A Pack of Lies

The maid froze, and Igola's expression became quite a sight as well. "You mean..." The maid swallowed hard. "You and the matriarch..." "Shh." Yaxiu remained deadpan. "Actually, it's not as intimate as you think. To Qinna, I'm nothing more than nighttime bedding. She calls me when she wants me and waves me away when she's done... Do you know why I have to keep wearing this black robe right now? Because even though I broke away from Sennheiser, unlike my colleague here, my appearance hasn't changed. If any of you saw me, you'd recognize me immediately—after all, I used to appear around Qinna all the time. "Originally, I was supposed to be the only one on this undercover mission, but in the end Qinna didn't trust me. She even sent her cross-dressing best friend to keep tabs on me. "Do you know what reward Qinna promised me for such an important mission? The privilege of walking openly by her side! She actually thought my sweet flattery in bed was genuine, and that even now, my sole desire is to become her official partner... Hmph!" Yaxiu let out a cold laugh. "I didn't take this mission for her. I took it for Sennheiser, and that's the only reason I'm willing to endure her daughter's despicable, wretched oppression. Between that mother and daughter, neither of them is any good!" In just a few sentences, Yaxiu cast himself as a noble gigolo bearing humiliation for the greater good, his voice dripping with the resentment of an employee abused and harassed by his superior. The emotion felt genuine enough, but drums were pounding in Igola's chest—speaking so insolently of the matriarch was a dangerous gamble. He hadn't yet figured out how the Sennheiser clan generally felt about their leader. If they all revered her from the bottom of their hearts, Yaxiu had just blown himself up. "The matriarch really isn't that bad. She's just a bit overbearing..." the maid weakly countered. *It worked!* Yaxiu and Igola exchanged a glance. The maid had completely bought into their cover and had stepped right into their frame of mind! "It isn't convenient for us to contact the matriarch right now, so we need to get some information from you," Igola asked. "What's your name?" "Luxi," the maid answered readily. "Why isn't it convenient for you—" "Annan has been using the Book of Gospel to monitor us the entire time. Any slight misstep and all our efforts go down the drain. Directly contacting Qinna is the biggest taboo of all. You know what? Yesterday, just to make a clean break with me, Qinna deliberately fired a few gunshots at me and even wounded my ear." Yaxiu sneered coldly. "I'll remember this debt. Once the Weaving Ceremony is over, I'm definitely going to make her lick my wound until it feels better." Luxi: "..." "Luxi, I want to know where Annan went today," Igola said. "As a staff member, you should be able to view the history of entries and exits for all areas, right?" Luxi hesitated, opened her Book of Gospel, checked it for a moment, and said, "Miss Annan went to the confinement tier at ten in the morning to meet with Miss Nona; returned to her room to rest at noon; and went to the maintenance tier at three in the afternoon for a two-hour skincare session." Yaxiu's eyes went wide. "We've been running around like crazy all day, and she's taking afternoon naps and getting skincare treatments? No way, I can't swallow this. Qinna doesn't care much for that daughter of hers anyway. When this is over, I'm demanding Annan so I can bully her for a few days. Qinna definitely won't mind—she might even join in." Luxi: "..." Igola asked, "We haven't been back in years. How are Sennheiser's relations with the other families?" Luxi answered, "Relations? Pretty normal, I guess... Actually, I've never seen anyone from the other families, so I don't really know." Igola continued, "How has Qinna's relationship with Nona been these past few years?" Luxi replied, "Pretty good, right? Miss Nona is Lady Qinna's younger sister and also the vice captain of the Red Hats. Even though Lady Qinna put Nona in confinement this time, she'll definitely be let out soon. In any case, for as long as I can remember, Qinna has been our matriarch, and Nona has been the vice matriarch." Yaxiu folded his arms and chimed in, "Of course their relationship is good. Especially after that time Nona accidentally barged in—from then on, they became both blood sisters and Eskimo sisters, and I was merely the fuel that deepened their bond. Good thing I was dispatched as an undercover agent, or I might have been squeezed dry by now." Luxi: "..." Igola asked, "You've seen the Weaving Ceremony's Art Board, haven't you? Any thoughts?" "Huh? Not really. I just thought Miss Annan was amazing for taking first place," Luxi said. "If only her surname were Sennheiser instead of Doran." Igola observed her for a moment and confirmed that these were Luxi's sincere thoughts with nothing held back. He said, "Understood. We've got all the information we need. Thank you for your assistance. You'd better hurry back now. Remember not to tell anyone, or Annan will find out." "Then... then I'm leaving?" Luxi glanced at Yaxiu, seemingly afraid that the matriarch's secret boy toy might silence her. Yaxiu didn't show the slightest guilt. "What, do you want to try the ultra-premium service that only the matriarch gets to experience?" Blushing furiously, Luxi scrambled out of the room. "Igola..." The cult leader winked at the Swindler and gave him a thumbs-up. "You really are a master of manipulating people's hearts." *I can hardly compare to you,* Igola wanted to retort, but he held back, knowing the praise would only make Yaxiu even more insufferable. "How was my performance?" "You laid it on too thick. I can only give you thirty points out of a hundred," Igola said. "However, the people of Fanmula just happen to operate at a thirty-point level. Their clan protects them far too well. So your act was just right—it drew all her attention, leaving her with no time to consider my real intentions, and made her swallow our story whole." "Still, why did you wait until now to question a maid?" Yaxiu asked, somewhat puzzled. "Are you only rushing to finish your homework right before Teacher Annan comes to inspect it?" It was already six o'clock; they had had the entire day. Could Igola have wasted his time playing video games too? "Because none of the others would even give me the time of day." The Swindler wore the helpless expression of a cook without rice. "The people here are too insular. I spent all day without turning up any useful information. I needed an angle to pry their mouths open—and Annan was that angle. If this maid hadn't just seen Annan, she wouldn't have paid any attention to my story either." "So what did you find out?" "Annan is full of confidence," Igola said. "She isn't nervous at all, which means she believes her plan will smoothly get us onto the second Future Board. "Qinna has also honored our agreement. She hasn't leaked our information; internally, Sennheiser only knows Annan has arrived, not that Yaxiu Heath is in Fanmula as well. Besides, Qinna and Nona seem to..." "What about them?" "Just some thoughts. I need to investigate further." While talking, they arrived at Suite 24. Lisi and Harvey were already there; everyone was waiting for the two of them. Whether it was an illusion or not, Yaxiu thought Annan looked much better than she had in the morning. There was no trace of the beating she had taken from her mother, so the skincare treatments here were evidently quite effective. Compared to her skin, however, Yaxiu paid more attention to another pair of features, though he couldn't tell whether she was wearing anything underneath or not. "It seems everyone knows how to use the Book of Gospel. Since everyone's here, I'll tell you your task first." Only then did Yaxiu realize that Annan had deliberately withheld the meeting location so they would figure it out themselves using the Book of Gospel. Annan clapped her hands softly. "Today is May thirteenth. There are seven days left before the release of the second board. "I need each of you to fall in love at least once within these seven days." The setting sun outside shone through the white mist, highlighting the silence in the suite. Yaxiu broke the silence. "At least?" "Yes, at least. If possible, you'd best fall in love several times," Annan said calmly. "If you can become a couple with the Sennheiser matriarch—Qinna Sennheiser—even for a single night, it will be enough to secure our victory." A chilling thought flashed simultaneously through Igola's and Yaxiu's minds: *Could Annan have overheard the pack of lies they just fed Luxi?*