile that was completely different from Isabel's.
At this moment, Isabel pushed open the wardrobe door and jumped out of the study wardrobe.
"...Can you notice that she's not me?"
Isabel continued with the previous sentence and asked.
Mycroft was stunned when he saw this.
Seeing the genuine surprise on his face, Isabel's lips curled up slightly.
She smiled happily, "Then please make another trip later... and deliver this mask to the Candlelight Cathedral and give it to Aiwass.
"——Don't worry, I will take good care of these documents, thank you for your help."
"...As you command, Your Majesty."
Mycroft stood up helplessly and saluted.
Update completed meow!
(End of this chapter)
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