The Witch in the Woods: The Transmigration of Hazel-Anne Davis
Chapter 49: The Daughter’s Return

Chapter 49: The Daughter’s Return

The summons came at dawn.

It wasn’t a scroll; it wasn’t a message. Just a knock and a flat command from the vice-steward:

"His Highness requests your presence in the study."

I rose without a word, grumbling under my breath about people doing things at the ass-crack of dawn. Seriously, if I wasn’t able to get more sleep soon, I was going to kill someone and bury their bones in the back yard under some roses.

Yanking on some clothes, I ignored the servants hovering from the corner of my eye and their not-so-quiet whispers.

By the time I stepped through the polished doors, the Crown Prince was already seated behind his immaculate desk, his sleeves composed, and his teacup untouched. His expression gave nothing away. Not warmth, not cruelty. Just the smooth, measured stillness of a man who never needed to raise his voice to be obeyed.

I really disliked him at this moment.

"We’re going to your family’s estate," he said, without looking away from the report in front of him. "Be ready to leave in 20 minutes."

"I don’t have a family," I sneered, holding back a yawn that was threatening to come out. "Or at least, not one that lives here."

Zhu Mingyu’s eyes lifted to meet mine, his face continuing to be impassive. And here I was thinking that we had a whole bonding thing yesterday at the palace. I guess we were back to being enemies now. "Tradition says the bride returns home on the third day. We cannot attend tomorrow’s visit due to the banquet, so we go today," he announced like I was supposed to be happy or grateful.

I crossed my arms in front of my chest, struggling to keep my eyes open as he continued to drone on and on about traditions.

"I can think of a dozen better ways to spend the morning," I replied dryly when he took a moment to breathe. "Is all this really necessary?"

"Yes," snapped Zhu Mingyu as he picked up the teacup; however, he didn’t take a drink. "Their reception tells the court how they regard you. And how I allow you to be treated reflects on me."

"How pragmatic," I murmured under my breath.

He set the cup down with a faint clink. "What gifts shall we bring?"

"They’re lucky I’m not sending them a head," I snarled. I would go to their house under duress, but I refused to bring a gift like I was happy about it.

Zhu Mingyu’s brow arched slightly as if he was surprised.

"If they think they’re going to profit off me after all these years, they’ve got another thing coming," I explained. "They don’t deserve anything from us."

"Then we’ll stick to tradition. Tea leaves. Silk. A few ceremonial pieces from the palace vaults. Let them paint smiles with their envy," shrugged the prince, like he wasn’t spending hundreds of dollars on people we couldn’t stand.

I turned to go, but paused at the door. "Don’t expect gratitude," I warned. For once, I didn’t know if I was talking about myself or my so-called parents.

"I never do," he sighed in return, and for a brief moment, I felt bad.

Then I got over it.

------

I returned to my rooms in silence.

The maid scurried to ready a dress for the outing, but I dismissed her with a flick of my hand. The palace, for all its whispers, had at least one constant: fear made them obedient. And I had no use for incompetence this morning.

I stepped behind a privacy screen and started to get undressed. "Shi Yaozu," I called out, knowing that he would already be there, waiting... if not watching.

The man walked so softly, his breaths so steady, that if I were a regular human, I would never know he was even there. I could see his outline on the other half of the screen, and I almost wanted him to be looking at mine, too. Unfortunately, my little assassin was much too polite to do something like that.

"I assume that as the Captain of the Shadow Guards, you have information on everyone in the court, right?" I asked, letting the dress I was wearing in the Crown Prince’s office slide down my body and drop to the floor."

My eyes never left his shadow as I grabbed the undergarments that were hanging over the screen. He bowed slightly, his movements a bit stiff. "Yes, Your Highness. May I ask what you are looking for?"

"Anything and everything you have on Zhao and his family. If I’m being thrown into a den of snakes, I want to know which ones are venomous."

He didn’t hesitate.

"The Zhao matriarch—Old Madam Zhao—your paternal grandmother. She is traditional and highly superstitious. She is from a military family, but believes that since she married an intellectual, that she became... more sophisticated. However, I have never heard anything about you from her since you disappeared 11 years ago. She said that the reason why you died was because your eyes marked you as cursed."

"Sounds like a delightful woman," I sneered, putting on my first layer. Seriously, not even in winter do I wear this many layers... and it’s practically summer here. I’m going to die of heat stroke... if I could.

"Lady Zhao, is your father’s second wife. Once a favored concubine, she was elevated after your mother’s death. Cunning. Subtle. She rules the estate from behind a fan," Shi Yaozu continued, becoming more comfortable the more he spoke.

"Children?" I asked, putting on the second of four layers. Four fucking dresses, one on top of the other. Each one would have been perfect on its own, but no. A Crown Princess couldn’t be see in anything less than four fucking layers. Or so the servants tell me.

"Zhao Meiling. Seventeen. Raised with every intention of becoming the Crown Princess. Believes she was robbed. Popular at court, but her claws are dull. There is another younger sister. Zhao Wenxiu, ten. Forgettable."

"And Zhao Hengyuan?" I sigh, already feeling a headache.

Shi Yaozu’s head tilted faintly. "Your father. Left Prime Minister. Cares only for politics and legacy. You are useful to him now. That’s all."

"Useful," I repeated. "How original. Is there any way to kill them all without it blowing up in my face?"

"Honestly?" asked Shi Yaozu, and I could almost hear a hint of laughter in his voice. "If you kill them now, it will cause a huge upset, and you will be killed as a result."

"Well, that’s no fun, now is it?" I sighed, closing my eyes as I tied on the last dress. Coming away from the screen, I waited for him to turn around. Looking me up and down, he bowed his head. "Do you wish me close?"

"If you don’t want a huge upset, then you better not let me out of your sight," I replied with a smile.

If I had to go, then I was going to bring just a bit of chaos with me.