"what?"
"If a man doesn't have a few romantic affairs, or is favored by many women at the same time, then winning his love will not highlight the charm of the heroine... What's more, such a man knows better about 'slut' and 'good woman' difference, and therefore will cherish the innocent heroine even more.
"If you forcibly write the male protagonist as an unexperienced young man, this effect will be completely lost. Once another young woman appears in the story and she also develops love for the male protagonist, then whether it is the female protagonist Whether you are a reader in front of the book, you will immediately feel a great threat.
"In these stories, the heroine is favored above all virtues, and whether the hero is morally sound or not...is completely irrelevant."
"I see..." Hesta said thoughtfully, "I do understand somewhat after you explained it this way."
"This is what my bookseller friend told me," Roger said softly. "I invited him to the Viscount's manor on Queen's Day last year. At that time, Sophie and her friends mentioned some readings to him. After returning home, he said it was very inspiring, and several of the stories he published later were quite popular. If you are interested——"
"Are you also familiar with Villefort?"
Roger was startled, "...That's not true. It's just that Miss Sophie prefers to hear stories about her travels, so she often comes to see me when I'm a guest at the Viscount's house."
"What do you think of Villefort?" Hesta looked ahead, "How does he compare with Danglars?"
Roger laughed dryly. He recalled the few meetings he had with Villefort over the years, and for a moment he didn't know how to answer.
"...He doesn't seem to show up often." Roger whispered, "But I heard Sophie talk about a few charity events that he attended. In this regard, the Duke seems to-"
"This is what confuses me the most," Hestad interrupted Roger again. "Judging from Villefort's behavior over the years, he seems to have done a lot of good things, but look at the people around him. Who are they? Danglars, Rich, Schmidt, Fernand... How can a decent man make such friends?"
"...Yes," Roger agreed, "but I was also shocked when I heard that the Duke was also on the assassin's death list."
"Didn't Danglars tell you the reason why they were targeted by assassins?"
Roger shook his head.
"Really?" Hesta stopped, she smiled, and glanced at Roger meaningfully, "It seems that he doesn't regard you as a real friend."
…
At the end of the road, Hesta and Roger stopped.
Behind an old stone door, a huge sunken dance floor appeared in front of the two people. All the lamp stands that used to be hung on the dome have been removed, leaving a few rusty iron hooks empty. The moonlight shines through the iris flowers on the dome. The hollow carvings are projected onto the ground, reflecting the outline of the entire dance floor.
"What Lixi wanted to recreate the most in the Golden Crow Palace was the sunken dance floor," Hesta held a lamp and walked slowly down the stone steps. "He spent a lot of energy and money, but in the end he could only sigh. , the sunken dance floor of the Palais de Rohan is a treasure that cannot be replicated in the world.”
Roger nodded in agreement, but he couldn't see the reason why Richie said this at all. This place looked like a theater that had been deserted for a long time, with ghosts everywhere and an unpleasant rotten stench.
The two quickly reached the center of the dance floor. Roger felt a little cold. He held his arms in his arms and looked around, finding suspicious black stains everywhere on the ground.
"...Why is there a pile of burned charcoal fire here?" Roger suddenly looked not far away, he took a few steps closer, leaned over and twisted the ashes on the ground, "It is indeed a charcoal fire... someone has been here, and it is still burning here. On fire."
Hesta stood in the moonlight and looked at him quietly.
"Oh...I understand, you have been here before, right?" Roger tried his best to show a stiff smile, "You...you are like Viscount Rich, you have been...admired for this place for a long time——"
"Look up." Hesta said calmly.
Roger was a little confused, but he quickly followed the instructions. When his eyes passed by the shadow beside him, he understood the reason why Hesta asked him to do this - a huge cross was nailed to the wall of the dance floor. , on the cross, the victim looked painful.
Hesta walked slowly to Roger: "For a while, Villefort often came here. He used this place as his confessional. According to the priests, during that time, he completed his confession with God here. Reconciliation...what do you think he is confessing to?"
"This...I really don't know much about it."
"You don't look good," Hesta said softly, "Is it too cold?"
"A little……"
Hesta took out a metal silver pot from her clothes: "I brought wine——"
Roger shivered, and he felt a chill slowly spreading from the soles of his feet upwards, "...Didn't you say that you never drink?"
"Indeed, I can't bear to drink," Hesta's expression remained normal, "so this jug of wine is specially brought for you."
She threw the wine bottle, and Roger caught it tremblingly.
"I...I'm actually not very cold..."
"drink."
Roger unscrewed the lid tremblingly, took a reluctant taste, and then pretended to accidentally drop the flask on the ground. The transparent wine gurgled out, spreading the aroma of wine.
Hesta obviously didn't care. She leaned down and lit the charcoal pile on the ground again.
"How is the taste?"
"...Very, very good."
"As long as you like it. I stole this from Tanglar's inventory. I guess the quality should be good." Hesta threw the extinguished match into the weak flame, "Is it still cold?"
Roger shook his head repeatedly. By the light of the fire, he suddenly discovered that Hesta's hands were wearing gloves made of special materials, "...Eureka...why are you--"
"Take off your clothes."
"……What?"
Hesta gently adjusted the edges of her gloves and said, "Take off your clothes."
"Eureka, I don't understand why you seem to have changed since you entered the Roang Palace..." Roger lowered his head slightly, "The situation is too bad now, and there is no point in continuing. I think we should still ——”
Before Roger finished speaking, he suddenly felt a heavy blow to his left cheek. His brain seemed to have lost consciousness for a moment. When he came back to his senses, he had already flown through an arc in the air and fell heavily to the ground. He rolled several times in the direction of the cross.
Under the severe pain, Roger couldn't hear any sound at all in his left ear, only an unbearable tinnitus buzzing. He reluctantly raised his head, and his vision was blurred for a while, and then clear for a while.
Suddenly, Roger's heart suddenly tightened - he suddenly saw the heads of three men arranged neatly under the cross not far from him.
