The Tragic Heroine Fell in Love with Me - Chapter 71

The vase was effortlessly caught in his hand.

The man, as pale and feeble as ever, could easily block her attack.

“Cough, cough! Ah Qi, long time no see. You’re still as spirited as ever.” Count Corey, his face pallid, covered his mouth as he coughed twice, signaling for Zheng Qi to release the vase.

He placed the vase a short distance away.

Zheng Qi sneered, “Long time no see, and you’re still not dead yet.”

“Your aunt probably isn’t ready to see me yet.” Count Corey’s smile grew even more strained. His already bloodless face turned even weaker at her words, as if recalling something unbearable. He let out a bitter laugh, “At the very least, I need to settle you down properly before I can go see your aunt.”

“I don’t need you to settle me,” Zheng Qi retorted mockingly. “If it weren’t for you, my aunt would never have died.”

“That was just a mistake,” Count Corey raised his voice slightly, though it was still feeble compared to his sickly state. “Alright, that matter is in the past now. It’s been over a decade, so you should,”

“Twelve years, eight months, and twenty-one days,” Zheng Qi cut in. “I’ve been counting every single day. You say it’s in the past, but my aunt is dead, so it will never be in the past.”

Corey’s movements suddenly froze. Rubbing his temples, he found it impossible to remain calm as Zheng Qi repeatedly brought up the topic he wished to avoid.

“Since you’re back, settle down properly. Haven’t you always wanted to come to France?”

“Hah, I really don’t know what my aunt saw in you,” Zheng Qi scoffed sarcastically.

She scrutinized Count Corey from head to toe. This man had once been her idol. But now, that admiration seemed like a joke, all the grandeur she had imagined was merely her own delusion. The person before her was nothing but a coward.

“Get some rest. You are my heir, and I assure you, I will never let you suffer again.”

“Suffer?” Zheng Qi watched as Count Corey stood up, about to leave. His back appeared even more desolate, as if he might collapse at any moment. Yet, Zheng Qi felt no concern instead, she found it satisfying. “Are you saying that leaving me in that household, with those people you once looked down upon, was suffering?”

“If that’s what you mean, I never felt like I was suffering at all. In fact, I was perfectly happy. Those people are my biological parents. Compared to you, they are much closer to me. Even my aunt would have cared more about them.”

Before Zheng Qi could finish, Count Corey had already opened the door and walked out.

Zheng Qi slumped heavily onto the bed.

At that moment, she too felt weak. She didn’t know what those people had given her, but her limbs were sore and limp, leaving her almost too feeble to stand.

Of course.

How could this coward allow someone who posed a threat to remain unchecked? He must have taken every precaution.

Zheng Qi let out a cold laugh.

Her clothes had been changed, her phone was gone, and there was no telephone nearby to contact anyone.

She wanted to cry, but no tears would come.

It felt as if she had been thrown back into that dark basement after being kidnapped. There was no one to rely on, no one to rescue her. All she could do was wait.

I wonder if Xiao San would be angry at her for leaving without saying goodbye.

I don’t know how much time had passed perhaps half a day, perhaps a full day. By the time the sun outside the window had gradually sunk below the horizon, someone knocked and entered.

It was a girl in her twenties. People from Country F tended to look older than those from her homeland, and Zheng Qi suspected that the girl before her might only be in her teens.

Her features didn’t carry the typical look of someone from Country F; instead, she seemed more like an East Asian.

Just seeing her, Zheng Qi couldn’t help but feel a sense of familiarity a familiarity that made her want to get closer to this girl. Her smile, her tone, the aura around her all of it was gentle.

“Miss Misery, I’m so happy to meet you. Count Corey often speaks of you.” The girl carried a large tray laden with snacks that could only be found back home, and there was even a pot of clear, green tea.

“My name is Madeline. From now on, I’ll be taking care of you. We’re the same age, and Count Corey said you enjoy making friends. I hope we can get along well.”

Zheng Qi looked at the girl named Madeline. She wasn’t speaking the language of Country F. Foreigners learning the national tongue often had a strange accent, but Madeline spoke perfect Mandarin, without the slightest hint of an accent.

“Get out.” Zheng Qi looked at Madeline, the corners of her lips curling upward.

Madeline froze.

She seemed not to have expected Zheng Qi to treat her this way no, it wasn’t just an attitude; it was malice.

Zheng Qi was clearly smiling, but her eyes were filled with malice, like a wolf ready to snap her neck at any moment.

Seeing Madeline’s fearful expression, Zheng Qi couldn’t help but let out a malicious laugh.

In Country F, she could fully reveal her inner self, that filthy, horrifying nature.

“Miss Misery, I…”

Zheng Qi raised her hand, effortlessly gripping Madeline’s neck. She slowly tightened her grip. Madeline flailed her arms in terror, grabbing Zheng Qi’s hand, trying to push her away.

But after a day, the effects of the drugs in Zheng Qi’s system had almost completely worn off. Her fingers may have looked delicate and lovely, but they could easily snap an adult’s neck.

These were all skills taught to her by Corey Helge.

“Let, let go!” Madeline’s face grew increasingly pale. Even so, she only struggled, with no intention of harming Zheng Qi.

Thud!

Zheng Qi threw Madeline to the ground. She walked over to where Madeline lay, the food from the tray scattered all around. Madeline gasped for air, desperately trying to fill her lungs again.

“I’m hungry. Go bring me food.”

Madeline stared at Zheng Qi in terror, no longer able to muster that condescending expression of wanting to be friends.

“O-okay.” Madeline scrambled to her feet and stumbled toward the door.

“Stop.”

As soon as Zheng Qi spoke, Madeline froze. She clutched her neck in fear, watching as Zheng Qi slowly approached.

“Clean this up. I don’t like a messy room.”

Madeline nodded hurriedly and, seeing that Zheng Qi had no further instructions, scurried out the door.

Zheng Qi laughed heartily, feeling much more satisfied than before.

“Fake.”

Her voice suddenly turned cold.

This girl named Madeline, clearly from F country, had an Eastern face, one that bore some resemblance to her aunt’s.

She was an undeniable counterfeit.

So Corey Helge, that coward, had a taste for collecting fakes.

Ah, yes this was the peculiar “romance” of the nobility. She remembered how Corey Helge had always liked collecting strange things; now, gathering people who resembled her aunt was hardly surprising.

After a while, someone else entered carrying a tray.

This time, it wasn’t Madeline, who had tried to befriend her while wearing a condescending expression, but a rather lean man.

He, too, seemed to have Eastern features, lacking much of the distinctive look of F country.

“Hello, I’m Li Ailun. From now on, I will be your subordinate,” Li Ailun said as he approached Zheng Qi, kneeling respectfully on one knee and exposing his pale neck.

Dark circles shadowed the area beneath his eyes, as if he never slept well.

“Subordinate?”

“As the future head of the Helge family, you certainly need capable people like me as subordinates,” Li Ailun stated without modesty. “Of course, you could also choose one of those pretty girls to serve you.”

He glanced meaningfully toward the door, where Madeline stood, watching the scene inside with terror.

“She seems quite afraid of you,” Zheng Qi remarked.

Li Ailun chuckled softly. “Why would she be afraid of me? It must be Miss Misery Helge she fears.”

Zheng Qi let out a cold laugh.

She didn’t dismiss Li Ailun. Compared to the counterfeit Madeline, Zheng Qi naturally preferred him.

“I’m hungry,” Zheng Qi said, walking over to the corner tea table. The moment she sat down, Li Ailun set the meal before her.

This time, it wasn’t the local snacks but an F-country afternoon tea, a plate of desserts that, though meticulously arranged, failed to stir any appetite.

“Aren’t you supposed to be my subordinate? Why bring things I don’t like? Don’t any of you bother to learn my preferences?” Zheng Qi’s tone was mocking, as if reproaching Li Ailun for his lack of professionalism.

“If you’d like something else, I can have it prepared right away. But we are in F country now, even if you eat those foods, it won’t change the fact that you can’t leave. I imagine you aren’t fond of self-deception.”

Zheng Qi glared at Li Ailun. His insinuations sparked a surge of irritation within her.

“Count Corey has instructed you to attend the upcoming training session starting tomorrow. You should eat something to keep up your strength,” Li Ailun advised.

Zheng Qi eyed the overly sweet treats and finally picked out a relatively plain-looking bun. “You can have the rest.”

Li Ailun’s face immediately brightened. As if he had been waiting for this moment, he sat directly across from Zheng Qi and began sampling the various desserts with relish. “What a delight. It’s a shame you don’t enjoy them.”

Zheng Qi shot him a disdainful look. Clearly, he had brought them because he wanted to eat them himself.

Li Ailun had a natural ability to put people at ease. Even Zheng Qi had to admit that being with Li Ailun was incredibly comfortable. Perhaps this was the result of Li Ailun deliberately trying to please him, but in this place, Zheng Qi now needed someone by his side, anyone would do.

Li Ailun was a born killer.

Zheng Qi had seen this kind of person before, back when she was very young. They didn’t need to carry the scent of blood or show a crazed expression; just standing there quietly, one could see their indifference toward life.

Zheng Qi knew all of this clearly.

Perhaps she hoped that Li Ailun would be the one to kill her.

Just like Count Corey, who also wished for someone to end his life, which was why Li Ailun had appeared.

Li Ailun: I’m an assassin, not a maniac!!!

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