"You won't spread Mors' Curse."
Jiang You continued to close the distance. "After hearing those words that rainy night, how could you possibly remain by Aurora's side with a clear conscience? Even if she intends to use you as a scapegoat?"
Jiang You's nonchalant demeanor only heightened Melusine's vigilance. His unshakeable composure suggested he possessed a hidden advantage.
"So you know everything, even though there were no witnesses."
Melusine's expression flickered slightly. Jiang You's words confirmed he knew Aurora had orchestrated the entire plot. This was indeed the truth, but Aurora had to maintain her flawless facade—her very reason for existence. Instead of answering Jiang You directly, Melusine's face turned cold. The Fairy Sword Arondight began to glow, a sign that her Noble Phantasm, Arondight: The Untainted Light of the Unrevealed Lake, was about to be unleashed.
"Then I'll eliminate the witness!"
"My apologies, but the greater power lies with me!"
Under Melusine's bewildered gaze, Jiang You seized her weapon. The swirling magical power coursing through it could theoretically cleave through city walls in an instant.
But every rule has its exceptions. Melusine only sensed the space around them distorting, as if it had become detached from the normal world. Her Dragonkind instincts screamed for her to flee, yet she found herself unable to escape the confined area around her.
Jiang You: 4000 Life Points.
Melusine: 4000 Life Points.
"A human Magus?"
Melusine had slain Magi before, but she had never encountered magic of this magnitude. Overriding the very rules of reality was unheard of, and a sliver of fear pricked at her.
"You're welcome to think of me that way," Jiang You said, casually accepting the label. After all, it made little difference.
"Until Aurora begins spreading her curse herself, please stay here with me. Shall we chat for a while?"
Melusine was in no mood for banter. Now that Jiang You knew the truth, his close ally Morgan would undoubtedly be aware as well. If Aurora were to personally spread the curse, it would inevitably be discovered. Melusine shuddered to imagine what would happen to Aurora then—all the carefully cultivated image she had built over decades would be shattered. This would be worse than death itself.
"Judging by your expression, you're hoping she can restrain herself, aren't you?" Jiang You observed.
Jiang You laughed. "Don't worry, it's impossible!"
Neither the Uther Pendragon Negotiation nor Cnoc na Riabh's ascension to power occurred at opportune moments, yet that poisoned wine still materialized. Aurora had never been one to exercise restraint; her actions were impulsive and reckless—utterly characteristic of a Fairy. Even Coral, her right-hand woman, could be transformed into an insect and crushed underfoot for momentarily displeasing her. It was a miracle she had managed to conceal her true nature for centuries.
"You should understand Aurora better than I do. Now is the perfect time to sow chaos—how could she possibly resist?"
Jiang You knew Aurora's character well, hence his certainty.
"Imagine her expression when her schemes are exposed. What fate awaits her—the one who tried to frame the Child of Prophecy? She's Her Majesty the Queen's daughter, yet the Rebel Army needs the Child of Prophecy to overthrow the Queen's rule... Where in this world would she have a place to hide?"
"I won't let you succeed! I'll save her!"
Melusine struggled desperately. If she could just stop Aurora's actions, there might still be a chance to turn things around. But even a Beast had to obey certain rules—how could she possibly break free?
"Please don't paint me as the villain. You're the ones doing the wrong things."
Jiang You shook his index finger, signaling Melusine to calm down. "Before we fight, I have a question. Which Aurora do you yearn for? The one who pulled you out of the mire, the radiant Aurora who shone so brightly? Or the one before you now—glittering on the surface, but rotten to the core? Are you trying to save her, or merely her 'shine'?"
"What do you mean?"
Melusine clearly didn't grasp Jiang You's point. What difference was there between the two? In truth, she simply refused to delve deeper into the matter.
"The Aurora who pulled you from the mire is now another mire herself!" Jiang You explained more bluntly. "In fact, she was always that mire from the beginning. The flowers growing on its surface merely blinded you! And now, you refuse to crawl out of it yourself."
"And this time, it's me who's reaching out to you."
Jiang You reached out to Melusine, his gesture more symbolic than practical.
"Well? Will you take it?"
The abrupt change in topic startled Melusine, leaving her momentarily stunned. Her expression quickly turned cold again. "You know how we first met, but you can never imagine the scene when I first laid eyes on Aurora. Without her, I would have remained a mere lump of flesh lying silently in the mud. From the day she lifted me up, I saw a brilliant light, and I vowed then and there to sacrifice everything—even my conscience—for her happiness!"
Melusine countered with a similar question: "Then I ask you! To whom are you extending your hand? To that lump of flesh or to Melusine herself?"
Excellent. Melusine is proving as difficult to deal with as expected. Neither answer was a viable option. Choosing Melusine would imply acknowledging her value as existing solely for Aurora's sake. Choosing the lump of flesh would mean the Dragon Fairy Melusine could never have been born, rendering the choice meaningless. Therefore, Melusine would never agree to Jiang You's request.
There was no right answer.
But that didn't stop Jiang You from twisting the argument: "Are you denying the present with the past? We're all creatures of the present, and every single fragment of the past has shaped who we are now. What I want to seize is the Melusine who craves warmth at night, fears loneliness, loves rainbows, sees herself as Percival's mother, and believes she's the strongest being! It's precisely because of everything that makes you you that I can't let you fall deeper. So, please answer me again, Melusine!"
"Honestly, this is probably the first time we've actually met, isn't it?"
Melusine's pale golden eyes fixed intently on Jiang You, her expression unreadable. "Your knowledge of me... it's almost sickening. Are you some kind of pervert?"
"Does it matter?"
Jiang You knew more servants than just her, and it was easy to win favor by tailoring his approach. Except for those with particularly poor compatibility, like Goldie and Minamoto no Raikou.
"It matters very much. It determines whether I can use my 'beauty' to persuade you to help me."
Melusine was genuinely considering the feasibility of this tactic.
"So, we'll settle this through combat after all?"
Jiang You was already used to it. "Melusine, don't blame me for being underhanded. I'll strike first!"