Grab The Heroine and Run Away Ch. 57.2

“I think I can talk to my father,” Yue Ji stood up and walked to the front with the butler. “I searched my father’s room. Besides finding out he’s my father, I also found other evidence about my origin and his past.”

“As my father said, servants in noble families are the property of the nobles. They’re not allowed to marry and have children unless the nobles permit it. My father was also adopted by the castle’s old butler, groomed as the next generation. However, my father didn’t know the rules of the servants until one day he fell in love with a woman, made vows of love to her. The old butler intervened and told my father, as a castle servant, he couldn’t marry and have children. He had to come back to serve the future prince!”

The butler said, “I was deeply in love with your mother at the time, begged the king for forgiveness, to let me be with your mother. The old king was lenient and agreed, but the prince didn’t allow it because in my absence, there wouldn’t be a suitable butler for him.”

Xin Nuo said in a calm voice, “This country indeed has few people.”

Xu Heran nodded, “Jobs are like finding a carrot to fit a hole.”

Ji Songyu glanced at these two echoing each other.

“I was furious at the time, confused by love. I escaped the palace at night and proposed to your mother, wanting to run away with her. But she rejected me!”

“It turns out, your mother’s love was just because she mistook me for a noble, thinking that being with me would provide her a comfortable life. Everyone could see that, as the castle’s butler, I lived well and had a good temperament.”

The butler boasted of herself, puffing out her chest. “When she learned that I was a servant, she was furious and told me to leave immediately. Young as I was, I was heartbroken. I loved her so deeply, but what she liked was only my status!”

“I returned to the castle in a daze, cut off from love, focused on serving the prince.”

Yue Ji said, “But you don’t like the prince, or should I say, you have a grudge against the prince?”

The butler snorted coldly.

“Because the prince killed the old king?” Yue Ji held up a photo.

“What!”

Everyone exclaimed in surprise.

The butler nodded solemnly, “I didn’t want to admit it, but I saw with my own eyes as he thrust a blade into the heart of the king. The old king was very kind to me, he was my benefactor. He was kind and tolerant, a truly good-hearted king who never enforced the rules of servitude upon us. Those of us who served him in the castle were sincerely devoted to him, willing to offer a lifetime of loyalty. Unfortunately, his heir didn’t inherit a single virtue from the old king.”

Xu Heran exclaimed angrily, “Just a prodigal son!”

“Total scoundrel!”

“When?” Ji Songyu asked, “Did the old king pass away?”

“In October of this year,” the butler said, “The king had been in poor health for a long time, bedridden most of the year. After his death this year, except for me, no one suspected the truth behind the king’s demise.”

“Come to think of it, in my memory, several heirs of the castle had poor health and died young,” Mont Li said.

“Yes,” Mona Lisa Li nodded.

“I know!” the knight suddenly raised his hand, “It’s a curse!”

“A curse?”

Xu Heran widened his eyes, “I’ve lived in the castle for so long, I haven’t heard of any curse!”

“Because you eat and sleep all day, and wander around at night without a care, how would a little kitty like you know about human curses!” Yue Ji said with a laugh.

The little kitty snorted, crossed her arms, and lifted her chin.

“Do you also know about curses?” Xin Nuo asked.

“Not only do I know, I’ve been tormented by them,” Yue Ji’s face showed a terrified expression, “It’s the prince! The prince wanted to kill me!”

The butler said, “In Yue Ji’s diary, she wrote about living in constant fear every day, unable to be happy, fearing that she would be killed by the prince and would never find her father again.”

“For several nights, I saw the prince wandering in the dead of night, holding a dagger, shouting things like ‘I’m going to kill you!’,” Yue Ji continued, “Once I panicked and shouted out, he chased me, but luckily, growing up in the castle, I knew it like the back of my hand. I hid in the fireplace in the hall and managed to escape.”

Yue Ji said, her heart still racing, clutching her chest.

“It’s okay, Daddy’s here,” the butler tiptoed and patted his daughter’s head.

“Alright, thank you for sharing!” Ji Songyu said.

Once they were seated, the knight took the stage.

“I’m in charge of our esteemed prince’s room, as well as his esteemed body,” the knight said.

Xu Heran added, “Scumbag.”

“You’re really fixated on those two words today, aren’t you?” Xin Nuo quietly asked her, “Huh?”

“Shush!” Xu Heran stuck out her tongue.

“First of all, the prince’s body. We found a dagger stuck in his chest with a gemstone embedded in it, a luxurious gem with markings from the castle, indicating that the dagger likely belonged to the prince himself. The murderer killed with passion, picking up the prince’s dagger and stabbing him,” the knight explained.

“But the prince was a grown man, strong and youthful, he could have fought back,” Xu Heran said, “There are no signs of a struggle at the crime scene.”

The knight continued, “That’s correct. So I examined the prince again and found a black mark on the palm of his hand, a pattern resembling a rose or a rosebush.”

Mona Lisa Li immediately asked, “Was his mouth purple?”

Xin Nuo looked at Mona Lisa Li.

“No,” the knight said, “Only this mark on his hand indicates poisoning. So I speculate either the prince was poisoned and the dagger is a red herring, or he was poisoned or drugged, and the stab merely hastened his death.”

Mona Lisa Li said, “The poisons used by Synor Rayla, my father, and the fairy godmother all turn the mouth purple.”

Everyone nodded, and Xin Nuo shrugged her shoulders.

“I found a very ancient-looking book in the prince’s room, with faded writing. It contains several key points, mentioning that the castle possesses magic and is cursed. The owner of this castle, if unable to lift the curse, will be tormented by disease for generations and die miserably.”

“Removing the magic, here are just two words: gemstones.”

Everyone immediately looked at Xin Nuo.

“So, did the prince bring you back because he discovered this book? He doesn’t just want money, but also wants the gemstone to extend his life?” Ji Songyu said. “The old king has been dead for months, and the prince hasn’t ascended to the throne. Is he worried about being cursed?”

“But he’s already cursed,” Yue Ji said.

“What does the prince really want?”

Xin Nuo whispered, “Obtaining the dragon’s treasure and lifting the curse both seem to require gemstones. These two objectives aren’t mutually exclusive.”

On the stage, the knight continued speaking.

“On the front of this book, there are notes left by the prince, writing, ‘I’ve finally found it, how could this be happening? Damn it, time is running out, I must…'”

“Don’t let… find me!”

“No one is… a match! Oh, gods, am I not your beloved subject? Bless me.”

“I am the prince, the most esteemed man in this country. No one should dare to harm me!”

Xu Heran held her cheek and coldly hummed, “The most despicable man.”

After the knight finished sharing, it was finally time for the detective to encounter the person she least wanted to see.

Xin Nuo lifted her skirt, embodying the air of a true princess, and gracefully stood behind the long table.

“I searched for the only non-human creature on our field,” Xin Nuo said in a gentle tone.

“Scared me, I thought you were going to say the only non-human person,” Mona Lisa Li said with a laugh.

Xu Heran held her cheeks with both hands.

“Quick, let everyone see how adorable I am as a little kitty!”

Xin Nuo chuckled, glancing at Xu Heran.

“First of all, I found a schedule, recording the daily work routine of the little kitten.” Xin Nuo lifted a photo, “Wakes up at twelve every day, goes to the kitchen to eat the delicious food the servants prepared for me, then returns to my nest to sleep.”

“At three o’clock, wakes up, goes to the kitchen to have the afternoon tea prepared by the servants, then returns to my nest to sleep.”

“Get up at six o’clock, go to the kitchen to eat the afternoon tea prepared for me by the servant, go to the prince’s room for a stroll, take his favorite clothes to practice cat claw skills, and use his bed legs to grind her claws. She left water marks of love on his bed, and went back to her nest to sleep.”

“Pfft!”

Someone was drinking water and almost spat it out, looking at Xu Heran’s expression with a mix of emotions.

“Hmph!” Xu Heran’s ears turned a bit red, and she crossed her arms, “I’m a little kitten!”

“Besides, you can do these kinds of things secretly!”

Yue Ji immediately said, “Sweetheart, you’re putting me in a difficult spot!”

“Hehe.”

“It’s not over yet. At eleven o’clock at night, wake up to practice magic, practice until twelve, then go to the kitchen for dinner, return to my nest to sleep, sleep until twelve. If there’s time, I can go to the garden to catch bugs,” Xin Nuo said, “It’s written here that in the autumn, bugs become scarce, still, it’s fun to mess with humans.”

Everyone: “…”

“You’re really living a blissful life, just eating and sleeping! You even complain when given a chance to play!” the knight said.

“Do you know magic as well?” everyone looked at the photo in Xin Nuo’s hand.

Xu Heran proudly let out a hum.

“I’m a magical little kitty.”

Xin Nuo glanced at Xu Heran and continued, “But this was the old little kitty. She’s not the same as before now!”

“I found a diary of the little kitty, full of paw prints. I used the ‘magic potion’ placed on the table and successfully learned cat language!” Xin Nuo chuckled, “October 1st, the old one is dead, so annoying, I’m getting darker now. Humans are really annoying, might as well all die, meow hmph!”

“October 2nd, the little one is so annoying. I’m waiting for him to die. Humans are really annoying, hurry up and die, meow hmph hmph.”

“December xth, he started suffering, but I’ve turned dark, my magic can’t be used like before, I’m not a cute little kitty anymore, humans are truly annoying, deceiving the little kitten. Will she forgive me? Meow wuwu.”

Yue Ji said with pity, “Oh dear, little kitten is crying.”

Xu Heran raised her chin again, pursing her lips without saying a word.

“December xth, the castle is going to hold a dance, that annoying human can’t stand it anymore, I knew it, hmph, this is the fate of you bunch of deceivers! Just wait, she will come back for you! She will take everything back!”

“Who is she?” Ji Songyu asked.

Xu Heran turned her face away.

“December xth, the dance is about to begin, that princess is coming back too. Why is she coming back? Well, considering what she did for me before, should I let her leave?” Xin Nuo finished reading and said, “So, I helped you before?”

“You don’t even remember this?” Xu Heran said angrily.

Xin Nuo shook her head.

“Human intelligence is just lacking! Can’t match up to the little kitten!” Xu Heran pouted, feeling wronged, “When the old king was around, I was a white little kitty. At that time, during your wedding with the prince, I went to sneak a peek, he discovered me, he wanted to hit me, you saw it, you held me in your arms and put me in the garden. I remember it very clearly.”

Xin Nuo immediately asked her, “Then why were you mean to me?”

“Who was mean to you? Didn’t I say it! I like you!” Xu Heran said loudly.

The onlookers bit their lips, chuckling. It was the first time they saw someone say “I like you” with the same tone as “I hate you.”

“Since I arrived at the castle, you’ve been rude to me!” Xin Nuo flipped her grudge book, “You even called me a trashy girl!”

“Well… well, that’s because who let you come back! This place isn’t where you should be! You don’t understand the good intentions of a little kitten!” Xu Heran said angrily.

“Why? Do you know something?” Many questions arose from the group, “What does ‘white to black’ mean? Why shouldn’t the castle be here, and who is she?”

“She is someone you can’t mess with.” Xu Heran squinted, a cold light flashing in her blue-purple eyes.

“In this world, there is only one Pearl Cat. I discovered this castle. The previous owner of this castle wasn’t human at all. I accidentally brought humans here. Humans deceived her, took over the castle, and she brought down punishment. The one who possesses this castle will suffer for generations.” Xu Heran tilted her head, “And I am the guardian of the castle. I can only be free when there are no more humans in this castle.”

“The owner of the castle is the king. When the king is present, I can be a happy Pearl Cat. But when the throne is vacant and his heir is here, I can only become the type of human I detest the most. The punishment will fall upon me!” Xu Heran said angrily, “If that’s the case, I might as well kill the prince. If the curse is lifted, I’ll be free!”

Everyone immediately said, “Is this your plan to kill?”

Xu Heran remained silent.

“She can’t do it. She can’t harm humans.” Xin Nuo took out a photo of her patting a magic scroll, “This is part of the punishment.”

“Hmph!” Xu Heran became even angrier.

“Is she… could she be a dragon?” Ji Songyu asked Xin Nuo, “The dragon you summoned, what does it look like?”

Xin Nuo smiled faintly, “You’ll have to find that out for yourselves.”

…

The last one to share on stage was detective Ji Songyu. She stepped up and placed her notebook on the table.

“You lot!” Ji Songyu squinted her eyes, “I’ve discovered a problem. First, the princess is the benefactor of Rannyan. They corroborated each other. Mont Li and Mona Lisa Li are siblings. They corroborated each other. There’s also a father-daughter pair corroborating each other. I strongly suspect that within these three pairs, one is the murderer and the other is an accomplice, corroborating each other while concealing information.”

“What about him?” Everyone pointed at the knight.

The knight innocently said, “I’m just a pawn!”

“Indeed, quite a tool,” Ji Songyu opened her notebook, “I searched the knight’s room. I looked into your life, and you are indeed a knight, with a handsome face and the reputation of a knight. But in reality, you’re penniless, with not even half a penny in your pocket!”

“Oh~” Xu Heran narrowed her eyes at him.

“Hey, young man, we’re moonlighting,” the knight waved his hand.

“So, when you looked for the princess, were you trying to swindle money?” the maid asked.

“Swindle money? We’re in a free relationship,” the knight immediately said, turning his head to look at Xin Nuo, “Right?”

Xin Nuo smiled faintly, a cryptic smile on her face.

“Hmm?”

“Do you know he’s poor?” Ji Songyu asked.

Xin Nuo chuckled, “Well, just like my dog, he needs to go to the pet store often to groom his fur and buy snacks.” She glanced at the knight, then quickly shifted her gaze back, “Besides, it’s cheaper to keep him than to keep a dog.”

The knight: “…”

The knight: “Wuwuwuwu!”

“Hahaha.”

The maid patted the knight’s shoulder.

Xu Heran nodded, “Right, even if you’re unhappy, you can still buy a bus ticket back home.”

…

Ji Songyu said, “I found a few newspapers under the knight’s mattress, reporting on the divorce between the princess and the prince. The word ‘gem’ was highlighted intentionally. So, your feelings for the princess aren’t genuine. You were after the gems too!”

Xin Nuo’s gaze turned cold, her eyes suddenly indifferent. She lifted her gaze, and her arrow-like eyes fixed on the knight’s face. The knight’s heart skipped a beat, swallowing hard, and he quickly averted his gaze in fear.

“It’s not like that exactly. I did have that intention, but later on, I genuinely fell in love with the princess!”

“How do you know the purpose of the gem?” Xin Nuo’s voice was subdued. She rested her arm on the table, fingers intertwined. Her right fingertip twirled the ring on her left index finger.

Ji Songyu presented the evidence. “He was sent by the prince!”

“The prince sent him to seduce you, get the gem, but during the course of your acquaintance, he developed genuine feelings for you. But he stumbled upon the fact that the gem could summon a dragon and reveal a treasure, and his intentions changed!”

Ji Songyu questioned the knight, “What time did you leave tonight?”

“At 10:45 to 10:50, just five minutes.” The knight replied, “I strolled in the garden for a while, then returned to my room and fell asleep.”

“Liar!” Ji Songyu slammed the table.

“I’m not!” The knight exclaimed.

“I found a flower under your mattress. This flower only blooms from 11:00 PM to 12:00 AM. If you didn’t leave after 11:00 PM, where did this flower come from?” Ji Songyu shouted, “They all harbored intentions to kill the prince. Why are you the exception?”

The knight grew anxious. He hurriedly said, “I genuinely don’t know the origin of this flower, but I do have intentions to harm the prince. I did fall for the princess, didn’t I? He saw that I couldn’t retrieve the gem, so he asked me to kill the princess and bring back the gem to the palace. I refused him. Tonight, the prince met me and said that if I couldn’t retrieve the gem again, he would target me and the princess. So, I’m worried.”

“You’re just worried?” Xu Heran asked.

“Worried, well, I wanted to kill him!” The knight said, “And then run away with the princess. I’d have beauty and wealth, and I’d never return to the Dreamland Kingdom.”

“Heh.”

Xin Nuo lowered her gaze, a cold smile on her lips.

“What’s the deal with this flower?” Everyone asked.

“I really don’t know… wait.” The knight frowned, then suddenly looked towards Xu Heran, who was leaning on a chair with a cheerful smile. “I remember now. I left for the garden at 10:45, walked for two minutes, felt a bit tired, and wanted to go back to my room to sleep. At that moment, everything in front of my eyes blurred. I thought I was just extremely tired, shook my head, and went back to my room to sleep. Princess, you just mentioned the Pearl Cat’s magic, what is it?”

“The Pearl Cat has the power to bewitch hearts,” Xin Nuo said, “but this lazy cat dislikes practicing magic. Currently, it can only use magic once a month.”

The knight widened his eyes, “It’s you!”

He stood up, pointing at Xu Heran and asked, “What did you do to me?”

“Huh?” Xu Heran scratched her head, “I didn’t do anything to you. I just let you take a nap in the garden. Aren’t you happy?”

Ji Songyu immediately pressed for more information, “Just like that?”

“Mmm.” Xu Heran squinted her eyes.

Ji Songyu sneered, taking out a photo from the evidence, “I found the sheath of the dagger in the cape hat hanging at the knight’s door, the same one used on the prince’s chest!”

“Hiss—”

Everyone immediately looked at Xu Heran.

Little Meow yawned, both hands pressed against her pale face, rubbing it. Her voice became somewhat unclear.

“Oh, I just had the knight go and kill the prince, but I’m not that skilled in magic. He ended up just lying in the garden and falling asleep. I felt it was a shame, but I had no other choice, so I went back to my nest to sleep. In the middle of the night, I got a bit hungry, so I went to find some food. Suddenly, I saw the knight standing up in the garden. I thought he had woken up.” Xu Heran said, then suddenly looked at the knight accusingly, “You even scared me, you annoying human.”

Everyone: “…”

You brought this upon yourself!

“I was a bit angry and wanted to teach this human a lesson, but then I saw him walk into the prince’s room.”

“The prince was sleeping on the sofa. This human picked up the dagger from the table, and then—”

“Shh!”

Little Meow covered her cheeks with both hands, her blue-purple eyes widened, her mouth opened wide, her tone falsely excited.

“So scary!”

“He stabbed the prince!”

Rannyan turned her head and looked at Xin Nuo-rella.

“You don’t have to worry about the prince bullying you anymore. Isn’t that great?” Little Meow said happily.

“Do you like this gift?”

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The author has something to say:

It’s a mischievous cat.

If there are no surprises, there won’t be an update tonight. Eh heh~

[Anyone want to guess the murderer? There’s a prize for guessing right!]

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Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Sinensis

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