━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Noelle coughed. "S-So you did know about it. Anyway, yes. Although they overdid it with editing, the footage isn't fake. And they're… surprisingly reliable? It hasn't been long since they've started receiving professional training, after all."
Ignoring the unnecessary editing and special effects to 'enhance' the videos, just this level of analysis and observation wasn't something that could be expected from a bunch of 'amateurs'.
Not to mention Noelle, even Emilia couldn't help but be impressed by Penny and her friends. "Big sis is supporting them, right? Whatever their budget is… double it."
Noelle sighed. Just how much money did these two sisters want to throw at that crazy cult? In her opinion, it was already too much. But as a subordinate, she could only agree. "A-Alright."
She just hoped that one day this bunch of lunatics wouldn't start delving into nuclear research or something with all this support.
Meanwhile, Michelle was already done with her task, and handed the cup of coffee to her princess with a nervous grin. "I-It may not be good, since it's been a while since the last time I used an espresso machine. Un, be careful though, it's hot."
Emilia just smiled as she took the cup. "Don't worry."
Noelle led them to another room with better lounging arrangements, and Emilia could finally relax and lean back on the luxurious sofa with a sigh.
Michelle waited nervously for her first sip, and only after not seeing any negative reaction from her gorgeous 'owner' did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Of course, while her eyes were closed as she 'relaxed', Emilia was actually discussing the matter of the hero with her partner.
It hadn't actually been that long since Cynthia had removed her isolation, and after meekly getting scolded by her villainess, she had been sulking and pouting by herself while waiting for Emilia to be in a better mood before she could start complaining.
But the matter of the hero was enough to make her put her grievances aside for a while, and the raven-haired girl hesitated before shaking her head. "W-Well… it looks like he's expecting something, but why is he uncertain? Maybe… his dad is planning something, and he knows?"
Emilia nodded. This much was obvious enough, even from an outsider's perspective. 'Of course. But don't we already know what Mr. Black is planning? If you think about it—'
Cynthia blinked as she tried to make sense of her partner's words. "No, Emilia, are you talking about that thing with Mrs. Brown? But then, why would he be stalking you and Crystal? It doesn't make much sense."
As far as she knew, Mr. Black's plan involved getting Mrs. Brown to lure Emilia into a private meeting, from where he would presumably trap her for whatever he planned to do.
They had no interest in finding out his ultimate goal with that plan, though, since it was bound to fail before it even started, having been exposed to them long ago.
What, then, was the point of stalking her while she was on the road? Cynthia couldn't make any sense of it at all.
Emilia smiled internally. 'It does make sense if you think about it, you know? That is… if Amos had no idea what was going on.'
Cynthia was stunned. "Eh?"
The redhead chuckled in her mind. 'Think about it… On his side, probably only Mr. Black and those he trusts know what he's really planning. And Amos… is obviously not on that list. But suppose he had somehow got wind of his father planning 'something'… do his actions make sense now?'
Cynthia blinked as she realized that, if what Emilia said was on point… this might really be the case!
She couldn't help but chuckle. "That's kinda sad, isn't it? Ehehe… hilarious. I can't imagine how humiliated he would look when he realizes it."
Emilia smiled. 'Well, his father has the right idea, at least. Given how incompetent the hero is, it's better to keep him in the dark to avoid him messing things up. Unfortunately for him… Amos is just too talented.'
Cynthia snickered. "I guess you can say that the hero is a 'gem' that cannot be hidden so easily, right? So, what do you plan to do?"
The redhead chuckled. 'Heh…'
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Noelle nodded as she finished noting down Emilia's instructions on her tablet. "So about Braxy—"
Emilia shook her head with a sigh. "Just do as I said for now. Prove to him that his son is alive, and take his wife into custody. No need to 'deal' with them… yet."
Although she had at first intended to immediately take care of these 'threats', now that there was a 'much better use' for them, how could Emilia let it go?
Not only would it be a more satisfactory form of revenge, it would also strike her opponents where it hurt.
Emilia's expression was grim as she stared straight into Noelle's eyes. "You have to make sure things work out according to my plan. I'm trusting you to handle all the complications, or talk to me if you're having trouble. Understand?"
Of course, although her plan was somewhat risky, Emilia wouldn't go through with it in the first place if she didn't believe they could pull it off.
Noelle couldn't help but feel a little complicated under the younger girl's trusting gaze. After all, she had technically 'messed up' just before, but Emilia still trusted her so much.
Straightening up her spine, Noelle nodded sincerely. "Don't worry, I'll handle it to the best of my ability."
Although she didn't say it out loud, the gray-haired girl added in her heart that she definitely won't disappoint her again.
They may be unreasonable and naughty from time to time, but Noelle knew she could never have what she had here anywhere else.
Not to mention the monetary benefits — which she definitely appreciated — just the respect, trust and care that these two sisters showed her… it was enough to move her heart.
Emilia smiled. "Good girl. Now come here, give me a hug."
Noelle sighed. 'There go all my positive thoughts.'
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━