Taor gave a faint, light smile, as if she wasn’t surprised at all by Sista’s stubborn insistence: “Since Elder Sister insists so, naturally I have no objection. However, I hope our sisters’ private conversation won’t be influenced by outsiders.”
Her tone carried a hint of barely perceptible provocation, her gaze flowing between Su Ling and Sista.
“Influenced? Sister, since when did you become so suspicious?” Sista’s lips curled into a cold smile, her expression full of undisguised contempt for Taor’s feigned uprightness, “We’re not discussing anything shameful, and besides, Su Ling is someone I trust completely—she doesn’t need to avoid this.”
Su Ling kept her head lowered, doing her best to minimize her presence, while secretly trying to figure out the hidden meaning behind this tense exchange between the sisters.
Why did Sista want to keep her here?
Su Ling knew Sista could be clingy, but Sista was never someone who ignored occasion or circumstance. Keeping the maid here must have some purpose.
A private conversation among the three, but intentionally allowing an outsider to be present… Su Ling quietly deduced.
There was only one answer: Sista did it on purpose, unwilling to give Taor a chance to privately discuss secret matters.
Given the poor relationship between the two, in the past, Taor would always find ways to probe Sista’s bottom line. This had long irritated Sista, so she called for the maid to join.
This way, she could prevent Taor from revealing confidential information in front of outsiders, while also giving herself a chance to avoid probing.
This woman was truly shrewd and calculating.
At this moment, Taor saw Sista’s attitude suddenly harden, and realizing she had no way around it, she could only give a polite smile and let the matter drop.
“Ha—you’re a bit too fond of your maid, aren’t you? Having such a close relationship with a human isn’t a good thing for the Blood Clan of Ansels.” She stepped forward, reaching out a hand, intending to touch Su Ling’s pale cheek.
“That which is beautiful… is also dangerous.”
Her fingers hadn’t even touched the skin when Sista grabbed her wrist, forcefully enough that Taor couldn’t help but frown.
“Sister, you really have plenty of free time to mind my business. The war has been frequent lately, and with your heavy political duties, you still find time to look after me?”
A faint, enigmatic smile lifted Sista’s lips, her tone carrying a subtle irony that was hard to detect.
Taor, upon hearing this, did not become angry; instead, she responded with a softer tone that nonetheless contained a hidden sharpness.
“Is that so? I truly envy the leisure in your life.” She walked into the sunlight, her golden hair gleaming with a brilliant glow. “Every day you admire the flowers, take walks, and in the future, leisurely pick a handsome Blood Clan man. Elder Sister’s life is truly enviable.”
Sista’s expression darkened.
“I will not marry.”
“That son of Lord Marquis, Brook, has been courting you fervently these days. Are you really not going to consider it?”
“Don’t make me repeat myself a second time.”
“Tsk, such a pity,” Taor’s smile carried a trace of chill, and on that face, beautiful yet deceitful, the glimmer in her eyes was like a tiny needle, pricking one’s heart with numbness.
“The princesses of Ansels should share the fate of their kingdom. Nori as well—my good sisters will all eventually…”
“Don’t—”
The always-silent Nori suddenly interrupted her, her carefully maintained smile giving way to a trace of clarity.
“Why not?” Taor asked, puzzled, as if surprised by Nori’s reaction.
“Nori doesn’t want to belong to anyone.”
“Indeed, you’re still a little child, saying such willful things.” Taor gently shook her head, feigning reproach. “I worry about your future, but you don’t seem to understand my efforts.”
“Nori, you are young, but in noble circles there are plenty of cases where they dote on young girls. They will surely protect you, shower you with endless love…”
In that instant, those words were like a fuse, completely igniting the resentment burning within Nori.
She suddenly raised her head, her bright and vivid red eyes brimming with anger, her fists clenched tight.
“Nori said, no!”
Her voice trembled, and she almost charged forward. In the end, though, she forced herself to hold back.
“Nori… Nori thinks the palace desserts taste better! I don’t want to go outside at all, and besides, Sister, you’re right here! Nori doesn’t want to leave you!”
She began to concoct hasty lies, doing her best to maintain the image of a naïve little princess.
“You are a clingy child, but you can’t stay this way forever once you grow up…”
The rest of the words couldn’t enter her ears; Nori only felt a heavy weight on her heart, unwilling to stay a moment longer in this place.
To Nori, marriage was something she dreaded and despised to her core—being used as a tool for family alliances, both now and in the future.
Though her sister always acted as if she loved Nori dearly, in Nori’s heart, it was clear as day that she, as the youngest daughter, was only being used by Taor to consolidate her family’s power and advance its interests, no different from any pawn with no protection.
Taor’s pampering and affection were all to suppress and control her. In the world of the Blood Clan, so-called familial love was nothing but a disguise, a role performed to better blend into human society.
Their bond was a shared interest forged by blood and empire.
This understanding had taken root in Nori from a very young age.
And so, she put on the mask of innocence, crossing the sea under fog, pretending to be a powerless little princess, all the while nurturing her grudge against that so-called first princess of the kingdom.
Since that woman never placed her in her heart, she too would destroy everything that woman held dear.
As her sisters continued their endless conversation, Nori felt a bit tired and wanted to go back. Her beautiful eyes quietly dimmed, and she glanced back once at the winding, shadowed path beneath the trees.
Taor gently stroked Nori’s hair and spoke softly: “Then go back and rest early, Nori. You need to take care of your health.”
Nori nodded slightly, then turned and left, suppressing the wildness surging from deep within, slowly walking toward her own bedchamber.
Today, with Marentia gone, the grand princess’s room suddenly felt oppressively empty; even the familiar furniture seemed to exude a hint of unfamiliarity.
This made Nori feel slightly uneasy, as if she’d lost a sense of security. Without Marentia’s company and care, everything felt lacking somehow, her mood inevitably sinking lower.
“I hope that maid can deliver the map to the humans and the Elder’s side…”
Nori quietly wished in her heart.
She curled her small body on the bed, silently waiting for her personal maid to return, eventually drifting off to sleep without realizing it.
A long night passed. As dawn broke, the first ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds, softly illuminating the castle’s spires and massive stone walls.
The moat surrounding the castle sparkled with silvery light under the morning sun, its surface calm as a mirror, reflecting the majestic outline of the castle.
On such a warm day, a shocking incident occurred in the castle at Hailu.
A guard clad in full armor hurriedly entered the main hall, his footsteps echoing through the vast, empty space, shattering the silence. His face was tight with anxiety and unease as he quickly approached Princess Taor, dropped to one knee, and respectfully lowered his head.
“Your Highness, I have an urgent matter to report,” the guard’s voice was low and rushed.
Princess Taor raised her head, her gaze sharp as she looked at the guard, her tone calm yet stern: “Speak, what has happened?”
The guard took a deep breath, doing his best to steady his voice. “We discovered a corpse at the foot of the mountain. After confirming the identity, it is someone from within the castle.”
“Who?”
“Princess Nori’s personal maid, Marentia.”
Taor was momentarily stunned, and then her pupils—