The memory stone delivered its message around midnight: the next meeting would begin at 8:00 the following morning. Until then, players were free to rest or continue working on their tasks.
Leon lay on his bed, one arm tucked behind his head, idly tossing the memory stone with his other hand.
He couldn't sleep.
The reason was simple. This was his first time participating in such an immersive, novel game, and even he felt a thrill of excitement. A little restlessness was perfectly normal.
He also had no intention of venturing out to complete tasks in the middle of the night. With 72 hours for the game, resting for six or seven hours was a perfectly sound strategy.
"By tomorrow's 8 a.m. meeting, that Dragon Queen will definitely launch a full-scale attack to get everyone to vote me out," Leon thought.
He knew Rossweise well enough to be certain of it. As Isha had pointed out, his wife's motives were rarely complex—she simply enjoyed making life difficult for him. She would never pass up such a golden opportunity.
If she managed to eliminate him right at the start of the game, it would be a feat she'd boast about for a full year. He could already hear it: "I, Rossweise Melkvey, defeated the strongest Dragon Slayer at the very beginning. How impressive is that?"
To avoid being "killed" by his own wife first thing, Leon needed a solid plan for the morning meeting.
Lost in thought, time slipped by until it was the early hours of the morning. Leon was still lying there, staring at the ceiling and mentally rehearsing his speeches, when he heard the lock on his door turn.
He tensed, lifting his head slightly to look.
The door creaked open slowly, allowing a beam of hallway light to spill in, illuminating two small shadows.
"Daddy? Are you asleep? Muen couldn't sleep and wants to snuggle with you," a familiar, soft voice whispered.
Hearing his precious daughter, Leon almost answered immediately. But he stopped himself.
When they had drawn roles, Muen had picked [The Princess's Friend]—which referred to Noah. Given Muen's typically clingy attachment to her sister, it made more sense for her to go to Noah's room if she was lonely. Seeking out Leon, [The King's Old Friend], didn't quite fit, in or out of the game.
After a quick analysis, Leon decided to pretend to be asleep.
"Daddy? Daddy?" Muen tried whispering a few more times.
When he still didn't answer, Muen turned to her companion. "Okay, Daddy's asleep. Let's go, Aurora!"
With that, the two small figures tiptoed into the room.
Leon smirked inwardly. Of course. They weren't here because they couldn't sleep; they had another motive. He kept up his act, curious to see what they were up to.
"Aurora, are you sure the information we found points to Daddy?" Muen whispered.
Aurora glanced down at the clue card in her hand. On it was a single phrase:
[The Only One]
"Even if we can't be 100% sure, he's still suspicious," Aurora reasoned. "Plus, he didn't attend the first meeting. We have to check him out."
Muen nodded. "Alright, let's hurry before Daddy wakes up."
"Yeah!"
As Leon listened, he locked onto the key term: [The Only One]. It had to be a clue they'd gotten from completing a task. And as the "lone wolf," it almost certainly pointed to him. His daughters' suspicion was logical, given his absence from the meeting.
He kept his breathing even and continued to listen.
Muen and Aurora tiptoed around the room, carefully searching the sofa, coffee table, nightstand, bathroom, and even the refrigerator. But aside from the empty starter box, they found nothing.
"Daddy doesn't have the Black Sacred Stone here," Muen said, disappointed.
"If I were the one who stole it, I wouldn't hide it in my own room either," Aurora mused.
The two were still exchanging ideas when they heard noises at the door again. They immediately froze.
"Is someone else here?" Muen asked nervously.
Aurora's brows furrowed. She looked at the wardrobe beside them and whispered, "Hide first. Let's see what's going on."
"Okay!"
In a flash, both girls scrambled into the wardrobe, pressing against the door to listen.
"Do you think Uncle Leon will wake up and catch us?" Helena's voice, filled with concern, drifted in.
"No. If he does, I can charm him into staying calm," Noah assured her.
As the most competitive of the girls, Noah knew her father's greatest weakness—his undying affection for his daughters. It was practically engraved on his soul. While she never usually exploited it, she mentioned it now to reassure her friend and encourage a little mischief. After all, sneaking into her father's room wasn't a first for her, but it likely was for Helena.
"Oh, alright! Let's hurry and search," Helena said, now motivated.
"Okay."
Noah and Helena began a search pattern identical to the one Muen and Aurora had just completed.
Inside the wardrobe, the two younger sisters peeked through a crack in the door, their eyes wide.
"It's Big Sis! 🤩" Muen whispered excitedly.
"And Helena... 🫤" Aurora's tone seamlessly shifted from delight to suspicion, a skill she'd inherited from her mother.
"Should we go out and join them?" Muen asked.
Aurora's eyes darted as she shook her head. "Not yet. If they see us, they'll definitely ask what clues led us to Daddy's room."
"But our role is [The Princess's Friend]. Sharing clues should be fine, right?"
"Second Sis, our cards say we're [The Princess's Friends], not [The Guards' Friends]. If Helena has her own hidden tasks or victory conditions, we can't just share our clues with her."
Muen's eyes lit up with realization. "Wow, Aurora, you're so good at this."
"Second Sis, if you didn't get eliminated first every time we played Werewolf at home, you'd be as good as me," Aurora replied bluntly.
Muen: 😭
Outside, Noah and Helena were also coming up empty-handed.
"Could our clue be wrong?" Helena wondered aloud, pulling out her own card.
[The Only One]
Leon, lying in bed, couldn't help an inward smirk. Seriously? Is this game personally targeting me? Why does everyone have this clue except me?!
"Could it mean the only boy in the game?" Helena suggested.
Noah thought for a moment and shook her head. "It's probably not that simple. This clue might refer to a specific role or status, not just 'boy versus girl.'"
"Good point... We were thinking too basically."
"Yeah, we'll need to gather more clues."
Despite being the prime suspect in his daughters' eyes, Leon felt a swell of pride. Good job, girls. You've all learned to think independently and analyze situations! Dad is so proud of you!
So proud, in fact, that he resolved: Once I eliminate your mother, I'm coming for you all next. The Melkvey family tradition of 'fatherly affection' cannot be skipped!
Just as he finished that thought, Leon heard the door open again.
What the—more people?!
Noah and Helena heard it too and, mirroring Muen and Aurora's earlier move, dove into the wardrobe.
Suddenly—
Noah: ?
Helena: ...
Muen: 😑
Aurora: Is this a battlefield? More like a battle-wardrobe! Let the drama begin!
"What are you doing here?" Noah whispered.
Aurora blinked innocently. "Um... night jogging?"
"You jogged into Daddy's room? Come on, at least make up a believable excuse!"
"Then why are you here?" Aurora shot back.
"For a midnight snack," Noah said, deadpan.
"...Sis, seriously? It's nearly 2:30 a.m. Who snacks at this hour?!"
"Shh! Someone's coming," Noah hissed.
The four girls fell silent. Now, four pairs of wide eyes, lined up in descending order, peered through the crack in the wardrobe door.
"Who is it?" Aurora whispered.
"By the shadow, it's someone tall," Helena answered.
"Mama, Aunt Isha, and Aunt Claudia are all tall."
"They also have long hair."
"Mama, Aunt Isha, and Aunt Claudia all have long hair."
"They have a great figure."
"Mama—"
"Alright, Aurora, we get it. They all have great figures," Noah interrupted.
Aurora shook her head vigorously. "No, no, I mean the person coming—it's Mama!"
The girls held their breath, eyes glued to the scene outside.
The soft click of heels approached Leon's bed. The silver-haired figure of Rossweise Melkvey came into view.
Leon kept his expression perfectly neutral, thinking, Goodness, tonight is a real harvest. The little ones didn't leave, and now the big one's here. Did you get the '[The Only One]' clue too, my dear?
Rossweise stood gracefully by the bed, looking down at Leon with a confident gleam in her eye. After a moment, she glanced at the wall clock.
Exactly 2:30 a.m.
The Queen's smile widened as she leaned in and whispered, "Leon, let me ask you—about the Black Sacred Stone—"
But she paused halfway, the smile slipping from her face as she frowned slightly.
"Using 2:30 a.m. to extract information from him... It feels like taking too much advantage of out-of-game knowledge." She scratched her temple, hesitated, then let out a soft huff. "I don't cheat."
She leaned in again, a new, different resolve in her eyes. "But... I can't waste such a perfect chance either. So let me ask you this."
Leon's mind raced: Please don't ask anything weird! Don't ask anything weird! My daughters are right behind you!
"Leon... do you plan..." Rossweise bit her lower lip. The moonlight poured through the window, casting a soft glow on her slightly flushed face. Her silver eyes trembled as she finished, "...to have another baby with me?"
.
.
.
Leon: ?
Noah: ?
Muen: ?
Helena: ?
Aurora: Waku Waku!🤩
"Could it be... I, Aurora, am getting a little sister?!"