The Witch in the Woods: The Transmigration of Hazel-Anne Davis
Chapter 50: Hugging My Enemies

Chapter 50: Hugging My Enemies

The Zhao estate was large, hollow, and precise, like a bone picked clean and polished for display. The white walls gleamed. The lacquered gates creaked open like the teeth of something long dead.

Not one corner stirred a memory. Not the ornate archway, not the fishpond layered with pale blossoms, not the guard with the lopsided helmet. If this had once been my home, it had never belonged to me.

Then again, I really didn’t expect to remember anything. The only thing I could get out of this body was a single name. Maybe she wanted to forget everything about this place as much as I did.

We arrived with ceremony, but not opulence. Zhu Mingyu, ever mindful of his image, brought only a modest entourage. Just enough to remind them who I belonged to now.

But it was wasted on them, given the fact that no one bothered to meet us at the gate.

Eventually, a steward emerged. He bowed to the Crown Prince with perfect form, then barely glanced in my direction. I stepped past him without blinking.

Inside, the receiving hall was already arranged.

Lady Zhao sat atop the main dais in a sun-gold robe too rich for her complexion. Beside her stood Zhao Meiling, pretty and pale and smug. Both women wore identical expressions of distant politeness barely concealing sharp-eyed appraisal.

I offered a shallow bow.

"Crown Prince," Lady Zhao simpered. "How honored we are."

Zhu Mingyu smiled faintly, offering the exact warmth he gave to ministers he disliked. "We come to observe tradition. My wife wished to pay her respects."

Lady Zhao’s fan snapped open. "So devoted. We feared she’d forgotten us entirely."

"Not forgotten," I said with a soft smile on my face. "Just irrelevant." Hey, Zhu Mingyu said that I had to come, not that I had to be polite... right?

But it was satisfying when her mouth shut tight.

Zhao Meiling stepped forward, her entire body demure as her hands were clasped in front of her body. "It must be difficult, adjusting to palace life after such an... unusual upbringing."

"I find people are the same everywhere," I replied with a shrug of my shoulders. "The liars here just wear different clothes." We had been standing here for a while now, and they hadn’t even offered us a seat or a cup of tea.

If they weren’t going to play nice, then I didn’t see why I had to either.

I smiled brightly when Zhao Meiling’s nostrils flared as she tried to maintain her perfect poise, but our standoff was halted when footsteps echoed on the polished stone.

Zhao Hengyuan arrived in full formal wear—dark robes, severe expression, every thread stiff with calculation. He bowed to the Crown Prince. Then turned to me like I was a leashed animal.

"Zhao Xinying."

I didn’t bow, I didn’t so much as turn to acknowledge him.

"You’ve returned," he continued, the corners of his eyes tightening.

"Apparently," I agreed with a nod. "How astute of you to realize that."

His gaze dropped to the jade ornament at my waist, completely disregarding my statement, like I was so far beneath his notice that not even my words mattered to him. "Now that you carry the title, you must remember your duties."

"Of course. But I’m still learning which ones matter more," I told him as Zhu Mingyu shifted from foot to foot just slightly. It was enough to let everyone know that the Crown Prince was still standing.

Lady Zhao’s fan froze, and Zhao Meiling’s smile went brittle.

And then—

Another door creaked open.

Old Madam Zhao entered the audience hall, flanked by two silent maids. Her robe was black with plum blossoms embroidered at the hem, and her eyes were sharp as rusted scissors. The clicking of her walking stick echoed around me, making me want to snap the stupid thing in two.

When she saw me, her lips curled back from her teeth.

"You should have stayed dead," she said, turning her head to the side as she spat on the ground. Lovely woman. "Those blue eyes of yours," she spat. "They’re nothing but an omen of ruin."

I didn’t blink. "You know what? I think I agree with that. My blue eyes will definitely be an omen of ruin. I wonder who will be the first to suffer now that I am back."

Zhu Mingyu’s lips twitched just slightly as the others went rigid. The old woman thumped the cane on the floor a few times as she turned pale. The servants on either side of her reached out to steady her before escorting her to her seat.

I see she gets a seat.

When she was settled and had a sip of tea to calm herself down, the old woman pointed a crooked finger at me. "You should never have been brought back."

This time, I didn’t even bother to hold back my bark of laughter. "Trust me, it wasn’t my choice. If you object, then you might want to address the Third Prince about that. It was he who kidnapped me and brought me here. I was completely happy thinking that all of you were dead."

"Unfilial brat. Curse upon this family," hissed the old woman as her finger started to shake the longer she held it up. "I should beat you for stepping foot back inside this mansion. Someone! Grab me the punishment stick! I am going to teach this demon a lesson if it’s the last thing I do!"

Zhao Hengyuan cleared his throat. "Mother, perhaps—"

"You shame your ancestors!" roared the woman before bursting out coughing. One of her servants quickly handed her the teacup while the other one soothed her back.

I smiled faintly. "Somehow, I doubt that."

A tense silence settled before Zhu Mingyu interrupted it. "My wife is tired from the journey," he said smoothly. "Perhaps we should all take time to... reflect."

Lady Zhao tittered awkwardly. "Of course. The inner gardens are quite peaceful this time of day."

"I’ll pass," I said. "Some masks are easier to see through in bright light."

Zhao Meiling’s jaw clenched, her fan snapping again. But no one spoke.

Let them stew. Let them snap their teeth and plan their poison.

I hadn’t come to win affection.

I came to count my enemies.

And this house had no shortage.

Besides, one of Grandma’s favorite sayings was that you had to hug your enemies just once. That way, you know the size of the grave you need to dig.