chapter 34

She kicked something hard with her foot, so hard that her toes throbbed with pain.

Her face went pale as she suddenly realized what it was.

It was probably Cinderella’s corpse.

She remembered placing it here when she moved it earlier.

The part she kicked was rigid-most likely a bone. Time was too tight for her to dwell on it; she could only carefully avoid the corpse and keep moving forward.

Everything around her was dim and blurry; she could only rely on her vague memory and sense of direction to run toward the door.

When she finally reached the Front Hall, the surroundings became clear at last.

In moments of extreme tension, the body often reacts much faster than usual. The distance from the Front Hall to the Exit of the Royal Palace was not short; it normally took about fifteen minutes to walk, but she reached the Exit in just five minutes.

Only after leaving the Royal Palace did Tu Nan finally breathe a sigh of relief, leaning against the wall and gasping for air.

The last time she ran this fast was probably during her middle school physical fitness test. This body wasn’t strong, and such intense running left a metallic taste of blood rising in her throat.

She rested against the wall for a full five minutes before she could move her aching legs, staggering forward.

Fortunately, the Coachman hadn’t left yet and was waiting for her not far from the Exit.

Tu Nan struggled to climb into the Carriage, hearing the Coachman grumble and demand more money.

She closed her eyes, feeling her blood slowly settle back to normal.

“Fine, I’ll pay extra,” she said.

The Coachman finally stopped complaining, cracked his whip with a “snap,” and the Carriage started moving.

Rocked by the Carriage, she soon fell asleep.

“We’re here.”

She didn’t know how much time had passed before the Coachman’s voice sounded again outside the Carriage.

She had actually fallen asleep.

Tu Nan opened her eyes, her head throbbing. She lifted the curtain and stepped out, handed the prepared silver coins to the Coachman, and entered her home through the back door.

The moonlight was bright, and the trees outside the window swayed in the wind, casting writhing shadows on the ground.

She paused.

Something seemed missing.

Her father’s snoring-gone.

She had long grown used to falling asleep to his snoring, and now, suddenly not hearing it, she felt unsettled.

Father… Could he still be awake?

The room was quiet, only the vague outlines of furniture visible.

Tu Nan tiptoed silently to the foot of the stairs, about to go up, when the previously dim environment suddenly lit up.

She froze and instinctively turned around.

Her father sat upright on the sofa directly facing the stairs, shrouded in shadow, which was why she hadn’t noticed him before.

His face was terrifying, his eyes bloodshot, holding a white Candle in his hand. The flickering flame made his face look even more grim and menacing.

“Layla, where have you been?” His voice cracked like thunder. His nostrils flared, eyes red, furious beyond measure.

“You actually dared to sneak out behind my back!” He stood up and walked toward her step by step, his footsteps heavy, like a mass of dark clouds pressing down on her.

“How dare you! How dare you! How could you do something so shameless!” Her father roared in rage, neurotically repeating his words, “I’m going to punish you!”

“I’m going to punish you! Punish you! Bad children need to be punished!”

Her father raised his hand high, the large palm even stirring the air as it swept toward her.

Tu Nan’s eyes widened. If that slap landed on her face, it might well ruin her face completely.
In a flash, she summoned the Fairy Tale Compendium.

After devouring Bella’s toe, the Fairy Tale Compendium had been digesting it, and only today had it finally finished.

She had once pondered the other uses of this compendium. When the System introduced it, it had specifically added the phrase “the most annoying thing in the entire Fairy Tale World.” Since the Fairy Tale Compendium could swallow items or even the flesh of fairy tale characters, it was clear that it had some restraining effect on those within the Fairy Tale World.

This was the second time she had made a mistake in front of her father. With Bella as a precedent, her father’s punishment would at most be physical, not fatal.

She held the book in her hands, quickly flipped it open, closed her eyes, and raised it high in front of herself, directly facing the hand her father was swinging at her.

The foul-smelling maw opened wide, two rows of sharp teeth still stained with undigested bits of flesh. It seemed to have caught the scent of “delicacy,” and drool dripped steadily from its mouth.

Tu Nan waited with her eyes closed for a long time. Time seemed to stand still; there was no movement at all. Surprised, she opened her eyes, only to see her father’s ferocious face staring at the Fairy Tale Compendium in her hands. His palm was frozen just an inch from the gaping maw, unmoving.

It really works.

Tu Nan raised her eyebrows, tentatively pushing the Fairy Tale Compendium forward.

Her father’s face showed unwillingness as he withdrew his hand.

Coward, only bullying the weak!

“Father, aren’t you going to punish me?” Tu Nan asked with a smile.

That twisted face twitched, a trace of venom flashing in his eyes.

He felt his authority in the family had been challenged and was unwilling to let it go so easily, but the presence of that maw…

That thing could bite off his hand in one gulp.

Her father’s stiff mouth twitched, forcing out an ugly smile.

“Layla, Father has always loved you the most. How could I bear to punish you?” He suppressed his anger. “It’s so late; good children shouldn’t stay up. Go to bed now.”

Tu Nan watched him warily, slowly putting the Fairy Tale Compendium away.

She didn’t know how many more days she would have to stay in this house, and she didn’t want to fall out with her father just yet.

The Fairy Tale Compendium still had a deterrent effect on him now, but next time, she might not be so lucky.

“Then I’ll go back to my room and rest. Father, you should rest early too.” Tu Nan gave a sweet smile, ignoring her father’s extremely unpleasant expression, and turned to go upstairs.

Her father stared at her back, malice seeping from his eyes bit by bit.

It didn’t matter if he couldn’t act now. As long as she broke the Rule again, he could rightfully devour her.

This one was even more annoying than all the others before. He licked his lips; he would make sure to savor her well.

Tu Nan could feel the burning gaze behind her. Her father’s malice toward her was completely undisguised.

Things were getting tricky.

She sighed. Originally, she had wanted to test whether Cinderella was really a Mouse today, but she hadn’t even managed to say a word to Cinderella before she died mysteriously.

Was Cinderella’s death a coincidence or inevitable?

Tu Nan walked to her room door, suddenly paused, and looked to the side.

Bella’s room door was slightly ajar. Bella was hiding behind the crack, staring at her with wide, unblinking eyes.