Chapter 65 Goodbye Eva "Please believe me, Mother."...

Nolana Wang-Eva.

Upon hearing the name and associating it with the person in question, Andra's smile vanished instantly, and her brows furrowed instinctively.

She doesn't like Eva.

This Nolana, who shared the same name as the goddess of wisdom, once stirred up many waves in Hetuya.

Eva was infamous in her time, and it is said that she competed with many leaders in swordsmanship, spearmanship, horsemanship, and archery.

Hertuya's story says that Eva won two out of three battles by cheating.

Norlana, on the other hand, said that Wang won all three of his matches, overwhelming his opponents with his superior strength.

In short, historians from both countries objectively recorded how this king conquered the leaders of Hetuya, and even frightened away the Hetuya royal court of that time.

In fact, even Aguno's throne was related to Eva: Eva killed Aguno's mother, which allowed the young princess to ascend the throne at an early age.

There was nothing about Eva that Andra disliked about her; she never hated the strong, but rather it only aroused her intense desire to win.

Andra grew up listening to the legends of Eva, some good and some bad. There weren't many King Nolana who could stop the crying of Hetuya children, and Eva was the protagonist of her childhood stories.

The matrons had many complaints about Eva, saying that she had taken away Hetuya's most beautiful princess but never truly cherished her. The little princess had become a victim of court intrigue before even giving birth to a child.

It is said that Eva only ever deeply loved her first queen, Elena, and it was a very pure childhood love that no one could shake.

Despite gaining everything after her coronation, Eva transformed from a human into a ghost... In just over a decade, her former fearsome reputation became a laughing stock.

Andra had thought this was a slander against King Norlana by the Hetuyas, after all, the heroes in the stories who slayed enemies and vanquished giants were so magnificent.

Hertuya's continued reluctance to invade Norlana, and even her willingness to offer hostages, are all attempts to probe the same question: What exactly happened to Eva? Is there any opportunity for them to exploit?

She arrived in Norlana with curiosity and a touch of reverence, but when she looked up, all she saw was a decaying corpse...

Not only are they decaying, but they are also lazy and arrogant!

King Norlana yawned, drunkenly ignoring the diplomatic corps' etiquette, and didn't even glance at the princess they had brought.

"Go down and settle down in the side hall." Eva waved her finger lazily, as if she were arranging for a small town queen, a nobleman's servant, or an unknown scholar.

A surge of intense anger rose within Andra, who was kneeling on the ground: ...How dare you!

Princess Hetuya suppressed her indignation.

Queen Norlana has the right to be arrogant; she defeated countless tribal chiefs more than a decade ago and has the backing of a powerful nation.

Ah, are you still powerful? ...Is your kingdom still powerful?

Upon their first meeting, the young boy harbored seeds of anger and doubt in his heart. Andra lowered his proud head, anticipating the day when the balance of power would shift.

rustle.

The carriage stopped, and Eleanor straightened her skirt, preparing to get out.

Andra instinctively took the princess's hand and whispered to her, "You...don't need to explain too clearly to her."

Eleanor couldn't help but glance sideways: Yes, in the original timeline, those ministers and city guards deliberately colluded to deceive Mother.

Although Eva eventually saw through part of the deception, her anger stemmed from the fact that "the giants had fooled her and frightened the children," rather than from the actual slave rebellion taking place outside.

In fact, Eva in her second life also let her off easily.

Even after discovering that she was no longer the little princess or good daughter who depended on her, as long as she obediently took Myrcella away from the succession, Eva did not pursue her relentlessly.

Does Eva really care about Ophelia?

Eleanor pondered this question many times over the next decade, and her final answer was: she cared, but not that much.

Eva left Ophelia with a contingency plan: a will, loyal loyal followers, and command of the army.

Even the lords and nobles of various city-states told Myrcella after she ascended the throne, "We have betrayed your mother's will," indicating that Eva had instructed them to pledge allegiance to Ophelia before her death.

But keeping these backup plans is "not troublesome".

Eva didn't need to do much extra work; she simply made the statement, "I'm leaving the stuff with you."

However, she did not painstakingly nurture Ophelia, nor did she simply kill Myrcella to clear all obstacles for Ophelia, which laid the foundation for Myrcella's successful "usurpation" in the previous life.

Eva is willing to pass the throne to Ophelia, but otherwise she is indifferent to Ophelia and the country, and she doesn't care about the flood that will engulf Norlan after her death... Such an attitude makes her difficult to cooperate with, but easy to appease.

Seeing her stop at the door, Andra advised again, "Since Scarface is willing to offer the legion as a gift to the king, Princess Eleanor might as well find a better time to send it up."

Offering a gift at someone else's banquet is actually quite respectable. But Andra glanced at the chaotic state of the palace and instinctively didn't want Eleanor to go in.

The little princess said calmly, "I have something to say to my mother alone, by the way..."

She raised her eyes, her gaze fixed on her face as if looking into the distance: "Andra, would you come with me to a very, very far place?"

The little princess's tone was so hollow it was unsettling.

Where is "far away"? Exile? Abroad? Hell? These all seem to have ominous connotations.

Andra felt a slight pain in her heart. She opened her mouth to say "I do," but for some reason, she couldn't make a sound.

The little princess smiled and touched her lips with her finger: "It's okay, we'll talk about it later."

......

Dusk has fallen, and the sun has disappeared, its last rays fading into the distance.

King Nolana's morning court session had long since ended, but Eva's life was just beginning.

The strings of the zither tinkled melodiously, and a fragrant mist filled the palace and its interior.

The little princess's carriage was parked on the porch outside the palace, and a servant saw it and hurriedly ran in to announce its arrival.

Eva was always easier to talk to at night than in the morning, as if no one cared about the king's authority and punishments anymore.

Andra stood outside the palace and looked inside, just in time to see the dissolute Eva with one hand on a princess, licking wine between their delicate white fingers.

This scene is definitely not suitable for a little princess to watch.

She stepped in front of Eleanor and said dismissively, "King Norlana seems to be too drunk. Why don't we come back tomorrow?"

"No, Mother is perfectly lucid now."

Eleanor shook her head, looking at Eva, who was laughing freely in the palace, with mixed feelings.

Having lived three lives, my feelings in this life are different again.

In her second life, she only felt that her mother was cold-hearted towards her children and ruthless towards the people, and wished she could draw a clear line between them. But halfway through, she discovered that Eva was poisoned and there was no cure.

In her previous life, she also tried to have her followers investigate, and through clues and the process of elimination, they found Ophelia's mother, Elena.

However, this person had been dead for many years, and there was a serious lack of evidence, as well as no sample or formula for the poison could be found.

So in her previous life, she could only entrust doctors and pharmacists to continue their research using Eva's body after Eva's death, but they simply couldn't find an antidote.

However... this doesn't mean she gained nothing.

Eleanor gently pushed Andra's arm away, a push that was light yet firm, forcing Andra to step aside.

"Your Highness..."

“Andra, I really have something very important to do.”

Eleanor turned her head to the side, her amber eyes reflecting the flickering flames in the candlelight.

Andra wanted to continue forward, but that look stopped her in her tracks.

She instinctively took a few steps back, watching as the little princess stepped into the palace without looking back, disappearing into the swirling light.

......

Eleanor walked through the thick, fragrant mist, ignoring the laughter that was sometimes boisterous and sometimes coquettish, and headed straight for the center of the palace.

Eva reclined on a marble couch covered with velvet carpets. At her feet, along with the beauties, was a very large indoor pool, the bottom of which steamed in the mist.

Every now and then, guests would "accidentally" fall in, embracing the scantily clad servants and bursting into cheerful laughter.

Their laughter was melodious and rhythmic, like a piece of music that had been rehearsed countless times, and would never annoy the host of the banquet.

Eleanor wasn't a real ten-year-old child, and she wasn't frightened into turning and running away from this area that only adults could enter.

But she still frowned: It's too chaotic; Andra wouldn't do that...

[Would Andra really not be like this if I weren't keeping an eye on her? She also enjoys drinking and having fun.]

A few whispers pried open the cracks.

Eleanor did not answer her own questions and continued walking toward her mother.

Eva raised her head in the beauty's arms.

She was originally tall and slender, but now she was tightly wrapped in countless soft arms like a baby.

Peace of mind, comfort, and... restlessness

She held the glass to her lips, swallowed the liquor, and let the stiff, disruptive sensation and the alcohol seep into her throat.

Sasha, Sasha.

All she could hear was the sound of legs rubbing against fabric, but suddenly a clear footstep rang out, approaching her.

Eva looked in the direction of the sound. She didn't care which princess's clever trick it was. As long as it could help her temporarily forget her pain, anything was fine... Oh, it wasn't a princess.

She saw the girl's ankles, then her entire silhouette.

Eleanor's dark hair appeared in the mist as she walked quietly, the surrounding noise fading away.

The little princess was like an orca swimming on the surface of the sea, clearly separating herself from the crowd.

She knelt down beside her mother, leaned on Eva's shoulder, and whispered, "I have something very important I'd like to tell you alone, is that alright?"

The cup that Eva was holding suddenly moved away from her lips.

The princesses certainly didn't do it on purpose, but when the little princess came over, these young girls seemed to be suddenly affected by something, remembering their original noble status, and demurely tidied themselves up—both their collars and skirts.

Eva paid no attention to their actions; at this moment, her mind, weakened countless times by alcohol, was completely focused on her daughter: her daughter had changed, changed a lot.

Eleanor was her most beloved little princess, for a simple reason—she was cute enough, smart enough, and resembled her yet could never become her, which was perfect.

This sickly child was completely dependent on her mother, and whenever Eva was bored and needed a little "love," she would think of Eleanor.

Eleanor usually doesn't need her to "remember" her; she'll appear before her from time to time, just like today.

However... I haven't seen this child for more than ten days.

Eva suddenly became curious: So what happened in the past ten days or so?

As the old saying goes, children change every day.

Eleanor's transformation cannot be dismissed with this phrase; it was a complete metamorphosis, not just in terms of temperament, but even in terms of aura.

Those deer-like, wet eyes and slightly ingratiating gaze vanished completely, replaced by a calm lake surface.

The little princess had one hand on the king's shoulder, a posture not much different from when she used to rush into his arms, yet also very different.

Oh, and that respectful yet distant tone, like that of a "loyal minister".

Eva felt drunk, but the change was really interesting.

“Okay, come here, my Lily, what story do you want to tell today?” She squinted at Eleanor, one arm around her daughter’s shoulder, as if she hadn’t noticed anything.

As soon as Wang raised his hand, the sounds of drums, strings, bells, laughter... all faded away in an instant.

Even her most favored ministers didn't utter a word after she raised her hand. They rolled up their sleeves faster than crushing foam and left with the musicians.

The coquettish concubines wrapped themselves in robes handed to them by their attendants and disappeared behind wooden screens, leaving behind the clattering of hidden doors.

As soon as the person left, the thick fog gradually thinned out.

The only one who would remain in the corner of the room at this time must be Eva's most trusted guard.

Even so, Eleanor leaned close to her mother's ear and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Mother, please let me seek the antidote for you."

Eva's finger twitched slightly, and she asked with a smile, "What antidote?"

My youngest daughter's voice trembled in my ear: "I am willing to spend my whole life researching how to cure the poison in your body... My current prescription may be able to alleviate your pain."

Before Eva could react, she quickly recited a prescription, the main ingredient of which was a very small amount of datura powder.

"It will numb your nerves, and long-term use... even people of noble birth will suffer significant side effects."

Of course, this side effect is far less than that of alcohol mixed with various herbs, and if no antidote can be found, Eva will most likely not live to see the day when the side effects worsen.

Eva moved her lips, her right hand instinctively reaching for the empty glass—but she ultimately lowered her hand, looking at the girl leaning on her shoulder with a complex expression: her daughter…who seemed even more tired than she was.

There are many questions that Wang has to answer one by one, such as questioning Eleanor about where she has been all this time, how she knew that he had been poisoned, how she was confident in researching an antidote, and where the prescription came from...

But she closed her eyes and asked the first question that came to mind.

"Who are you?"

"...Eleanor, I am still Eleanor."

The little girl answered calmly, and her tall mother opened her eyes and looked at her.

The curve of their tightly pursed lips was strangely similar, and even their outlines gradually overlapped under the interplay of light and shadow from the candlelight.

After a long silence, Wang neither spoke of the letter nor offered any rebuttal.

Perhaps she was suspicious of the monsters in fairy tales disguised in human skin, and curiously pinched Eleanor's cheek, pulling it to make a distressed face.

"Hahaha." Eva narrowed her eyes and asked with a smile, "Okay, how confident are you? What do you want from me?"

Eleanor's heart skipped a beat.

The mother agreed, without sensing any danger in the sound.

Let's just use a bloodstain as an experiment to see if I can become a princess.

She moved her lips, wanting to tentatively suggest, "I want to drink the medicine and become a princess," but at that moment her chest clenched with pain.

No... the timing isn't right.

She didn't have a real antidote, nor was she absolutely certain she could kill Andra.

Perhaps it would be better to resolve the first two issues as a princess in this lifetime.

and--

Can't a princess become a queen? Why can't I be the first?

Eleanor's ambition ignited in the blink of an eye.

A flicker of fire appeared in her weary eyes, and with an enigmatic smile, she whispered in the king's ear: "I need many scholars to help me with my research. I need to travel to the territory... and many, many more places."

“Mother, I will do my best—even if it means traveling to every city-state and every country.”

The little princess's black hair, like serpentine shadows, gracefully wrapped around Eva's right arm, and her voice was like a lament: "If you're worried, I can take Sister Myrcella with me..."

Clang.

The cup in Eva's hand fell to the ground.

She stared blankly at her daughter, who was lying on her knees, as if she could see a person through her eyes—a girl who had been dead for a long time, a woman who had nothing to do with Eleanor.

"Please believe me, Mother."

"How could you not believe me, Eva?"