Fairy Tale: Little Red Riding Hood's Wolf Mentor

Chapter 198 Evil in the Shadow
New Shadi Kingdom, the capital, the palace.

The night of the day had not yet passed, and the magnificent palace was cast a heavy shadow.

Deep in the palace, in Prince Peter's bedroom, in the most heavily guarded area, he didn't know when it started, but as the power that did not belong to him grew, he began to feel an inexplicable fear and uneasiness in his heart.

There was still a dagger under his pillow, and the oil lamp in the room was still shining.

The shadows cast by the furnishings in the house are very long.

But even so, today, there are still shadows that cross layers of obstacles and come from the darkness outside the window.

Shadows, haunted Prince Peter's bedroom for weeks.

In the shadows, Princess Marlene looked at the wardrobe in the bedroom. There were many other women's clothes in it. Was this the rumored deceased wife of Prince Peter?
Princess Marlin remained silent. She looked at a locked box lying on the ground not far away.

Her gaze can emerge from the shadows.

In the dusty box, she saw a rusty picture frame with her own face painted on it.

"You have spent seven years in the shadows—now, you will have the ability to see through the darkness, to glance past a person's bright exterior and see what they look like in the shadows!"

“People are always made up of two sides: the body in the sun and the shadow behind the sun.”

"When you were little, all the beautiful memories you had were of the parts in the sunshine. But now, if you want to be king, you must master the parts in the shadows."

“Even shadows can destroy the beauty in your memories.”

Princess Marlin heard the voice of her ancestor. He was speaking, and behind him were rippling and overlapping shadows.

In memory...

Princess Marlene bit her lip, and long-forgotten memories appeared in her mind.

In the palace of the Shadi Kingdom which has not yet been destroyed.

Prince Peter half-knelt down. He was handsome, eloquent, and his words were full of philosophy and connotation.

Everything was so beautiful to her.

A perfect prince.

I was thinking at that time, and the prince was looking at me, his eyes full of gentle love.

"He seems really good, but... my daughter, you've only been around him for a few days. Have you really thought it through?"

But the father was sitting on the throne. After Prince Peter left, King Shadi, who had just been smiling, now had a kind of scrutinizing look in his eyes.

It was a severity that had never been seen before.

"Of course I can feel it, he's great, I want to marry him!"

Princess Marlene heard her own voice.

“But you are the only princess of Shadi. If you marry him, after I die, the entire Shadi Kingdom will be handed over to you, or...his hands.

The fate of countless citizens and vast lands will depend on your decision. Do you truly understand the weight of this decision?"

King Shadi narrowed his eyes, and his old face looked a little haggard in the shadows.

"Yes, I've thought about it, I believe him!"

After hearing Princess Marin's words, King Shadi did not reply, but took a long breath. His gaze moved away from his daughter's face and looked at the ground under his feet.

In the shadow covering the golden steps, he seemed to be able to see something, but it seemed as if he could see nothing.

In the old king's silence, he seemed to hear something.

From the shadows—like a family legend or secret.

"No, daughter, you haven't thought it through. You should be the child closest to the shadow in the Shadi Kingdom over the years. After you were born, I heard the voice of the ancestors."

The old king raised his head again and stared at Princess Marlin.

The young Princess Marlin wanted to argue, but this time, she couldn't say a word.

Because she saw an expression on her father's face that she had never seen before.

It was a king's majesty, mixed with an extremely gloomy coldness.

"Child, perhaps what I have taught you is too little - Shadi needs a king, a king who has never existed before, but I hope that king will be you.

What you saw was too superficial. Now, I think perhaps our ancestors were right."

Later, the king ordered the craftsmen to build a tall black tower in the back garden of the palace, but without leaving any space for doors or windows.

"Father, what is this tower used for?"

Princess Marlene asked, but the king's face showed no joy:
“This is a bridge that allows you to communicate with your ancestors.”

"bridge?"

"Yes, you always ask me about the secrets of our family, the stories I promised to tell you."

"About that powerful ancestor?"

"Yes."

"My ancestors will teach me a lot. Do I... have to leave the capital? Will it be painful?"

King Shadi listened to what Princess Marlin said and suddenly laughed. There was some inexplicable meaning in his smile, but Princess Marlin at that time could not see any abnormality in her father.

"Of course it won't hurt, child. If possible, I'd love to replace you, but the ancestors clearly favor you more!"

King Shadi said that he had never told a lie to Princess Marlin before.

These words dispelled the last trace of uneasiness in the heart of the young Princess Marlin.

"Then when I get out, can I marry Prince Peter?"

"Of course, once you have finished your studies with your ancestors and can clearly see what lies within those dark shadows, you will be able to decide everything for yourself."

Princess Marlene laughed happily.

Until that day, the construction of the black tower came to an end.

She watched helplessly as she was left alone in the shadows of the black tower. The last ray of light that shone into the tower was slowly blocked by the rocks.

Princess Marlene cried and wanted to go out, but was pushed back into the shadows of the tower again and again.

She pleaded desperately, her eyes seeing her father's cold eyes in the last ray of blocked light:

"This is my first lesson to you. Do you see...my shadow?"

The last ray of light was blocked.

The suffocating darkness surged up like a tide, penetrating all seven orifices and drowning out the girl's cries...

……

"Shadow, shadow..."

Princess Marlene put the memory back into her heart, turned her head again, and looked at Prince Peter who was sleeping in the bed.

She walked forward, her body like a stream of shadows, melting and merging into Prince Peter's shadow under the candlelight.

In the chaotic shadows, Princess Marlene raised a finger, and the shadows began to take shape, revealing a palace.

On the ground, gray nettles grew.

In front of her, a person's shadow appeared in detail - it was Prince Peter.

In the shadow world, Prince Peter looked a little dazed, as if he was in a dream.

Princess Marlene thought about it, and the shadows around her began to gradually take on color, and many shadows formed dancers with blurred faces - a banquet hall.

"Hello, Prince Peter, I'm Marlene, do you remember me?"

Princess Marlene looked at Prince Peter's somewhat familiar face and suddenly asked.

Listening to Princess Marlene's voice, Prince Peter's dazed look began to disappear, and his voice became a little surprised, but mixed with some strange emotions: "Oh, oh, beautiful Marlene, of course I remember you - you are still so beautiful."

"I'm sorry, I've been locked up in a tower for the past few years and can't come out..."

Princess Marlene whispered, then looked at Prince Peter and suddenly asked, "You know I'm locked in the tower, right?"

"Ah, yes, I know, your damned father locked you up, but I can't get you out!"

"why?"

Princess Marlin asked, and after coming out of the tower, she asked the two guards next to the tower.

But they didn't know anything more. The only thing they knew was to guard the tower, and the orders they obeyed came from the Regent of Shadi - Prince Peter.

When Prince Peter heard this question, his expression became a little frightened.

“I’m sorry, this is because… because of my power, those Sri and Weiser people destroyed Shadi and killed all the royal family members except you, so I was able to take this position.

But I know that if you come back, the Shadi people will definitely make you the king - instead of me, the... regent."

Hearing his words, although Princess Marlene had already made some preparations, her body still trembled slightly. After a while, her lips trembled again and she asked:
"Sri? What does the Sri Kingdom have to do with the demise of Shadi?"

"Sri is supporting the Kingdom of Weiser behind the scenes. They are even more powerful than the Kingdom of Weiser."

Prince Peter swallowed his saliva at this point, as if he was a little afraid, but under the influence of Princess Marlene in the shadow world, he continued, "They agreed to let me take control of the Shadi Kingdom in the future, so that I can sell out the royal bloodline that Shadi secretly retained.

I will agree to it. After all, your father, who stood in the way of my love for you and always doubted me—he should not have existed!"

"You previously refused to cooperate with the Goethe Kingdom because of Sri, right?"

"Yeah, even though those Sri Lankans are all arrogant, there's nothing I can do about it, right?"

"What about the Shadi people who died because of Sri? You are the regent now, you should protect them!"

"There's nothing we can do about it. Dead people? But I'm not a Shadi person, so what does it matter?"

Prince Peter said frankly that he is now a shadow. In the bright world, things that cannot be said because of morality, shame, and darkness, at this moment, his shadow can be exposed without scruples.

"That's it..."

Princess Marlene's voice became increasingly trembling.

In the shadow world, she saw many shadows of the dark side of the world. Although she saw far less than her mysterious ancestor, she was already prepared for this.

But at this moment, she looked at the shadow of the person she once admired in front of her, as if something in her heart was slowly dying.

"Do you really love me?"

Finally, Princess Marlene finally asked the question. Her bright eyes fixed on the prince who had occupied her heart seven years ago. She had already made up her mind, but for some reason, she still wanted to ask this question...

There are some illusory and fragile issues.

"Of course, you are so beautiful. When we first met, I was sure that I would possess you! I will protect you deep in the palace. You will belong to me alone! I will be the king, and you will be my wife forever!"

Prince Peter's voice was filled with an undisguised enthusiasm. Princess Marlene did not ask further questions, so he continued.

"After you left, I missed you very much, so I found nine girls who looked like you to be my wives, but in the end, I killed them all.

Because, after all, they are not you, they all have flaws, only you, beautiful one, I love, and you are the only one I have ever loved! "

All around, the shadow-simulated palace banquet began to dissipate and transformed back into the dark clouds that permeated the shadow world.

The fanatical look on Prince Peter's face gradually disappeared, and he became confused again.

Princess Marlene had a tear on her cheek that looked a little turbid in the shadow. She looked at Prince Peter in front of her, raised her hand, and pushed the prince's shadow out of the shadow world.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

"This will be your last night with your shadow. Rest well."

Then, the shadow began to shatter.

Outside, at the end of the long night, the darkness falls and the dawn light flickers.

Lake and Poro's carriage arrived at the capital of New Shadi. The curtain of the carriage was opened, and Princess Marlin bowed and got out of the carriage.

Palace entrance.

"Sorry, the Regent doesn't have time..."

A minister was about to reject Lake and Poro's request when his eyes were instantly drawn to Princess Marlin behind them.

The royal dress of the Shadi Kingdom, the silver crown on the head, and that beautiful face——

After the Shadi royal family was brutally massacred, the only missing Princess Shadi became the only lifeline of the Shadi royal family, and most lords and vassals knew the appearance of Princess Marlin.

They had been searching for this for a long time.

"You, you are... Her Highness Marlene!?"

"Yes, am I qualified to see the Regent?"

Princess Marlin asked, and none of the Shadi soldiers and ministers in front of her dared to speak out to stop her.

Only after informing them, they were led to the palace where Prince Peter was.

"Ms. Lake and... Mr. Poro, don't worry. Can you let me go first and convince my 'fiancé'? I promise that the Shadi Kingdom will stand on your side."

"it is good."

Lake looked at Princess Marin and nodded. From a certain moment on, the face of the last princess of Shadi had an inexplicable majesty, and this feeling was exactly the same as the shadowy old king she had seen before.

Princess Marlin walked into the golden hall.

Prince Peter sat on the throne in the front, and the rest of the seats were empty, without even a guard.

"Marlene? Is it really... you?"

Prince Peter's face showed surprise. He walked towards Princess Marlene with a sincere smile, opening his arms as if wanting to hug her. "I've been thinking about you every moment - you're finally back!"

"Yes, it's me."

But in contrast, Princess Marlene's face showed no expression at all. She simply fixed her gaze on the shadow behind Prince Peter. "If you really miss me, why don't you chisel away the tower wall and rescue me? You can do it."

"What tower? Sorry... I, I don't know where you are. If I knew..."

Prince Peter's face showed a genuine look of regret.

"No, you know that."

But then, Princess Marlene shook her head and interrupted him, a trace of sadness in her eyes, "Your shadow is obviously more honest than you - I'm sorry to meet you again.

But Shadi Kingdom, please return it to me, thank you."

As he spoke, Prince Peter's face froze. He lowered his head and noticed the shadow under his feet, which suddenly coiled around and climbed up his body like a snake or a vine.

It drilled into the seven orifices.

The sudden change made Prince Peter's face turn purple, and he began to suffocate in the shadows. He wanted to struggle, but he couldn't make a sound. He could only watch the scene before him extinguish and fall into darkness and shadows...

"Squeak-"

A moment later, the door of the hall opened.

Lake looked at Princess Marlin and asked expectantly:

"How is it? Prince Peter..."

"The Shadi Kingdom has agreed. As the last princess of the Shadi Kingdom, I swear here—"

Princess Marlene looked at Lake and extended a hand. "Every Shadi person, every Shadi warrior will be your partner. We will fight alongside you."

"We will join you in battle and prevent the Sri Lankans' conspiracy from being carried out outside our borders!"

(End of this chapter)