The stranger did not act at all like the 'Princess Meiyang' encountered in this universe. The person stood still, refusing to remove their mask. With a sense of urgency and suspicion, Yueting addresses the stranger, her voice tinged with determination. "Since it couldn't be you alone behind this, who was the other one? It can't be the king, I assume," she remarks, her eyes fixed on the masked figure.

The stranger's response is filled with anger, their tone betraying frustration and defensiveness. "Who told you all of this?" they demand, their voice tense with emotion. Yueting maintains her composure, her own voice calm yet insistent. "Why? Do you suspect there's a snitch among you?" she probes, her words deliberate and probing.

"There couldn't be," the stranger insists, their tone adamant yet tinged with uncertainty. Yueting acknowledges the response before pressing on, her demeanor unwavering. "Thank you for answering my question," she says before continuing, her voice firm and resolute. "It seems you're not acting alone, so who is the person helping you?"

As Yueting grabs one of the bodies and holds it over the cliff's edge, the stranger's desperation becomes palpable, their actions betraying a sense of urgency and panic. "Don't!" they exclaim, their voice laced with fear and desperation. But Yueting remains steadfast, her resolve unshaken as she confronts the masked figure.

"Why would you?" the stranger protests, their voice trembling with emotion. Yueting, however, remains focused, her voice steady as she articulates her deduction. "You didn't poison me when you had the chance, so it must mean you 'need' me too," she deduces, her words laced with determination.

As she stands on the edge of the cliff, her actions speak of resolve and determination, her gaze fixed on the masked figure before her. "Is it the queen?" she questions, her tone questioning yet resolute. The stranger's response is filled with uncertainty and apprehension, their voice betraying a sense of confusion and disbelief.

"So I'm right, the queen is behind this," Yueting concludes, her voice unwavering as she confronts the masked figure. "Well then, thank you for your help," she says as she takes the other body and hoists it over her shoulder, her actions conveying a sense of finality and resolve.Taking another step back, she steps into the air and falls backward down the cliff, her actions decisive and purposeful. As the stranger cries out in desperation, their voice filled with panic and fear, Yueting throws the bodies down and quickly removes the mask, her actions swift and deliberate.

It's Meiyang. Yueting could have guessed this; she had heard before that Meiyang was close to the queen, being her daughter. So when she heard the queen was behind this, she practically knew it was Meiyang. Even though their voices were different and their actions weren't the same, nothing could go against recognizing her face in this outfit.

"You!" Meiyang says as she tries to cover her face, but it's too late. "It's too late, my love. You don't have to hide yourself anymore," Yueting says, her voice soothing and calm, her words filled with compassion and understanding.

"System, catch the other two," Yueting instructs the system, her voice firm and decisive, her actions signaling the culmination of her investigation.

⌞System message: Understood, I will leave you two alone.⌝

With that, the two bodies falling mid-air disappeared. Yueting turned around; now Meiyang was falling down with her back towards the floor, and Yueting was facing her. They weren't far from the floor anymore. "Plea-!" Meiyang begins, but her words are cut off by Yueting. In a sudden, impulsive move, Yueting pulls Meiyang close and locks her lips in a deep, passionate kiss, pressing their bodies together as they plummet towards the ground. The sensation of their lips meeting, the rush of the fall, and the impending danger create a whirlwind of emotions. For a fleeting moment, everything else fades away as they share this final, intimate moment together.

With a loud thud, they hit the floor, their lips parting as they take their last breaths. Meiyang's eyes close as peace washes over her.

⌞System message: I'm back. You've received no damage.⌝

Yueting could have already guessed the system would save her; even if not, it's not like it would matter. Sitting up, she faces Meiyang, blood streaming down Meiyang's face. Her eyes are closed, and she lies on the floor, covered in dirt. Picking her up, Yueting starts to climb back up the cliff, heading toward the castle.

Entering the castle grounds, guards run up to her, with the queen right behind. "What did you do to my baby girl, you monster!?" the queen yells as she rushes forward. As the guards get close, they point their swords at Yueting. Slowly looking up, she faces the queen. It wasn't like she regretted what she did; if she hadn't done it, she'd have to be stuck in this facade of a world. With a loud bang, everyone around Yueting falls to the ground, a big purple light pushing them down, making their bodies feel like they weigh tons.

It wasn't long ago when Yueting found an error in the system. Every power, every technique cost her a part of herself. Each technique she hadn't trained yet would make her suffer simply for using the system's 'version'. But there was one category, one part of the magic that she could use without any drawbacks other than the one drawback that made her lose control of her emotions while using it.

She had figured this out after trying to read the ripped-out page in the guidebook. There was one part that she could read even if part of the page was torn out.

𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇𝒷𝒾𝒹𝒹𝑒𝓃 𝓂𝒶𝑔𝒾𝒸.

𝐼𝓉 𝒽𝒶𝓈 𝓃𝑜 𝓁𝒾𝓂𝒾𝓉𝓈; 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝓎𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓂 𝒸𝒶𝓃𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝒸𝑜𝓃𝓉𝓇𝑜𝓁 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝒽𝒾𝓁𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓊𝓈𝑒 𝒾𝓉, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝓃𝑒𝒾𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒸𝑜𝓃𝓉𝓇𝑜𝓁 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓈𝑒𝓁𝒻. 𝒟𝑜 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝓊𝓈𝑒 𝒾𝓉.

That was all the page said.

Begging, the queen pleaded, "Let me go, I beg," her tone from earlier completely gone, replaced by fear. It was as if she wasn't the same bratty queen from before.

Approaching the queen, Yueting began to speak, her voice devoid of emotion. "You know, your daughter at least has my love on her side, yet I killed her. Do you think begging will make me let you live?" she stated, holding direct eye contact with the queen. With every step she took, the queen grew more nervous.

"Perhaps I'll let you suffer for a little longer after all," Yueting remarked with a chuckle, an almost evil chuckle.

"How much longer until we hit the 4-hour countdown?" Yueting directed toward the system.

⌞System message: Master, the countdown is close to 4 hours.⌝

⌞System message: 3⌝

⌞System message: 2⌝

⌞System message: 1⌝

⌞System message: 0⌝

The moment the countdown hit zero, the Xing mages appeared behind Yueting, with one of them taking the king with her. The king appeared dizzy from the teleportation but quickly regained focus.

"Hero, what happened?" one of the Xing mages inquired.

Turning around, Yueting faced them, still holding Meiyang in her arms. "Meimei!" the king exclaimed, attempting to walk forward, but one of the Xing mages restrained him, likely understanding the situation.

"You see, Your Majesty, I had no choice," Yueting explained, her voice still emotionless due to the 'power' she used.

Continuing, Yueting asserts, "Your lovely daughter and wife were behind this," she concludes her sentence. With that, everyone gasps; even the Xing mages appear shocked. The mood instantly worsens.

Stepping up, the king begins to speak, "Hero, though I do appreciate you solving this, did you have to go this far?" His voice shivers with emotion.

"How could I not avenge the dead people?" Yueting retorts, her tone almost mocking as she steps forward. In response, the Xing mages erect a barrier to hold Yueting back. Sighing, Yueting takes a step back.

"I won't kill your wife. You can decide what will happen to her, but you will never get your daughter back," Yueting asserts, her emotions gradually returning to her voice.

Even though the king was still shivering, he mustered the courage to step forward again, and the Xing mages took down the barrier. Yueting released the magic she had put on the guards and the queen.

"Now I'll leave the rest to all of you. You have the antidote and know who the culprit is, so nothing new should happen," Yueting declares."Will you leave now?" one of the Xing mages inquires."Of course not," Yueting responds. "I will obviously stay to claim my reward of alcohol!" she exclaims happily.

"Alcohol?" the king asks, stuttering as he helps the queen up."Duh, I wish my reward to be the finest alcohol you have," Yueting insists."But we never spoke of a reward," the king counters.Smiling, Yueting activates the spell again, holding the queen down. "Are you sure?" she teases."Actually, I must've been mistaken!" the king admits, and the magic disappears once again as the queen sighs.

❝In the dance of deception, truth hides behind a mask of uncertainty.❝