What I Did Was... Unforgiveable

Oh wow, I'm so surprised!

Anyway, time to get into this—

"No, nothing."

It seemed that I have lost track of the current conversation. What was it again?

No. Just no. That's not the right time to think about it.

I shoved the intrusive thought aside and focused. No room for hesitation. I had to improvise—as quick as possible—based on whatever scraps of information I’d managed to piece together.

Yes, that would be the best course to set us en route to freedom from this misery.

“So, how is the Gevurah Kingdom?” I asked, keeping my tone neutral and composed.

Elysia raised a brow, disbelief flickering across her face. Concern followed a beat later.

“Madame Clarisse,” she said carefully, “isn’t that your kingdom? Or don't you mean my infiltration into it… seeing as you were abandoned by your homeland?”

Infiltration?

No, no, no wait—what infiltration?!

What was she even talking about?

I hadn’t realized—hell, I hadn’t even suspected—this was even a thing. But judging from our conversation so far, I could already see why I might be standing in line for public execution.

Or else, get beheaded as soon as possible. Hell yeah.

“Yes, of course! Obviously.” I replied quickly, with a confident nod I didn’t feel. 

“It indeed is my kingdom. But the infiltration… was a calculated plan of mine. My priority.”

Perfect. Just like Cell. 

Controlled, adaptive, and absolutely making it up as I went.

Now I just had to dig deeper.

“Since you disappeared,” Elysia continued, “the castle’s been under heavier guard. I disguised myself as a courier just to sneak inside—but I nearly got caught by the gate soldiers.”

Really? That extreme?

How strict... so they never really let their guard down. Even now.

“And what did you manage to uncover during your infiltration?” I pressed, keeping my expression unreadable.

She sighed and then gave her answer in two clipped sentences.

“The kingdom’s internal state is unstable. And... they probably fear you.”

Fear me? What the hell was it for?

I mean... what exactly did I do? Set a fire? Sabotage a strategy? Lead a coup?

Or—God forbid—murder someone?!

I had zero idea.

So, there was only one thing left to do.

Yes. The one thing I would always do at times like this: f**k around and find out.

But first—I had to get a grip on the situation without displaying the so-called obvious “I don't know what I’m doing” meme vibes.

As much as I hated the theatrical antics, I took a breath, tilted my chin upward, rested it gently against my thumb, thus mustered a touch of aristocratic, noblewoman gesture.

“Surely… they must have feared me,” I said softly. 

“After all, what I did was... unforgivable by their standards.”

“Indeed, Clarisse,” Elysia said, as if the answer were obvious. “Poisoning the Kingdom’s Duke for his selfish actions during the Centurion Brotherhood War—that alone would justify their fear.”

…

Okay.

Wait.

Hold on.

Let me take a breath. Slowly. In… out...

Huft.

WHAT?! I POISONED A DUKE?!

No no no, wait. Did she just say poison?

As in murder?

Are you f***ing kidding me?!

And worse—did I just jinx myself by saying “what I did was unforgivable,” only to find out it was murder? God forbid—I basically walked right into confessing a successful, full-blown villainous act!

There’s no way—I mean, no way—that I, a police officer-turned-detective who served diligently for more or less ten—yes, ten—whole years, could’ve committed such a blatant atrocity!

And yet... here we are.

Apparently, this kind of plot twist was a standard operating procedure in this world. 

Every story needed one unhinged reveal, right? 

At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was an evil twin or a secret love child thrown in next. Or else, some kind of abandoned royal member got alienated by the whole family.

Honestly, how many times had I seen this happen already? 

It was like sitting through the same story on loop—just dressed up in different costumes with new character names and slightly altered stakes. The setup never changed: a disgraced noble, a scandalous crime, some morally grey justification slapped on top. All of it following the same repetitive super-formula, pretending to be deep or subversive when really, it was just another copy of a copy. The structure was so familiar I could probably predict the next three plot points without trying. At this point, it felt less like storytelling and more like genre auto-pilot.

Predictable. Monotonous. Bleh.

And of course, the "villainess arc" trope had to show up, too. An exiled noblewoman, condemned for a crime she may or may not have committed, now living in the shadows while some mysterious NPC Lady Princess—who was somehow tied to my "objective"—loomed in the background like a final boss with pretty curls and passive-aggressive dialogue.

This plot was unraveling fast. But hey—I could still play that part, at least.

So, as per usual, I gracefully leaned my head to the side, feigned deep thought, and muttered with just enough flair:

“Oh… no wonder I was so confused already…”

Then, with a flourish of elegance, I added the cherry on top:

“My servant.”

Yes. That would do. A perfect little verbal misdirection. A distraction.

It bought me time while making me sound vaguely important—and possibly dangerous.

Elysia blinked, visibly thrown. “O-oh? What made you so confused, Milady?”

Excellent... simply, simply lovely.

She took the bait.

Now, it's time to keep the illusion of power alive.

I gently tapped her chin—just enough pressure to lift it—guiding her gaze up to mine like the dignified, vaguely threatening master I was pretending to be.

“Are you really suggesting...” I said slowly, “that I would make such a foolish mistake… and then admit to it as if it were a crime, Elysia?”

Her entire body went still. Shoulders tensed. Spine straightened. Chest stiffened.

She looked… rattled.

Did I just intimidate her?

Me? Intimidating?

Oh, come on. There is no way.

This wasn’t even an interrogation I would usually do back in those days. 

Just a casual banter—maybe with a side of psychological manipulation. 

Nothing too serious.