Chapter 180

Chapter 180

After leaving Xu Duoyi’s room, Tu Nan went to Maria’s.

News of Eugene’s death had been sealed off within a limited circle and had not spread. A scandal like murdering one’s own father was, Tu Nan guessed, not something the King would want anyone to know.

Most likely, after some time had passed, the royal family would issue an announcement claiming that Eugene had died of illness.

Although quite a few people knew the truth that night, it was enough as long as they could fool the common people.

She knocked on Maria’s door. When Maria opened it, her expression could hardly be called pleasant.

Eugene had already lost the right to compete with her. Logically speaking, she should not have looked so grim.

“Come in,” Maria said, glancing at her wearily.

“You look terrible,” Tu Nan asked bluntly. “What happened?”

Maria rubbed her temples and looked at her, then said in a low voice, “The King called us in for a talk today. He was very indirect about it, but I understood what he meant. His position will be left to Dennis in the future.”

She could not help closing her eyes and letting out a cold laugh. “I was already mentally prepared for it, but I didn’t think he would show not even the slightest hesitation. Dennis is addicted to pleasure, and the moment he sees a Woman, he can’t even walk straight. The King knows all of that perfectly well!”

“That was to be expected,” Tu Nan said, not surprised. “He only has two sons. Eugene is dead, so naturally only Dennis remains. You were never among his options.”

Maria’s expression darkened. After a moment of silence, she said with a sullen face, “The Queen was also there, adding fuel to the fire. She hinted several times that the King should have me married off as soon as possible.”

Tu Nan’s heart tightened. She looked up at Maria. After hesitating for a while, she still asked, “Do you know the Queen’s identity… I mean, her identity before she became Queen?”

Maria glanced at her in some surprise.

“You know?” she said. “That she was once my mother’s personal Maid.”

“Yes.” Tu Nan frowned slightly. “Why have you never told me?”

Maria’s expression remained calm. “Because I think it’s a disgrace.”

No one was willing to spread the scandals in their own family.

Tu Nan sighed. “But now, this may be something extremely important.”

Maria frowned at her and asked in confusion, “What do you mean?”

Tu Nan did not answer her right away. Instead, she asked, “Since the Queen was once your mother’s Maid, have you never suspected anything?”

“Of course I have.” Maria took a deep breath. She clearly did not want to discuss this topic, but she still answered patiently. “After I accidentally learned about it, I immediately suspected that my mother’s death in childbirth back then was not an accident. But I secretly found many people, and without exception, they all told me it was an accident.”

Tu Nan listened quietly.

“I found the chef who was responsible for my mother’s meals back then, the people who delivered the baby, and the other Maid who served my mother. They all told me that the current Queen had an excellent relationship with my mother. They were practically as close as sisters. When my mother died, the current Queen was almost in unbearable grief.”

“If that’s the case, why did she become the new Queen?” Tu Nan could not make sense of it no matter how she thought about it. “I don’t understand.”

“I don’t understand either.” Maria’s face was dark, anger surfacing in her eyes. “Was the position of Queen really that important to her? Was the friendship between her and my mother back then something she had planned from the start? My mother was nothing more than a stepping stone for her to climb into the Queen’s seat!”

By the time she reached this point, her chest was rising and falling violently. It was rare to see her emotions so stirred up.
“Then how did she… treat you?” Tu Nan waited until Maria’s emotions had settled somewhat before continuing.

Maria didn’t understand. “What exactly are you trying to find out by asking all this?”

“Just tell me first,” Tu Nan insisted.

Maria had no choice. She thought back for a moment. “She was all right, I suppose. She never mistreated me, but she wasn’t exactly warm to me either.”

Although she didn’t like the Queen, that answer was fair.

The more Tu Nan thought about it, the stranger it seemed.

Everything the Queen had done appeared to defy logic.

“Tell me why you’re asking,” Maria said, looking at her in a tone that brooked no refusal.

“Your mother…” Tu Nan hesitated, then decided Maria had the right to know. “She may have been Aphro.”

Maria frowned as if she couldn’t make sense of it. “How is that possible? Isn’t Aphro the Queen?”

Tu Nan shook her head. “Nemesis denied it. The Queen isn’t Aphro. And the Queen told her herself that Aphro is already dead.”

Maria went a little blank, lost in thought.

“Weren’t you curious why Nemesis looked so strange the first time she saw you?” Tu Nan continued. “It’s because… you look a lot like Aphro.”

The color drained from Maria’s face bit by bit. She propped her forehead in one hand and lowered her head, hiding her expression. After a long while, Tu Nan finally heard her speak in a low voice. “Are you sure?”

“The Queen refused to say who Aphro really was, so this is only a guess, but it’s very possible.” Tu Nan looked at Maria’s bowed head, worried about how this might affect her.

“There’s one more point that doesn’t add up,” she said. “Nemesis said a Witch’s daughter would inherit the Witch’s magic, but you don’t have that power in you.”

Maria abruptly lifted her head to look at her. “Does that mean I might not be Aphro’s daughter after all?”

Tu Nan looked at her helplessly.

Maria raked a hand through her hair in frustration. “Damn it. Nemesis hates Aphro so much. If she finds out I’m Aphro’s daughter, she definitely won’t help me anymore.”

Tu Nan froze for a moment before asking, “You don’t care that you might be a Witch?”

After all, in this world, a Witch was practically a Mouse everyone wanted to chase down.

“It is a little troublesome,” Maria said with a frown. “If people find out who I am now, inheriting the throne will become more difficult…” She pondered for a while, then said to Tu Nan, “Do you have any way to contact other Witch? If I really am a Witch, maybe I can try to win them over instead of relying solely on Nemesis.”

The more she thought about it, the more feasible the idea seemed. Even her eyes brightened a little. “My identity as a Witch could make it easier for them to trust me. Maybe this is actually an opportunity for me.”

As expected of Maria.

“Your identity is still only a guess for now. Perhaps only the Queen knows the truth, but for some reason, she refuses to say who Aphro really was,” Tu Nan said, somewhat helplessly.

Maria calmed down and thought it over seriously.

All this time, because of the relationship between the Queen and her mother, she had been deliberately avoiding it. Perhaps it was time for her to seek an answer.

Why exactly had the Queen done all this?

“I want to ask her myself,” she said, looking at Tu Nan seriously.

“There’s someone else you should meet too,” Tu Nan said, not objecting.

Maria looked at her in confusion.

“Emily.”