The Witch in the Woods: The Transmigration of Hazel-Anne Davis
Chapter 51: Snakes In The Garden

Chapter 51: Snakes In The Garden

The Zhao estate’s inner gardens were what people called refined: pink peonies blooming in tight clusters, jade stone benches beneath sculpted plum trees, and a pond so still it looked like glass. It was so ’beautiful’ that the gardens looked like a painted scroll.

Zhao Meiling trailed along beside me, leading me down a path she seemed to know like the back of her hand. It turned out, she was bringing me to the relatively large pond in the middle of the garden. Lotus blossoms drifted in lazy spirals on the pond’s surface as stone lanterns framed the scene like props in a stage play, and every step I took was followed by a whisper of silk and ill intent.

I had to admit, though, the Zhao family knew how to set a scene.

Lady Zhao had conveniently excused herself with a smile and a fluttering fan, claiming to check on tea preparations while Old Madam Zhao lingered on a distant balcony, her eyes burrowing into me with an almost hawk-like silence. That left me with my oh-so-loving little sisters and enough maids to start my own baseball team if I wanted to.

Clinging to my right arm like I was the only reason why she was still upright, Zhao Meiling pulled me along the path. In contrast, Zhao Wenxiu, the third sister, gripped my left arm so hard I was sure that she was leaving marks behind.

It was almost cute. They were like two little snakes, coiled and ready, and trying to strike their prey before it got away.

"This was always my favorite part of the estate," Zhao Meiling said softly, leading us toward the arched stone bridge that curved out over the central pond. "Mother says it’s a sign of harmony when koi gather near the shore. You have to see it. Daddy spent a lot of money getting these koi here."

"How fortunate for you," I murmured. "You’ll have to point them out. I see only circling shadows."

Zhao Wenxiu giggled, a little too loudly. "Sister’s so funny. She always says the oddest things," she said. Her voice was high and trembling, a child mimicking her sister’s tone and speech. I almost felt bad for her. She was probably told to come along and watch the "accident."

I let them guide me forward, steps careful on the polished stone. The bridge had no railing. Of course it didn’t. That would ruin the illusion.

As we got closer and closer to the edge, Zhao Meiling tightened her grip on my arm like she was worried that I would somehow be able to get away. On the other side, Zhao Wenxiu copied her actions.

Like a pair of weights.

"Oh no, are you warm?" Zhao Meiling asked sweetly. "You’re sweating, sister. That fabric must be suffocating."

"I’m fine," I sighed, rolling my eyes. "I’d be better if you gave me some air."

"It’s just—if you fainted near the water," Zhao Meiling whispered near my ear, completely disregarding everything that I had just said. "We’d all be terribly inconvenienced."

She moved to step behind me.

I sighed.

So predictable.

What wasn’t predicted by either me or Zhao Meiling was Zhao Wenxiu darting to the front of the bridge suddenly, pointing at the lilies. "Look! One of them’s purple! That means a blessing!"

I didn’t respond, my focus was more on the threat behind me than the child in front.

Zhao Meiling shifted again, about to give me a push, and I moved just a half-step to the side.

She missed me completely, her hands colliding with Wenxiu instead. The littlest Zhao let out a shriek as her little shoes slid on damp stone. Zhao Meiling stumbled after her, trying to catch herself, but her balance tipped too far forward.

They both went into the pond with a shriek of surprise.

The splash was glorious.

The two sisters flailed in the koi pond, gasping and grabbing at each other. Their hair tangled around them as their silk dresses soaked up the water. But the true masterpiece was the lotus petals stuck to their faces like blessings from hell.

I remained still on the bridge, watching with quiet interest as they fought to get to the surface. Folding my hands in front of me, I waited for the inevitable scene that was going to come next.

And sure enough...

Within seconds, screams rang out as servants shouted. A maid bolted down the path in the opposite direction. Someone else shrieked that Zhao Meiling couldn’t swim, which—frankly—only made me like her slightly more.

Drowning was, at least, an honest struggle and a good way for someone like her to die.

Footsteps thundered down the path as Zhao Hengyuan’s voice rang out like a gong: "What happened?!" he demanded, looking at the male servants who were hovering around.

I turned slowly.

Behind him strode Zhu Mingyu, his robes pristine and his face unreadable. They’d both clearly been interrupted—perhaps mid-discussion—but now they moved with purpose, their eyes locked on the bridge and the two girls who were struggling.

Lady Zhao rushed in from the opposite side, her fan forgotten and trailing in her grip like a useless weapon. "They were pushed!" she shouted. "She pushed them! I told you—this child is cursed! She’s violent, dangerous, and hateful!"

Zhao Hengyuan’s eyes narrowed, not at me, but at the pond.

Zhao Wenxiu was sobbing as she clung to one maid, coughing up water, while Zhao Meiling screamed at another, accusing her of grabbing too hard as she was pulled free. They both looked like drowned rats, and I will fully admit that I took a moment to enjoy the scene in front of me.

However, I didn’t say a word.

Lady Zhao pointed directly at me. "She did it! She must have done it! Why else would they both fall?!"

I raised an eyebrow, but didn’t bother to say anything.

"I-I felt her," agreed Zhao Wenxiu, "I felt someone pushing me from behind. That is why I fell."

Zhao Meiling nodded her head in agreement. "Well," stated Lady Zhao, her face twisted with fury. "Don’t you have something to say?"

"Is there a point?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "They said I did it, I say that I didn’t. Who are you really going to believe at the end of the day?"

Lady Zhao was about to open her mouth to say something, but then Zhu Mingyu quickly cut her off. "Shi Yaozu," Zhu Mingyu said calmly. "Report."

The three Zhao ladies gasped as Shi Yaozu seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Lady Zhao’s face even turned pale as she looked down at Zhao Meiling.

"I was stationed across the path," Shi Yaozu said, voice flat and unbothered. "The Crown Princess never touched either of them. Zhao Meiling attempted to shove her into the pond, and instead collided with Zhao Wenxiu. They both fell."

Zhao Hengyuan’s lips tightened at the undeniable proof.

Lady Zhao opened her mouth again, then shut it. Her hands curled around the fan like she wanted to stab someone with it.

Zhu Mingyu nodded once. "Then it seems the matter is resolved."

"No!" Lady Zhao snapped. "Even if it was a misunderstanding, it reflects poorly on us to have such tension between sisters! What will people think if she remains isolated? She clearly doesn’t know how to behave in noble company!"

I arched a brow. "Yes, I do seem to lack the grace to fall into ponds for fun."

The servants stifled snorts. One actually turned away to hide his grin while I could have sworn Shi Yaozu had a smirk on his face.

Zhao Meiling, now seated on a stool in soaked silks, looked like she wanted to cry and murder someone at the same time.

Lady Zhao gathered herself with righteous fury. "To prevent any further... confusion, I believe it would be best for Ling’er to accompany her sister to the Crown Prince’s estate. That way, the two of them can build on their relationship."

Zhao Hengyuan glanced at Zhu Mingyu. "It would ease tensions and allow them to... reconnect," he agreed.

Zhu Mingyu did not agree, but what bothered me more was that he didn’t object either. He simply looked at me as if waiting for me to determine who to bring home like a stray puppy.

I shrugged my shoulders. I might not like Zhao Meiling, but she was nothing more than a fly buzzing around as far as I was concerned. "Bring whoever you want," I said at last. "But try to remember that I don’t share well. Anything that happens to her in our estate has nothing to do with me."

Zhao Meiling’s head snapped toward me, her eyes wide as I smiled faintly. The kind of smile wolves give just before their teeth sink in.

This wasn’t a garden.

It was a graveyard.

And I had just measured the first grave perfectly.