Free Web NovelChapter 386: Chapter-386
The old lady let out a bright, crackling laugh, the sound echoing beautifully against the high ceilings of the suite. She allowed Heena to slowly guide her over to the plush velvet sofa near the window, sitting down with a contented sigh while her head nanny stood respectfully by the door.
"Ah, you little rogue," the grandmother smiled, tapping her cane lightly against the floor. "No one in this accursed estate has the audacity to stop me from doing anything."
Heena let out a soft, melodious laugh, the sound effortlessly breaking the heavy, tense atmosphere of the room. "Of course, Grandma. No one in this entire world could ever stop you from meeting your granddaughter."
Hearing those words, the old lady paused. Her hand, which had been grasping Heena’s fingers so fiercely, went entirely still. She looked deeply into Heena’s eyes, her gaze suddenly becoming so sharp and searching that it felt as if she were trying to pierce right through to her very soul.
"Are you entirely sure, my daughter?" the grandmother asked, her voice dropping into a quiet, strangely heavy whisper.
Heena paused. For a microscopic split second, a flicker of hesitation crossed her mind. She thought of the real Seera, cold and long gone. She thought of the fake script, the dead Guide, and the terrifying, world-ending regressor waiting in the frozen north. In a universe this fractured, certainty was a luxury she didn’t possess.
But looking at the fragile, hopeful line of the old woman’s shoulders, Heena’s expression hardened into something entirely immovable. She forced her tone into a firmer, unshakeable register.
"Yes, Grandma," Heena said, her voice ringing clear and true. "I am absolutely sure. No one can stop you from meeting your granddaughter ever again in this world. Not even God."
The grandmother stared at her for a beat longer before the tension completely melted from her wrinkled face. She let out a soft gasp, a beautiful, radiant smile breaking across her features as she raised her hand and gently tapped Heena’s cheek.
"Look at this girl," the old lady chided, though her voice was bubbling with pure fond amusement. "Now you are even threatening and warning God? You? Quickly, say sorry. Apologize to the heavens right now, you silly child! You are going to make them angry with such arrogant words."
Heena simply smiled, leaning slightly into the warm, frail touch of the old woman’s hand. She looked directly into her grandmother’s lovely eyes, seeing the absolute, unconditional love for her granddaughter overflowing from them like a vast, endless ocean. It was a love so fierce it defied the very rules of the world.
"Don’t worry, Grandma," Heena murmured softly, a profound, steady calm settling over her features as she squeezed the matriarch’s fingers. "Not even God would dare be angry at me for saying such a simple truth."
Soon, a soft knock rattled the wooden frame, and a high-ranking estate maid stepped into the room. The moment her eyes landed on the regal figure sitting on the sofa, her posture stiffened in sheer terror. She froze in her tracks, immediately dropping into a deep, sweeping bow.
"I greet the Grand Madam," the maid said, her voice trembling slightly.
The old matriarch merely offered a cold, indifferent nod of her head, not bothering to waste her words on a common servant. frёeωebɳovel.com
The maid then turned her head to look toward Heena, straightening up slightly as she executed a much shallower, more perfunctory bow. "I greet you as well, Young Lady." freewebnovёl.ƈom
Heena offered a slow, deliberate nod in return. Her sharp eyes scanned the woman’s features, and deep within the recesses of Seera’s borrowed memories, a file clicked into place. This woman was Nanny Wang—the Marchioness’s absolute right-hand maid and trusted confidante. *Nice,* Heena thought, a cold thrill running through her veins.
As Nanny Wang stood up, her eyes lingered on Heena, subtly evaluating her. From that single, passing glance, Heena could already deduce everything she needed to know. Just like her malicious master, this bitch didn’t possess a single shred of genuine respect for Seera. She still viewed the returned heiress as the weak, easily manipulated girl from years ago.
Suddenly, Heena internally bit her upper lip, a wave of dark amusement hitting her. She realized that ever since she had dropped into this world, she had been using increasingly abusive, colorful words in her own thoughts.
Lord, it looks like I’m really getting used to that old matriarch’s savage way of speaking, she thought, glancing at her grandmother.
The old lady’s foul-mouthed elegance is truly contagious.
[She is just making excuse to hide her own bad mouth ]
Her hyper-analytical mind rushed through the immediate tactical options. The way I violently broke my mother’s pride yesterday at the banquet... should I just break this dog’s legs right now too?
She fixed her gaze directly onto Nanny Wang. The maid had absolutely no idea why, but the moment Heena’s eyes locked onto hers, a sudden, violent chill ran straight down her spine, making the hairs on her arms stand up.
But after a second, Heena mentally shook her head. Nah, doing that right now wouldn’t be a good idea. This particular servant was her mother’s most precious, vital pawn. Striking her down in the open without a foolproof trap would just make the Marchioness double her guard. It was much better to let her play her little game for now.
On the outside, Heena’s chilly expression instantly melted into a thoroughly sweet, lovely smile. "Ah, Nanny Wang... I believe that is your name, correct?"
Hearing the heiress remember her name, the old servant shifted her feet, her chest swelling slightly with a trace of unearned arrogance. "Yes, Young Lady. Your biological mother has requested your immediate presence."
Heena raised her beautifully arched eyebrows, her voice dripping with an exaggerated, dramatic innocence. "Oh my... my dear Mama has called for me, and yet no one even bothered to inform me earlier?" She turned her head, casually glancing out the grand arched window at the rising sun. "Oh my, look at the sky. It looks like it is precisely the hour for breakfast, right?"
Nanny Wang opened her mouth, her lips parting to sharply command Heena to drop everything and run to her mother’s courtyard immediately. But before the servant could utter a single syllable, Heena gracefully turned her back on her, completely ignoring her presence as she grabbed her grandmother’s frail hand.
"Grandma, let’s eat breakfast together," Heena cooed, her voice sweet enough to cause cavities as she lightly swayed the old lady’s arm. "It has been such a terribly long time since we last shared a meal, and I truly, deeply want to eat with my beloved Grandma this morning."
The old matriarch looked at Heena’s ridiculously cute, pleading face. The terrifying, ancient ruler of the capital completely disintegrated, replaced by a doting grandmother. She reached out and fondly pinched Heena’s nose. "You and your impossibly sweet mouth. Of course your Grandma is going to eat breakfast with you."
Seeing her master’s explicit orders being casually tossed aside like garbage, Nanny Wang’s face flushed with irritation. Forgetting her place in her desperation to please the Marchioness, she stepped forward, her voice turning sharp. "No, Grand Madam, that cannot be permitted—"
The words had barely left her mouth when the entire atmosphere in the bedroom violently shifted, turning sub-zero in an instant.
