Chapter Seventeen

Rose gets to the final part of the book Rowen gave her, but the final challenge begins before she can make sense of it all.

The Game

by omegax45

Chapter Seventeen

By the time Rose got out of the bath tub, she found herself too tired to read.  Instead, she dressed in her night clothes and had the servants take away the bath tub before going to sleep.  Even in her dreams, she was still haunted by the scene at dinner, her body curling up within her nest of blankets.  She didn’t get much sleep and gave up once she saw her room begin to fill with the light of the morning sun.

The day was very uneventful, to say the least.  The servants fetched the noble girls and Rose for their meals, Catherine still gloating about the dinner while making many of the noble girls flush with humiliation, before they went about their business.  Rose spent most of her day in her room, wondering why she hadn’t seen Rowen or the noble men.  Could they be part of the final challenge, preparing themselves for it?  The noble didn’t appear to be preparing themselves, as if they didn’t care at all.  With the promise of marrying their chosen man win or lose, the poor girl guessed that it didn’t matter.

And yet… she couldn’t help but feel that something horrible will be coming their way soon.  She stared at the book she had been reading and been trying to solve for the duration of the game, eyes itching to gaze upon the words and find out the answer.  Picking up the book, she began to read the final chapters:

William was shaking by the time he returned to his room, locking the door.  He knew that the piece of paper in his hands could very well be the final clue needed to end the mystery once and for all and let him and his remaining friends escape.  Victor already laid down the gauntlet, and it was up to him to finish it.  He won’t let his friends get involved further, and hence why he went to his room.  He was certain they will have questions, but he can’t deal with that right now.  Time was running out for all of them.

With shaky hands, he unfolded the crinkled piece of paper and smoothed it out the best he could on his table.  The paper appeared new, but had splotches of blood on it.  He could still read it, though, and he gathered his courage to focus on the words: 

“To Anyone That Finds This Letter,

My name is Johnson, and I am the master of this mansion, the Cullen Du Shu.  I am a doctor and an alchemist with Victor as my assistant.  By the time you find this letter, I will be already dead and you will most likely be in trouble.  Please, listen to my story.

“I had been training Victor to become a full-fledge doctor to help nearby villages that have been in desperate need of medical assistance.  Victor was always such an impatient fool, wishing to learn my alchemy secrets and not fully master his own.  I had forbidden him for using alchemy until he has mastered being a doctor.  The art of alchemy requires strict rules and precision to work properly.  Casting spells arrogantly and ignorantly results in devastating consequences.  

“I had been a fool to not see it sooner.  That Victor was, indeed, not the right candidate for my training.

“I had caught him one night performing a ritual.  He had thought it a ritual to summon a familiar for help, but he ended up getting the spells mixed-up.  He summoned a demon instead!  The demon made quick work of Victor and I used everything I had to try and banish it back to the hell it came from.  I had failed.

“A group of young adults came by the mansion and are trapped here by the storm.  The demon I have been hunting down has them fooled.  I have to-“

“So…you found that letter.”

William gasped as he turned to see Victor in the room by the door, cutting off his escape.

“How did you get in here,” William demanded lightly, fear gripping him tight.

“You didn’t even heed your own advice,” Victor pointed to the open window nearly.

“I was certain I closed it.”

“Earlier,” Victor walked over and closed the window, but it seems that girl… Susan, wasn’t it…thought you were going insane and opened the windows again.  Such a sweet girl.  Not so keen on listening to good advice, though.”

“You leave her alone or so God help me I-“

“You’ll what?”

William became silent, unsure of what to do.

“That is what I thought.  You shouldn’t make threats if you can’t even figure out what you would do afterwards.  It makes you look like a fool.

“Now then, I think the reasonable thing to do in this case is to come clean and tell your friends you are the culprit.  You wanted Susan all to yourself and grew insanely jealous of her attention on the others.  You will spend the rest of your days in the asylum and, in return,  I will ensure your friends’ safety.”

“While you keep murdering people until you are satisfied?!  To keep pretending you are Victor-“

“Correction.  I AM Victor.”

“What?”

“Obviously,” Victor picked up the letter, “Johnson had no faith in me.  I was his superior in every way.  I was only training with him in order to learn all of his alchemist secrets.  I had no desire to save anyone.  All you need in this world is power.  And with power, comes everything anyone could wish for.  

“So that night, I gave my own soul to the demon in exchange for power.  Of course, there are side effects when dealing with demons, but nothing too serious.  Just need to keep killing people, enough to fill this entire mansion with blood.  And doing so will increase my power.”

“You’re insane!  How could you do such a thing?!  You were never planning on letting us go, were you?”

“Now, now.  No need to spoil the surprise.  In fact, there is no point in keeping you or your friends alive any further, is there?”

“Wait a minute,’ Rose put the book down, ‘Supernatural things aren’t really part of mysteries.  Their powers can’t really be explained.  Letters of confession are also forbidden too until the mystery is solved.  This book breaks all the rules and commandments of mystery.  Why would Rowen give this to me to read?

‘Even the clues barely point the finger at Victor being the culprit.  He may have been the one to declare the challenge, but he also had alibis as to where he was at all times.  If he were killing people by becoming a demon and climbing the walls into their bedrooms through the windows, that would be plausible.  But it never stated when Susan was in the room to open the windows.  And if so, why?  She never showed any signs of concern for William’s distress until after he locked himself in his bedroom.  This doesn’t make any sense!

‘Unless…. The book itself is a clue about the game… the final challenge…’

She picked up her quill and began writing everything she remembered about her time in the game so far.  From the invite to the challenges to the prizes and even to the punishments.  She even wrote down her uneasiness with the noble men and what she knew and learned about Dios.  It took her some time and quite a bit of paper, but when she was done, she couldn’t believe what she was reading.

‘This… this can’t be real,’ the poor girl looked at the pages she just wrote in one, and the pages she wrote days ago in the other, ‘This just can’t be.  If… if I’m reading this right…. If the story and the contest are very similar…

‘I have to talk to Rowen,’ she sat up and headed for the door.  As her hand reached for the handle, she head someone talking from the other side.

“I can’t believe this game is nearly over,” she recognized the voice a Preston, “Thank God.  I was getting sick and tired of taking care of all these-“

“Quiet,” a female voice hushed him, “We don’t know how many are still awake at this hour.”

‘Huh,’ Rose turned to see it was indeed dark outside, ‘That’s strange.  No one called us to dinner.’

“I’m pretty certain a few might still be waiting for dinner despite Her Majesty requesting none be given,” Preston replied, “So sorry.   Had forgotten about that.”

“I feel the same way.  Only that poor girl that is engaged to Rowen had shown any kindness towards us.  I am happy she will be remaining here.  She will certainly make Rowen so happy as his wife.”

“I can’t wait for the wedding.  He’s done so much for the castle and us.  He deserves some happiness in his life.”

“Speaking of happiness, what will you be doing with the time Her Majesty has given you.”

“Hm… I don’t know Lucy.  It’s rare that all of us servants would be given some time off from our duties.  Perhaps I’ll visit my family in the country and see if they need help with the farm.”

“You’re such a sweetheart,” Lucy giggled, “I’ll be going shopping.  I’ve save quite a bit here and there, and I am in need of new shoes.”

“Just make sure you don’t go fancy or else…”

Rose couldn’t hear them anymore as they walked further away.  She pulled away from the door and sat back down at the table, feeling numbness gripped her body.

‘Her Majesty gave the servants a holiday,’ she thought, looking to her notes, ‘Just when the game is almost over?’

She felt that numbness changed to a icy fear as numerous possibilities filled her head.  Out of instinct, she walked to the closet and pulled out her old dress.  She undressed and placed her old dress on, putting her fancy dress in the closet.  She turned to the jewelry and items on her dressing table and wondered if she should take some of the item with her to sell once she was back on the streets.  She decided against it as a thought of having her hands chopped off for stealing came to mind, if the soldiers don’t chop off her head first.  Also, if she needed to run, she would not be weighed down.  It was ridiculous to be thinking so, but after all she had learned, she couldn't take any chances.  She couldn’t even sneak off to see Rowen to confirm everything now, not until the morning at least.

If she could meet up with him, that is.

The poor girl made her nest under the bed and went to sleep, feeling very exhausted from trying to formulate a plan of escape as well as trying to figure out exactly what Rowen was trying to tell her through the book.  Her rest, however, did not last long as she found herself awakening and seeing that it was still dark outside, the sun still hours away from rising.  Her senses were in high alert, and she could almost smell danger in the air.  She only felt this way when the soldiers performed a ‘surprised inspection’ on the poor folk and used it as an excuse to vandalize their homes or makeshift shelters.  They would beat any that would protest and either steal or destroy anything that they considered ‘too nice for a street rat’.  Her instincts would bless her with a good few minutes to hide whatever was precious to her before they came.

And right now, she was sensing those very soldiers coming for them.

She grabbed the blankets and hastily made the bed before diving back underneath, waiting with baited breath and a part of her hoping she was overreacting, a bad nightmare from everything she had learned hours ago.  The sound of heavy footfalls and the cracking of wood as something heavy hit it confirmed her fears.

“W-what is the meaning of this,”  she heard Elanor yell.

“How dare you,” Catherine screeched in defiance.

“What are you doing,” Pearl cried out.

“You beasts,” Emma screeched, “Get out of my room!”

“Under our master’s orders,” an unknown voice declared, “You are all to come with us.  Defiance will not be tolerated.”

“What is happening, Octavia demanded.

“I demand you release me at once,” Fayette ordered.

Rose could hear the other noble girls crying out or barking orders or yelling curses at whoever was dragging them out of their comfy beds and out of their rooms.  Fear was filling her being and her mind tried to come up with a possible reason for what was happening outside.  As the thundering steps came closer to her room, her mind became quiet and she prepared herself to flee if need so.

The door to her room bust open, hitting the wall to the side harshly, as three soldiers walked right into the room.  They scanned the room, seeing no sign of the occupant.  One opened the closet harshly and ripped out the dresses.  One pulled the covers off the bed.  One went over to the table and stared at the pieces of paper and books before upturning the table and scattering the items, the well of ink spilling onto the carpet.  

“Where the hell is she,” one of the soldiers demanded, “There is supposed to be eighteen girls here!”

“Keep calm,” a second soldier replied, “Our scouts told us that none of them left their rooms and we already found the empty rooms.”

“She could’ve jumped out the window,” a third soldier suggested, looking outside.

“At this height?  If she wished for a swift death.”

“Quiet.  Over here.”

Rose held her breath, her body strung tighter than a harp.  She saw their boots coming back to the bed before she saw several hands grabbing one side of the bed.  The soldiers heaved and the bed was upturned onto its side before crashing into the wall, but Rose was already out the door before they registered she was there.

“You there,” a soldier shouted as he saw Rose running, “Halt!”

“Run,” Claire shouted as she was being dragged away.

“Save us you street rat,” Dorothy shouted as she fought against the soldiers.

The poor girl ran as fast as she could, dodging the grasping hands of the soldiers and the screams of the noble girls.  She ran down hallways and flew down the stairs, not paying attention to where she was going.  Her body was running on instinct, and she was searching for the entranceway to get out and hide in the forest.  Her mind barely had any time to register that Queen Usio’s soldiers nor the servants were nowhere in sight or to question as to who these soldiers were and what they wanted with them.  The only thing that came to mind was that the final challenge had begun, but she wanted to escape as fast as she could and search for the noble men an Rowen for help to save the others once she lost her pursuers.  Consequences be damned.

She turned a corner and saw the entranceway doors.  She made a run for it, but soon found herself quickly on the floor, pain shooting up her body from where it collided.  Two soldiers from either side had grabbed her by the arms and pinned her to the floor, holding her tight and yelling at her to not move as one brandished a sword close to her neck.  Rose completely froze at the sight, the soldiers picking her up and dragging her by said arms down a few hallways and into a room.  Her mind barely registered that this was the throne room before she was forced to kneel before a smirking Queen Usio, her smirk so twisted and evil the poor girl couldn’t look at her for too long.  Not long after, the soldiers brought in the noble girls and they went quiet upon seeing their queen along with the noble men and a shocked Rowen behind her. 

“Welcome to the final challenge everyone,” Queen Usio stood from her throne, “Do not be alarmed.  These are my soldiers in disguise as the soldiers from our enemy nations.  The same type of soldiers that the great Dios himself once fought against while protecting our kingdom’s borders.  You are here to answer one final question, and that question will determine if you truly know Dios at all after all that you learn from your time here at Redreu Castle.

“And,” she stepped down and placed a hand on Rose’s head, “as it so happens, we have a volunteer for this challenge.”

“Teach you to leave us behind filth,” Catherine nearly snarled, resisting the urge to spit on the poor girl.

“”So the rat couldn’t get away,” Amelia tsked, “What a shame.  Guess you really are useless after all.”

“Silence,” Queen Usio commanded, “Now, there were times when fellow soldiers were taken prisoner during the wars, including dear friends of Dios.  Even common citizens were no exception to such scumbags.  So before we go further, do tell me as to the reasons for your choice in who is Dios?  Have your decisions changed at all?”

“No Your Majesty,” Catherine said first bravely, “Richard is a brave warrior, just like Dios.  He even won the previous challenge against eight other men.  I am most certain he is Dios, for he is the very image from the stories my relatives once told me.”

“Like Catherine,” Octavia said as Fayette, Pearl, Tulip, and Claire nodded in agreement, “I too still feel that Alexander is Dios.  He is a fighter to the very end, and a noble one too despite his beginnings.”

“Is that all you are using as your reasons,” Ivy stated with her chin held high, “There is more to Dios than just his fighting ability.  He is also a paladin, and can easily disguise himself with magic.  Vincent had been mysterious to me since this game started, but I can tell he is definitely hiding something from me.  I believe it to be his true identity, as Dios.”

“If he is Dios,” Elanor stated in declaration, “then so is George.  I too can sense that he is hiding something from me, no matter how much we talk to one another.”

“And as I said before,” Raven crossed her arms, “A real man has no need to hide his true self with such parlor tricks unless commanded to do so.  Christopher has shown he could care less what others say about him and hides his true self well in the open, as would be the same about Dios.  He is the one.” 

“You’re delusional,” Joan stated, “It would be no fun if he was right out in the open for us to find.  Lewis has the body figure described in the stories as Dios, so even if he was in disguise, I recognized him right from the start.”

“So you say,”  Helen replied, a look of authority in her eyes, “but any man could have the same body shape or be a good fighter.  One merely needs to look at one’s background to see the truth.  I had spoken to James many times during the game and I found that his family matches that of Dios, right down to how many brothers and sisters he has.  There is no denying the evidence.”

“I have to agree with Helen,” Dorothy added, Golde, Bridget, and Mary nodding, “we are suppose to find a man trying his hardest to play as someone else.  The harder he works, the easier to see he is hiding something.  I find this the same with John.”

“And what of you Emma and Amelia,” Queen Usio turned to the two noble girls, “What are your answers?”

“To be blunt,” Amelia sighed, “I am not so deluded as the others here.  I know David isn’t Dios.  He is too submissive in nature to be such a powerful man, and no man the likes of Dios would submit themselves as he had throughout the game.   Regardless, I find myself fond of him and wish to be with him always.”

“As a lover or a test subject,” Emma teased harshly, gaining a glare from Amelia, “Well, in any case, I know Geoffrey is definitely Dios.  If one wanted to really hide themselves, they would act in opposite o their true nature.  Geoffrey may seem spineless and spoils me a lot, but he seems to always restrain himself.  That’s how I know he is Dios, and nobody else.”

“And you my dear,” the queen turned to Rose, “Actually, it doesn’t matter what you think.  We all know you got stuck with Rowen because you had no choice in the beginning.  You could’ve had chosen Peter or Edward, but let your status get the better of you.

“And now,” she turned to the noble girls, “your final challenge is but one question.  You must answer this question as if you were Dios, and this girl is going to help us with said question:

“During a battle, one of the enemy soldiers had grabbed a person hiding in garbage and is holding her hostage.  The girl is definitely of poor class and has been living off the streets for years not once making something of herself.  The soldier threatens to kill the girl if Dios doesn’t surrender.

“Now, I ask you this question:  What would Dios do?”

‘Would Dios save a poor person,’ Rose thought in disbelief, looking at Queen Usio from the corner of her eye, ‘What the hell kind of question is that to ask these girls?  These spoiled girls that would even throw their younger siblings under a carriage if it meant getting a  new dress or a piece of jewelry?!  Of course they’re all going to answer let the girl die!’

“Why should Dios waste his time and his life in saving trash,” Dorothy was the first to say, “That stupid wench is already dead!  I say he leaves her to die!”

“I think we found something else we all agree upon,” Catherine grinned darkly and gleefully, “If it were me, I would say let the rat get what she deserves.  One less piece of filth to worry about.”

“It would be one thing if she were a fellow comrade or lady of importance,” Fayette answered thoughtfully, “but what would a poor person offer if she were to be spared?  Dios would get hurt or worse trying to save her and she won’t be able to repay him even if she spent thee lifetime doing so.”

“And why is our dear garbage dressed in those rags instead of her finer gowns,” Emma stated snidely, “I would’ve burned the damned thing at the beginning of this game!”

“Let’s no forget that she didn’t stop to save any of us,” Raven pointed out, “she only ran to save herself.  Why should anyone bother to save her?”

“Let her die,” Bridget yelled.

“She has no one but herself to blame,” Elanor stated with her arms crossed.

Rose tried to not let their answers get to her, she really tried.  She knew that they would answer like this.  Anyone that wasn’t nobility or royalty were considered lower than livestock in their eyes.  She didn’t know why a small part of her hoped for a different answer.  Even Mary and Claire, who had seemed to have some sympathy to her, agreed that she should be left to die.  Why did she let it hurt her so?  What did they wanted her to do against the soldiers?  Running for safety, then seeking out help later sounded like the best decision in her mind.  Even Claire had told her to run.  

“Well now,” Queen Usio raised a hand to silence the noble girls, a soldier unsheathing a sword and bringing it towards Rose’s neck, “What do you think, my dear?  Everyone seems to think you should die so Dios could escape unscathed.  After all, he was the hero of our great kingdom, a symbol of hope for all.  If he died trying to save someone very insignificant to the cause, that would look…bad… upon the kingdom.  Don’t you think?”

“So you say,” Rose muttered, knowing that at this point there was no reason to hold back anymore upon accepting she wasn’t going to leave alive, “but how does leaving someone, even if they were insignificant, to die make that person a hero?  Does defeating the villain or winning the war make someone truly a hero, or just a farce that is used to gain fame or fortune?  How can we truly say what makes a hero?  I shall tell you.  Its not about following orders or seeking fortune or defeating the villain at the end.  It’s doing what is right because it is right, despite the cost.  To show some humanity even to those that may seem not worth it.  One does not know the future or our true fates in the end.  Perhaps if Dios did rescue that poor woman, said woman may go on to become someone of most importance.  She may find love and have a family, and her children could go on to become people of most importance.  A soldier has no time to think of such things in battle.  He must make a choice as fast as he could before more lives are lost.

“So as to answer your question,   he would save her.  He would pretend to be doing as he is ordered, and then either wait for the enemy soldier to le his guard down before striking or… wait for his fellow soldiers to strike from behind and save the poor woman.  After all, Dios had many friends amongst his fellow soldiers.  I cannot see any of them leaving him there all alone to make such a hard choice.

“And as for you lot,” she turned her head towards the noble girls, “how do you expect one poor girl to fight against an army of soldiers with no weapons on hand or any form of combat training?  I even heard one of you screamed at me to run.  Had you not thought that maybe I was running to find Rowen and the other men to come and save all of you?”

“And yet you couldn’t even managed that you useless dog,” Catherine snorted in disgust,  “You failed, just like how you failed in life.  You are merely saying those things just to save your own hide.  No one here is fooled by your tricks, so why don’t you just-“

“Why don’t you just go to hell,” Rose nearly shouted, making the noble girls either cry out or gasp in shock, “I’ve had enough of your holier than thou attitudes and making yourselves seem more important than one another.  All you lot are just as equally useless… no, you’re beyond useless.  You can’t even survive in this world without someone doing everything for you while you sit in your fancy chairs and bark orders like you are the queens of the world.  You don’t know how to cook, how to mend clothing, or even how to protect yourselves from attacks.  You all would’ve been dead during those three days we were in the forest had it not been for your chosen men or stealing from others.  

“You’re the real parasites here, always taking from everyone and not giving anything back in return while expecting others to serve or protect you.  You are nothing special at all.”

Rose stopped herself as the sword at her neck was raised higher and pushed into the skin by a nod from Queen Usio, a trickle of blood seeping out.  She could see the angry looks on he noble girls’ faces, but she had enough.  If she was going to die today, she will be no coward and they will not get the satisfaction of hearing her plea for her life.

“How dare you,” Bridget screeched.

“After all we did for you,” Helen nearly shouted in disbelief.

“No one has the right to talk to us this way,” Emma cried out.

“Kill her,” Dorothy yelled.

“Kill the street rat,” Catherine shouted.

The throne room was filled with the shouts of the noble girls demanding Rose’s death.  Queen Usio let it go on for a few more minutes before she raised her hand, and everyone became silent.  She then knelt before Rose and lowered her head to the poor girl.

“And what would your outburst mean for me,” she asked, “After all, I am no different from these girls.  I have servants wait on me hand and foot every day and give my orders from my throne.  Am I just as much a parasite as they are?”

“No Your Majesty,” Rose said after a brief pause, “Unlike them, you work so hard to ensure our kingdom is safe and thriving.  You make decisions that effect everyone and are careful as to how those decisions play out.  You do no sit around all day and have everyone do everything for you.  I am actually quite humble to be in your presence.  You are the one person of the highest nobility, and of the noblest royalty, that I do respect.”

“Is that so,” the queen smiled a little darkly, “despite my orders to hold you down and even have your neck cut?”

“I m but a humble civilian of your vast kingdom.  Who am I to question you, the master?”

“Indeed.  Though, you are quite the liar, you’re a good one at that.  I like you.”

With that, Queen Usio stood up and returned to her throne, sitting comfortably as the noble girls and Rose looked at her in confusion.  Was Rose going to be killed?  Who was going to be declared the winner?

“Quite the character we got for someone off the streets,” the queen comments, resting her cheek on one hand, “but she is correct about Dios saving her.”

The noble girls raised an uproar as Rowen suddenly appeared behind one of the soldiers and grasped the hand holding the sword, pulling and twisting until the soldier cried out and dropped his weapon.  The second soldier released Rose and went for his sword, but the head butler already had grabbed the fallen weapon and brandished it before grabbing Rose and pulling her to a far corner, eyes darting to each soldier that grasped their weapons.

“Rowen,” Rose exclaimed in shock, “Why did you save me?  You could be killed-“  

“So could you,” Rowen interjected, not once looking at her,  “I can’t let the woman I love die before my eyes.  How is your neck?”

“I’ll be fine,” Rose ran her fingers against the wound, “A few healing herbs will keep it from being infected.”

“Why did that hideous troll save her,” Ivy exclaimed in shock, “He attacked Her Majesty’s soldiers!”

“He should be executed,” Octavia nearly shouted, “No one assaults the royal soldiers and live!” 

“We are still playing the game,” Fayette pointed out, “Of course he would save his charge!  Any man would!”

“He is a servant,” Octavia turned her fury on Fayette, “How could a servant sneak up on a royal soldier, even if he was once a soldier himself?!”

“They will both die anyway,” Catherine stated calmly, “There is no way that Her Majesty would allow such insolence to be allowed any further.  Am I correct, Your Majesty?”

“You are correct on that assumption,” Queen Usio confirmed, “but first let me tell you a story.

“Rowen here was once a high-ranked soldier in the royal army, during my father’s time, despite starting out as a young boy not even eight years old.  He was loved by many of the soldiers and the citizens of Mistral.  It was believed he would remain as such for the rest of his days, and our kingdom would know no better security.

“However, upon my father’s death due to his illness, Rowen requested to be released from his oath to my kingdom.  He wanted to travel the world an help many people, more than what he was helping here.  I told him he would be granted his request after returning from one final mission:  to take out the enemy forces invading our kingdom once and for all, but to do so alone.  My soldiers were spread so thin and I couldn’t spare anyone to help him.  

“Dios accepted my terms like the hero he was and came back successful, but  heavily injured.  With good fortune, his injuries healed with no lasting effects.”

“What,” Rose uttered in confusion.  Rowen told her that he had been injured from shrapnel and his face was horribly scarred from it.  Don’t tell her…

“As he had fulfilled his end of the bargain,” Queen Usio continued, “I would have had to release him.  However, I just couldn’t let him go.  He was a hero and a powerful paladin.  Without him, our kingdom would be attacked again.  And so, we agreed to a game, one based off one of his many mystery novels.  If he won, he got his freedom.  If I won, he would have to uphold his oath to my family and swear fealty to me for the rest of his life.

“The game we have been playing happens to be that game.”

“The game,” Amelia blinked in confusion, “Were we not suppose to be deciding who is Dios?’

“And why are we talking about such a lowly butler,” Pearl asked, also confused.

“As strong as a soldier he once was,” Fayette crossed her arms, “I fail to see-“

“Are you all really that stupid,” Queen Usio snarled at the noble girls, who looked at her with blank and confused eyes, “He is Dios!”

“What,” almost every noble girl exclaimed loudly.