Chapter 23: Friend Crosses Over and Becomes Cinderella's Beautiful Sister Tian Xia Bookstore

  When the maid heard Charlotte's uncontrolled screams, she felt that something was wrong and stopped at a distance not far from Charlotte. She took a closer look and suddenly broke out in cold sweat. Under the water, there was a thick, indelible blackness, like a woman's hair tangled around Charlotte's legs. The blackness seemed to be growing larger and larger. The maid remembered the legend of the evil spirit and shuddered, not daring to linger any longer. She turned and swam towards the shore.

  The whirlpool was still swirling Charlotte downstream, and Liszt saw the maid's face turn pale as she refused to help. He knew he couldn't catch up with Charlotte on his own, so when the maid offered to take him ashore, Liszt didn't refuse. As soon as they reached land, he sprinted back to the castle. Everyone was unaware of what he was doing, but the middle-aged aunt understood her son - he wouldn't give up on Charlotte. This must be a rescue mission! Seeing that her son was fine, the middle-aged aunt began to worry about Charlotte instead. She anxiously gazed out at the river, where Charlotte had become a tiny speck in the distance.

  It was only a few minutes later that Lestin led several knights to carry a small boat down the river. There was no sign of Charlotte on the river surface. Lestin shouted towards the empty river surface in confusion. The servants by the shore had all left, and the middle-aged aunt lay on the grass by the shore, listening blankly to the distant sounds. She yearned for a miracle to happen, for Charlotte to be fine, and for her son to fall in love with her again and become her obedient daughter-in-law. As she thought about it, the middle-aged aunt silently shed tears, lamenting the unpredictability of life.

  This time, the curse was simply heaven-defying. Charlotte silently lit a small candle for herself, and the dense black silk wrapped around her as she sank to the bottom of the river. She could hear Liszt's cries, but felt that the distance was too far, too far, as if they were in two different worlds. Was it an illusion? Charlotte closed her eyes in disappointment.

  In the chest cavity, a sharp pain was compressed. River water poured into her nose and mouth from all sides. I don't know if this cursed spirit is also as silly-looking as strawberry ice cream on the outside, but she might not be able to see it anymore. It's no wonder that Charlotte remained so calm until her death; she just thought that dying at the bottom of such a beautiful river was also a romantic thing. People have only one death, either tragic or beautifully heartbreaking. Alas...

  Someone was watching her! Charlotte suddenly opened her eyes, a pale woman's face almost stuck to hers. Seeing Charlotte open her eyes, the woman's black mouth twisted into an eerie smile towards Charlotte. Charlotte's heart skipped a beat - what the heck is this?! The woman saw Charlotte widen her eyes and frowned in dissatisfaction. As Charlotte stared at the thing in front of her in terror, the woman's face suddenly turned terrifying. Her red eyeballs burst open, and a bloody smell flooded into Charlotte's nostrils through the water. Charlotte fainted again, unsure if it was from fear or nausea.

  When Charlotte woke up again, she found herself still underwater, but this place could breathe. It seems that this is the lair of that thing. Charlotte was sure that this thing was not a cursed spirit. A cursed spirit would take killing itself as its responsibility and would have killed itself at the first opportunity. It seems that this thing has brought itself here for another purpose.

  As expected, the water ghost had always yearned to live on land, but hadn't found a suitable vessel. Charlotte's body made her very satisfied, and after feeding her a handful of "seaweed" from who-knows-where, Charlotte watched in horror as the water ghost transformed into her own likeness and bid farewell to her old home. She looked down at the lively belt - a snake - and Charlotte was left speechless with grief.

  Night falls, the dark water surface hides a chilling monster, Lestin is still searching for Charlotte in solitude, under the cool moonlight, a small boat drifts on the vast river.

  "Charlotte, shh..."

  He shouted for an entire afternoon, his voice was hoarse and he could hardly speak, after just one shout, it hurt so much that he gasped for air.

  "Hey, are you looking for me?"

  A familiar female voice behind him made Lixin pause, Charlotte?!

  He turned around, Charlotte poked her head out of the water, a few strands of mischievous golden hair stuck to her shiny and moist pretty face, she seemed not to recognize Lysander, with a flash of surprise in her eyes that quickly returned to mischief.

  "Will you not save me? My hero?"

  Liszt felt something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Who else could the person in front of him be if not Charlotte?

  A month ago, the Duke of Windsor united with Viscount to defeat the Black Ghost. The other day, the king held a celebration banquet for the Duke and Duchess of Windsor in the palace. Prince Rochester also attended the celebration banquet. The warm and elegant prince attracted the attention of the girls. As for the protagonist of this banquet, the Duke of Windsor, the girls dared not look at him again after being touched by his cold and indifferent eyes. Little princess pushed the arm of Windsor and joked

  "I remember you were a likable kid when you were little, what happened now?"

  The Duke of Windsor savored his port wine and replied slowly.

  "I also remember when you were a kid, one set of clothes could last for a year, how did it change now?"

  The little princess's face turned bright red, her small hands secretly stretched out to pinch Wen Sha's waist. Wen Sha slightly frowned and carefully dodged the little princess's claws, but ended up grabbing nothing. The little princess didn't mind, withdrew her hand and scolded.

  "Stingy ghost! I told you, you're not even worth a single sentence, humph! Deserves to have no one love you."

  The Duke of Windsor ignored her, drinking by himself and occasionally clinking glasses with people who came over to chat.

  The king noticed Windsor's and Little Princess's interaction, discontented in his heart, beckoned Rochester over.

  "Prince, what do you think of the little princess?"

  Rochester replied with an air of indifference,

  The little princess is very good.

  He immediately saw a satisfied expression on his father's face, and Rochester's heart sank, with a bad premonition.

  "Go and invite her to dance."

  The king's command was not to be refused, and Rochester understood that his father was arranging a marriage between himself and the little princess.

  "Yes."

  He bowed low and went quietly to the little princess's side.

  Struggling to ignore the sharp gaze of the Duke of Windsor, Rochester took the little princess's hand, soft and delicate as silk, one touch and he knew that the owner lived a life of luxury. The little princess was a bit shy, she had already learned from her father's letters that Rochester would become her husband, she did not resist her father's arrangement for her marriage, because her father was the most loving person in the world, but what about Windsor? The little princess didn't know how to explain to her good friend that she would marry his enemy.

  Outside the palace, Little Princess's carriage was moving forward with a rattling sound. A man on horseback rushed up from behind and blocked the way in front of the carriage.

  "Come down, I have something to say."

  She spoke concisely and forcefully. At the time of the marriage, Little Princess could still pretend to be unaware, but now everything is out in the open, she was a little afraid to face the Duke of Windsor.

  After waiting for a while and seeing that she still hadn't come down, Windsor grew impatient. He only had a few words to say, and if he let her drag things out any longer, it would be dark before they could return. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the coachman, then jumped aboard himself and drove the carriage to a secluded spot at random.

  Windsor got off the carriage first, and the little princess had prepared her words for half a day. She jumped down from the carriage and followed Windsor, who walked for a while, thinking about what to say. The little princess wanted to wait for him to question her before speaking up, so neither of them said anything. They strolled side by side in the secluded mountain forest, until they came across a small stream. Windsor quickened his pace and squatted down beside it, with the little princess following suit. She looked at Windsor's calm face but couldn't read anything from it. The little princess couldn't bear the silence anymore and was about to speak up when Windsor suddenly spoke.

  Rochester is not bad.

  She didn't expect him to say that, and suddenly Little Princess felt a little sad.

  "Sorry."

  Her apology brought a long speech from Windsor. He seemed calm today, but was actually a bit excited, only that he always knew how to put on a show better than others.

  "Don't apologize! You don't need to tell me what you want to do, this is your marriage and has nothing to do with me. I'm not here to blame you, so don't look at me with that pitiful expression as if I've bullied you!"

  Never having seen him like this, the little princess was startled by Windsor's outburst, and her one tear hadn't even had time to fall before it froze, Windsor's heart softened, and his tone gentled.

  "Sorry, I'm just sad, and it's not all because of you."

  No longer looking at her, Windsor said to herself,

  "Once, a girl made me so excited, you haven't seen her, what a pity, you should see her, it's all because of this damn hatred, I hate such life!"

  Windsor said, painfully burying his head in his knees, and the little princess vaguely heard him crying. From his words, the simple-minded princess guessed some things and immediately forgave Windsor's offense, gently hugging Windsor to comfort him.

  It won't be long before Winsa can extricate herself from the painful memories, she stands up and resumes her cold and indifferent appearance. The little princess looks at Winsa with a heartache, if that girl were here, she would definitely make Winsa happy.

  The princess was returned to her original location. Windsor turned around and the little princess suddenly hugged him, while the coachman tactfully lowered his head.

  "Is Windsor my forever friend?"

  Windsor let out a soft sigh, shook off Little Princess, and reached out to touch her hair.

  "You're really an idiot."