Beast Gacha System: All Mine-Chapter 201: Right and Wrong

"Lady Sees."

Ruby’s voice was smooth, pleasant. It was the perfectly calibrated tone of one dignitary greeting another. She approached Cecilia with the easy grace of someone who had every right to be there, every right to initiate conversation, every right to probe and question and discover.

This was social function, after all. This was normal.

To the casual observer, it was nothing. Two powerful women, acknowledging each other. Perhaps rivals, perhaps allies-in-the-making, but certainly nothing more than the usual dance of politics and personality.

But Rinne, standing at the dessert table with a plate of pastries forgotten in his small hands, knew. His eyes, sharp and watchful despite his youth, tracked every movement, every micro-expression.

Across the hall, Hettor’s golden gaze had shifted from the departing Wolf King to this new confrontation. The Jaguar Chief’s posture remained relaxed, but his attention was absolute, disguised as casual interest.

Qinryc Lukas, mid-conversation with a cluster of southern nobles, had gone still. His wine glass hovered halfway to his lips, forgotten.

They knew. Although Ruby herself wasn’t.

This was not a simple social call. This was the fake and the true. But also... the right and the wrong. And everyone who mattered, everyone who understood, although rare, was watching.

Ruby’s mind, even as she smiled and approached, was racing.

She had just connected two dots. Two very important, very troubling dots.

How had Arkai survived the volcano when he was supposed to die?

Her memory had been clear. Absolute. In her previous life, in the future she remembered, Arkai Dawnoro had perished in that eruption.

Yet here he stood. Alive.

What if... what if it was because of this woman? What if her miraculous medicine, the potion that had saved Anton Vasiliev, and even Dorian Delanivis, the elixir that Qinryc Lukas sold at obscene prices, had somehow enabled the Wolf King’s survival?

The details were still missing, of course. A healing potion, no matter how miraculous, could not deflect the path of a volcanic eruption. Could not save an entire city. Could not explain how Arkai had emerged without a scratch while simultaneously redirecting destruction away from his people.

But this woman was the only discrepancy.

The only element that had not existed in Ruby’s previous life. She had never heard of anyone creating such miraculous medicine. Never heard of a Dragon’s Physician, a Lady Sees, a mysterious veiled woman who appeared from nowhere and reshaped the fates of kings.

If anything had changed, it was her.

"My, Saintess."

Lady Sees turned fully to face her. There was no hesitation in the movement. No flicker of uncertainty, no pause to gather herself. She moved as if she was glad Ruby was here. Unexpected, but glad.

Her deep red lips curved even deeper, a smile that held such warmth...

"Yes. I noticed you did have something more to say just now." A gentle tilt of her veiled head. "I’m sorry... Ark is away for a little business. You can talk to me, and I’ll convey it to him for you."

Her voice was gentle. Lilting. Light and easy, carrying an air that seemed to wrap around the listener like a soft embrace. It was sensual simply as a quality of her presence, like the scent of flowers on a spring breeze.

Ruby smiled back.

To the watching crowd, they looked perfectly amicable. Two beautiful, powerful women, exchanging pleasantries. Nothing to see here.

"My Lady, it’s... it’s okay." Ruby’s voice carried that same self-deprecating warmth she had deployed earlier, the tone of someone who understood her position and accepted it with grace.

"I think Lord Arkai is still upset about the prophecy. I... I understand. I mean, there’s no point in trying to ask for forgiveness now. I can only regain his trust and recognition slowly, over time."

Perfect, she thought. Humble. Contrite. Unthreatening.

But...

"Oh, Saintess..."

Grasp.

Lady Sees’s hand shot out, sudden and unexpected, grasping Ruby’s.

Ruby startled. The touch was warm, firm, intimate in a way that felt entirely uncalculated. This sudden friendliness...?

"Don’t say that." Lady Sees’s thumb rubbed gently across the back of Ruby’s hand, a soothing, almost maternal gesture. "Please, please don’t misunderstand Ark’s words. He’s truly not angry at you."

She leaned in, just slightly.

"I mean... what can you do? If it’s what the gods said, it’s the best for you to announce it. Please never hesitate to announce anything."

W—why?

Why did her words make her hesitate now? Why did this reassurance feel like a warning wrapped in silk?

What if... what if everything truly had completely derailed? What if she had to second guess herself over and over, forever, never certain, never secure?

"Perhaps it was just a misunderstood warning." Lady Sees’s voice was warm, comforting, as if she were soothing a frightened child. "No one predicted that there would be a second eruption, but you did. That was well done."

Huh...?

What... what was this gentle push and pull? One moment she made her hesitate, doubt herself, question everything. The next moment she comforted her, praised her, built her back up.

"Not everything we see is definitely true." Lady Sees’s eyes, hidden, even through the veil, held Ruby’s gaze. Ruby couldn’t see it, but she felt it. "It’s hard. It overcomplicates things. I’m scared of the day we see and no longer believe."

Her hand squeezed Ruby’s gently.

"You need... to trust your guts. Believe yourself, Saintess."

Ruby stared at her.

Why...

Why did this woman...

How could she lead the conversation so expertly? How could she pivot from warmth to warning to wisdom without missing a single beat? How could she make Ruby feel seen and unsettled and guided all at once?

This woman...

Scary.

This woman was a tough opponent.

Who was she to lecture her like this? To make it sound so sympathetic, so wise? She was the Saintess, not her! What did she know about divine visions and prophecies and the crushing weight of being right when the whole world wanted you to be wrong?

"Yes, my Lady." Ruby’s voice was soft, compliant. Her eyelashes fluttered downward, a picture of humble gratitude. "You are so right. It’s complicated sometimes..."

She looked up, guessing the position of those veiled eyes with her own glistening sincerity.

"You are very kind. And very wise. As expected of someone His Majesty chooses."

The black veiled woman smiled, that same warm smile. "You are such a sweet girl."

Sweet. As if she were a child. As if she were manageable.

Ruby’s smile never wavered.

"If... if I may know..." Her voice was hesitant, respectful, the tone of someone asking a favor rather than demanding information. "Where were you born, my Lady? How did you meet His Majesty? This attire... it’s from the desert, right? But... but you have blonde hair, and your skin is so very light..."

There. Finally.

The question that everyone had been thinking, that everyone had been too polite or too cautious to ask. Voiced innocently, curiously, without a hint of accusation. The perfect probe.

Ruby watched the veiled woman’s face, searching for any flicker of discomfort, any telltale sign of deception.

Lady Sees nodded, accepting the question with the same easy grace she had shown throughout.

"Yes," she said simply. "My fourth husband gifted this dress to me. Pretty, isn’t it?"

Silence.

Fourth... wha—