Stop Hypnotizing Me, Villainous Princess!

Chapter 14: Lying to Myself

“Miss Milanie, I need to tell you something.”

“Is it your last words?” Milanie joked dryly.

As she spoke, she inserted the final mana stone into a groove on the stone slab.

The slab trembled violently, and the magical array carved into it began to glow, with every node connecting in an instant.

The central eye symbol grew increasingly lifelike and menacing, as if some powerful and eerie being was peering directly into his soul.

Seeing this, Lynn quickly adopted an urgent tone and said, “Oxygen is toxic. If we don’t leave now, we’ll die soon!”

Milanie chuckled, amused. “Save the jokes for later.”

It wasn’t going to work.

Oxygen was definitely not toxic; quite the opposite—humans need it to survive. To people, it’s an unchangeable fact and rule.

With Lie Eater only at its First Rank, it couldn’t distort fundamental beliefs.

So, as soon as he voiced the lie, it was instantly dismissed.

Undeterred, Lynn pondered a moment before saying, “This room is way too hot.”

In reality, being in a damp, sunless basement, it wasn’t warm at all. It wasn’t freezing, but certainly not hot.

This was a lie.

Hearing his words, Milanie paused and seemed to consider it. After a moment, she hesitated, tugging at the collar of her lab coat to let in some air. “I guess it does feel a little… No, wait. It’s not that hot. And besides, you’re not even wearing clothes, so stop making excuses.”

The lie was exposed again.

But this time was different.

Lynn noticed that, briefly, Milanie had believed his words.

Temperature perception wasn’t a fixed rule or fact; it was a subjective experience, changing based on individual feeling and context.

Some people feel cold in the summer, while others walk around in t-shirts in winter.

From this, Lynn sensed he was beginning to understand how to use Lie Eater.

At the same time, a flash of inspiration crossed his mind.

He decided to retract his previous judgment of this ability.

In fact, if used wisely, it could absolutely help him escape this experiment unscathed.

But he needed one more test.

“This experiment is bound to fail.”

“Enough of that negative talk; it will succeed.”

“Miss Milanie, you’ve fallen in love with me.”

“I’m deeply fond of every test subject—provided you survive.”

“Miss Milanie, I’m actually very ugly.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Hey, don’t actually believe that one!”

…

A few minutes later, Milanie finished all her preparations for the experiment.

“You sure had a lot to say,” she remarked, glancing at Lynn thoughtfully. “Were you trying something?”

“Too bad, though. We’re a hundred meters underground, at the deepest part of the ‘cellar.’ Even if you escape here, the guards above will catch you.”

“So let go of those useless thoughts… Although, come to think of it, a test subject’s resistance might impact the results.”

Milanie sighed. “To be honest, Her Highness Evester ordered us to perform the experiment without endangering your life. Even if it fails, you won’t die.”

Lynn’s eyes brightened. “Oh?”

“You might just end up in a vegetative state and never wake up again.”

Milanie said this calmly.

That’s even worse!

Lynn mentally griped.

Outwardly, however, he showed a resigned expression.

“Well, if you insist, I’ll cooperate… but before we start, can you grant me one last request?”

“Technically, I can’t.” Milanie scratched her messy short hair. “Her Highness ordered me not to speak to you at all once you woke up.”

“But didn’t you just talk up a storm?”

“Well, I’m not exactly one for rules.”

Milanie shrugged, causing her oversized lab coat to slip, briefly revealing a patch of pale skin. She didn’t seem to notice, casually adjusting her clothes before asking, “So, what’s your final request?”

“Please, give me a mirror.”

After a moment’s thought, Milanie turned and rummaged through the clutter on a nearby table. She eventually produced a small handheld mirror and held it up to him.

“Here you go,” she said, rubbing her forehead. “Vain, aren’t you?”

“Can’t help it; born this way.”

Lynn replied offhandedly.

Then, he lifted his head, gazing into the mirror Milanie held before him.

The youth reflected there was handsome and dignified, with sharp, intense blue eyes.

But admiring himself was the last thing on his mind when he asked for the mirror.

His purpose was simple.

Staring at his reflection, Lynn took a deep breath and activated Lie Eater once more.

Then, he began muttering to himself.

I… am going to lie to myself!

…

Milanie was already prepared to raise an alarm.

His calm demand for a mirror under these circumstances was too strange.

Combined with his previous odd questions, Milanie was suspicious.

He might have been an ordinary person, but he had special instructions from Her Highness.

But, driven by professional curiosity, she wanted to see what Lynn intended.

In the end, he only looked at the mirror briefly, as if mourning his own face, then sighed and said, “Go ahead.”

Milanie hesitated but nodded.

Whatever; the experiment was the priority.

With that thought, the lab-obsessed Milanie quickly let her suspicions fade.

She moved to the stone slab, performing a final check on the magical array and its connection to the helmet.

Then, she met Lynn’s gaze briefly, grabbed a handful of silver powder from a nearby jar, and sprinkled it over the array and central eye symbol.

“Whoosh—”

As a flash of silver flames ignited, an even more blinding light filled the underground lab, blazing like a miniature sun!

Milanie squinted, shielding her eyes with her hand, fixated on the figure at the center of the light.

An intense surge of energy poured into the helmet, transforming into murmurs and suggestions echoing around him.

This power, like a baptism of the mind, washed over him in waves, imprinting the hypnosis trigger onto his consciousness.

After what felt like ages, the slab’s light gradually dimmed.

Milanie’s heartbeat quickened.

At this moment, awaiting experimental results always filled her with excitement.

When the slab’s magical array fully quieted and the machinery stopped humming, she hurried to the young man in the chair.

“How… are you feeling?”

“I feel… awful.”

His sluggish voice answered.

Milanie lifted his head to look into his eyes.

His once sharp, vibrant blue gaze had dulled, filled with blankness.

He looked like a puppet, following commands with no will of his own.

Could it be… the experiment was a success?!

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