Chapter 159

Chapter 159

That matter?

Tu Nan paused, only then remembering she still had a mission to marry a Prince.

She had been so busy these past two days that she hadn’t had time to make polite, empty gestures with any of the Princes.

“This matter isn’t as easy as you imagine,” she said carefully. “I need some time.”

Old Carter’s smile instantly sank. His face turned sinister, exuding a dangerous air.

“Time? I would like to give you time too, my dear, but how much time does your father have left?” His tone was gloomy. “You know as well as I do that those debt collectors have nearly emptied out the Carter Family. Even your mother’s keepsakes have all been taken to pay off the debts.”

Tu Nan tugged at the corner of her mouth in a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “My younger brother is an adult now as well. It’s time for him to contribute to the family.”

“Your brother is still only a child,” Old Carter snapped furiously. “How can you be so selfish as his older sister?”

“Almost everyone knows that the Carter Family is drowning in debt!” Tu Nan said helplessly. “The Princes aren’t fools. Why would any of them marry a woman from a fallen family?”

“That is why you must use your intelligence, your beauty, and your charm to make them fall at your feet…” Old Carter’s voice was low and heavy. “If necessary, a child might give you more leverage.”

Tu Nan frowned and wanted to retort, but considering her character setting, she had no choice but to endure it.

“I’ll think of something…” she said. “Don’t worry. I will marry a Prince and fulfill your wish.”

“That’s my good daughter.” Old Carter reached out and patted her shoulder. “The Carter Family’s former glory will have to be restored by you.”

Tu Nan smiled at him, lowered her eyes, and agreed softly.

“Mr. Carter.” A voice suddenly interrupted their conversation.

They both looked toward the sound. It was Dennis.

“Miss Judy is truly radiant tonight. Might I have the honor of asking her for a dance?” Dennis asked with a smile.

“Of course, of course,” Old Carter said in delight. “It would be her honor.”

He shot Tu Nan a look telling her to behave, then reached out and pushed her toward Dennis.

And just like that, Tu Nan was forced to step onto the dance floor with Dennis.

Dennis himself didn’t know what had come over him. Ever since the last time he returned from the forest, Judy had lingered in his mind.

In terms of looks and family background, she was not the most outstanding girl he knew, yet she had still captured his attention.

He attributed it to Judy possessing a unique quality other noble ladies lacked: the calm composure she showed in the face of danger. It was fascinating.

If he told Tu Nan what he was thinking, Tu Nan would tell him there was a special term for this situation-the suspension bridge effect.

Tu Nan rested her hand on Dennis’s shoulder, slightly distracted.

She was thinking about how she could pour this bottle of poison into the King’s food or drink.

The King’s meals were handled by designated personnel and delivered straight from the Kitchen to the banquet. No one else touched them along the way. If she wanted to pour this potion in, she would have to find a way either in the Kitchen or during the delivery.

“Miss Judy, you seem distracted,” Dennis suddenly said.

Tu Nan came back to herself and saw that he was studying her.

“If you can still be distracted at a time like this, I’m going to start doubting my own charm,” Dennis joked.

“I’m sorry,” Tu Nan said with an apologetic smile. “I was just thinking that Maria is about to be married off, so I’m afraid I won’t be able to stay in the Royal Palace for many more days.”
She decided to start by working on a side quest.

Dennis looked like an idiot, and he seemed to have a bit of a crush on her. She would test the waters first.

“What is so difficult about that?” Dennis took the bait, just as expected. “If you like staying in the Royal Palace, I can ask Mother to let you stay a while longer.”

At the mention of the Queen, Tu Nan’s eyes shifted, and another idea came to her.

After Maria was born, the King had immediately married the current Queen. Maria had been too young then to know anything about what had happened during that time, but Dennis was different. He was quite a bit older than Maria. Perhaps he had already been old enough to remember.

With that in mind, she said as if casually, “The Queen truly is kind and gentle. Although I have not had much contact with her, judging by her attitude toward Maria, she really is a competent mother.”

Dennis gave a smile that was hard to read, but his tone was unexpectedly contemptuous. “Naturally, she ought to be.”

“What do you mean?” Tu Nan feigned curiosity.

“The current Queen was originally nothing more than a Maid.” To please the beauty before him, Dennis spilled every bit of secret history he knew. “She relied on her own schemes to climb, step by step, all the way to the position of Queen.”

“What?” Tu Nan very obligingly satisfied Dennis’s vanity, showing a look of surprise. “A Maid? With such a lowly status, how did she become Queen?”

Could she have cast some kind of love spell on the King? Tu Nan guessed inwardly.

When it came to that, Dennis was also deeply baffled.

All he could guess was that his father had been blinded by so-called love.

When a King took a Queen, he naturally chose a noblewoman in order to consolidate his Throne. His father, however, had married a mere Maid with a filthy mind.

If not for that, their kingdom would not now need to rely on Maria’s marriage to maintain stability.

Although he disliked Maria, he still understood how shameful it was to rely on a Woman to secure the Throne.

“She probably drugged my father with something.” Dennis snorted coldly. “Otherwise, I truly cannot understand why Father would marry her.”

Tu Nan looked thoughtful.

“But she likely understands her own status as well. After becoming Queen, she has treated us with great tolerance and has never put on airs,” Dennis added. “If there is anything I want, she most likely will not refuse me. So if I go to her and ask her to let you stay a while longer, I imagine she will not say no.”

Hearing this, Tu Nan smiled, a trace of bitterness entering her voice. “Thank you, Prince, but I do not belong in the Royal Palace after all. Sooner or later, I still have to leave.”

Dennis felt as though something in his heart had been touched.

For the first time, he experienced this kind of feeling. He did not want to see her bitter smile. He did not want her to have any worries at all.

For a moment, he was stunned, at a complete loss for what to say.

His heart wrestled with itself, his expression shifting several times, but Tu Nan was not looking at him at all.

She was looking for Nemesis.

She had told Nemesis to stay in some corner, but now she had no idea where the woman had run off to.

Tu Nan frowned and quietly scanned her surroundings.

She did not find Nemesis, but she did see Xu Duoyi.

Xu Duoyi was standing beside a table eating cake, her eyes darting around.

“Forgive me, Prince. I am a little tired.” Tu Nan looked at Dennis. “I would like to go rest for a while.”

Dennis’s mind was in chaos at that moment, and when he heard this, he let go of her.

Tu Nan walked toward Xu Duoyi.