"She's already been found, Aqua-kun. The girl you asked for—Olivia. A village girl with healing magic. Come here," Akane said from the other side of the communication device.
Immediately afterward, he went to meet the heroine himself. Olivia. One of the love interests of Leon Fou Bartfort—the so-called "true protagonist" of this world.
Yeah, Olivia is obviously a fake protagonist. Her background was conveniently written to make the mob protagonist look good, to give him dramatic scenes of saving a damsel in distress. That's all there is to it.
Her true background is actually tragic without Marie's intervention.
Not Leon's intervention—Leon in the other timeline, the Incest Route with Marie, where he didn't interfere in Olivia's development and didn't prevent Marie from stealing Olivia's golden finger and love interests.
In that timeline, Olivia's fate was horrific. She was exploited by Angelica's ancestor, the Original Saint. Her body was taken over. The Original Saint used Olivia's flesh to seduce the crown prince and his idiot friends, manipulating them for her own benefit while the kingdom burned.
And all the while, Olivia was trapped inside her own mind, helpless and horrified, watching her own body commit unspeakable acts.
So, Leon in Marie's Route basically destroyed Olivia completely—by preventing Marie from ever stealing the relic of the saint. The very relic that was so harmful to Olivia.
Moreover, Leon in that route is a total hypocrite. That's what made Aqua, who actually liked Leon in the original timeline, completely hate him now.
Yeah, Leon basically lectured Marie, acting holier-than-thou, talking about how they shouldn't intervene with the "plot" while he himself stole Luxion from Olivia.
He had the gall to play the saint, to tell Marie she was forbidden from changing the plot and stealing Olivia's opportunities—while he was doing exactly that.
Yeah, Leon had his own reasons. Marie had hers too. She was pressured by her family, forced to pay off their massive debt, condemned to a life of debt slavery. Leon was coerced into marrying some old woman. Yet Leon was allowed to change his fate, but Marie wasn't.
That was the line Aqua couldn't cross. That was the hypocrisy he couldn't stomach.
He could tolerate a lot of flaws in a protagonist. Arrogance? Fine. Naivety? Annoying, but forgivable. But this kind of dogshit, retarded self-righteousness? The kind where a man broke every rule he demanded others follow?
No.
Never.
Marie's Route is undeniably a disaster. A poor portrayal of Leon. A PR disaster.
And Aqua had no doubt in his mind: if Leon ever dared open his mouth in front of him—if he ever dared to lecture Aqua about not changing the plot, about not interfering, about playing by the rules while breaking them himself—Aqua would kill him.
Not threaten. Not argue. Not posture.
He would simply end the bastard on the spot.
He never allowed anyone to point a finger at his nose.
Never.
Not then.
Not now.
Not ever.
Behind him, three knights followed in perfect formation, maintaining their discipline and absolute silence.
Not a single clank of armor betrayed their presence beyond the necessary.
Aqua stopped at the entrance and glanced back at them.
"Go," he said simply. "Don't bother us."
The knights bowed in unison and melted away into the background without a word.
He stepped inside alone.
The interior was modest—more than modest.
The small house showed clear signs of poor maintenance: peeling wallpaper, a creaking floorboard, the faint musty smell of a dwelling that had seen better days and far too many harsh seasons.
His attention shifted to Olivia, who was peeking at him from the corner of the room, her eyes darting nervously toward the window where his three knights had disappeared.
"You are Olivia?" he asked, though he already knew the answer.
"Yes, Lord Redgrave." Olivia answered, her voice soft but steady despite her obvious anxiety.
Then she glanced around her own home—the cracked walls, the worn-out furniture, the simple earthen floor—and her face flushed a deep crimson with embarrassment.
"I'm sorry, my lord. My house is... dirty. I should have cleaned more before—"
"It doesn't matter," Aqua waved his hand dismissively, genuinely unconcerned. "Only lesser men care about such trivialities."
He had been born into privilege, yes.
But he had also been taught from a young age never to look down on another person's circumstances.
What mattered was a person's character and intelligence, not the thickness of their coin purse or the shine of their floors.
"Uhm... thank you?" Olivia looked lost, her words trailing off uncertainly.
She clearly didn't know what to say to that—a noble who didn't sneer at poverty was apparently a novel experience for her.
Aqua took a seat on the simple wooden chair, ignoring the way it creaked under his weight.
He let out a quiet sigh, his expression growing more serious. "What do you think of this kingdom, Olivia? Akane told me I could trust you. So I came."
Olivia's face shifted, a nostalgic look softening her features. "It's a very beautiful and violent country, my lord."
She paused, gathering her thoughts. "My father was a soldier. My mother was a farmer. They both died for this kingdom."
Her voice carried no bitterness, only a quiet, resigned acceptance. "They taught me that despite its flaws, the Holfort Kingdom is still a very beautiful country compared to our neighbors' lands."
Aqua nodded slowly, processing her words.
Then he spoke again, his tone measured and deliberate. "I heard you are gifted with healing magic. Very rare magic. The kind that is only granted to a Saint."
He leaned forward slightly, his eyes locking onto hers. "The Redgrave House wants to recruit you. We truly do, Olivia. But I don't think that's the Saint's destiny."
A small, almost conspiratorial smile tugged at his lips. "You should live larger than yourself. Larger than this tiny land. Larger than this tiny destiny of becoming nothing more than another noble house's asset."
Olivia's eyes widened. "Do you truly believe that I'm the Saint, my lord?"
Doubt laced her voice, but beneath it, a flicker of desperate hope.
"You are," Aqua replied, his smirk widening. "That's why I came. That's why we're having this conversation, my lady."
Her face erupted in a fiery blush.
She stared at his sunny, handsome features—the confident curve of his jaw, the warmth in his eyes, the easy authority of his posture—and felt her heartbeat stutter in her chest.
She was nervous, overwhelmed by the presence of such trust from a man of far higher birth than her.
No one had ever looked at her like that before. Like she mattered. Like she was something more than a poor farmer's daughter living in a crumbling house on the edge of nowhere.
"The Holfort Kingdom needs you, Olivia," Aqua said firmly as he reached out and held her hand in his.
His grip was warm, steady, and full of unspoken urgency. "We need you to lead us through the darkest hours our kingdom has ever faced."
"Uhm... my lord?" Olivia stammered, her brow furrowing in confusion.
Her heart was still racing from his earlier words, and now this?
"Is there... is there some problem that the kingdom couldn't solve on its own?"
Aqua didn't answer her question directly.
Instead, he met her gaze with those intense eyes and asked, "Have you heard of the Principality of Farnoss, Olivia?"
Olivia's entire body stiffened.
Her hands clenched into tight fists at her sides, her knuckles turning white.
Her father's face flashed through her mind—his warm smile, his strong hands, the way he had kissed her forehead before leaving for his last battle.
"They invaded our land," she whispered, her voice cracking. "And my father... he..."
Tears welled in her eyes before she could stop them. Hot and bitter, they spilled down her cheeks.
Aqua rose from his seat and approached her slowly.
He pulled a clean handkerchief from his pocket—fine fabric, embroidered with the Redgrave crest—and gently wiped the tears from her face.
His touch was surprisingly tender for a man of his station.
"Don't worry," he said softly, his voice a low promise. "He shall be avenged. They will pay for every atrocity they've committed against Holfort. Every single one."
He paused, letting the weight of his words settle. "But for that, we need your help, Olivia. There is something we need you to do. A favor."
She looked up at him, her tear-stained face hardening with resolve. The grief was still there, raw and bleeding, but beneath it, something else kindled—a fire she hadn't known she possessed. "What should I do, my lord?"
Inwardly, Aqua smirked.
The pieces were falling into place perfectly.
But on the outside, his expression remained tragic, his eyes shadowed with sorrow and reluctant duty. "I'm not sure I can ask this of you, Olivia. I..."
"Tell me," Olivia insisted, her voice stronger now. "Please, my lord. Tell me what I need to do."
Aqua let out a heavy sigh, as if the weight of the world pressed down on his shoulders. "We want you to infiltrate the Principality of Farnoss. Their center of power. Their politics. Their royal family's inner circle."
Olivia's eyes widened.
"My father will pay with his blood to get you in," Aqua continued, his voice dropping lower. "He has already volunteered. His sacrifice will open the door. Akane—your best friend—will handle the rest, ensuring everything proceeds smoothly. And I..."
He paused, looking away as if the words physically pained him. "I will sacrifice myself entirely for this mission. My reputation. My standing. Everything."
He turned back to face her, his expression raw. "Once this succeeds, they will no longer be a threat. They will never invade us again, Olivia. Never."
Olivia stood frozen, absorbing the magnitude of what he was asking.
"Your healing magic," Aqua pressed on, "will be highly sought after by them. They will fight over you. Covet you. You will become a center of power without even trying. I don't need you to please them or wag your tail for their approval. I don't need you to smile at their cruelty or pretend to love their filth. I only need you to exist within their ranks. Hold the flagbearer position. Be present. Akane will do the rest for you."
He stepped closer, his hand still holding hers. "Can you do this, Olivia? Can you bear this burden for your kingdom? For your father's memory?"
Olivia looked at him—at the handsome, tragic nobleman who had walked into her crumbling little house and offered her a destiny larger than herself.
She thought of her father, dead on some distant battlefield. She thought of her mother, buried in the same soil she had once farmed. She thought of Akane, her dearest friend, willing to walk through fire beside her.
She straightened her spine and met his gaze with unwavering firmness.
"I will try my best, my lord."
And just like that, Aqua secured her allegiance.
He placed her carefully into his grand design for conquest and hegemony over the Principality of Farnoss, never once letting his inner satisfaction show on his tragic, noble face.
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