Villain: After I died, all the heroines cried themselves to sleep.

Chapter 197 Don't say it, don't ask it

Rhodes, along with Ange and Luna, attended a court banquet.

The witch also received an invitation, but she seemed to have important matters to attend to and was unable to attend.

Rhodes' intuition told him that what the witch was about to do was important.

Unfortunately, no matter how much he pressed her for an answer, the witch always avoided the topic.

Instead, she winked playfully.

"Let me keep the mystery until the very end."

Unfortunately, Rhodes was preoccupied with other matters and worried about the safety of the Empress, so he had to postpone the matter of the witch.

Fortunately, he wasn't unprepared.

Rhodes glanced at the earring on Ange's earlobe and the bracelet on Luna's wrist.

These are the pieces of jewelry he made using alchemy.

The witch also received a necklace.

That is a treasure that can engrave one's true name into one's soul.

Rhodes clearly remembered the witch's real name, and it was likely that she had used this necklace in a past cycle.

I only hope that this necklace can help the witch.

……

Upon arriving at the palace, the banquet was held as scheduled.

The scene of clinking glasses and lively conversation around me was so familiar.

Rhodes had no sense of danger.

This indicates that, at least during this banquet, no unexpected assassination attempt on the Queen occurred.

It wasn't until the latter part of the banquet that the head maid brought an invitation from the Queen.

"Professor Rhodes, His Majesty invites you to the inner court for a discussion later."

So Rhodes followed the head maid to the Queen's bedchamber.

The Queen was not in her bedroom, but was standing on the balcony watching the snow, dressed in a pure white nightgown.

Rhodes stepped forward to watch with the Queen.

Looking at the empty and quiet courtyard, only snowflakes were falling.

A strong sense of loneliness arose spontaneously, as if the whole world had become empty and desolate.

Rod couldn't help but speak.

"Does Your Majesty feel lonely?"

"Loneliness? I've been used to loneliness since I ascended the throne."

"Habit and liking are two different things."

"...What are you trying to say?"

"If Your Majesty finds this loneliness distasteful, perhaps you could try leaving the palace and experiencing the outside world."

"Hmph, that's easy for you to say. Do you think I'm the kind of incompetent ruler who abandons state affairs and only knows how to enjoy himself?"

"Of course not."

"Then you believed the nonsense of another version of me, thinking that someone in the palace would harm me and wanted to take me away from the palace."

The Queen turned her head and stared intently at Rhodes.

"If I told you that no one would assassinate me, would you believe me, or would you believe her?"

"..."

Rhodes remained silent.

How come there are such deadly questions here?

The world is caught in a time loop, and the system mission is warning the Empress that her life is in danger. What the Empress's second personality says is, of course, credible.

On the contrary, the empress in front of him seemed to be acting somewhat impulsively.

However, simply denying it is definitely not an option.

Rhodes carefully considered his tone before slowly offering his advice.

"Your Majesty's health is of utmost importance and cannot be compromised."

"Is this your answer?"

The empress narrowed her eyes, then let out a cold snort.

"This is so boring. I'm going back to my bedroom. Do you want me to walk back barefoot?"

"..."

At the Queen's request, Rhodes carried her back to the bedroom.

There is a full-length mirror in the bedroom.

The Queen stood in front of the mirror.

Her perfect body was reflected in the mirror.

Am I beautiful?

"……beautiful."

Rod answered truthfully.

The empress looked at herself in the mirror and continued speaking.

"Professor, can you tell? This is actually a magic mirror."

She reached out and touched the mirror, and the smooth surface rippled like water.

"It was by touching this magic mirror that I discovered another version of myself and heard her ramblings."

As if confirming the empress's words, as the ripples subsided, the empress's demeanor in the mirror suddenly changed, becoming the second personality that Rhodes was familiar with.

"Teacher! There's another me!"

The second personality reveals the girl's weakness, constantly patting the mirror, almost crying in distress.

"Run! You'll die! Staying here will definitely kill you!"

"Hmph, laughable! It's nothing but a bewitching ghost in a mirror."

The empress smiled dismissively and withdrew her hand.

She glanced at Rhodes, as if to tell him that the so-called second personality was just an illusion created by the magic mirror.

"..."

Rhodes observed the magic mirror and even tried to reach out and touch it.

In that instant, he felt a strange tremor in his soul.

The mirror rippled with water, reflecting another image of Rhodes.

The other person stared silently at Rhodes.

"He knows everything and sees everything. So don't speak, don't ask, it's not the time yet. Just keep living, and one day you will know the answer."

After saying that, he disappeared into the mirror.

Rod stared intently at the mirror.

Is it a smokescreen?

No, absolutely not.

That kind of soul-stirring feeling is unmistakable.

"Professor, how long are you going to keep staring at this magic mirror? Have you been bewitched by it?"

The Queen roused Rhodes from his thoughts.

Rhodes looked back at the Queen and explained earnestly.

"Your Majesty, this is not a bewitching magic mirror. This magic mirror is crafted from Soul Stones. Although it is still unfinished, it is engraved with spells unknown to us and contains extremely high research value."

"I didn't bring you here to discuss academic research."

"His Majesty……"

"Shut up, I didn't give you permission to speak."

The Empress forcefully interrupted Rhodes.

"I'm in charge here, now I'm going to sleep."

She forcibly dragged Rod to the bedside and pushed him down onto the bed.

Rhodes was curious about the secrets of the magic mirror, thinking it might be helpful for his research on soul magic.

However, the Queen's safety is the most important thing right now.

We had no choice but to cooperate with the Empress for now, and it wouldn't be too late to observe her after she fell asleep.

And so the two of them fell asleep in each other's arms.

Rhodes planned to keep watch until dawn...

"Hmm!"

A sharp pain in his chest woke Rhodes.

He suddenly opened his eyes.

Looking down, he realized that his chest had been pierced.

Looking at the other side, the Empress's face showed pain, and her complexion was extremely pale.

A dagger pierced her chest, outlining a scarlet, tragic red spider lily on her pristine white nightgown.

Countless questions filled Rhodes' mind.

Who exactly assassinated him and the Empress?