V2: Chapter 109: The Queen's Coercion and Enticement
"We need to speed things up."
The magician drawing the teleportation circle on the ground was sweating profusely, his hands trembling. He wanted to draw faster, but how could he possibly increase his speed?
"Don't be nervous," Liang Di patted his shoulder, "The more nervous you are, the more likely you are to make mistakes. If you draw it wrong, you'll have to redo it, which will waste even more time."
"Yeah, I know."
The magician steadied himself, took a deep breath, and exhaled heavily.
"Phew~"
Please, please, nothing goes wrong.
Meanwhile.
Miranda was on the street, buying the things Queen Doris had ordered her to buy.
"What's the use of all this?"
Miranda carried a wooden basket on her arm, muttering to herself as she shopped, looking around, searching.
"Hello, sir, a bottle of wine, please."
"Yes, madam."
One look at Miranda's attire, the ornate jewelry on her hands and neck, and the merchant knew she was a noblewoman.
"Here you go, madam."
Having bought everything Doris had instructed, Miranda took a sip of wine and headed straight for the beach.
Miranda didn't understand why she was told to drink wine before going to the beach, but she had no choice but to comply. It was all for her foolish son, Edwin.
She wondered how her precious son was doing at home, whether he was being bullied by that little bitch Liang Di.
Sitting in the carriage, Miranda looked out the window, her mood uneasy. She had a feeling this trip would be very dangerous.
The task Queen Doris had given her was so inexplicable, making her uneasy. She felt there were too many conspiracies hidden behind it, but she didn't know what kind of harm it would cause her.
If she hadn't been desperate, why would she do something so inexplicable?
Miranda sighed, clenching her fists, her resentment towards Liang Di growing stronger.
If that little bitch hadn't been alive and reappeared in the house, how could things have fallen apart like this?
"I'll kill her someday," Miranda muttered resentfully.
During her trip to the seaside, she had a vague feeling that she could never go back.
Queen Doris had given her a dummy that looked very much like herself when she last visited the palace, instructing her to place it in her room. From that moment on, a feeling lingered in her heart, especially when she saw the dummy that resembled her.
Every night when she went to sleep, the dummy faced her, and she tossed and turned, unable to sleep, always feeling like she was being watched, always feeling that the dummy was alive, that it would stand up and talk to her. This caused her countless nightmares.
Then, the last time she went to the palace, Doris gave her a dummy that looked very much like her son. Miranda panicked. She asked Doris what the dummy's purpose was.
Doris smiled slightly.
"It's to replace you and your son, of course."
Miranda became even more frightened. Looking at the lifelike dummy in her hands, she swallowed hard, mustered her courage, and asked again, "Your Majesty, I still don't understand. Can you just tell me?"
Doris didn't even look up.
"Even if I told you, you might not accept it, but that's the reality," she thought for a moment, then sighed. "Alright, I'll tell you anyway."
"You should have heard of the legendary Magic Tower, and you should know what a magician is. Auston should have told you all that."
Miranda nodded.
She believed what her husband had told her, but these things were just too fantastical; she hadn't witnessed them many times.
“This dummy of your child is for you to take with you next time you go to the palace. Don’t bring your child; he can stay home.”
“Take... take this dummy?”
Miranda couldn’t believe her ears.
Doris nodded. “Yes, taking this dummy of your child will make it seem to Liang Di that you and Edwin have both left the palace. They won’t suspect you, and you can go to the beach without any trouble.”
“Huh?”
Miranda looked at the dummy in her hand suspiciously. Although it was lifelike, it was far too small, didn’t move on its own, and had a stiff, colorless face.
How could anyone mistake it? Unless the person’s eyes were damaged.
“This…”
Hearing the doubt in her voice, Doris looked at her with pity. Perhaps thinking that she wouldn’t live much longer anyway, this woman had finally shown some “kindness.”
"I know what you're thinking, so when you come to the palace next time, you'll find that this mannequin will look like your son, holding your hand. Yes, just like a real person, entering the palace with you."
Miranda froze, stunned. This amount of information was overwhelming, making her mind reel.
"It will... it will become a real person, not a mannequin anymore, a real person?" she murmured, repeating the words spoken by the other woman.
"Yes."
Doris nodded slightly.
Miranda wondered if the other woman had lost her mind.
How could this be? How could such a fantastical thing happen?
But...
Looking at Doris's playful yet determined expression, she didn't seem to be lying, nor did she seem to be teasing her.
Miranda swallowed hard again. She suddenly remembered the mannequin that looked just like her in her bedroom. A chill ran down her spine, and she felt an even greater sense of dread.
"Then, the dummy you gave me last time, the one that looked so much like me, will it also turn into my likeness?" Miranda asked.
"Yes."
Another brief affirmation.
Miranda's goosebumps rose even higher. The thought of that dummy staring at her while she slept recently filled her with an inexplicable unease.
"So, that means I'm taking the fake Edwin with me, leaving the fake me with my son?" Miranda was even more terrified.
Doris chuckled. "Don't worry, she won't hurt your son. She listens to me. As long as I tell her not to hurt Edwin, she won't."
"Go ahead and do it. The thing I asked you to do, after you come back..." Doris looked at her with a smile, her lips moving as if bewitching her, "...the position of head of the Langwendi family..."
Comments (0)
Please login or sign up to post a comment.