chapter 35
“Bella?” she frowned and asked, “Why aren’t you asleep yet?”
“Cinderella is dead, sister,” Bella said languidly. “With such deep sisterly affection, how could I possibly sleep?”
Her voice was full of sarcasm.
“Aren’t you afraid Father will find out?” Tu Nan asked coldly.
“Didn’t you get caught sneaking off to the Ball, sister?” Bella’s voice was light and airy. “But you came out unscathed… It’s just not fair, why is it…” She paused, then continued, “that I’m the one who gets punished.”
Tu Nan had no patience for her nonsense. She pushed open the door to go inside, but paused and turned back to ask, “Bella, Cinderella is dead. Who do you think did it?”
“What do you think, sister?” Bella retorted.
“I saw you approaching her with a Dagger,” Tu Nan pressed.
“Ah.” Bella’s eyes widened in panic. She covered her mouth and looked at her in terror.
Tu Nan frowned.
Seeing her unpleasant expression, Bella suddenly burst out laughing. “Sister, you don’t actually think I killed Cinderella, do you? Although I did want to kill her, I’m not that capable yet…”
Her tone was gentle, tinged with provocation. “Besides, do you have any proof?”
Tu Nan stared at her for a moment, then walked straight into the room.
A dreamless night.
Early the next morning, Tu Nan got out of bed with dark circles under her eyes.
After last night, surely no one in this house could have slept well.
She splashed cold water on her face, the icy touch evaporating her drowsiness. Tu Nan opened her door and stepped out, just in time to bump into Bella, who was coming out as well.
“Good morning, sister.” Bella waved at her, looking surprisingly energetic, her cheeks rosy and eyes bright.
“Looks like you didn’t sleep well,” she said.
“Looks like you slept very well,” Tu Nan replied expressionlessly.
The two of them walked down the stairs side by side. Breakfast was already prepared, and Father and Serenity were sitting at the table waiting for them.
Tu Nan went over and sat in her seat, and Bella quietly sat down beside her.
“Last night, something shocking and sad happened.” Once everyone was present, Father first shot Tu Nan a stern glare, which she answered with a sweet smile. He paused, then began his speech. “I’m sure you all know by now-Cinderella is dead.”
At this, the other three bowed their heads and began to “weep.”
Seeing this, Father nodded in satisfaction. “Cinderella was our beloved family member. Now that she has unfortunately passed away, we must mourn her properly.”
Tu Nan lowered her head, the corner of her mouth curling into a mocking smile.
When Cinderella was suffering, you never showed any fatherly love. Now that she’s dead, what’s the point of saying all this?
They observed a minute of silence for Cinderella before starting breakfast.
After breakfast, Father left the house as usual.
Serenity cleared the table with a blank expression, then suddenly began to complain in a mournful tone, “Now that Cinderella is gone, there’s no one to help me with the chores. My dear daughter, can you bear to let your mother suffer and toil?”
Her tone was exaggerated and affected.
Tu Nan stepped forward to help her clear the table.
Serenity smiled at her. “That’s my good daughter. By the way…” She frowned, looking quite irritated. “Ever since Cinderella left, the Birds in her yard have been chirping nonstop, making everyone restless…”
“Mother, I’ll go drive them away,” Bella volunteered.
“What’s the use of driving them away? They’re just a flock of Birds. If they fly off, they’ll just come back.” Serenity handed Bella the leftover bread from breakfast. “Maybe they’re hungry. Go feed this to them. They’d better stop making noise, or I’ll have to teach them a lesson.”
Bella took the plate and left.
“Did you kill Cinderella?” As soon as Bella left, the lazy expression on Serenity’s face vanished without a trace, and she looked at Tu Nan with a serious expression.
“It wasn’t me.” Tu Nan replied succinctly, “What good would it do me to kill her?”
Serenity looked very surprised and muttered to herself, “That shouldn’t be…”
“Why do you say that?” Tu Nan immediately pressed.
“If you didn’t kill her, then the most likely cause is death by Rule. But I was at the Ball yesterday too, and Cinderella didn’t seem to violate any Rule.” Serenity said in confusion, “…But maybe, she broke her own Rule.”
“What do you mean?”
“Are you a Newcomer?” Serenity glanced at her suspiciously. “In this kind of Instance, a Player’s Rule changes according to their identity. We don’t know her Rule. If she died by violating her own Rule, we wouldn’t know. Of course, this possibility is based on her being a Player.”
She didn’t know what Tu Nan’s identity was, nor her specific task, so she wasn’t aware that if the Mouse was no longer in the Instance, the Cat’s mission would automatically fail.
“Mother, what are you talking about with sister?” Bella’s voice suddenly came from behind them.
Serenity’s expression changed rapidly, completing the transformation before she even turned her head.
If she were in the entertainment industry, she’d probably be a strong contender for Film Queen.
Tu Nan found herself able to crack a dry joke even in such a bitter situation.
“Are those Birds still chirping?” Serenity asked casually.
“They must have been too hungry. I fed them bread, and then they stopped.” Bella put the empty plate on the table. “I’m going upstairs now, Mother.”
Serenity smiled, patted her head, and nodded.
Bella seemed a bit unaccustomed to the gesture, instinctively tilting her head to avoid Serenity’s hand.
Serenity’s hand awkwardly paused in midair.
“I’m not a little kid anymore. Why do you keep patting my head?” Bella pouted, acting spoiled toward Serenity.
“No matter how old you are, you’re still my daughter.” Serenity insisted, patting her head again.
Bella grunted in dissatisfaction and ran upstairs.
Tu Nan watched her back, deep in thought.
“What’s wrong?” Serenity followed her gaze and asked curiously.
“After the Ball last night, how did you get home?” Tu Nan asked.
“We took the Carriage back, of course.” Serenity replied carelessly.
“Was there anything different about Bella before and after she went?”
Serenity tried to recall yesterday’s events and shook her head. “She seemed terrified when she came back, curled up in a corner with her head down, not moving at all. But honestly, in that situation, I wouldn’t dare make a move either.” She frowned slightly. “Are you suspecting Bella did something to Cinderella?”
Tu Nan lowered her head, her mind a tangled mess she couldn’t unravel. She felt she was on the verge of grasping something, yet it was shrouded in thick fog, leaving her going in circles.
Bella’s toes had been certified by the Fairy Tale Compendium; she absolutely couldn’t be a Player. Yet her behavior was so suspicious that Tu Nan couldn’t figure out her intentions.
“I don’t know…” Tu Nan said softly. “I just feel like Bella isn’t that simple.”
“You’d better hurry up.” Serenity warned. “We’ve already been in this Instance for several days. The longer you stay, the easier it is to fall into Assimilation…”