Someone was impersonating her?
That was Amelia’s first thought upon seeing the report, and her brow couldn’t help but furrow.
She carefully reread the report from beginning to end, and by the time she finished, she was genuinely angry.
No matter who it was, discovering that someone was impersonating you and doing all sorts of things in your name would naturally cause displeasure. Her anger was entirely justified.
“This old count, Rupert Ross… had he never seen me before?”
Amelia searched her memories.
In the original host’s memories, because the host had been so marginalized before becoming queen, she indeed wasn’t familiar with, or had even met, many of the nobles. And this Rupert was one of them.
Thinking of this, Amelia felt increasingly irritated and subconsciously started tapping her fingers on the table.
“Miss Lily, what happened?” Eileen, dressed in a black-and-white maid outfit with garter stockings, came over to Amelia’s side and leaned down to ask.
“Eileen, look.”
Amelia gestured with the newspaper in her hand, not hiding anything from Eileen.
After Eileen’s gaze swept over the newspaper, her expression turned serious.
Someone was impersonating Her Majesty?
Seeing this report, a faint murderous intent emerged in her eyes.
Amelia frowned and said, “Someone is impersonating me and gathering the remnants of the Steele Kingdom in my name. I don’t know what they’ll do because of this. After all, many people have indeed never seen me and could be deceived. For example, this Count Rupert Ross.”
At this point, Amelia felt anxious.
After discovering “her” existence, Rupert had immediately rushed to join her. He must be a very loyal person, right? But such a person was actually being deceived. This made her feel quite distressed.
[Someone is impersonating Amelia? There’s no such plot in the original storyline.]
[In the original plot, Amelia died right at the beginning. Of course, there was no need for impersonation.]
[This is truly an unexpected development. What does this guy want to do?]
[Speaking of Rupert, his name seems a bit familiar. Was he a loyal person?]
[Answering for those who rewatched the original after discovering the remake: Rupert did appear in the original plot, but he was someone who directly defected to the Akti Kingdom after the fall of the Steele Kingdom.]
[Could it be that just because Amelia is still alive, Rupert’s loyalty has changed?]
The current situation left the viewers confused, and they began discussing it fervently in the bullet comments.
Amelia was also taken aback seeing these comments.
That Rupert, in the original plot, had directly defected to the Akti Kingdom?
The Akti Kingdom was one of the three great kingdoms that destroyed the Steele Kingdom, obviously an enemy. Could someone who defected directly to them be a loyal person?
Why was Rupert’s behavior in the original plot so drastically different from his current actions?
As Amelia pondered and read the bullet comments, she gradually clarified her thoughts through the exchanges in the chat.
There were three possibilities for the current situation.
First: Rupert had indeed defected to the Akti Kingdom, and now he was joining the impostor with the sole purpose of killing her. He was still a traitor.
Second: Rupert’s defection to the Akti Kingdom in the original plot didn’t necessarily mean he betrayed the Steele Kingdom. It could have been a ruse to infiltrate the enemy’s kingdom and find an opportunity for revenge. However, the future in the original plot never mentioned Rupert again, so this was hard to confirm. If this were the case, his behavior in the current plotline wouldn’t be surprising.
Third: The impostor was created by Rupert himself. He had still defected to the Akti Kingdom or another kingdom, and he created a fake Amelia to lure the real Amelia out. After all, normally, when someone discovers an impostor, their first thought is to use their authenticity to expose the fake.
After turning these possibilities over in her mind, Amelia frowned deeply.
Which one could it be?
“Miss Lily, how should we respond?” Eileen asked with concern.
“I’m not sure right now. There are three possibilities, and different possibilities dictate different responses from me.” Amelia then explained the three possibilities to Eileen as well.
[As expected of Amelia. She figured out possibilities that took us half a day to discuss by herself with just a little thought.]
[Amelia never disappoints. I believe she can handle this matter perfectly.]
[Amelia looks so pretty when she’s thinking. Noting this expression for doujin purposes.]
[Hey, doujin artist, are you the same one from yesterday? How’s the doujin coming along? Let us broaden our horizons!]
[I want to see it too (loud voice)!]
Seeing the bullet comments rapidly derail the topic, Amelia was utterly speechless.
Right now, she wanted more information about the impostor! Stop talking about other things!
“How should I handle this matter?”
Amelia spoke as if to herself, waiting for the viewers to provide answers through the bullet comments.
But there were none.
The bullet comments were filled with topics like “I want to see the doujinshi.”
This angered Amelia so much that she slammed her hand on the table with a loud “Thud!”
[Holy shit, you scared me! Why did Amelia suddenly slam the table so loudly?]
[You made me jump, and I just… finished.]
[Don’t be angry, don’t be angry. We won’t read the doujinshi anymore, okay?]
[How can anyone think she’s angry about us wanting to read doujinshi? She doesn’t even know we exist. What’s making her angry is someone impersonating her, right?]
The bullet comments gradually returned to normal.
Still, they provided no useful information for Amelia.
“L-Lily Miss… Miss Lily, if we’re unsure about the situation, why don’t we just wait and see how things develop?” Eileen looked at Amelia somewhat nervously.
It was the first time she had seen Amelia angry. She had been slightly startled when Amelia slammed the table.
Amelia took a deep breath and showed a smile. “I’m fine.”
She decided to do as Eileen suggested for now: wait and observe. After all, the character “Amelia Steele” appearing openly was no small matter. The eyes of the entire North, and perhaps even the entire continent, would gather upon it. She could certainly watch the subsequent changes that would be triggered.
In fact, after Amelia saw the report in the newspaper, Verna and Bennett, the two people who knew Amelia’s true identity, naturally also discovered it.
Verna, who was already at White Maple Academy, came to Amelia’s side immediately.
Amelia, who hadn’t even finished her plate of dessert, wasn’t surprised to hear the doorbell ring. She continued to sit there, eating slowly and sipping hot tea, while Eileen went to open the door.
Soon, Verna arrived beside Amelia.
Today, she again had her red hair tied up in a low ponytail, wearing a black dress that made her look beautiful, elegant, and graceful.
Seeing Amelia’s leisurely demeanor, Verna raised an eyebrow. “Lily… no, Amelia, you sure are carefree. I came to tell you some news. News that will shock you, surprise you, and leave you in disbelief. I just wonder if you can remain so carefree once you hear it.”
“You mean the news about someone impersonating me?” Amelia picked up a napkin and elegantly wiped the corner of her mouth.
“You… you know?” Verna’s eyes immediately widened.
“Of course I know. It was published in the newspapers. Even the Starlight Noon News, which usually only covers artistic matters, didn’t miss this report,” Amelia said unhurriedly.
“Then why are you acting so carefree?” Verna couldn’t understand it.
In her view, this was no small matter; it could cause major upheaval. So, after getting the news, she had rushed over here as fast as she could. Yet the person directly involved was so relaxed?
“Because fretting over it won’t help anyway, will it?” Amelia replied with a smile, appearing extremely composed.
[I wonder who it was that slammed the table in a hurry just a moment ago?]
[You weren’t this relaxed before. Did you deliberately act calm because you knew Verna was coming?]
[This here, this is called seizing the initiative (smirk).]
[As expected of our Amelia, her psychological tactics are so skillfully employed.]
After inadvertently glancing at the bullet comments, Amelia felt a bit exasperated. She had simply calmed her mind quite naturally. Why did the viewers overthink everything so much?
“So, what do you plan to do about this matter?” Verna asked again.
“I intend to observe for a while. What will this impostor do? I’m quite curious about that,” Amelia replied with a smile.
Of course, among the three possibilities she had deduced, one involved the initiative not being in the impostor’s hands. But regardless of who held the initiative, she wanted to see what that person would do.
Seeing this, Verna could only say, “Fine, if you’re not in a hurry, then neither am I. But still, be careful. This matter might end up having a considerable impact on you.”
“I understand. Don’t worry.”
“Then, another question: have you thought about what to do regarding Bennett?”
“No.”
“…”
Amelia’s straightforward answer left Verna not knowing what to say.
Days had passed, yet they still had no plan for dealing with Bennett. This wasn’t good.
“I remember you were very clever about things before. How come you can’t think of a solution this time?”
“Verna, you’re also a very clever person. Why don’t you think of a way?”
“Even if you say that, I can’t do anything. Bennett’s strength as a Mid-Rank Apostle himself renders many of my ideas useless.”
At this point, Verna was truly distressed.
Why did Bennett have to possess the strength of a Mid-Rank Apostle himself? Dealing with this man felt incredibly difficult.
And it hadn’t even been a month since Dwight’s death. The heightened security in Bild City wouldn’t end that quickly. The Security Office’s personnel were patrolling everywhere throughout the city, driving the crime rate to its lowest point in Bild City’s history.
Under such circumstances, they couldn’t find a suitable opportunity to make a move against Bennett.
“Forget it, I’ll head back first. But Bennett might come knocking because of this impostor business. You should be able to handle him yourself, right?”
“Of course. He might also come to you to reconfirm whether I’m the real Amelia.”
“I will certainly give him an affirmative answer… Anyway, I’m leaving now.”
“Goodbye, Verna.”
Amelia watched Verna leave.
After Verna was gone, Amelia picked up the newspaper and read it again, pondering how to respond.
A short while later, as expected, the doorbell rang again.
Eileen went to open the door immediately. The person outside was none other than the red-haired, black-clad, elegantly mannered Bennett.
Upon entering the dorm and seeing Amelia by the dining table, Bennett wore a smile. “Miss Amelia is truly carefree. But I’m about to tell you something. I wonder if you can remain so carefree afterward. Perhaps you’ll be shocked, surprised, and find it unbelievable.”
“…Do you siblings share the same script?” Amelia gave Bennett a speechless look.
“Siblings? What do you mean?”
“Verna already came by just now. What you just said, she already said it.”
“…”
Hearing this, Bennett felt rather awkward. He coughed once and said, “In other words, you’re already aware that someone is impersonating you?”
“I am aware. But how are you so certain someone is impersonating me, and not the other way around?”
“Your identity has been confirmed by Verna.”
“Aren’t you afraid she might have remembered wrong?”
“She wouldn’t. Verna has always had a very good memory. I know her well in that regard.”
Bennett spoke with an air of intimate knowledge about his sister.
Seeing this, Amelia said, “Very well. Since you’ve already confirmed this matter, what brings you here? I thought you came to check if I was the imposter. Or… have you finalized the contract for our cooperation?”
“I haven’t finished drafting the contract yet. Since it involves many aspects, I still need more time. I came to see how you plan to deal with this imposter.” Bennett looked at Amelia with a smile.
The main reason for his delay in finalizing the contract was his uncertainty about the strength of Amelia’s faction.
When drafting a contract, naturally, one wants to skew the terms in their own favor for maximum benefit. Amelia’s strength would be a crucial factor in this.
If Amelia’s forces were limited, his contract could be bolder. If Amelia’s faction was powerful, he would have to concede some ground.
Bennett felt that this incident with someone impersonating Amelia was a perfect opportunity to gauge the strength of Amelia’s forces.
