║+5 Positive EXP — Successfully Dodged a Lethal Flag.║
║Outcome: Heroine's hostility redirected into confusion.║
"Books?" Lilithia spat, slapping Cressida's hand away with startling speed. "Since when did you read books?"
"Ouch," Cressida murmured.
║ -5 Negative EXP — Provoked Unnecessary Hostility.║
"Not even a month, and you're already going to another woman?" Genevieve's cold voice cut in. "I apologize, but all these dusty books made me bored."
This made Lilithia pause, her focus shifting, her confusion palpable. She was most likely wondering what was Agrona's loyal personal bodyguard doing acting as Cressida's escort.
"Here," Lilithia said, forcing a soft, strained smile and offering a book to Genevieve. "This might pique your interest. In the meantime, can I borrow Cressida?"
Before anyone could object, Lilithia forcefully grabbed Cressida and began dragging her away. They moved quickly past the thousands of bookshelves, their narrow aisles acting like winding corridors, until they reached a secluded, shadowed corner.
Suddenly, Cressida found herself slammed and pinned against the secluded wall.
The sight was unexpectedly amusing, given that Lilithia was visibly smaller than she was.
Ah, how adorable. Even though she clearly wants to murder me.
"People might get the wrong idea, you know," Cressida teased lightly, raising an eyebrow.
║+5 Positive EXP — Maintained composure under duress.║
Lilithia ignored the jab, her voice tight with disbelief. "I don't understand. How are you... Why are you..."
"Alive?" Cressida finished for her.
She wasn't sure if she should tell the heroine the truth - that she was an outsider who knew this world was a novel.
If her existence made the meta-aware heroine unpredictable, the reverse was also true. There was no way to read this terrifyingly two-faced girl.
Fortunately, her past life as a CEO had given her sharp, non-negotiable skills. She instinctively knew how to read a person's competency and true intent.
She learned to spot the difference between a genuine smile and a "social smile", the slight delay in the crinkle around the eyes, the forced downturn of the lower lip.
Then focusing on tells, a shift in posture, a sudden drop in eye contact, or the flicker of a vein in the neck, to determine the subject's normal state versus their current state of high stress or deception.
She also quickly evaluated who was truly in control.
A competent person, even when shocked, maintains their vocal tone and core posture.
Lilithia's stuttering and loss of cool immediately flagged her as high-strung and ultimately less calculating than she pretended to be.
She watched the hands and the feet.
Flinching, clenching, or sudden, aggressive actions were signs of someone reacting emotionally, rather than executing a thought-out, cold strategy.
║+5 Positive EXP — Applied real-world analytical logic.║
Slowly, Cressida breathed in. "If you want to gather your jewels efficiently, you need someone who knows their vulnerabilities. I'm your silent partner. I know every man's weakness in this palace. Now, stop the theatrics."
║+5 Positive EXP — Redirected tension into negotiation.║
She instantly decided that this was not the time to trust this girl.
She had to maintain her skepticism and test Lilithia's competency before even considering revealing the truth.
Lilithia, however, bypassed the test entirely. Her eyes narrowed with a terrifying certainty. "You... You're not Cressida, are you?"
'Never mind skepticism,' Cressida thought, adrenaline spiking. 'This girl is figuring things out way too quickly.'
"You seem confused. Do you normally pin random people against library walls just for existing?"
Lilithia shook her head, her voice strained. "I can't read your fate, your script... not anymore. The original plot says you should be dead, but then I hear rumors about Agrona's new fiancé."
"And that's precisely where I need your help," Cressida stated simply.
"Why should I help the former villainess who tried to ruin my life?"
"Because I'm a real person."