I Was Confessed to by the Golden Sun

62 – Princess and the Palace

“I asked if you know how to drive a boat.”

“Yeah, I know how to drive. Why?”

“In that case, it’s settled.”

Dylan had been worried that even if he told them the true identity of the black figure, there would be no one to steer the boat after sweeping everyone away.

Fortunately, it seemed he hadn’t thought that far ahead.

“Do you have no intention of answering my question?”

Dylan asked me with a slightly annoyed expression as he continued to silently choose his breath.

I was dying to know, but when I didn’t give a proper response, he seemed angry.

Lucia, who took out a bat as if responding to the sudden tension, ready to fight, raised her ears as if pretending to not be interested.

I cleared my throat and opened my mouth, anticipating a possible fight.

“You’ll be surprised to know, but are you mentally prepared?”

“I won’t be surprised by anything ordinary. Just tell me.”

Quietly turning my gaze away from the self-assured Dylan, I saw that Lucia, trying to act nonchalant, had pricked up her ears, looking curious.

I petted her head and, still wearing a smile on my face, looked directly at Dylan as I opened my mouth.

“Even if the opponent is the royal family, you won’t be surprised, right?”

“What?”

Dylan stood frozen for a few seconds, only rolling his eyes.

“What do you mean by the royal family?”

He understood my words soon and started asking me, as if to interrogate me.

I had expected such a reaction, so I carefully chose my words in my head.

“Just as you heard, the royal family is behind this incident.”

I said firmly, conveying strength to him.

Honestly, it’s a story that’s hard to believe.

That the royal family is involved, isn’t it too big even for such a grand scale?

But if you think about it a little differently, there’s something you can understand.

“If it’s not the royal family, who else can perfectly hide and implement such overwhelming technological prowess?”

Creating a technology that can perfectly hide while preventing information from spreading throughout the world, even if it is described as overwhelming.

Even for ordinary organizations or people, it would be impossible even if they died and came back to life.

As I narrowed down the possibilities, what eventually comes out is…

“When I think about it calmly, I can somewhat understand, it’s the royal family after all…

Yes, in the end, the only organization capable of executing such a large-scale project is the royal family.

If there’s a place where the owner of an empire with unrivaled power resides, it should be possible somehow.

“However, it’s still a mystery how they conceived and actually created such an incredible, modern civilization…”

That part hasn’t been revealed in the novel yet, so I don’t know for sure.

I possessed this body during the eighth episode, and the origin of the technology that created Noah in the previous episodes was left as a plot point.

So, I have no way of finding that out.

“It seems like the answer might be in the eighth episode, though.”

The eighth episode, ‘The Pianist of the Civilization that Committed Suicide.’

It’s an episode that takes place in the region where Francis Watson was planning to send me.

Moreover, it’s likely the final episode in the story.

“If I can successfully conclude this matter, I’ll be able to spend a peaceful everyday life with Lucia…”

Without worrying about the episodes, I can have a more peaceful life with Lucia.

Of course, I’ll still have to be careful not to attract the attention of the crazy male leads, but…

“Since I’ve cleared all the episodes that formed the foundation of the significant trust between Heidi and the seven male leads…”

Whether they’ll be as obsessed and possessive as before, I don’t really know.

Maybe there will be some level of obsession, but not at the level of daily life romance?

“As long as it’s not at the level of saints or crown princes, it should be fine, honestly.”

I’m a bit wary of Crown Prince Theo since he actively killed people in the novel.

Eden is also somewhat frightening. It seems like he holds unfounded enmity towards me…

“Maybe I should bring it to an end in this episode.”

The seven male leads tied to Heidi, and the eighth episode, ‘The Pianist of the Civilization that Committed Suicide’—they all need to be resolved.

The seventh episode, ‘The Puppet Show Created by Evil’ and the eighth episode, ‘The Pianist of the Civilization that Committed Suicide.’

“I also plan to finish the seventh episode quickly, so a proper conclusion…”

It seems like the eighth episode will be around that time.

“I prepared this just in case, and I’ll have to use it.”

I took out a device from my pocket, different from what I gave to Heidi. It’s a one-way communication device, and I pressed the button in the middle.

With this, my message should reach anyone who has a similar device.

Perhaps someone will reach the destination before I do, as long as they’re the only one who hears my words.”

I’m not entirely sure, but I think maybe he won’t come.

Because I know he’s not the type to easily discard the favor he received.

“What is it?”

Lucia tilted her head and asked, watching my behavior.

I didn’t tell her about it because I thought she would get angry if I talked to her, so I smiled and avoided answering.

In addition, instead of answering the question and preventing Lucia from saying anything more, I pulled her waist into my arms and created a posture that resembled a back hug.

“Hmm, hehehehe…”

Upon doing so, she no longer had any doubts and laughed softly, accepting the gentle touch of my hand caressing her belly.

Taking a sigh, I gestured to Dylan to tell me if he had any questions.

“Then, among the members of the royal family, exactly who planned this?”

He wanted to specifically identify the person who initiated this incident.

There are more members of the royal family than one would think, and since they have their own systems, they may not all cooperate with one mind.

He wanted to find out the person who took the lead in carrying out this incident.

“Do you know who the first princess is?”

And there was no reason for me, who was going to go to the royal family along with Dylan, not to be able to answer that question.

Although it may be a bit hard to accept, it’s a hundred times better than not knowing.

“Olivia Calix? Are you talking about her?”

After hearing what I said, Dylan asked again as if to confirm.

The first princess I mentioned is the person mentioned as the future successor who will replace the current weak emperor.

In a way, it’s only natural to have this kind of reaction.

“She’s not an easy opponent, is she?”

“How can you call her an easy opponent..!”

The position of the future successor is not something that just comes about; it comes with enormous power.

Well, it was enough to create Noah, but still.

If that person is an enemy, it is indeed difficult from the perspective of the opposing side.

“But, probably easier than you think.”

However, this is what it looks like to me.

The future successor, who has not yet ascended to the position of emperor, lacks the authority to coNT*Rol many people.

Since the project to create machines like Noah, collectively known as the Houlmunculus, is kept secret, there are not many people who can be employed in it.

So the various weapons derived from her power are ultimately unusable.

“However, there is one variable…”

If Niheil is behind it, it’s likely to be the princess.

Although there’s no substantial evidence to support this idea, it’s a similar context to Homunculus.

I wondered who besides the princess could manipulate a force as strong as Niheil.

“No matter how hard I rack my brain, there’s only one organization that comes to mind?”

In the novel, the chances of that organization being the villain are close to 99%.

Whatever they say, there’s a saying that even in detective novels from the past, when everything seems impossible, what remains is the truth.

It’s exactly the same situation now.

“Homunculus’ 3rd model, Noah, is dead, so the princess must have some awareness of your existence.”

But the current situation is ambiguous even if we stop worrying about it for now.

If Niheil is in the princess’s hands, this might be the only chance he’ll have.

Why she wants to use Niheil to kill me is still a mystery, but they say that in a crisis, there’s an opportunity.

Using this, without Niheil, he can bring the princess down to her original state and kill all the Homunculus.

“So, we’re going ahead before the princess fully understands our identity.”

Dylan killing Noah would surely make the princess notice our presence to some extent.

They’ll probably investigate us quickly and take measures to strengthen their security.

“But even so, the princess probably won’t think we’ll go all the way to the research facility they established to create Homunculus.”

Since she already seemed to know about my and Dylan’s existence, it wouldn’t have taken long for her to make such preparations.

However, that doesn’t mean she’s fully prepared for our iNT*Rusion.

Do we really think Dylan and I will go there as soon as we catch Noah today or tomorrow?

No, it’s impossible, considering that the information we can obtain is already limited.

“In the original work, it takes a lot of twists and turns for Prince Theo Calix to finally obtain the information…”

I’m just getting this information for free, after all.

Originally, my existence and all the knowledge I possess are beyond the scope the princess could imagine.

Moreover, many people, even those who noticed the existence of the research facility the princess established, don’t have any experience related to attacks.

“So, what we’re doing now is breaking into a place with significantly low risk…”

With no proper defenses, no precedent related to an attack.

“How about it? Isn’t this plan reasonable?”

I conveyed this thought to Dylan, and he nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, it can’t be a perfect plan, but it’s something.”

From Noble mtl dot com

And there she was, Lucia, still standing in front of me, nestled in a familiar backhug posture.

Twisting in my arms, she placed her hand on my waist, stretching out her chest.

Her adorable demeanor prompted Dylan to gently raise his chin above Lucia’s head, waiting for him to speak.

He eventually cast a look of trust in his eyes towards me and threw a question my way.

“It seems like the plan is to leave this island by boat, and I should be the one driving. Where is the destination?”

Without needing Dylan to articulate, I understood that he should be the one behind the wheel. Rising from where he sat, sighing deeply, I was already feeling content, no need for an explanation.

“By any chance, are you familiar with Theo Calix?”

“I am, but why?”

Well, it’s not strange not to know about someone who’s in the same grade and has become a subject of discussion.

I hinted that conversation would flow faster if he knew, gesturing and pointing to Campbell Academy on the map with my hand.

“Our academy has a bit of a prince with ambitions for power, wanting to become an emperor.”

Seeing Dylan smile as he understood my words and gestures, I couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of happiness.

Folding the map back and placing it in my pocket, I continued, “So, if you step into the academy first, you won’t regret it.”

It was time to play with the prince.