"?"
Looking at the girl who had suddenly started acting strangely, Xingyun Liuge tilted her head with utmost seriousness, as if to say, What exactly is going on here?
What she actually wanted to tell the girl was: Honestly, I preferred the dignified, commanding version of you from a moment ago. Why don't you dial it back a little?
Of course, that was only a joke. Xingyun Liuge really had sensed that lofty, superior air in Elizabeth's manner, and she did not like it.
Still, she could not blame Elizabeth entirely. That was just how old money tended to be.
At first glance, they offered you excellent treatment, and their attitude seemed humble enough, courteous enough. But underneath it all was the unmistakable feeling of, This is for your own good. Miss this chance and there won't be another.
That kind of attitude was always going to feel a little off.
This was not the Middle Ages anymore. Playing those kinds of games was boring.
And they absolutely were not allowed to use that sort of method to bully her little country bumpkin.
Still, since the girl was clearly one of her fans, and since Chihaya Yui had not actually been pressured, Xingyun Liuge was willing to deal with her calmly.
Besides, there was something she wanted Elizabeth to do for her.
She had not forgotten that bizarre incident with the sportswear suddenly displaying the slogan I love England.
Granted, everyone else's sportswear had done the same thing. On the surface, it looked less like a deliberate jab and more like someone's misguided attempt to weave patriotism into everyday life.
Even so, that little trick had really annoyed her.
Did they think Xingyun Liuge was some kind of fool? Did they think she would just swallow some insincere line like, Everyone's was the same, so at most it was an accident. Surely there was no hidden meaning, Miss Xingyun, please don't misunderstand?
Xingyun Liuge had only one response to that:
That had very obviously been an attempt to steer the narrative around her.
She did not care what other people thought, nor what the mastermind's true intention had been.
It had irritated her, and that was that.
To this day, Xingyun Liuge still did not know exactly who was behind the stunt. It was not as if she had no leads at all, but having leads only made it more annoying.
Before this, she had specifically gone to talk with Nijinsky and suggested that they investigate the incident together and clear her name. After all, in the rumor mill, Nijinsky had somehow ended up as the mastermind. That was hardly something to leave alone.
And yet, strangely enough, Nijinsky had admitted fault with remarkable honesty and allowed the rumor to spread, showing absolutely no intention of uncovering the truth.
That was not just slightly suspicious. It was deeply strange.
As the widely acknowledged last British Triple Crown winner, and as someone who had served for years as student council president, how could Nijinsky possibly have come up with such a clumsy scheme herself—a scheme with almost no benefit, and with every chance of making Xingyun Liuge unhappy and ruining Britain's recruitment efforts?
That was not the kind of fool Nijinsky was.
Surely it was not possible that, under the influence of a certain Iron Lady, her way of thinking had somehow gone off the rails?
That Iron Lady of a prime minister had indeed transformed British institutions step by step. But from a long-term perspective, it was hard to say whether those changes were truly good or bad. Even if Nijinsky admired her, there was no way she would embrace such a reckless, provocative method out of blind zeal.
If that was the case, then only one answer remained.
Nijinsky was taking the blame for someone else.
There were not many people in Britain who could make Nijinsky go that far for them. And now this highborn young lady, who was almost embarrassingly enthusiastic, had appeared in front of her at exactly the right moment.
At once, a daring idea formed in Xingyun Liuge's mind:
She would ask Elizabeth to investigate the matter and restore Nijinsky's name.
Of course, if Nijinsky had been present, she probably would have delivered one of those classic lines:
Must everything really be investigated? What if the investigation actually turns something up?
Since she had refused from the beginning to clear her own name and expose the truth, it probably meant she had already guessed who the culprit was.
And when people of high station had to deal with others of equally high station, the most rational choice was to make them restrain one another. That way, the situation stayed under control.
Each side would instinctively preserve the other's dignity rather than let matters spiral out of hand.
Naturally, Xingyun Liuge was not going to lower her guard just because Elizabeth was one of her fans.
In fact, she had an even bolder suspicion:
What if... that utterly clumsy idea had actually come from this very young lady?
She seemed to be a fervent admirer. She looked young enough to be impulsive, just old enough to be convinced she was clever. She also happened to share a surname with the British queen…
Coincidence?
Xingyun Liuge glanced at the maid, who still stood there with perfect composure, and let her eyes skim over the maid's understated yet luxurious uniform. Her suspicion only grew stronger.
This did not feel like coincidence at all.
A person of exalted status, of an age prone to impulsiveness, and with an obvious fixation on Xingyun Liuge—there could hardly be anyone more suitable to fit the role of mastermind than Miss Elizabeth herself.
And yet now the mastermind had suddenly appeared in front of her. Was that not just a little too convenient?
With no evidence in hand, Xingyun Liuge had no choice but to suppress the thought and instead ask the girl for help.
It felt a bit wrong—using a fan's affection like that. But the way the girl looked at her, eyes shining so brightly, made it very hard not to be tempted.
After thinking it over, Xingyun Liuge reached out and patted the girl gently on the head, offering consolation so perfunctory it almost lacked sincerity.
"All right, all right. I understand how Miss Elizabeth feels. Thank you for liking me so much."
For some reason, Xingyun Liuge kept having the odd sense that Elizabeth might suddenly grab her hand and say, Onegai, watashi—!
No, wait. Elizabeth was British. If she said anything, it would be please, not that.
Feeling the warmth of Xingyun Liuge's hand on her head, Elizabeth lost what little remained of her ladylike composure. Her hands clutched her fan tightly, and her eyes shone even more brightly than before.
"Big Sister!"
At that very instant, the maid moved with almost teleportation-like speed, appearing right behind Elizabeth and quietly reminding her,
"Your Highness, I understand your feelings, but please restrain yourself."
"Ah? Cough, cough."
Only then did Elizabeth seem to recover herself. She turned away, took two deep breaths, coughed twice, and finally managed to suppress her overexcitement. Then she turned back, lowered herself into a curtsy so flawless it could not possibly have been more proper, and declared:
"Good day, Big Sister. I am Elizabeth Alexandra Windsor. It is my greatest honor to meet you here. I shall treasure this wonderful memory for the rest of my life! Ahh... Big Sister..."
Yet by the end, her tone had turned strange again, as though she were on the verge of breaking into some bizarre little laugh.
"..."
Watching Elizabeth completely lose the elegant bearing she had displayed only moments earlier, Chihaya Yui opened her mouth and stood there blankly for quite some time, unable to form a response. At last, still looking utterly bewildered, she turned toward Xingyun Liuge and silently begged her horse girl to explain what on earth was happening.
Was this the terrifying power of charisma?
Could a girl's charm really be so overwhelming that it transformed a noble young lady into... this?
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 165)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter220)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter125)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (This matter is completely finished.)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 220
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 185
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/20
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 248
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 230
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/40
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 125
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 145
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 120
I Can Copy Unique Skills 115
Summoning an Evil God, but the 75
Supernatural Multiverse 110
My Harem Is Indescribable 100
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 105
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 67
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 105
Still playing traditional Honk 80
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 85
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 78
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 80
Checking In in Demon Slayer 85
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 100
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 85
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 80
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 90
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 75
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 85
Why did they assign me to Uma 75
MYGO Beauties 70
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 75
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 80
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 100
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 60
The Uma Musume Who Became 60
I'm Definitely Not the King of 80
After Maxing Out Every Class 80
Naruto: I'm Konoha's Local Men 44
Honkai: World Modulation Mode 57
I, the Elden Sword Saint 50
Dio Brando Is Challenging FGO 43
No One Knows Pokémon Better 50
I, Sakazuki, Won't Go Down Tha 45
From Trilobites to Titans 45
Chainsaw Man: Contracted with 55
DanMachi: My Party Members Are 60
An Anime Heroine Darkened 55
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