Gazing at the petite, silver-haired girl before her, Tii couldn’t help but slowly reach out both hands.
As if afraid to disturb the tranquil night, she gently wrapped Su Ling in a soft embrace. That warm touch made Su Ling unconsciously relax her tense body, snuggling quietly in Tii’s arms.
Tii’s lips drew close to Su Ling’s ear, her voice low and gentle. “Little Su Ling, I’m truly happy that you trust me. But, please, just say these things to me and no one else, all right?” Su Ling felt a tickle at her ear, Tii’s warm breath brushing softly through her hair, bringing a strange flutter to her heart. She tilted her head slightly.
“Little Su Ling, don’t be so open with everyone. If someone were to deceive you, I’d be terribly worried.”
Tii paused, then lightly placed her hand on Su Ling’s leg, her tone tinged with indulgence. “From now on, just tell me anything that’s on your mind. I want to be the one closest to you.”
“Mm…” Su Ling nodded gently.
The night was deep, and the dim light in the room made her head feel a bit drowsy. Tii’s lips curled into a smile as she pulled Su Ling even closer.
“By the way, you care a lot about Her Highness, don’t you?” At those words, a hint of worry clouded Su Ling’s heart again. She let out a soft sigh.
“Yes, ever since Princess Moria returned, Her Highness’s situation in the palace has become so delicate. Why does it seem like no one likes Her Highness?” She thought for a moment, scenes of Sista, Moria, and Queen Clis dining together surfacing in her mind.
Queen Clis had hair like golden waves at sunset and a plump, radiant face; Sista, on the other hand, was thin, with black hair like a waterfall, and there was always a trace of solemnity in her gaze, hard to detect.
“Could it be because Her Highness Sista isn’t the Queen’s real daughter?” Su Ling muttered to herself.
She quietly wondered if this was the root of Her Highness’s lack of favor. But then, she shook her head. No, it definitely wasn’t that simple. Noticing this, Tii’s lips curled into a mysterious smile. Resting her cheek in her hand, her eyes glinted with mischief.
“Hmm~ Has little Su Ling figured it out?”
“Are you saying that Her Highness is actually the King’s illegitimate child?” After thinking for quite a while, Su Ling finally voiced her guess.
“The Kingdom of Ansels has only ever had one queen, but Her Highness Sista was born after the Queen’s own daughter, Princess Moria. The only explanation that makes sense is that she’s an illegitimate child…”
“A clever guess! But wrong!” Tii teased, then finally said, “Actually, Her Highness Sista’s mother was the first woman His Majesty the King ever married.”
“Eh?” Su Ling’s eyes flashed with surprise, confusion spreading across her face. All the clues and her earlier speculations now tangled together, impossible to unravel.
“I only heard this from others too,” Tii continued with a gentle sigh.
“When King Steyat was still a prince, he bore the heavy responsibilities of his family and country. The previous king, wanting to strengthen his rule, forced him into a relationship with Lady Clis of the Duke Kurok’s house.“
That was the beginning of a political marriage, and Princess Moria was the unexpected result of that union. However, Steyat’s heart never truly belonged to Clis. He already had a beloved, Hina, daughter of Earl Reilan. In the end, torn between love and duty, Steyat chose love, promising himself to Hina and defying everything to be with her.
“Her Highness Sista is the child of that unblessed marriage.”
“And then?” Su Ling listened quietly, feeling as if she were hearing a distant tale.
“And then…” Tii’s voice grew solemn.
“The happiness didn’t last. Hina suddenly passed away. Not long after, the previous king also departed this world. In the grief of losing his wife and under the weight of duty, Steyat ascended the throne.“
“For the sake of the kingdom’s stability and diplomacy, he eventually married Clis, both for the nation and to fulfill his father’s last wish.”
Su Ling was entranced, her heart churning with mixed emotions. She had guessed some of this before, but hearing the details left her astonished. That cold, distant girl, Sista, so she had such a past? In Su Ling’s memory, one scene always stood out clearly: Sista sometimes sitting alone by the window, her gaze drifting through the intricate lattice, quietly watching the distant world.
Outside, the sky might be sunny or rainy, the seasons changing, but Sista’s figure always carried a faint, lingering loneliness. Though she was of the Blood Clan, whenever she showed that expression, Su Ling felt she was just an ordinary girl, no different from any human.
Perhaps from a very young age, Sista had grown used to solitude, losing her mother, ignored by her father, with no place in the palace. She could only rely on herself, slowly growing up in loneliness.
Now, Sista had become the so-called “villainess” of noble rumors. Even when facing the gluttonous Count Shenuel Mongo, she remained calm and composed, never showing the slightest weakness. Yet, even so, she had a completely different side.
When Su Ling was bullied by Phil and Karsanna, when her finger was injured, that Sista, cold but with a faint gentleness, was always the one Su Ling couldn’t forget.
“Her Highness may have little status in the palace, but because the King always remembers his first wife, even if the other nobles dislike her, they still have to be wary,” Tii went on, “So, little Su Ling, you don’t need to worry so much. Her Highness likes you so much, you just need to stay loyal…”
“Um, Sista’s mother… How did she die?” Su Ling suddenly interrupted Tii. For some reason, more than her own affairs, she now wanted to know about Sista’s past. Tii paused, then answered.
“She died of illness.”
“Illness?” Can the Blood Clan even get sick? Su Ling was surprised, since in her mind, the Blood Clan were an incredibly resilient race.
“That’s what everyone says,” Tii gave Su Ling a meaningful glance, “But as for what really happened, that’s all in the past. “Just take tonight’s story as something to listen to. Many of the details are just the versions passed among us humans. As maids, it’s enough to do our own jobs, there’s no need to worry about anything extra.”
Su Ling blinked, still pondering the deeper meaning behind those words. But Tii had already stood up and walked to the other side of the room.
“It’s late, little Su Ling. If you don’t rest now, you’ll have trouble getting up tomorrow morning.” As soon as she finished speaking, the sound of midnight bells rang from the clock tower, echoing for a long time in the dark, damp Castle.