Hoodwink.

"Sleep well, Sir Kai." Ami said, as he had gotten down to wearing a night gown with a bed cot that he had prepared for himself in my room. It was situated next to my large bed, I was honestly surprised he didn't pull anything weird like per usual.

"Yeah, goodnight." I replied back.

After the dinner-talk with Ami, I was left with a whole new dangerous variable that already strained the formula that was the Modos Problem in my head. That new variable being the mysterious, and potentially dangerous with Ami's warning fueling that, Carmilla's true character.

The fact that now knowing her strange sudden origin of becoming the Royal Assistant within a single day five years ago and being stuck with ONLY her for five days tomorrow is really fraying my nerves. It's not that I'm afraid of how she could hurt me, but how she could hurt those around me.

From how Ami reacted to Carmilla's character, I could tell there wasn't any kind of amicable atmosphere amongst whatever staff there was in the castle towards the Royal Assistant.

Thinking about it now too, I can safely assume that from who've I've seen so far in the castle now- for these past two days, they likely make up all or almost all of the current staff that work actively in the castle.

The bottom floors are unkept, but the top floors where Flaur and guests like me live in or frequent are. Whatever guards I've seen were only the handful from the beginning, the daunting crimson clad ones, and the sole guard guarding the armory from the outside; not including the Warmaster. And, for the food-

Royalty are simple creatures if you dissect them down to their most basic drive- privilege. Being royalty means you're given privilege, and if you have privilege, something that most of the world does not- you WILL abuse it.

The fact that the food served here, albeit delicious and filling, was not excessive or at all stupendous for our first meal in the morning- means that the Stolg Crisis is heavily affecting Flaur's personal fortune immensely.

With money having such little value, how will you hire full-time staff? No proper chefs, no proper cleaners or guards patrolling the grounds, no- none of that was present in the castle from what I've seen so far.

With discovering the origin of the Demon's, them and their "Great Liberation', the Threa Nua, I can also HIGHLY safely assume that they are staunchly against any forms of forced servitude and or out-right slavery. This theory of mine is also supported by the complete lack of any clear recorded acquisitions of 'labor' or 'manpower' in the "History of the Goetia Clan", but just physical riches or land attained instead.

The green moon was peeking through the balcony, it's green light making the inside of my room glow ethereally- and from what I could see, Ami looked to be deep asleep.

"You can stop pretending now." I whispered to Ami.

"I see, I believe you have gotten the note as her Majesty had expected; good." Ami gradually rose right up from his bed cot and sat staring at me.

"It would've been troublesome if you hadn't, especially as I had..." He hesitated to speak, but continued anyway.

"Made a mistake in our talk during dinner."

"Let me guess, Flaur was planning on telling me about what you just told me?" I hit the mark as Ami gave a small nod.

"Yes- please, do not tell her Majesty, as she will likely be very upset over planning such a thing to only have her credit being taken by someone like me."

"Don't sweat it, it's as you said, we're friends!"

I got out of bed, in an identical sleep gown to Ami's- I had successfully kicked him out this time and changed myself in peace.

Knowing that Ami's coming with me to this meeting, it must mean that what he was telling me was the truth- what Flaur was going to talk to me about was about the whole Carmilla conspiracy; and not the Mana Eater issue with me. As in doing that, Ami will find out, and that'd break the third restriction.

But-

"Is what I'd like to say, if you really were Ami anyway."

"I know it's you Ima."

Ami- or Ima, as I knew it was her, sat stone-cold in her cot as I looked down at her.

"S-Sir Kai?" Is all she could mutter- the monotone voice she's done well to keep level until now had begun to go up an octave; the ruse was failing.

"You may look exactly like him, uniform and features and all, but after confirming a few things, I've managed to piece it together."

"Your odd politeness, your stiff standoffish nature, the fact that you didn't put much of a fight to strip in my room-"

I hated how I knew that was a hallmark of Ami, knowing he's a pervert exhibitionist.

"And lastly, what you have been calling me."

I pointed at her- at this point the rattling of my cuffs didn't distract me that much anymore.

"B-But, brother had told me that you two were indeed friends- I don't think I've made that much of an error!" Knowing that her facade was seen through, she gave up all pretenses.

"Because him and I ARE friends, that wasn't what wasn't a lie, you played that off well enough." It honestly made me feel a little happy that he does see me as a friend, enough to tell his sister about it- so, yeah, that's a win in my book.

"It's the fact that you haven't called me Sir Pervert! Not even once!"

A weird silence befell the two of us as I gave my 'final' damning piece of evidence to disprove Ima's ruse.

I should really be careful with how different my emotions are as a Homunculus compared to my original self, as I can say some pretty damnable things without feeling the horrible onset of shame creep in until a few minutes after the act; emotions dampening is no joke.

"I-I see, I suppose that was my blunder; he had not informed me of such a title of yours." Is all she could mutter; I don't know whether or not I should be grateful that she didn't bust out into laughter instead of taking this with a cool stride.

And on a further note, that actually wasn't my 'true' final piece of evidence-

the night gowns are pretty sheer, and just because they're near identical twins with near equally flat chests, it doesn't mean they share the 'same' chest size. But I wasn't going to tell her that, hehe.

"So- what's the deal, I won't go unless you tell me what the hell's going on." I sat back down on my bed.

Even though I said that I had a good idea as to why she had secretly switched places with Ami- and it involves Flaur.

"..." Ima quietly contemplated.

"Her Majesty had ordained it so that I would be your guard to accompany you with the Royal Assistant on your journey." She didn't look like she was lying as she said this.

"Beyond that, I do not know." But that, that was definitely a lie.

Now- let's play a little game.

"Really?" I leaned forward on the bed, at a high angle over the still sitting Ima.

Back in Epoch, I would often have to deal with NPCs that would love to lie. It was a common game mechanic, as people lie all the time- it's basic human nature. Whether you do it to earn some money, protect some assets, or to save your life; lying is fair game, funny enough to say.

A good liar, a prepared liar, would be a formidable opponent, as you wouldn't know when they'd have begun to lie to you, that trail buried under the countless interactions you've had had with them so far. You know that person is crafty, but if you can't pick up the beginning of the lie, then you'll never be able to get the truth out of them- as a good liar doesn't add layers to their lie. No, their lies are just a single lie, a falsehood that becomes their ever-expanding persona, and in this ruse, whatever stories they tell that come along with it become truth in that alternate persona.

But a good liar is one thing- but I don't believe Ima is a 'good' liar; with how easily she's been caught by me concluding that. Especially as to her outburst in the dinner-talk, how she had told me about Carmilla's origin, she's likely too much of a good person for her own good to effectively lie.

And so, once bad liars have been caught, it's easy to predict them. And so, I'll start using a tactic I had often used on NPCs once I know for sure they're lying; especially if they're desperate to get out of a bad situation.

You bait them with a way out, and you use that false hope to get them to indirectly reveal the truth.

"Why, her Majesty had told me that you would tell me about it, Ima."

"P-Pardo-" She tried to speak, but I cut her off.

"Yes, she told me that you would inform me over her plan before the meeting, it said so on the note."

"I would show you too, if I could- but I had destroyed it as I had been instructed to." I got up from the bed and proceeded to walk and slowly circle Ima, I didn't once keep my eyes off of her as I did.

"B-But her Majesty had told me-"

"I know what she told you, she told you exactly what she had told me- to inform me of your end of the plan."

"Did you really think Flaur would just get me to meet her at night without having me been debriefed by my guard prior of the meeting?"

"I Err-"

"It wouldn't make sense, right? No, you were supposed to have told me, after I had discovered your true identity- as that too was a part of Flaur's plan."

"She made it obvious, as this was all just a test of trust between us two, you and me, Ami."

I barraged her with claim after claim, I didn't want to give her time to carefully think about anything that I had just said.

"T-Trust? What?? I'm sorry Sir Kai, but-"

"But what?" I kneeled down, I was at eye-level with her now, staring intensely at where her eyes would be under her black bangs.

Time to seal the deal.

"Ima, we're running out of time- you have to trust in Flaur's judgement, tell me what she WANTS me to know." I laid my hand gently onto her shoulder.

"I-I-I... yes, yes- I can't believe I had forgotten such a crucial detail like that, Sir Kai."

Jackpot.

"As you had said, her Majesty had told me to tell you that the reason why I had been chosen to be your guardian instead of my brother is because she believes that your connection to my brother would affect your journey with the Royal Assistant at hand."

"As expected, continue." Not expected, I'm just bluffing at this point- whatever she tells me now is new territory.

"She did not tell me exactly why, but she did say your current disposition wouldn't mesh well with my brother's skill set, as her Majesty had said."

That 'disposition' and Ami's 'skillset' were likely metaphors for my Mana Eater identity and the likelihood that I had Ami already in a contract that Flaur was betting that I had- she wasn't going to risk me taking him along.

"And so, believing that I would instead work well with you, I would be your guardian instead."

And so, she gave Ami's sister, Ima, instead, to act as a decoy.

And even if I had discovered the truth- it would've been too late, with me already deep into the journey with Carmilla to do anything; anything that Flaur might've deemed destructive if I DID have Ami in a contract.

This distrust so early on in my relationship with Flaur are going to be problematic- but, seeing as how I did tell her I'm practically a super-threat of a war-machine from the days of her civil war; I could see why.

Yet this doesn't explain why they needed me to not have an ally along with Carmilla, as Ima had just warned me about her, as if she's the bigger threat, not me.

Hmm, I guess it'll start to make more sense once I meet with Flaur.

And see for myself what else she does know about me.

///