Chapter 109

You!

Felix widened his eyes, his face instantly turning deathly pale.

Ungrateful wretch! I spit!

Luna, filled with righteous indignation, spoke up for Su Mian, but Felix could no longer hear anything.

He trembled as he reached out to find someone, only to discover the crowd had already left him utterly alone.

The lights came on, he watched Maoshi teleport to stand before him, looking up and slowly licking his lips.

Finally I can taste a player.

Ahhhhhhh——!!!

After a commotion, the eerie music became lively, the lights stayed on, the game ended, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Maoshi waved a hand, and the crowd instantly dispersed—those clinking glasses kept clinking, those chatting kept chatting, while many gathered to admire the Red Dance Shoes, only to be scattered by the guards.

Too… great, I survived.

Willow let out a long breath, wiped his sweat, Pip also exhaled in relief, subconsciously touched his neck, then remembered he was in his nonhuman form.

He shivered, pulled his hand back, and frankly, he still couldn't quite accept this appearance.

Luna saw Su Mian not even out of breath, greatly admired her, and thought to herself that she had indeed latched onto the right thigh.

Thinking of her as a mere housewife, where did she get all these tricks to survive so long in the Infinite Flow World? It all came from experience handling mother-in-law relations, giving her a bit of skill in reading people.

Su Mian hadn't rested a moment before she began questioning suspicious-looking NPCs, and seeing that, the other players also sprang into action.

Being a princess and queen made questioning obviously much easier than for other roles.

Su Mian approached a middle-aged man wearing a jacket; his complexion was sallow like an oxidized apple, his dark beard ran from his philtrum down to his chest, he held a fruit knife and smiled at her.

Would you like an apple, Your Highness?

Good heavens, that's the Applejack, and he actually came to the ball!

A murmur rippled through the crowd.

The rich ladies all love buying his peeled apples, saying the Applejack's peeled apples stay fresh and unspoiled for days! His apples sell so well, why would he need those Red Dance Shoes?

Su Mian listened impassively, then suddenly crossed her arms and moved closer to the Applejack.

Why did you come to the ball?

The Applejack stared, then smiled, 'Your Highness, you misunderstand—I'm here to find the Tooth Fairy Pip.' He stroked the knife in his hand.

My knife has been used too long; I never found a comfortable one, so I thought to trade my teeth for a wish, to get a comfortable knife.

Su Mian glanced at his knife, then her gaze returned to the man's face, and she casually asked, 'Do you know… what my father traded his teeth for?'

As soon as she spoke, the Applejack's face changed dramatically and he trembled, 'I… I dare not speak of the King.'

He stammered, his bright smile completely gone.

Su Mian lowered her eyes, showing no intention to back off, casually hooked a strand of already-peeled apple peel, and suddenly spoke.

This peel… wasn't made with a knife, was it?

Your Highness… what are you saying?

The Applejack hunched his shoulders, looking at her with confusion and fear.

Su Mian snorted, 'I just watched you peel—they had both hands hidden in your beard, but one hand never moved.'

How come? Your knife is a spiral knife—you don't even need to turn the apple?

The Applejack's face instantly turned deathly pale, his hand trembling as he slipped the knife into his sleeve.

No need to hide it—your knife shows it's barely been used barely used, gnawed with your mouth, tsk tsk… saying that out loud wouldn't sound good.

I'll talk! I'll talk!

The Applejack lifted his head, palms together, his eyes full of terror.

The Old King… he loves you.

Su Mian let out an 'huh?'—she didn't quite understand.

My father, the emperor, certainly loves me.

But the Applejack shook his head sharply.

Your Highness! It's that kind of love, lovers' love—he… he wished to the Tooth Fairy for you to fall in love with him, that's why he gave up all his teeth!

Having said that, he tossed the apple aside, 'Your Highness, I've said my piece—I beg you, please don't tell those young ladies, or I'm ruined for life!'

Su Mian waved her hand, letting him go, but she stood there dazed, looking a bit like she'd crashed.

Su Mian didn't understand, but she was greatly shocked.

How could a father love his daughter?

She couldn't imagine how two people related by blood could develop lovers' love, especially with such a huge age gap.

The word 'relatives' is pure in itself; she couldn't construct any reasonable image in her mind, only feeling uncomfortable.

You look like you've been very well protected by your parents.

Luna didn't even know how long she'd been listening; Su Mian had noticed her long ago, but seeing that she'd helped her, she didn't mind the eavesdropping.

Hearing Luna speak, she turned toward her; though her face was expressionless, her eyes were about to overflow with disdain and incomprehension.

Luna puffed out a laugh, 'Looking at such a clever young lady, you can't even accept this—your eyes are wide open.'

Su Mian blinked, embarrassedly touched her nose, then immediately exchanged clues with her.

Just now I asked Willow—last night the Nightingale selected you as the Candidates.

Me?

Su Mian pointed at herself and immediately frowned.

Why was she chosen? What else did she do at the ball?

Before she could think further, a feather fell into her hand, and Maoshi shouted loudly, '…Heavens, today's Candidates also been produced!'

It's our beautiful, lovely, moving princess~

Immediately, applause broke out in the hall, everyone praised, complimenting her graceful dance and gorgeous appearance, but anyone with clear eyes could see that she wasn't actually gorgeous.

Moreover, it's highly suspicious: why have the candidates for the past two days all been her?

Amid the applause, some dissatisfaction and doubt were mixed in.

"Why is it Elizabeth for two days in a row? This nightingale is totally unfair."

"I also want to wear the red dance shoes; does that mean only the princess can wear them?"

"There must be some inside story!"

"Quiet!"

Maoshi clutched her ears, grimaced, and stomped her foot; the ballroom instantly fell silent. "The party is over today; tomorrow at this same time, everyone go back to their rooms to rest."

As she spoke, she was about to pull out the hat from her pocket when she suddenly remembered something: "Oh, right."

"After midnight, you must absolutely not leave your room, otherwise..."

She smiled, "I can't guarantee what you'll see."

"That means we definitely have to go out and see."

Tooth Fairy Pip whispered, but Tian Nuan turned her head to look at Su Mian, her eyes not friendly.

"My daughter, how come it's you both yesterday and today? You wouldn't...?"

She hadn't finished speaking, but the others understood Tian Nuan's meaning: Su Mian might be the murderer.

"Are veteran players just this arbitrary?"