Book 5: Chapter 189: Two Possibilities
“Impossible, I’ve seen Lady Erica’s face. Although it was a fleeting glimpse, I’m sure she isn’t Princess Estelle,” Brady retorted sternly.
“Are you certain that was her real face?” Ness took two steps forward, his gaze fixed on Brady’s. “There are countless ways to alter one’s appearance in this world. What if she deliberately allowed you to see her face to engineer a deception?”
“That’s a valid point. Perhaps she intended for you to see her face. Otherwise, there would have been no need for her to wear a mask when the three of us approached,” Balmer interjected, aligning his thoughts with Ness’.
“But that doesn’t prove Lady Erica is Estelle,” Brady insisted defiantly, but Ness had grown impatient with his skepticism.
Ignoring Brady, Ness seated himself opposite Balmer. “Moving on from speculation, let’s talk about why we must act now.”
Balmer nodded attentively. “Go ahead.”
Ness picked up a twig and drew a ‘1’ on the ground, followed by two crude figures. “First, consider this scenario: Lady Erica has indeed eliminated Princess Estelle. This suggests she is either stronger than Estelle or has employed tactics Estelle couldn’t withstand.”
Ness marked one figure with a cross and the other with a question mark, symbolizing Princess Estelle and Lady Erica respectively.
“Yes, our primary concern is that there’s still too much we don’t know about Lady Erica,” Ballmer agreed.