Chapter 163 What Evil Could a Little Mermaid Have?

Chapter 163: What Harm Could a Little Mermaid Have?

The silent night was bathed in the crimson glow of the high-hanging moon.

The opulent palace, however, now resembled a broken bellows, gushing water incessantly.

A group of succubi watched the mermaid maiden, her red tail swaying on the railing—a picturesque scene, yet the atmosphere was heavy with tense silence.

Hua Diao was quite pleased with the effect she had created, inwardly delighted at how useful the mermaid race's prestige was. However, she kept her expression perfectly neutral.

After a moment, as if having calmed herself, she expertly relaxed her facial muscles like a seasoned actress, conveying a release of her earlier tension. Then, she looked at Anfoya, adopting a gentle, composed expression as she said, "You were the one who rescued me from outside the city. I believe tonight's incident has nothing to do with you. If you had intended me harm, I wouldn't be alive now. But I need to know the reason. Once you find out who tried to assassinate me, I want to know why they targeted me."

"Alright."

Anfoya let out a sigh of relief and agreed.

Though succubi were sensitive to emotions, their instincts were primarily attuned to love. Thus, even if she sensed something amiss with the mermaid maiden, she couldn’t pinpoint what it was. She merely gave Hua Diao a deep look before solemnly instructing her subordinates to arrange a new room and summon a priest to tend to Hua Diao’s wounds. The corpse in the room was also removed for investigation...

Hua Diao watched as Anfoya deftly handled everything, without interfering. She was a newcomer here—even if she wanted to investigate, she'd likely find nothing. Unless the assassin had been alive, she might have been able to use a truth spell. But since he was dead, she had no role to play.

With this in mind, Hua Diao adopted a passive approach, staying silent as the two succubus maids supported her. However, after her earlier performance, the succubi no longer dared to underestimate her. Even the two maids grew more cautious. But Hua Diao still wanted to befriend them to glean useful information—they were her sources, after all. She couldn’t let them become too afraid to speak.

Thus, upon arriving at the new room, she let out a relieved sigh, her face breaking into a smile as she spoke to them in a charming, friendly tone.

The two succubus maids were stunned. "Y-you were pretending earlier?"

Hua Diao nodded cheerfully. "Of course! Otherwise, how could I have impressed your Princess? And whoever was behind the attack might have been watching. I had to put on a strong front to make sure they wouldn’t dare target me again. You two mustn’t tell your Princess about this, or she might not take my case seriously."

"B-but..." The maids were relieved yet hesitant. The Princess was their superior, after all.

Seeing their dilemma, Hua Diao considerately produced a vow scroll. "How about this? We’ll sign a vow scroll—just promise not to reveal that I was pretending to be angry. That way, if your Princess ever questions you, you’ll have an excuse."

Hua Diao blinked mischievously at them. What harm could a little mermaid have? It was all for their own good!

After signing the vow scroll, Hua Diao relaxed, and so did the two maids. However, they refused to leave this time, insisting on standing guard outside the room.

Hua Diao let them be, contentedly curling up on the waterbed inside and falling asleep.

Meanwhile, in another brightly lit palace, a sharp slap rang out.

Anfoya was nothing like her usual self—neither the alluring, seductive succubus of the day nor the composed, decisive leader of the night. Instead, her face was contorted with barely restrained rage as she shouted, "Why did you do it? The defense and guards of my palace have always been under your supervision, impeccable until tonight. Why was there a breach tonight?"

The blue-eyed, silver-haired succubus knelt on one knee, a fresh crimson handprint on his handsome face. He lowered his gaze and said nothing in his defense, only replying, "It was my fault. Punish me as you will, Your Highness."

Anfoya’s anger flared at his stubborn silence. She slammed the table and demanded, "I’m asking why! Have you betrayed me?"

Only then did panic flash in his blue eyes. "No! I, Dylan, am loyal to you, Princess. I would never betray you. I... I was just jealous. You took a liking to that mermaid today, and I couldn’t help but want to teach her a lesson. The mermaid race is strong—she wouldn’t have died. And this could’ve been an opportunity to use the mermaid’s influence to strike back at your rivals. It was a win-win..."

Anfoya pressed her lips together, exasperated. She never expected her top guard to be so blinded by jealousy. Why hadn’t he considered his own position? As an accomplice, he would inevitably be implicated.

Should she plead for leniency on his behalf with the mermaid?

Anfoya lowered her gaze. She had indeed wanted a passing dalliance with that beautiful mermaid—befriending her would not only boost her reputation in the race, aiding her bid for the throne, but also satisfy her personal desires. But after Dylan’s blunder, that plan was ruined.

After much deliberation, she finally sighed and chose to stand by the guard who had been loyal to her since her return.

Thus, the next day, Hua Diao’s residence was not only visited by numerous succubi bearing apologies and gifts but also received a personal visit from Princess Anfoya, who escorted her bound guard.

"Your Highness, what is this?"

Hua Diao was startled when the blue-eyed, silver-haired guard knelt the moment he entered the room, kowtowing deeply.

What was this? Such a grand gesture first thing at dawn!

She shot a questioning look at Anfoya.

Anfoya’s expression was grave. "He was negligent last night, allowing the assassin to slip in. As for the mastermind behind the attack—it was my second brother."

"Oh." Hua Diao’s attention was immediately captured by the latter half. "The second prince of the Succubus Race? I don’t think I’ve ever offended him. Why would he want me dead?"

"No, he wasn’t targeting you. He was targeting me. Competing for the throne requires public support. If news of your death had spread, my reputation as the princess who invited you into the palace would have plummeted. After all, the death of a mermaid on our territory would be a grave matter for our entire race. Anyone involved would be condemned, and I would never be able to claim the imperial throne."

Hua Diao nodded. So that was it. She had wondered how a newcomer like her could have such a formidable enemy out for her life.