The Villain Saint is my secondary account

Ford pointed downwards, indicating that Ye Xiao should lie down with him.

The staff's glow illuminated the space under the bed, where, near the headboard close to the wall, some brownish debris was clearly visible.

"Wood chips?"

"The bed scraped against the wall."

Ford gave a direct answer and touched some debris with his finger: "The sturdiness of royal beds goes without saying, and the Queen, who is bedridden, obviously wouldn't shake the bed vigorously under normal circumstances."

"And look at the surface of these wood chips, they obviously haven't been detached for very long."

Ye Xiao stared wide-eyed, but could only see a few specks of wood on Ford's fingertips. He really didn't know how this guy could tell whether the thing was new or old.

But the scratch is indeed more suspicious, and could very well indicate a violent act.

"But I don't quite understand. The Queen is already quite old. If someone were to actually lay a hand on her, what would be the point?"

Ye Xiao frowned. "And why is the royal family hiding this?"

"That's also what I don't understand."

Unexpectedly, Ford simply shrugged and said, "However, I think once we find this unique motive, the killer might be found out."

……

Meanwhile, under the same night sky, in the princess's bedroom on the third floor of the palace.

The Queen's adopted daughter, Alina, sat in front of her dressing table, gazing at her reflection in the mirror.

Her eyes, which were once as clear and blue as a lake, were now filled with weariness. Her jet-black hair was disheveled and messy, which was incongruous with her status, and her face appeared pale in the dim candlelight.

"I didn't kill her, I didn't kill her, I didn't kill her..."

Her mouth was opening and closing, as if she was muttering something.

Sparse whispers echoed in the dim light, accompanied by the flickering candlelight, until a clear, cold voice suddenly rang in her ear.

"What are you saying? You clearly killed her."

"No! Shut up!!! I didn't!!!"

Alina jumped up from her seat like a startled rabbit, yelling, "I didn't kill her! I didn't kill her!!!"

In a room where she was clearly alone, she heard a murmur like that of an invisible ghost. Even though she covered her head and ears, the murmur kept creeping into her ears, clear and playful.

"It was you! You're the one who killed her!"

"You stabbed her in the chest with the hairpin she herself gave you!"

"One, two, three... That shameless old hag, she should have died long ago!!"

"Shut up!!! Shut up!!!"

Alina clutched her hair tightly on both sides, feeling like her head was about to explode.

She stared with a ferocious look in her eyes, looking around as she tried to find the source of the sound in the dark and empty room.

"Who are you?! Show yourself here!!!"

"If you're so capable, don't hide in the shadows!!!"

“I have never hidden myself; I have always been right in front of you.”

"You're the one hiding, little princess."

The shrill voice remained clear, as if it were echoing directly in her mind.

Alina looked around in disbelief, and finally, incredulously, found the person who had spoken in the mirror.

More accurately, it should be her reflection in the mirror.

Despite being clearly haggard and in pain, Alina could clearly see the corners of her mouth turned up in the mirror, and a pair of dark blue eyes met her gaze, which was chilling under her messy hair.

"I am you, how could I not know your dark and filthy thoughts?"

"what!!!"

Alina screamed, clenching her slender hand into a fist and slamming it against the dressing mirror.

"Snapped"

Her reflection in the mirror instantly shattered, her once-prominent features now appearing as if cleaved into pieces by a knife.

"shut up!!!"

The shattered glass reflected her mouth opening and closing, emitting hysterical roars.

……

Alina suddenly opened her eyes.

Only then did she realize that she was lying in bed, her back soaked with sweat.

It felt like just a nightmare, a dream that was too real and frightening.

"It turned out to be a dream..."

She touched her chest, looked at the dark and empty bedroom, the tightly closed curtains, and of course, the perfectly intact dressing mirror, and breathed a long sigh of relief.

"I knew it, how could I possibly hurt my mother..."

"Huh? If it wasn't you who killed me, then who did?"

The aged, hoarse voice rang out, and it was as if a chill suddenly shot up from the soles of my feet to my head.

Alina's nerves tensed up again in that instant.

She stiffly turned her neck, horrified to see her adoptive mother lying beside her, a hairpin inlaid with a deep blue gemstone sticking out of her blood-stained chest.

Upon seeing Alina looking at him, his wrinkled, aged face immediately broke into a kind smile.

"Daughter, my heart aches so much."

"what!!!!!!"

Alina frantically jumped off the bed and scrambled towards the bedroom door.

She grabbed the doorknob with both hands and pulled it open abruptly. As the bright light from the hallway shone into the bedroom, she stumbled and bumped into the chest of a tall, thin man.

"What happened, Your Highness?"

A warm hand rested on her shoulder, dispelling some of her fear.

Alina, still shaken, gasped for breath and slightly raised her head.

"me……"

What appeared in his field of vision was none other than his cousin's smiling face.

"Alex... Brother Alex!"

This was not a case of the same name being used by someone else. The person who came was none other than Alex, the Thunder Saint, who had previously met secretly with Valentine and others.

Unlike the researcher who seemed indifferent to everything that Valentine and the Samuel Brothers had met, Alex, now a member of the royal family, had a face full of kindness and concern.

"Did you have another nightmare?"

"Uh... um."

After seeing who it was, Alina's tense heart finally relaxed a little.

Chapter 156 The Avenger's Lament

For Alina, her cousin Alex wasn't someone she felt particularly close to.

As an adopted daughter, she wasn't particularly well-liked by many members of the Valencian royal family who had pure royal blood.

In their eyes, he was just an orphan from a poor battlefield who had gotten incredibly lucky and been adopted by the queen as her heir.

Alex was different. He was often kind and polite to Alina, but for some reason, Alina didn't like him very much.

Or rather, apart from the Queen, she didn't like any of the members of the royal family; every single one of them made her feel... disgusted.

It wasn't because of the other person's attitude or anything, it was just a simple, instinctive repulsion from the bottom of my heart.

However, the Queen's husband died in the war against the vampires years earlier, and her two only sons were also killed by the vampires. According to royal tradition, if she were to pass away, her throne should be inherited by her brother's bloodline.

The Queen did indeed have an older brother, although he passed away earlier than her, he still had a child.

Interestingly, this offspring fled abroad during the early wars with the vampires, and it wasn't until recent years that he and his son Alex returned to Valen.

Even so, there is no doubt that Alex has a higher priority than Alina in inheriting the throne.

It could be described as feudalistic thinking or backward system, but in the hereditary system of the Valencian royal family, bloodline was ultimately the top priority.

Not to mention, this fugitive member of the royal family, Alex's father, did not return to the country without doing anything—he brought advanced technology from the Federal Duchy of Tedeh, and the steam plant that is now gradually revitalizing the economy of Valen is from this.

As for the Queen, although the people respected her great achievements in defeating the vampires, the peace treaty she insisted on signing in her later years brought many complicated and unresolved troubles to Fog City.

Therefore, even from the perspective of public opinion, Alex is closer to the throne than Alina.

However, Alina didn't care about any of that; she never wanted her adoptive mother's throne.

If she could, she only hoped to accompany her adoptive mother through the rest of her life peacefully...

……?

Is it really?

Alina was suddenly taken aback.

"You've had a tough time. His Majesty's passing these past two days must have been very difficult for you."

Alex smiled and reached out to stroke Alina's head.

However, the other person subconsciously took a step back, avoiding his palm.

"Hmm? What's wrong, Alina?"

A meaningful glint flashed in Alex's eyes.

"Ah...no, it's nothing."

Alina felt somewhat dazed. "Thank you for your comfort, Brother Alex... By the way, what brings you here so late?"

"Oh, I'll give this to you."

Alex smiled and held out his hand, handing a small box to Alina. "This was found by my servant by chance, and I think it should be yours."

My stuff?

Alina paused for a moment, then took the box.

"Good night, little sister. If you still can't sleep well, you can ask the servant to make you a cup of calming tea with some purple orchid grass from Morning Star Ridge. It works quite well, although it's a little bitter."

"Ah... okay, thank you, brother."

Alina nodded obediently, watched Alex walk away, glanced at the box in her hand, took a step back, and closed the door again.

"call……"

Alina breathed a sigh of relief, glanced at the bed in the darkness, still feeling a little scared, so she went to the desk and turned on the gas lamp.

The dim light illuminated the bedroom and dispelled some of the fear in Alina's heart.

Despite having some terrifying nightmares, she... should have no connection to the Queen's death.

She thought so because she seemed to remember staying in her bedroom that night.

Then the next day, she suddenly heard from her servants that the Queen had died, and she was so shocked that she was in a daze.

Perhaps... attending the funeral evoked her longing for her adoptive mother, and the lack of security caused by the thought that no one would care about her anymore led to those terrible nightmares.

Yes, that should be it.

Alina sat at her desk and took several deep breaths before her racing heart rate gradually calmed down.

She righted the photo frame that had been knocked over on the corner of the table. It was a picture of her and the Queen. She was a little girl then, and the elderly Queen was holding her hand, with a forced smile on her face.

Did I really start living with my mother at such a young age?

Looking at the heartwarming scene in the photo, Alina's lips unconsciously relaxed.

When I first entered the unfamiliar palace, I was hostile to everything. Because I had a goal buried deep in my heart that I couldn't let others know, I had to act as obediently as possible...

The goal... what goal?