Chapter 36: A Master of Deception and a Failed Assassination

Besides sensing his apology in Rodd’s words, I also deduced a rather important matter.

His probing questions seemed to be nothing more than a habitual test. In truth, he hadn’t realized I was a man transformed into a woman; otherwise, he wouldn’t have refrained from retaliating, nor would he have apologized to me with such solemnity.

Given this, my mission could evidently continue. I could still find an opportunity to become his… ahem, lover.

“Hmm…”

Considering this, I couldn’t help but feel a touch of embarrassment over my recent frantic behavior towards him.

After all, with my former cultivation, I believed that even as a woman, I shouldn’t behave like a madwoman. ‘How utterly disgraceful…’

Consequently, to salvage a bit of my image and to diligently mend my relationship with Lord Rodd, I decided to converse with him as the convoy made its way to Windwhisper Town.

“Ahem, well…”

I deliberately softened my voice, feigning a very considerate demeanor.

“Master, is that wound on your body doing alright?”

I asked this for two reasons: firstly, to ascertain if he truly was the assassin from that night, and secondly, to gauge his wariness towards me. If he were willing to admit it, I felt my chances of seducing him would dramatically increase.

Upon hearing my inquiry, Rodd continued to gaze out the window, vigilant of the surroundings outside the convoy. Yet, his right hand instinctively reached up to his left shoulder, touching it.

“Yes, it’s quite good. No significant infection, thanks to your bandaging at the time.”

He answered with complete honesty, thereby admitting that he was indeed the assassin from that night. This, surprisingly, caught me off guard.

‘Oh, so direct?’

‘It seems this fellow has a very low guard around me, not even bothering to conceal it.’

‘Tsk, tsk, tsk, young man, could you really have been fooled by this delicate, pitiful face of mine?’

Having received the answer I sought, I immediately felt encouraged, thinking this surely counted as useful intelligence.

‘Heh heh, looking at it this way, even if I can’t extract more information from Rodd through the bed for now, this single piece of information — that ‘Lord Rodd of Moon Island personally assassinated Governor Sherlock at night’ — should temporarily satisfy Lord Axas’s demands, right?’

However, I was clearly not content with this outcome. To sate my own curiosity and to gather further intelligence, I pressed on with my questions.

“Then, Master, why were you there at that time? And what was the deal with those pursuers behind you?”

As these two questions were raised, Rodd’s demeanor suddenly grew tense. He pulled down the carriage curtain, sat upright, and fixed his gaze upon me, his voice carrying a subtle hint of pressure.

“What do you think?”

‘What I think?’

‘Hey, wasn’t I asking you the questions? How did you end up turning it back on me?’

‘Tsk, trying to extract information is truly a hassle!’

Despite my internal indignation at Rodd’s response, I knew I had to coax more information out of him, bit by bit. This process felt akin to prodding someone’s backside: it couldn’t be rushed, and it would undoubtedly be difficult at first. However, once this fellow lowered his guard and fully accepted me, I could slowly increase the intensity. After that, communication would flow much more smoothly.

Throughout this process, I had to lay the groundwork thoroughly, avoiding any premature attempts at success that might cause everything to fall apart. In other words, I needed to perfectly embody the role of the ‘submissive and melancholic beauty maid’ he had mentioned, slowly gaining his trust without revealing my true intentions.

‘Tsk, but then again…’

‘I understand ‘submissive,’ and I understand ‘melancholic beauty.’ As for ‘maid,’ I’ve experienced it firsthand. But all three combined? That gives me a headache.’

‘How the hell am I supposed to act that out?’

‘What kind of reaction should such a woman have when faced with this kind of question?’

Though a myriad of thoughts flashed through my mind, only a few seconds passed in reality before I responded.

“I… I don’t know…”

As I spoke, I directed a bewildered and confused expression towards Rodd, my lower lip lightly bitten, my delicate brows slightly furrowed. My small hands nervously twisted at the fabric of my maid’s dress, and even my calves trembled with tension. While I felt this was somewhat sickening, even to myself, for the sake of the mission, I was mentally prepared even for what came after. What was sacrificing a bit of my shame now?

Besides, though I wasn’t a woman by birth, I understood men quite well. Moreover, I had a certain degree of confidence in my current appearance. I would bet that an expression like this, made with a face so tender it seemed to flow, perfectly portrayed an innocent, ignorant young girl. In my previous world, it would undoubtedly have easily captivated most normal people, to say nothing of those problematic shut-ins.

Soon, Rodd responded.

He didn’t become utterly infatuated as I had imagined; instead, he simply stared at me for a moment with a natural expression before saying, “You truly are a master of feigning ignorance.”

“Eh?”

For some reason, this sentence startled me, making every orifice in my body clench tight. Yet, I still feigned ignorance as I replied, “Master, please don’t joke with me. I’m just a little maid who only knows how to do chores. How could I understand the intricacies of your words?”

“Don’t understand? If you weren’t clever, how would you have guessed I was the assassin from back then?” Rodd shrugged, continuing, “And the sounds of the pursuers downstairs were quite obvious. An assassin targeting Governor Sherlock, combined with my identity—you couldn’t possibly fail to guess why I was there, could you?”

With his words, it was no longer possible for me to feign ignorance.

“Oh, oh-oh—so… so you were there to assassinate Governor Sherlock!”

I quickly put on an expression of sudden realization, using it to mask the panic that had nearly made my heart leap from my chest.

“Heh…”

Rodd looked at me with an expression that said, ‘You little imp are a genius at playing dumb,’ but then he gave up on probing further. Instead, he revealed a look of regret.

“Unfortunately, I failed.”

“Failed?”

“Yes, the assassination of Sherlock failed. My dagger has never missed a kill, but I didn’t expect the initial target to be wrong… He had a doppelgänger.”

“A doppelgänger?”

“Indeed. Who could imagine that, besides twins, there could be people in this world who are completely identical in both appearance and physique? That doppelgänger looked exactly like Sherlock, which led to our misjudgment. The infiltration was simple, and the assassination went smoothly. But when I plunged my dagger through the doppelgänger’s heart, the corpse immediately transformed, revealing its original appearance…”

Rodd’s face showed a terrifying solemnity.

“This utterly mysterious power is something no ordinary person could control. Based on my past experience, that fellow Sherlock might very well have colluded with those wicked witches!”

At the instant I heard the word ‘witches,’ I felt as if I had been plunged into an ice pool, utterly chilled to the bone. But my act had to continue; I had no choice but to offer a stiff, bewildered reply.

“Wi… witches?”

“Yes…”

Rodd looked at me earnestly.

“Women as beautiful as you.”