18
“Kaelen, are you betraying your master?” Ryker roared, unaware that I had already kicked Kaelen out of my household.
“In my heart, Valerie is my true master, my dearest little princess.” Kaelen, shedding his usual obsequiousness, wrapped his arm around Valerie and gently kissed her cheek. Valerie didn’t flinch, raising an eyebrow at me, looking like a triumphant victor.
I had seen this play before in my previous life. I smiled and applauded. “A scumbag and a harlot, you two should just get shackled together and stop tormenting other people!” Ignoring their faces, which looked as if they’d just eaten something disgusting, I focused on clearing the dungeon. Obtaining the supreme Staff was the true priority.
Ryker and I stepped into the Illusion’s barrier first. The barrier split in two, enveloping Ryker and me, and Valerie and Kaelen separately. A mist flashed before my eyes, and then two Rykers appeared in front of me. They not only looked identical, but their voices and expressions were also indistinguishable. For a moment, it was genuinely hard to tell them apart. But after some thought, an idea struck me.
I asked them to describe any identifying marks on my body. Only the closest person to me would know my personal marks. Ryker A said I had
a heart–shaped birthmark on my lower abdomen. Ryker B said I had a red mole on my lower back. Both of them were correct.
Then, I asked them to prove they were the real Ryker. Ryker A stated the time and place of our first kiss. Ryker B described our preferred position when we… well, you know. The fake Ryker was like a mind–reader, knowing every single secret, every intimate detail of our relationship. For a moment, I was torn. A fake is a fake; there had to be a flaw. Where was it?
