The heavy solid wood door shut behind Colette quietly as she stepped into the room.
It was dark and the air felt thin, like she had been dropped off close to the north pole. Her hands soothed the goosebumps on her arms, self comforting, as she approached the man sitting in a leather chair by the window.
Sir Lionel was dressed down compared to the previous evening, with a black linen shirt that was simple but classy, and black suit pants. His arms were thick and and wrinkled as he rested his hands on the head of his metal cane, the picture of authority while he stared at Colette with his beady eyes.
"Sit."
Colette did. She sat across from the man on the loveseat, taking up minimal space but trying exceedingly hard not to shy away too much. The man seemed to notice this, nodding so faintly that Colette almost didn't catch it. Lionel took a lack of comfort, yet the guts to look him in the eye as a sign of respect. Her reward came swiftly, eyes shining with a slight glint as she peered above the frightening man's head briefly.
[AP: 20. Affection with Sir Lionel is now high enough to detect his True Intent.]
[As a reminder, you now have less than 48 hours left to utilize True Intent before the potion wears off.]
Colette breathed through her nose as Sir Lionel shifted his stance.
[Lionel suspects Colette and Manon the most. He intends to perform the test now.]
Suspicion?
Colette tried not to let her eyebrows furrow as she was confused by that wording. Word choice while using True Intent had often been bothering her. Placeholder….Suspect…what did these mean in regards to the tutorial? None had been implied in the game before.
Regardless, Sir Lionel was no fool. He could detect Colette's bewilderment just by the twitch of her copper brows.
"If you have a question, speak it."
It was an opening. Colette had planned to simply talk a bit more than usual to get a little information from the man, but she didn't expect that he would so easily offer it. She hid her excitement as she fixed her posture, clearing her throat. She already had her question prepared.
"Forgive me if my curiosity is offensive, sir. I just wanted to know more about Sir Lionel."
The man snickered, a short huff that nearly made the air run cold.
"Very arrogant. Do you think you will win these games, child?" The man replied, gaze sharp. Colette didn't falter. Despite his tone…the man was…
"I believe you want a smart, sensible child. That narrows things quite a bit." She used the line she knew by heart- usually said much later in the story- but was necessary to say now.
As expected, Sir Lionel's eyes narrowed dangerously. But again. It was but his expression.
[Sir Lionel is pleased with Colette. AP: 28]
8 points from a single line was ridiculous. Colette swallowed quietly waiting for the man's official response.
"Child. I am Sir Lionel Devereaux of house Devereaux, the oldest Marquis house in the empire. I am one of the 3 great generals of the Southern Conquest, and have trampled on thousands of armies, hundreds of kings- I am one of the last men alive to have fought and survived an elder dragon." He spoke with conviction, with noble arrogance- something that one was born with. His shoulders stern and strong, thick hands grasping his cane as he stared the young girl down.
"I am indeed looking for a child who doesn't disappoint me." He confirmed, and for the first time his eyes were far away, pupils enlarging barely a micrometre before they snapped back immediately. The air was sparking with the tension as he seemed to anticipate something else now, lifting his cane slowly, the man brought it back down with a resounding bang.
The room shook, and what could only be described as a dark indigo light emitted from the impact, like dropping a pebble in a pond. It expanded across the entire office, up the walls, vibrating Colette's entire frame until she had to dig her nails into the fabric of the loveseat she sat on for stability. Sir Lionel looked at her the entire time as if searching for something. Then, he spoke once more.
"Now, tell me of yourself. A lie."
…
Colette exited the room within 15 minutes, longer than most of the other children had taken. She had an expression of quiet confidence on her face as she went to stand by Manon.
"Remember what we talked about, right?" She whispered. Maria was standing by the door and Clare was staring at them incredulously. They didn't have time to discuss much. Manon just nodded and made eye contact before walking forward. What Colette had said replayed in both of their minds.
Even if they didn't quite trust yet- they needed to try or everything would fail. Speaking with Sir Lionel alone was not for the faint of heart.
But it was for the first time in a long time, as Colette watched Manon enter the room and Maria shut the door, that the ginger felt like she truly could trust her with at least this.
…..
The brunette immediately didn't really like the feeling the room gave off. It was as Colette had described to her, heavy wood tones and leather. She did like these things, but it was more so the man seated like a king on a Victorian equivalent of a La-Z-Boy that made her turn up her nose.
"Sit."
The man's voice made her flinch. She supposed she shouldn't be so ruthless as he did allow her to keep 2 gifts in the dinner game, and his AP had even risen to 22 by the end of the dinner…. but she just….hated how he held himself. Manon still did as she was told, planting herself on the loveseat and making herself comfortable to offset the annoyed feelings washing through her. She didn't do it so brazenly or even so inappropriately, but her back was against the support of the sofa, her dress fanned out over her lap down to her feet like a blanket. She didn't sit with her legs closed, didn't sit with her hands tucked. They laid in her lap, tapping at the chiffon of her dark blue dress. She was behaving like a normal child, assuming the comfortable position of one such state of being.
Sir Lionel's mouth twitched.
[AP: 23]
Yes, Manon wanted to get the test over with quickly. His beady eyes made a drop of sweat form at the nape of her neck uncomfortably. She closed her eye briefly, wishing she could take off the uncomfortable eyepatch as she squeezed her lids shut for a moment.
"Tell me of yourself. Lie."
Manon had opened her mouth, eyes still shut about to reply with a long drawn out story about being born with no left eye.
"..."
"...."
Her eyes shot open, body leaning forward away from the support of the loveseat. When she finally looked up, she saw a familiar window, and her lips moved before her mind could fully stop them.
"Fu-" She did manage to clamp a hand over her mouth in time, shaking her head to recalibrate. Sir Lionel sat stone faced, his expression unreadable. Taking that as a good sign, Manon took a deep breath and quickly read her options.
[A. Colette and I have been extremely close since we were 13….]
[B.I once punched a boy in the throat for standing too close to me]
[C. I hold the world record for holding my breath while running (under 18 edition)]
[D. I watched my father die]
If Manon was being tolerant before, her last shred of tolerance had been obliterated. And worst of all, she had no outlet and no time to even address her emotions.
The real problem though, was that every single option was not a lie. At least, not to her. They were only lies to the 'NPC' Manon. Not her player. The system once again was trying to force her to assimilate into this girl, and it felt like she was being mocked. Mocked for her past she had been ripped away from without her permission.
For the first time, she had questions about that too. Was she dead too? Did her mom find her? Or was she just missing? Her mother…was she heartbroken?
"Speak."
She was torn away from her past as Sir Lionel slammed his cane on the ground, causing a minor tremor. Manon gulped, having to make a split second decision. She didn't have time, so her brain immediately selected the option that shook her up the most. The system controlled her, the feeling washing over her again- just as icky, just as invasive.
"...I watched my father die." The statement made Sir Lionel sit up straighter. His brows furrowed, mouth set in a jagged frown.
This time, Manon's words….they felt….real.
For a moment…just a moment, she felt like…Hana.
But in the worst of ways.
"....I watched, seated next to him, as he bled out. Blood poured from his neck. I couldn't stop it. I couldn't move. I watched as he tried to speak to me. His blue eyes wide with fear. I watched the light slowly fade from them, and I remember what he said to me."
Manon stared directly into Sir Lionel's eyes, leant forward on her hands that clutched her dress skirt. Her expression was open, wide eyed, and haunted, her jaw slack.
"He told me…." She paused, one blink…a low vibrational hum coming from an indistinguishable place in the room..
"....Don't look."
"…."