Get Ahead of the Fallen Heroine and Make the Bull-Headed Man the Victim - Chapter 148



Chapter 148. So, who will be deceived next?

Transformed, Valentina swiftly arrived at the underground chamber once used to resurrect Allen.

Now, after a thorough cleaning, no trace remained of what had transpired here.

Unlike the dark sorcerers present at that time, only Marlow stood in attendance this time.

Upon seeing a completely unfamiliar noble lady intrude, Marlow, who had been resting against the wall with eyes closed, immediately furrowed his brow.

“Apologies, my lady, but you seem to be lost. This is hardly a sightseeing spot.”

Marlow warned the unwitting ‘lady’ in a tone that feigned respect, indicating that this place was not for casual visitors.

He felt fortunate for his preparations, having secured the grand iron door to block the ritual site from prying eyes.

Now, even if an outsider wandered in, they would merely assume it was an underground storage, with him—a figure who hardly seemed benevolent—waiting inside for some clandestine dealings.

“…I am well aware of such matters.”

Valentina, treated as an outsider, felt no discomfort; instead, a smirk of intrigue danced at the corners of her mouth as she approached the pretentious Marlow.

“!? Truly remarkable disguise skills; I almost didn’t recognize you.”

Surprised at recognizing her voice, Marlow’s expression shifted to one of astonishment as he stepped away from the wall to face this ‘mysterious lady.’

“Just imitating that woman, nothing worth mentioning.”

Valentina chuckled lightly as she tucked away her parasol, feeling no pride in the act.

She was merely imagining what it would be like to be the sister of Delia, sharing the same blood and bone.

Nothing more than a pretense, really.

“No, no, I wouldn’t call this ‘insignificant’ by any means.”

While Her Highness the Princess might not think much of it, Marlow was acutely aware of the intricacies at play; even he, who had dealt with many nobles, had not recognized her. The ability to conceal one’s true nature through disguise was no trivial feat—it was far from being insignificant.

“Whatever the case, how is the situation with ‘Her Highness’?”

Unfortunately for Marlow, no matter how much he praised her, it was not the kind of flattery Valentina wished to hear. She merely smiled and swiftly redirected the conversation to the matter at hand.

Marlow was not one to dawdle; since the Princess had spoken, he wasted no more time. He directly activated the hidden switch concealed within the wall, retracting the heavy iron door to reveal the scene within.

Inside the foreign contraption that had once been used to resurrect Allen lay a silver-haired woman, nearly identical to Valentina herself.

She lay there in serene slumber, as peaceful as if resting in a coffin.

Of course, she could not be the true Valentina.

Her true identity was that of a female adventurer whom Delia had previously used to ensnare Valentina. Originally just a woman with a passing resemblance, she had been transformed into Valentina through magical artifacts provided by Delia.

After being captured by Allen and brought back to the knight order, her background was investigated, revealing her to be a ruthless adventurer who had betrayed her comrades to claim rewards for herself.

Coupled with her impersonation of royalty and the tarnishing of royal reputation, she was essentially doomed.

Yet Valentina had spared her life, initially intending to keep her as leverage against Delia, to deter her from further schemes.

But now, Valentina had decided to let her play the role of herself once more.

This time, however, it was not to deceive her, but to fool Delia, Allen, and some wretched deity.

“It has been proven in previous experiments that by employing a certain degree of forgetfulness magic simultaneously with the summoning, the subject can indeed forget a segment of memory. However, altering cognition remains a daunting task; I fear this ‘Princess’ may not meet your needs.”

Marlow reported the situation to his superior with a hint of resignation.

Forgetfulness magic was already a complex and difficult art, lasting at most a few dozen minutes. The apparatus for this ritual could amplify the forgetfulness magic, theoretically extending its duration up to a year.

In fact, during the experiment early this morning, the first subject, Allen, had forgotten his defeat to Valentina, his memory halting before that fateful ‘suicide’ mission.

If someone could wield cognition-altering magic or possessed a magical artifact capable of such, this device might allow the false princess to believe herself to be the true royal.

Yet, as there was no one in the kingdom with such abilities or artifacts, this false princess had only been subjected to the forgetfulness magic, aided by the maid Martina.

Thus, she remained a mere counterfeit, incapable of fully embodying the true Valentina—there would surely be flaws.

“It matters not; has not ‘Her Highness’ forgotten? Forgotten the fact that she is a ‘false princess’?”

Yet, gazing at the counterfeit princess, there was no sense of disappointment.

Her eyes brimmed with a fervor that even the seasoned Marlow found unsettling, a wild intensity that made him want to retreat.

At that moment, Marlow realized that it seemed the princess had no intention of allowing the impostor to remain active for long; one could even say she was deliberately inviting discovery.

Ah… how could Prince Mori dare to confront such a strong and unhinged princess? It was a mismatch of epic proportions.

He thought this, yet Marlow couldn’t help but smile wryly, for he had initially believed Valentina to be a mere boorish wild boar of a princess. But now, no matter how one looked at her, she was a scheming, cunning dark princess through and through.

It seems even he can misjudge at times…

…or is it that Her Highness the Princess only began to change during that period?

With this thought, Marlow recalled the ‘monster’ he had once encountered, and to be honest, he vaguely felt that the current princess bore some resemblance to that humanoid ‘monster.’

Yet, even for Marlow, who thrived on thrill-seeking, delving deeper felt excessively stimulating; perhaps it was best not to probe further.

Instead, he should promptly obey the princess’s command and liberate ‘Her Highness’ from her seal.

Under Valentina’s intrigued gaze, Marlow activated the device.

As the magical apparatus, purchased at a high price from a foreign land, whirred to life, a silver-haired girl emerged, one hand pressed to her head, her bare feet slowly touching the cold ground.

“Ugh… Wh-where is this?”

The princess, seemingly stripped of her memories, gazed at the two before her with a look of confusion etched across her pure, lovely face.

Marlow remained silent, merely bowing respectfully, as if she truly were the princess.

On the other side, Valentina slowly revealed a wickedly delightful smile towards her counterfeit:

“Welcome back, ‘Princess Valentina.’ We have much to ask of you now~”

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