Chapter 189

Chapter 189

Everyone sucked in a sharp breath.

They held their breath as tongues of flame licked at her skin. In just a single breath, they could have left her in agony beyond endurance.

They thought they would hear the princess scream in pain, see her rolling through the flames with all dignity forgotten.

For one despicable second, Dennis even felt a flicker of secret delight.

If Maria died, this kingdom’s Throne would still be his.

But he was disappointed.

Maria stood amid the roaring fire. The flames seemed to have become nothing more than a backdrop for her, unable to harm her in the slightest.

Even she seemed astonished. She raised her head and, with disbelief in her eyes, reached out to touch the flames.

Under her touch, the blaze that had been leaping toward the sky visibly sank lower.

Everyone tilted their heads back, staring at the scene as though they were witnessing a miracle.

While all eyes were on Maria, Tu Nan quietly slipped back into the crowd. She lowered her head and, disguising her voice, said, “Look at the Divine Statue-”

Confused, the crowd turned toward the Divine Statue.

It seemed unchanged.

“Why does the face of the Divine Statue look so much like Princess Maria?”

Xu Duoyi immediately chimed in, “It does! The face of the Divine Statue is exactly the same as Princess Maria’s!”

Someone whispered, “It really does seem like it…”

“It’s true. The face of the Divine Statue really changed!”

“It really is Princess Maria!”

…

“The Divine Maiden! Princess Maria is the Divine Maiden!”

Their fervent gazes swept back and forth between the Divine Statue and Maria, growing more certain by the second.

Tu Nan looked up at the massive Divine Statue. To her, it was clearly still the faceless form she had seen the first time she came to the church.

Back then, when Xu Duoyi had told her the Divine Statue was a goddess statue, Tu Nan had found it strange.

She had no faith, so what she saw was a faceless Divine Statue. But Xu Duoyi had no faith either, so why had she seen a goddess statue?

It was only later, when the two of them went over the scene again, that they finally discovered the detail that might have been off.

-At the time, she had gone with the Queen.

“Before I even saw the Divine Statue, the Queen told me it was a goddess statue. Maybe because that idea had been planted in my mind first, what I saw was also a goddess statue?”

Based on the first Rule, Tu Nan had guessed that what the Queen saw was the “god” she believed in.

Whatever people believed in their hearts, that was what they would see upon this Faceless Divine Statue.

At last, the fire went out little by little.

Maria stood atop the altar as a single tear slid down her cheek.

“I heard His voice.” She formed her hands into a prayer gesture. “All people in this world are His subjects, including those called Witch. Witch are not evil.”

No one would doubt her words again.

“The King is dead. I propose that the Throne be inherited by Princess Maria!” Tu Nan shouted from within the crowd, still disguising her voice.

“Yes! The Throne should be inherited by the Divine Maiden!”

Maria maintained a dignified smile. She pressed both hands down slightly, and the crowd immediately fell silent.

“Thank you all for your trust. I am deeply honored,” she said. “All of this has come so suddenly, and I am afraid. But I cannot use fear as an excuse to shirk my responsibility.

“I am the princess of this kingdom. I must shoulder my duties, and I will let everyone know that I can be a worthy ruler.”

She looked at the Queen.

“Mother, do you believe I can be a worthy ruler?”

The Queen stared blankly at her, as if she could see the Aphro of the past in her face.

And yet Maria was nothing like Aphro.

Aphro had not possessed any towering ambition. She had been innocent and kind, and her greatest dream had been to live happily ever after with the person she loved.

The Queen had thought her child would be the same.

The same blood flowed through their veins, yet their natures were worlds apart.

Maria loved power and possessed boundless ambition.

The Queen knew everyone was waiting for her answer.

The King was already dead. Now it was her turn to step forward.

A glimmer of hope appeared in Dennis’s eyes. He shuffled on his knees to the Queen’s side, grabbed the hem of her skirt, and looked up at her. “Mother, on the day Eugene died, Father summoned all of us. You heard what he said. You know who he wanted to succeed him!”

“Yes,” the Queen said softly.

Under everyone’s gaze, she straightened her back and declared in a firm, ringing voice, “The King once said that the Throne should be decided by ability, not gender.

“He intended to pass the Throne to-Princess Maria.”

The Queen and Maria looked at each other from afar.

Maria smiled at her.

“No-you liar!” Dennis shrieked. “Father clearly said-”

“Prince Dennis has gone mad,” Maria said coldly. “Gag him, lest he say anything else that blasphemes against the divine.”

A Soldier immediately stepped forward and did as ordered.

A Rag picked up from somewhere was stuffed into Dennis’s mouth, and then he was dragged away. He struggled with all his might, but he could not break free.
—
The Soldier detail dispersed the crowd, leaving only a handful of people in the vast Church.

Maria smiled as she descended from the altar and walked to Tu Nan’s side, opening her arms to embrace her.

“Thank you,” she whispered by Tu Nan’s ear.

Tu Nan said nothing. She simply opened her arms and hugged her back.

“Ahem… I helped quite a bit too, you know,” Xu Duoyi said from the side, clearing her throat.

Maria let go of Tu Nan and gave her a hug as well.

“What are you planning to do next?” Tu Nan asked.

Maria released Xu Duoyi. There was not much triumph on her face. Although the Throne was already all but in her hands, she still had many things left to do. This was only the first step.

“I am going to dissolve my engagement with Tracy.”

“I’m afraid he won’t agree so easily,” Tu Nan said.

“Don’t worry.” Maria smiled. “I think Charles will be very satisfied with this performance.”

Counting this time, it was already the second performance Maria had put on for Emily.

The two of them exchanged a glance. Maria had clearly thought of the same thing, and she could not help laughing softly.

“What are you laughing about?” Xu Duoyi asked in surprise.

“That is a long story.” For once, Tu Nan was in the mood to tease her with a little suspense. “It’s our secret.”