Chapter 174

Chapter 174

“You want to die?” Nemesis was enraged by those words. She seized the Queen by the throat, her red hair whipping behind her in the absence of wind. “Killing you would be as easy as turning over my hand.”

“Calm down,” Tu Nan said, taking two steps forward. “If she dies, you’ll never learn the real cause of Nemesis’s death.”

Nemesis’s hand faltered slightly, a flicker of hesitation crossing her face.

When the Queen saw her expression, she burst out laughing.

Her neck was still caught in Nemesis’s grip, so the laughter squeezed out of her throat sounded unusually hoarse, laced with an indescribable mockery.

“I truly feel sorry for Aphro. Even as she was dying, she kept wanting to see you one last time.”

“You!” Nemesis gritted her teeth. “Do you really think I don’t dare kill you?”

“You’re welcome to try.”

Their gazes clashed in midair. Neither of them was willing to back down.

Tu Nan sighed and stepped in to play peacemaker.

“Let her go, Nemesis. I think, compared to killing her, you want to know more about Aphro.”

Nemesis stared deeply at the Queen before her. After a long while, she finally released her hand.

She turned away in defeat. Even her scarlet hair seemed to have dimmed a shade.

“If you have no further business, I’m going back to rest.” The Queen swept a cold glance over them, then turned to leave.

“Queen,” Tu Nan called after her. “I assume you won’t be so foolish as to tell anyone what happened tonight?”

The Queen turned back to look at her.

“Why don’t we pretend nothing ever happened?” Tu Nan smiled faintly. “That would be in all of our best interests.”

The Queen gave a cold laugh.

“Your friend Monica is about to be burned to death. I’m still waiting for you to witness that scene with your own eyes.”

In other words, she would not speak of tonight’s events.

Nemesis glared at her furiously.

In the end, the Queen was still wary of Nemesis and did not continue provoking her. She turned and left in quick strides.

Her figure soon vanished into the night.

“She refuses to talk. What do we do?” Nemesis looked at Tu Nan. “If you want me to help you, then help me pry her mouth open first.”

Tu Nan raised her head and looked at the sky. Perhaps because it had rained all day, the sky looked as though it had been washed clean; not a single dark cloud remained.

“I’ll think of something,” she said.

Nemesis frowned, then asked, “What did she mean, Monica is about to be burned to death?”

Tu Nan briefly told her how the matter had come about.

“The Queen is probably doing this because she’s afraid Monica is a Witch.”

“And you still pushed her into the fire pit?” Nemesis looked at her coldly.

“I asked Monica for her opinion, and she agreed to it.” Tu Nan looked at Nemesis. “No matter what it is, if you want to succeed, there has to be a price.”

Nemesis said nothing for a moment. Only after quite some time did she say in a low voice, “Since she agreed, I won’t interfere.”

Her voice sounded a little downcast, as though something had come to mind.

“…Would you mind,” Tu Nan hesitated, but still asked, “telling me about you and Aphro?”

Nemesis glanced at her.

Perhaps too much had happened tonight, or perhaps the scene at this moment stirred a faint desire in her to confide. Beneath the curtain of night, Nemesis’s voice slowly rang out.

“Aphro and I grew up together. Since childhood, we had never been apart for more than three days, and I took it for granted that we would never be separated.”
“We were each a Witch, studying under the same teacher. Back then, our greatest daily worry was nothing more than never being able to brew a potion properly…”

Nemesis’s voice drifted from far away, drawing Tu Nan into the memories that belonged to Aphro and Nemesis.

“In those days, the Witch wasn’t hated by everyone yet. Aphro loved to play and was always sneaking out of the forest to visit the market, while I cared only about studying witchcraft and brewing potions. Those were the only things that made me happy… At the time, I was working on an extremely rare potion, so I didn’t pay much attention to Aphro. Looking back now… the signs were there all along.”

She gazed at the bright moon in the sky, as if she had returned to that night.

“Nemesis, I… I think I’ve fallen for someone.” The young Aphro blushed and spoke in a tiny voice. “He said he’d take me to the most wonderful place in the world.”

Nemesis frowned, turned her head, and stared hard at her. In a serious tone, she said, “Aphro, Teacher said the places beyond the forest are very dangerous. If anyone finds out you’re a Witch, they’ll definitely hurt you.”

“I don’t think he’s that kind of person.” Aphro blinked, then took her hand and swung it back and forth. “I’ve only told you. You can’t tell anyone else.”

…

“You told your teacher?” Tu Nan guessed.

“No!” Nemesis snapped back at once. “But… Teacher found out anyway. I don’t know how she knew, but she was furious. She locked Aphro up and told me to watch her, to make sure she didn’t leave.”

“What happened after that?” Tu Nan asked softly.

“She begged me…” Nemesis closed her eyes. “She said she only wanted to go out for some air. I went soft, so I opened the door.”

“But she…” Nemesis’s voice tightened for an instant. “She actually drugged me when I wasn’t paying attention, stole the sunglasses, and vanished without a trace.”

Tu Nan could more or less guess why Nemesis was so angry.

Perhaps she had thought Aphro was merely acting on a moment’s impulse. She had never imagined that, for more than twenty years after that, Aphro would never return to the forest.

“Maybe she just didn’t dare go back,” Tu Nan guessed.

Nemesis let out a long sigh, her tone desolate. “Whatever the reason was, it no longer matters.”

“But didn’t the Queen say she wanted to see you one last time before she died?” Tu Nan said, puzzled. “And you said yourself that a Witch has a long life. How could she have died so suddenly?”

“Unless…” Nemesis seemed to think of something and abruptly stopped.

“Unless what?” Tu Nan asked.

“Unless she gave birth to a child.” Nemesis spoke through gritted teeth. “A Witch’s child will only ever be a girl. She will inherit all of the Witch’s power, and the Witch who gives birth will die soon after…”

Tu Nan froze slightly.

It was as if something had suddenly connected in her mind, but when she thought it through carefully, there were still many pieces that didn’t fit.

Nemesis suddenly walked forward.

“Where are you going?” Tu Nan asked, grabbing her hand.

“I’m going to find Maria.” A strange emotion flickered in Nemesis’s eyes. Listening closely, even her voice was trembling. “Her age is exactly right. More importantly…”

“She looks a lot like Aphro, doesn’t she?” Tu Nan asked.