Chapter 197: Investing

Chapter 197: Chapter 197: Investing

During that period, Ashe and Huron continuously searched for various medicines to treat me. By the age of seven, I successfully borrowed magic power to shed my mortal body and exchange my bones, completely neutralizing the toxins. At that time, I also began to hide myself, reducing my presence to become a completely invisible person."

Evelyn knew Thalira had been very thoroughly forgotten, but over the years, her life had obviously been harder than Evelyn thought.

"...Then what about the two people just now? Can they be trusted?"

Thalira chuckled lightly: "Are you worrying about me?"

Evelyn was expressionless: "I’m purely just curious."

Thalira shrugged slightly, walking over to the rocking chair to sit down: "Ashe is the maid that others often mention. She and Huron are sisters of slave origin; since childhood, they were saved by our mother and raised by her side. Thanks to them, I could survive until today. It’s also thanks to them that I could personally kill the Empress and Amber, avenging our mother and myself."

"These past years, Ashe has always been in the light, while Huron stayed in the dark, going out to cultivate factions on my behalf. Currently, they are both tier-seven mages. Furthermore, before my intellect recovered to normal, they established a Blood Oath, swearing life-and-death loyalty to me, so they can naturally be trusted."

Evelyn paused.

Compared to the fact that the deaths of the Empress and Amber had their interference, Evelyn was even more surprised by the realm of the two people just now.

Tier seven... Grand Mage.

In the academy, aside from the teachers of the fifth and sixth years, hardly any other lower-grade teachers had reached tier seven.

Even considering the entire continent, tier seven was truly worthy of being considered a true powerhouse.

"With them here, why was our mother still harmed?"

Even if it was over ten years ago, their realm was definitely not much lacking.

Upon hearing this question, Thalira’s expression clearly changed.

After a long silence, Thalira finally replied:

"...After you got lost, they received orders from our mother and continuously traveled all over the continent searching for your whereabouts. It wasn’t until they heard the news of our mother’s passing that they belatedly returned.

During those two years, the maid by our mother’s side was merely an ordinary person, completely lacking the strength to recognize toxins and protect her master. Not long after Ashe returned, this maid also died of a broken heart. At that time, Ashe disguised her face as that maid’s and cared for me in the light."

"..."

These truths that had receded into the past were exposed at this moment, keeping Evelyn’s mood in a constant state of suspension.

She didn’t know how to react.

It was to find her...

"Sister... Sister?"

The voice in front of her pulled Evelyn’s wandering thoughts back.

Thalira leaned back in the rocking chair, swaying gently, resting her chin on her hand, her tone full of underlying meaning: "Losing focus so suddenly, could it be you’re blaming yourself?"

Evelyn didn’t follow up on that, but asked in return: "Telling me these things, aren’t you afraid that one day I might regret it and use this as a weakness to leak it out for the sake of the heir position?"

Thalira smiled: "Will you do that?"

Evelyn: "You never know."

Thalira’s fingertips lightly tapped her cheek as she indifferently replied: "Then you can give it a try."

This attitude of hers, it was unknown whether it was confidence or arrogance.

Evelyn: "You should feel lucky that I have no interest right now."

Thalira merely smiled without speaking.

As if suddenly remembering something, her finger stopped: "Speaking of which, the only encounter between me and that genius captain you always care about was just by chance at the Royal Banquet last year. He’s quite an interesting person, discovering Ashe and me burying a corpse in the garden yet remaining as calm as a cucumber, just leaving directly. I feel that he and I would get along very well; when you have time, could you introduce me to him a bit?"

"Thinking like that is useless, he doesn’t like trouble." Evelyn understood her underlying meaning, which was nothing more than the goal of pulling in factions.

Thalira didn’t press the matter either: "Just saying."

Evelyn glanced at the time on her Magic Spirit card.

It was getting dark, and she had arranged to return with the captain; she couldn’t be late.

She put away the light screen and handed Thalira a storage ring.

Thalira didn’t take it: "...What is this?"

Evelyn placed the ring on the cabinet ledge by the windowsill.

"Just consider it a meeting gift."

She didn’t give Thalira a chance to refuse: "I still have matters to attend to. We’ll gather next time there’s an opportunity."

"Alright then..." Thalira showed a look of regret, but her actions lacked even a half-ounce of reluctance as she waved her hand, "Next time we meet, I hope you bring your captain along~"

Evelyn ignored her, turning around and leaving.

Stepping outside the palace, the two black-cloaked figures from earlier saluted her, their attitude significantly more respectful than at first.

Out of the corner of her eye, Evelyn glanced back.

The young girl in the palace was looking at her from afar, the smile on her face completely gone, restoring her initial composed look. But the exact moment she noticed Evelyn’s gaze, her eyes curved into a radiant smile again.

Like an epiphyllum flower blooming in the night, brilliant but fleeting.

"..."

Evelyn retracted her gaze, walking along the path she had come from to leave.

--

An hour later, Evelyn arrived at the Valmont Ducal estate according to the agreed-upon route.

Jeremy also came out to welcome her right from the first minute.

On the flying carriage returning to the academy, seeing Evelyn’s complexion didn’t look right, Jeremy asked: "Did something happen?"

Evelyn looked toward the dim stars outside the window: "...It’s nothing, just my thoughts are a bit chaotic."

Recently, to Evelyn, it had indeed been continuous turbulent waves.

Jeremy didn’t ask for details: "If there’s anywhere you need my help, just say the word."

Evelyn lowered her eyes, hesitating for a moment before speaking up: "There actually is."

This was the first time she had proactively made a request, so Jeremy was slightly curious: "Let me hear it."

Evelyn: "My younger sister, at the New Year’s banquet last year, once unilaterally met you in the wild woods near the rear garden. She is very interested in you and wants to make your acquaintance. Would you be willing to go meet her with me next time?"

"Her name is Thalira."

Thalira... is that foolish princess?

The rear garden last year...

Not too much time had passed, so Jeremy naturally hadn’t forgotten.

The rumored princess who even had difficulty walking and talking had once met him in the bamboo forest behind the garden?

It seemed she was alluding to the corpse-burying scene back then.

Now proactively bringing this up, and even proactively asking Evelyn to connect and introduce her to him, the true intention wasn’t hidden in the slightest.

Jeremy knew the meeting Evelyn spoke of was absolutely not just a simple meeting, but he didn’t reveal any unusual expression, smiling as he accepted: "...Alright, just call me next time."

Evelyn knew he would agree, but being so decisive, she still felt a bit surprised in her heart: "...Thank you."

"Between us, what is there to thank." Jeremy lazily asked while fiddling with a dagger in his hand: "Evelyn, can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"The heir position, are you interested?"

Jeremy just calmly uttered this sentence like that.

Currently, Amber was dead, the heir position was vacant, and the major nobles were also gradually making moves to choose factions among the princes and princesses.

"..."

Evelyn had an inexplicable intuition.

If she said yes now.

She feared that in the future scramble for the heir position, a newly returned princess like her would also, under the push of the Valmont family, become one of the true competitors for imperial power.

"I have no such intention, and I have also promised Thalira that I won’t compete with her."

"...Is that so." Jeremy put the dagger down and poured himself a cup of tea, "So you want me to help Thalira?"

When Jeremy unreservedly brought this up, Evelyn didn’t immediately deny it either.

Having reached this point, there was no need for empty platitudes.

"Everything depends on your will. I haven’t promised her anything; it’s merely choosing to be a good person for once, playing the matchmaker."

Jeremy’s fingers stroked the teacup, his smile undiminished: "Then we’ll talk after meeting. You must know, Evelyn, I never do business at a loss. Furthermore, ’investing’ also requires clearly understanding the specific information of the other party before one can add a few degrees of trust and weigh whether it is worth betting on or not, right?"

After pulling Amber down, he originally intended to hand the matter of supporting the next heir over to his family. But after Evelyn’s background was exposed, he decisively spawned the idea of letting Evelyn become the new heir.

If it meant elevating Evelyn to the heir position, he was very willing to intervene and wouldn’t mind the trouble.

But switching to someone else, Jeremy didn’t have much interest.

Even if that foolish princess was Evelyn’s biological sister, judging from the current situation, this person’s scheming went extremely deep. If not grasped well, one might end up bringing disaster upon oneself.

Unless there was absolute benefit, Jeremy didn’t plan to gamble his entire family to elevate someone he didn’t fully understand to power.

Naturally, since he had proactively mentioned helping Evelyn, he would also give Thalira a chance out of respect for Evelyn.

As for what the final result would be, he had to see how she demonstrated her own value first.

Jeremy thought for a moment, then said: "How about scheduling the time for the New Year’s banquet day half a month from now? Recently, I’m only free for those three days anyway."

Evelyn truly had never thought of using her identity as a teammate to force Jeremy to do anything.

She nodded in agreement: "I’ll send a message to pass the word on to her."

"Alright." Jeremy took a sip of tea, not bringing up this topic again.

A foolish princess, huh...

For the royal family to be hiding a sleeper agent capable of pulling the wool over everyone’s eyes, speaking of which, it was quite interesting indeed.