Mist Empire’s Rise: Fake Noble to Fog Queen

 

Luo Wei yearned to thwart Axina's plans but found herself powerless to do so.

The original owner of this body was utterly alone here, without a single friend or relative, and with barely any money to her name. She was, in essence, trapped.

Luo Wei had no idea who Axina had dispatched to investigate her, nor what they might uncover. This sensation of awaiting judgment was a novel experience indeed.

However, putting herself in Axina's shoes, Luo Wei could hazard a guess as to where that person might have gone.

During enrollment, the original owner had completed a registration form with her basic information.

Thankfully, due to the school's policy of treating nobles and commoners equally, they didn't demand detailed information about one's status or address during registration.

The original owner had been intentionally vague, merely noting the general location of her fishing village as "Northern Sea Coast."

Even if Axina's investigator ventured to the northern coast, with its myriad cities and villages, they might not necessarily pinpoint the fishing village.

Moreover, when the original owner fled, the entire village had been massacred by pirates and subsequently burned to the ground. She was the sole survivor. What evidence could they possibly find even if they located the site?

There would be no one left to corroborate or refute anything.

Her only concern now was the knights who had rescued her and sponsored her education. They alone knew her true identity.

As the class drew to a close, Phil assigned homework. He instructed everyone to create a fragrance formula using the provided spices and submit it in the next class.

Luo Wei found this utterly absurd. Using cooking spices to create a fragrance? Wouldn't they end up smelling like a marinated dish?

Yet, none of her classmates raised any objections, so she had to suppress her doubts and pack up the spices as she left the classroom.

"Ruth, how do you plan to blend these spices?" On the way out, students walked in small groups, discussing how to complete the assignment.

Luo Wei perked up her ears to eavesdrop.

"Me? I'm thinking of grinding black pepper and sage into powder, adding some tobacco, and putting it in a snuff bottle to make snuff."

Pepper-flavored snuff? Luo Wei could scarcely imagine it.

"Oh~ Making snuff is too time-consuming. I'll just make incense. Jack, what about you? What are you planning to make?"

"Hehe, this is my first time seeing so many spices. I'm going to throw them all in a pot, boil them into a thick paste, and smear it on myself every day!"

"Oh! Professor Phil won't allow that. I think you'd better choose a different method."

"Yeah, Jack, you'd better change your plan unless you want to end up in a coffin..."

As their voices faded into the distance, Luo Wei halted in her tracks.

She suddenly recalled that the earliest use of spices wasn't for cooking at all, but for religious offerings and funeral rites.

Over three millennia ago, the ancient Egyptians used spices to preserve bodies. They mixed various spices with oils to anoint corpses, creating mummies that remained fragrant for thousands of years.

Europeans learned to use spices in cooking much later than the people of Huaxia.

This realization filled Luo Wei with a mix of emotions.

No wonder the others had reacted so strangely when she mentioned using those spices for seasoning food.

How could they not find it odd to use spices meant for anointing corpses in their meals?

In the end, it all boiled down to historical and cultural differences.

Although this world bore a superficial resemblance to late medieval Europe, it was only skin-deep. At least medieval Europeans had already learned to use spices to cure beef.

This served as a stark reminder that she should always consider the cultural context before speaking or acting, lest she be branded a heretic.

Just as Luo Wei was about to leave, having reached this conclusion, an arrogant voice suddenly rang out from behind.

"Commoner, halt right there!"

It was the noble lady's sycophant.

Sensing trouble brewing, she quickened her pace.

"Luo Wei!" The girl, incredulous at being ignored, angrily darted in front of her. "I commanded you to stop. Are you deaf?"

Forced to halt, Luo Wei raised her eyes to meet the girl's gaze. "Miss Vina, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

Vina looked down her nose at Luo Wei, her voice dripping with disdain. "Hmph, you don't seriously believe you've fooled everyone, do you? Eating spices, how utterly preposterous!"

Luo Wei felt a headache coming on, too weary to explain that she wasn't eating spices but using them to season food. "So, you accosted me just to spout these trivialities?"

"Trivialities?" Vina's voice rose an octave. "Commoner, how dare you address me with such insolence? Are you not afraid I'll expose your charade?"

Luo Wei remained unperturbed. "Expose what, precisely?"

"Ha, you still have the audacity to feign innocence," Vina took an exaggerated step back, her eyes blazing with anger. "You shameless fraud, though I know not how you recognized those spices, you can't pull the wool over my eyes!"

"I've seen through your façade. You're no noble at all."

"You stupid commoner, only peasants would be caught dead in that filthy woolen undershirt you're wearing!"

"Have you finished your tirade?" Luo Wei calmly met her gaze. "Then perhaps it's my turn to speak?"

Under Vina's stunned gaze, Luo Wei approached step by step, her eyes radiating a chilling light.

"From my perspective, your speech is vulgar and unrefined, your behavior frivolous and wanton, utterly devoid of the education a noble should possess."

"Your conduct is deplorable, your morals corrupt. Your jealousy and pettiness are etched across your face, and your soul is as filthy and repulsive as a sewer rat!"

"You are a far cry from a qualified lady! Miss Vina, I strongly suggest you return home and properly study noble etiquette!"

"Ah!" Vina let out a shrill scream, stomping her foot hard and jabbing a finger at Luo Wei's face. "You lowly—"

"Mind your manners!" Luo Wei swiftly interjected, her tone sharp as a blade. "A true lady does not screech like a banshee. Compose yourself, your unsightly display is turning my stomach."

"You... you... wuwuwu..."

Vina's composure crumbled entirely. She broke down in tears and fled, her face buried in her hands.

For a noble girl of this era, Luo Wei's words were tantamount to verbal evisceration.

Yet, she felt not a shred of remorse. In the original owner's memories of the coming week, Vina had paid her a visit, and the vitriol she had spewed then made this exchange seem like a friendly chat in comparison.

She had branded the original owner a wanton harlot, accused her of impersonating nobility to seduce noble men, and even claimed that her elegant attire was procured through prostitution. She had spread vicious rumors, labeling her a whore, and even summoned a group of men to forcibly strip her.

Though the original owner had indeed impersonated a noble, her transgression hardly warranted a death sentence, nor did it justify such abhorrent humiliation.

She hadn't exploited her false noble status for personal gain, nor had she committed any heinous acts. Yet, those people had cursed her with more venom than they would a mass murderer.

Even the most depraved criminals are afforded the right to a defense, but she had been summarily condemned without trial.

As the tragic fate of the original owner replayed in her mind, Luo Wei's gaze gradually darkened, a storm brewing behind her eyes.

"The Wesley family is renowned for their fierce protectiveness. Are you not concerned about incurring their wrath by humiliating Vina so thoroughly?"

A blonde, blue-eyed girl emerged languidly from behind a pillar. It was the noble lady, Axina.

The name "Wesley" triggered a flood of memories from the original owner, and information about Vina crystallized in Luo Wei's mind.

Vina, full name Vina Wesley, was the youngest daughter of Count Wesley of the Kingdom of Boren.

If a count's daughter was relegated to the role of a mere lackey, what illustrious background must this girl calling herself "Axina" possess?

Luo Wei expertly masked the suspicion in her eyes and turned to face Axina with practiced nonchalance. "Are you not apprehensive that Vina might lodge a complaint with Count Wesley about your manipulation of her?"

Axina's lips curved into a subtle smirk. "I harbor no such fears. Besides, she lacks the mental acuity for such machinations."

Luo Wei nodded, her voice level. "Then pray tell, why do you presume I would tremble in fear?"

"It appears I've overestimated the situation," Axina covered her mouth, letting out a soft, melodious chuckle. Then, with a sudden shift in tone, she continued, "Incidentally, tomorrow heralds the commencement of our magic rune class. I daresay those commoners will once again make spectacular fools of themselves."

"Word has it that commoners are woefully inept at arithmetic, ignorant even of multiplication and division. How, pray tell, will they manage the intricacies of geometry?"

Luo Wei found this utterly perplexing. The concept of a magic rune class was comprehensible, given that this was a magic academy, but why on earth would they teach geometry in such a class?

Wasn't that the purview of mathematics?

A flicker of confusion passed through her eyes, which Axina interpreted as proof of her complete incomprehension.

"Fortuitously," Axina's smile widened a fraction, "the library houses a collection of arithmetic texts. Those commoners of limited knowledge can avail themselves of these resources to catch up outside of class hours."

"Wouldn't you agree, Luo Wei?"

"Perhaps," Luo Wei replied with feigned indifference, but her heart skipped a beat.

The original owner's memories were a chaotic, nebulous mess, impossible to untangle swiftly. She desperately needed to procure some history books to brush up on the common knowledge of this world.

She silently thanked Axina for reminding her of the school's library, though she was acutely aware that this was likely another of Axina's tests.

"My apologies, but I have an urgent matter to attend to. Please excuse me."

Luo Wei deftly concluded the conversation and strode away, spices in hand.

"Hmph, what an uncouth creature," Axina muttered under her breath.

As Luo Wei's figure receded into the distance, Axina's captivating blue eyes narrowed to slits. She pivoted on her heel, her gaze falling upon a group of noble young men engaged in poetic recitation on the nearby lawn. With a graceful gesture, she extended an invitation for them to accompany her to the library.

The noble youths, attuned to the nuances of court intrigue, instantly discerned from her expression that this was no innocent request. They rose to their feet, mischievous grins playing across their faces. "Who has earned the ire of our esteemed Princess this time?"

Axina's brow furrowed slightly. "Refrain from addressing me as Princess. I have no desire to reveal my true identity."

"As you wish, Axina," the young men smoothly adjusted their speech. "Who, might we inquire, has had the misfortune of offending you?"

"It's that impudent commoner masquerading as a noble," Axina's voice dripped with disdain. "The way she dared to look at me was nothing short of insolent. I want you to teach her a lesson she won't soon forget."

The noble youths exchanged knowing glances. "Axina, are you absolutely certain she's a commoner? What if, by some twist of fate, she truly is of noble birth..."

"She couldn't possibly be a noble," Axina declared with unwavering certainty. "When I casually mentioned that the library houses books on arithmetic, she immediately set off in that direction."

"Only impoverished commoners would be so woefully ignorant of basic arithmetic."