Chapter 143

Chapter 143

“And who is this lovely lady?” Dennis asked, looking at Xu Duoyi. His memories from before he fainted made him feel a faint, lingering sense of dread toward her.

“This is a young girl who lives in the forest. Her name is Monica,” Tu Nan said quickly. “She says she knows the way and can lead us out of the forest.”

“Really?” Dennis beamed. “That’s wonderful. Once we get out, I’ll be sure to reward you with a large sum of gold coins.”

Xu Duoyi gave him a small smile.

“Prince, can you still walk?” Tu Nan glanced at his calf. “If not, I can…”

“How could I let a lady support me?” Dennis raised a hand to cut her off. “I can manage on my own.”

In truth, Tu Nan had been about to say she could call a guard to carry him.

However, she didn’t correct the misunderstanding. Instead, she said in a tone tinged with admiration, “Your Highness, Prince, you truly are brave.”

Xu Duoyi bit her lower lip, her expression quite subtle.

Basking in Tu Nan’s praise, Dennis felt a mysterious surge of strength in his weary body. He looked at Xu Duoyi with newfound confidence.

“Please, lead the way.”

Xu Duoyi walked ahead, carrying the Lantern Flower, while Tu Nan and Dennis followed behind her.

Strangely enough, though they had been wandering in the mist for a while as if walking in circles, the edge of the forest appeared before their eyes only a few moments later.

Dennis gritted his teeth, cold sweat dripping from his forehead, and finally let out a sigh of relief.

“Judy, Dennis!” Tracy spotted them from a distance and came running over immediately. “Where have you been?” he asked worriedly. “The guards have been searching for ages and couldn’t find you.”

His gaze shifted to Xu Duoyi, and he looked surprised. “And who is this?”

“We got lost. It was thanks to Miss Monica that we were guided out.”

Dennis explained, his face pale.

“You look terrible,” Tracy said, looking at him. “Why don’t you go rest for a while and have some hot tea?”

He then turned to Monica and gave a knight’s salute. “Thank you, beautiful lady. Please, allow me to invite you to dine with us.”

Xu Duoyi said with a smile, “I would be delighted.”

*

Freshly picked mushrooms were tossed into a thick soup, and before long, a rich, savory aroma wafted through the air.

The group had been wandering in the forest for a long time and were all starving. Upon smelling the fragrance, their stomachs began to growl one after another.

As soon as the soup was served, Dennis couldn’t wait to drink a bowl. Some color finally returned to his pale face.

“You got lost in the forest?” Maria’s expression was unreadable. “How could you just get lost like that?”

Tu Nan looked at her. “The forest is vast. Without realizing it, we wandered into the depths. We were lucky to have Miss Monica to guide us.”

“The depths of the forest…” Maria gave an ambiguous smile and looked at Xu Duoyi. “Does Miss Monica live in the forest?”

“I do,” Xu Duoyi replied crisply.

“What is it?” Tracy asked, looking at Maria with concern. “Is something wrong?”

“It’s nothing.” Maria set down her soup spoon. “I’m just a bit curious. I wonder if Miss Monica could tell me what’s in the forest?”

“There are beautiful flowers, dangerous swamps, and mists that always roll in out of nowhere…”

Dennis and Tracy listened with great interest.

“Are there no… witches?” Maria asked with a smile. “I heard that a Witch lives in the heart of the forest.”

Xu Duoyi paused for a moment, then gave her a meaningful look. “Of course-”
Tu Nan gave her a subtle kick under the table.

“Ahem… no, of course not.” Xu Duoyi flashed a bright smile. “Those are all just legends. A Witch? How could one actually exist?”

Maria laughed along with her.

“Miss Monica, you really are quite adorable.”

After the meal ended, Tu Nan finally found an opportunity to speak with Maria alone.

“The Witch wants to see you,” she said, cutting straight to the point. “Did you steal the apple?”

Maria didn’t seem flustered at all. “What else do you know?”

Tu Nan frowned. “What else are you hiding from me?”

“Nothing much.” Maria gave a small smile. “I guessed as much after you two went missing, but I didn’t expect her to actually want to see me. That Miss Monica… she isn’t just some ordinary person living in the forest, is she?”

“She is the Witch’s Apprentice.”

“She actually took on an Apprentice?” Maria raised an eyebrow slightly.

“Are you going to see her?” Tu Nan asked.

“Of course.” Maria remained composed from start to finish. “She sent you two to find me; how could I possibly refuse?”

Xu Duoyi’s gaze kept drifting toward them.

Tu Nan looked over and gave her a nod.

Only then did Xu Duoyi breathe a sigh of relief.

“Miss Monica, I am quite curious about the depths of the forest. I wonder if you could take me to have a look?” Maria called out.

Her voice caught Tracy’s attention. He paused for a moment before speaking up. “The forest is far too dangerous.”

“Judy will accompany me, and besides, we have Miss Monica. She is very familiar with the forest and won’t let me come to any harm,” Maria said with a smile, looping her arm through Tu Nan’s.

“Of course I can,” Xu Duoyi agreed with a nod.

Tracy still seemed hesitant, but Maria clearly wasn’t asking for his permission.

“Please, rest easy,” Maria said to him with a gentle smile. “Nothing will happen to me.”

*

Tu Nan didn’t know where Maria got such confidence.

They brought Maria to the Witch’s cottage. The woman stood outside the door for a while, a nostalgic expression crossing her face.

“It’s been so long since I’ve been here, yet nothing has changed,” she said with a sigh.

“No, you’re wrong.” Nemesis’s voice rang out in their ears. “Maria, much has changed here.”

Maria maintained her polite smile and said nothing.

The door to the cottage swung open before them, accompanied by Nemesis’s emotionless voice.

“Let Maria enter alone.”

Tu Nan glanced at Maria, feeling a bit hesitant.

“Don’t worry.” Maria lightly smoothed a stray hair behind her ear and stepped onto the porch. “I’ll be fine.”

She walked into the cottage, and the door shut behind her immediately.

“She’ll be okay, right?” Xu Duoyi looked conflicted. “If something happens to her, what about our mission?”

“Since she’s so certain, it means she must have something to rely on.”

Tu Nan spoke slowly as she watched the tightly closed door.

Based on her understanding of Maria, the woman was definitely not someone reckless who would gamble with her own life.

For Maria to be this calm and certain that she would be fine, she must be sure that the Witch wouldn’t harm her.

*

Inside the cottage, the atmosphere was far from relaxed.

“It has been a long time, Nemesis.” Maria smiled and gave her a polite bow. “I left too abruptly back then and didn’t have time to say goodbye. Please forgive my negligence.”