Night had fallen over Plantagenet Castle. In the depths of a narrow alley at the northwest corner, a dim lantern swayed gently in the night breeze. Light filtered through the wisteria-covered bamboo fence, casting dappled shadows on the grey brick wall.

  From a secluded courtyard surrounded by blooming roses, a faint sweet fragrance drifted into the air—an unmistakable scent of floral liqueur.

  The carved wooden door creaked softly as Orlanis slipped inside. With a graceful wave of her hand, a pale blue magical glow lit her fingertips. A translucent barrier rippled outward, isolating the room completely from the outside world.

  Inside, candlelight flickered, illuminating the beautiful face of the girl across from her—Eirwyn.

  The Director of the Intelligence Bureau’s Reconnaissance Division was lazily reclining on a velvet cushion. Moonlight streamed through sheer curtains, cloaking her in a silvery haze.

  Among the elves, Eirwyn’s appearance was one of a kind. Her ears were slightly shorter than those of typical elves, lacking some of the usual ethereal grace. Yet that imperfection lent her a unique allure.

  In her childhood, those imperfect ears had made her a target of scorn and bullying from her peers. During those lonely years, only her half-sister Orlanis had held her hand and gently wiped away her tears.

  Orlanis’s gaze drifted to Eirwyn, a flicker of complicated emotion rising in her heart. Her younger sister wore a silk nightdress that outlined her elegant and shapely figure. The top pearl button at her chest seemed ready to burst loose at any moment.

  Her smooth, ivory skin gleamed like fine porcelain. Beneath her collarbone, a shadowed cleft hinted at curves that far exceeded elven standards of beauty. Even as a fellow woman, Orlanis found herself both envious and flustered.

  "That figure… truly indecent," she thought, fingers unconsciously tightening around her skirt.

  “Sister, about the matter I entrusted you with a few days ago…” Orlanis broke the silence, her voice tinged with urgency and unease.

  A sly smile played at Eirwyn’s lips. Dimples, like crescent moons, flickered faintly on her cheeks.

  She lazily swirled the crystal goblet in her hand. The amber wine glimmered with each movement, catching the candlelight, but she deliberately made no reply.

  Only when Orlanis’s expression grew visibly tense—on the verge of frustration—did Eirwyn chuckle softly, setting down her glass and pouring two cups of floral liqueur.

  “How could I be careless about something as important as my sister’s happiness?” Eirwyn’s voice was like honeyed silk, smooth and melodious. She drew a scroll from her chest and traced its edge with her fingertip, as if caressing a priceless treasure.

  Orlanis almost snatched the scroll away. The moment her fingers touched it, she felt a trace of warmth and caught a whiff of creamy fragrance—her sister’s unique scent.

  She eagerly unrolled the scroll. A portrait of a woman emerged from the paper. At the sight of the depicted face, Orlanis frowned slightly, her tone dissatisfied: “Why did you make her look so beautiful? This girl in the portrait might already be at the very edge of what Daniel can tolerate.”

  Eirwyn grinned like a fox who’d successfully stolen a hen, her eyes gleaming with mischief. “I never used to believe it when people said women in love are fools. Now I do. Sister, do you even know how to deceive someone?”

  Orlanis was stunned, staring blankly at her sister. “I’ve never lied before…”

  Eirwyn raised her glass and gently clinked it against Orlanis’s with a crisp tink. “The most effective form of deception... is exactly what you're doing.”

  Seeing the color drain slightly from Orlanis’s face, Eirwyn finally dropped the act and spoke seriously.

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  “Sister, whatever your method, the first rule of lying is credibility. Princess Frannie is a succubus—how ugly could she possibly be?”

  “If I had painted her as grotesque, it wouldn’t be deception. Frankly speaking, your beloved Prince Daniel is not so easily fooled.”

  She paused, her fingertip gliding over the portrait. “I based it mostly on Frannie’s real appearance—only made her lips a bit thinner, added a beauty mark, and sharpened the cheekbones to give her a more lewd and mean-spirited look.

  This way, the viewer's first impression of her will naturally be unpleasant. With such a preconceived notion, no matter how they look at her afterward, they’ll find her disagreeable.

  Even if Prince Daniel meets the real Frannie later, he’ll just assume the artist lacked skill—he won’t suspect he’s been deceived. If he accepts the portrait as truthful, that’s when our real work begins.”

  Orlanis listened silently, then tilted her head back and drained her cup in one gulp. The sweet wine slid down her throat, warmth blossoming in her chest. Her furrowed brows gradually relaxed.

  “Sister, you really do understand intelligence better than anyone. Thank you.”

  Eirwyn gazed at her sister’s flushed cheeks, her eyes full of warmth.

  “You and His Highness already care for each other deeply. I can’t bear to see someone try to come between you. I’m merely protecting your love.

  Princess Frannie might be decent, but she’s nothing compared to you. So what I did wasn’t lying—it was just guiding events back onto the right path.”

  Orlanis studied the scroll closely, a new doubt surfacing in her heart. “Didn’t you just say a good lie needs to be believable? But now you’re making Frannie sound terrible—who’s going to believe that?”

  A mischievous glint flickered in Eirwyn’s eyes. “Everyone will. What race is Frannie again? A succubus, one of the demon kin. Is it really that unbelievable for a succubus to be a little… lascivious?”

  Orlanis chuckled, nodding in agreement. “That’s perfectly logical. In fact, a pure and innocent succubus would be far stranger.”

  “A lascivious, insatiable, not-too-ugly succubus who just so happens to be a royal princess—it's not too far-fetched to say she has a taste for odd things like S&M and debauched parties, is it? Sure, there’s no strict cause-and-effect here, but it all makes perfect sense,” Eirwyn said as she clinked glasses with her sister again.

  Orlanis downed several cups in quick succession, getting a little too excited and accidentally choking. After coughing a few times, she asked anxiously, “Are you sure it’s okay to make something like this up?”

  “What’s the problem? Plenty of demons don’t believe that a succubus could ever be pure. They’re already slandering Frannie. Even if someone wants to nitpick, the worst they can say is that our intelligence officers made a mistake,” Eirwyn replied nonchalantly, waving her hand dismissively.

  Orlanis let out a breath of relief, a blush blooming on her cheeks. “If Daniel finds out what I’ve done… will he…”

  “First of all, no one will find out. Second, this whole operation was conducted by me. What does it have to do with you? Sister, did you know anything about this?” Eirwyn asked with a playful wink.

  Orlanis felt a warm rush in her heart. “Thank you, little sister.”

  “We’re sisters. No need to say such distant things,” Eirwyn replied, though her smile carried a faint trace of sorrow. She added softly, “Sister, this is your love we’re talking about. Of course I’ll help you. But if one day, I’m the one who falls into a hopeless love… would you help me?”

  “We’re sisters. Don’t say such distant things,” Orlanis echoed firmly. “If you fall in love with someone, I’ll support you to the end! So, who is it that you like?”

  Eirwyn gave her a mock glare. “You don’t even know who I like, yet you’re already swearing loyalty? That doesn’t sound very sincere.”

  Orlanis placed her right hand solemnly over her heart. “By the Moon Goddess above, I—”

  Eirwyn hurriedly covered her mouth. “Alright, alright, my dear sister, I believe you! No need to swear to the Moon Goddess over something so small!”

  The two burst into laughter, the atmosphere warm and cheerful. Suddenly, Orlanis’s expression grew serious as a thought struck her. “Wait, what about the demon side? What if Frannie insists on fulfilling the engagement and comes all the way here herself? If she shows up at Plantagenet Castle, wouldn’t all these lies fall apart?”

  Eirwyn leaned in close, whispering something in her sister’s ear. Orlanis’s eyebrows gradually lifted in satisfaction, only to furrow again a moment later. “Eirwyn, that’s not quite right. Why didn’t you just say Daniel wasn’t good-looking?”

  “Would anyone believe a highborn elf prince is ugly?” Eirwyn raised an eyebrow in reply.

  Enlightenment dawned on Orlanis. She bit her lip, cheeks flushed pink. “Still, it’s not quite enough. You said he likes men, but you didn’t say if he’s the top or the bottom. If he’s the top, a lewd succubus princess might be quite happy to oblige.”

  Eirwyn nodded approvingly. “Sister, you’re brilliant. I get it now—Prince Daniel not only likes men, he’s a bottom! Don’t worry, by tomorrow at the latest, that little fact will be known to the demon princess.”

  After confirming every detail, Orlanis raised her glass in excitement. “To us, dear sister—cheers!”

  “And what are we toasting to?” Eirwyn asked with a smile.

  Orlanis’s eyes sparkled as she said softly, “To us, the ever-honest elves who never lie.”

  They exchanged a knowing look, then tipped their glasses back and drank it all.