Chapter 171: I Must Know the Truth
"Celestial Level..."
A mere pair of words, yet to Amelia, they sounded like the single worst lie that could ever be uttered in all of history.
Celestial Level...
Her eyes lingered on those words for a moment as her mind—a mind that, in her past life, belonged to an Empress who ruled the entire Starry Empire—began working at peak speed to analyze the true meaning behind this classification. Was there truly a tier that bore such a name? Where did this System come from in the first place? And how could an unknown entity hand out a reward categorized as Celestial Level so casually, as if it didn’t even warrant a further explanation?
Before any of that, however, she needed to compose herself.
Or at least attempt to.
She didn’t want to make Albert worry about her any more than he already was, especially after realizing she had almost exposed the strange interface before everyone moments prior.
Amelia swallowed hard, gradually quickening her pace. She pushed her tiny feet forward at a rate faster than usual, until from the outside, it appeared almost as if she were fleeing from something hunting her in the dark.
Yet she wasn’t running away.
She was simply trying to keep herself occupied.
Perhaps if she focused on physical movement—on the path ahead, on reaching the palace as swiftly as possible—her mind would cease spinning around those strange words that had suddenly materialized before her eyes.
As though increasing her physical effort would force her thoughts to shift elsewhere, burying that irritating text in a forgotten corner of her memory.
What in the world is this...?
Amelia muttered internally, continuing her rapid pace.
Yet Albert picked up on it.
It was virtually impossible for him not to.
Even though Amelia was much shorter than him and her natural stride was considerably smaller, her sudden speed was glaringly obvious—especially since he had walked alongside her long enough to know her usual walking rhythm by heart.
She was moving faster now.
And far more tense.
Worse still, she was acting as though she were attempting to reach a destination before something that didn’t even exist caught up to her.
Thus, without making it obvious, Albert matched her speed, observing her out of the corner of his eye in an attempt to figure out what was going on in his friend’s mind.
Amelia had been acting strangely since morning, and this time, Albert wasn’t sure he could simply brush it aside.
"Lady Amelia... Is something wrong? Why are you rushing like this?"
He asked her directly, his tone carrying a clear trace of worry.
He looked at her, awaiting an answer, while Amelia began feeling even greater pressure mounting on her.
Should I tell him?
No.
Definitively no.
She couldn’t even comprehend what was happening herself, so how could she explain to a genius child—no matter how clever he was—the existence of a transparent floating screen that only she could see, presenting her with a strange mission and claiming its reward was a Celestial-Level crown?
Even if Albert believed her, he would most likely think she had suffered a sudden mental breakdown.
Thus, concealing the truth remained the most rational choice.
Noticing the concern resurfacing in Albert’s eyes, Amelia felt a subtle pang of guilt. She didn’t want to lie to him, but the issue was that the truth itself was absurd to the point of being utterly unbelievable.
So she forced a small smile, striving to keep her voice as natural as possible.
"Well... I just need to hurry a bit. Aunt brought me some sweets and told me that if I leave them in the fridge for too long, they’ll turn from something delicious into something completely spoiled."
Amelia knew full well how flimsy her excuse was.
In fact, she knew it was flimsy to the point of being practically an indirect confession that she was hiding something.
Yet what she needed right now wasn’t a compelling argument, but rather to reach a quiet place—far from prying eyes—where she could think without being watched.
She needed paper and a pen.
She needed to sit alone.
And she needed to analyze every single word that had appeared before her, letter by letter, before making any decision.
The issue wasn’t merely the existence of the mission.
It was in its finer details.
The System had addressed her as a "daughter" in the phrasing of the mission, referenced her father, demanded that she embark on a journey with him to a specific location, and then promised her a reward categorized under a tier she had never even heard of.
None of this seemed random.
Rather, it felt as though it knew things about her that no one ought to know.
No... This has to be like a secret code that can be deciphered.
Albert, meanwhile, was forced to suppress his anxiety as he walked beside her, yet he never stopped watching her, as if waiting for her to reveal the truth herself.
When the two reached the palace, Amelia paused before the grand staircase. Turning to Albert before ascending, she spoke in a tone she tried to keep as casual as possible:
"Albert... Tell Aunt that Amelia has gone into her private suite and doesn’t need to eat right now. Make sure no one enters, as she wants some peace and quiet."
She blurted it out quickly before heading up the stairs.
Yet Albert wasn’t about to let that sentence slide so easily.
He suddenly remembered the sweets she had mentioned moments ago. Raising his head toward her, he asked with an air of absolute innocence—as though unaware he was completely blowing her excuse apart:
"In that case, should I tell the servants to throw those sweets away after they spoil, and ask your aunt what kind they were so I can buy you fresh ones?"
Amelia paused mid-step.
She cursed the boy in her mind.
Just once, he could have let the details pass without picking them apart... but he clearly had no intention of doing so.
He possessed a sharp enough mind to seize upon any minor contradiction, and now it was as if he were silently telling her: You just lied.
Amelia turned halfway back, offering a small, tight smile to mask her annoyance.
"Well... We can always buy another."
She said it simply, then resumed her ascent without adding another word.
Albert remained standing in place for several moments, following her with his eyes as she climbed the stairs far faster than a child her age should, until she gradually vanished onto the upper floor.
As for Amelia, every step bringing her closer to her suite dragged her mind right back to the single thing she had been trying to escape ever since that screen appeared.
Celestial Level...
She muttered it internally once more.
This time, she was no longer merely astonished.
She was determined to uncover the truth.