bookcurios Chapter 121 The Substitute Little Princess 8
Chapter 121 The Substitute Little Princess 8
Catherine rolled her eyes nervously. "Hurry up and take these two officers up there. It's too dark, and the light in the attic is broken. I'm afraid they won't be able to find their way without someone to lead them."
Anna does not trust Catherine's subordinates. These two are Anna's right-hand men. Who knows if they will help Anna cover up the evidence.
"Catherine, don't worry. I've already found someone to take these two officers up there."
Catherine saw that Anna was well prepared. She had previously thought that Anna was just a pampered flower, fragile and naive. When the old duke gave the orphanage to Anna to manage, she was secretly delighted in her heart. It was easy for her to fool a stupid and ignorant woman like Anna.
But today she turned out to be so shrewd that she was caught off guard.
"Madam, why do you have to embarrass me like this? Although they are my subordinates, they are also your subordinates. Don't you trust them?"
Anna sneered, "Catherine, I am now worried about every blade of grass and every tree around you. You have completely lost my trust."
Catherine's face changed and a few crocodile tears squeezed out from the corners of her eyes.
"Madam, I've worked at the Angel Orphanage for over twenty years. Countless children have found homes here. I believe I've done nothing wrong. Why are you holding me back? Since you don't trust me, why don't you ask the old Duke to come and be a witness? If anything is uncovered today, I, Catherine, will immediately plead guilty and face execution."
Anna was extremely annoyed when she saw her bringing up the old duke again. She was still making excuses when she was about to die. Her father trusted Catherine very much, and Catherine had brought a lot of honor to the VON family over the years.
Her father probably won't let her go easily. Compared to the death of several children, her father cares more about the family's honor.
"No need. I'm the one who runs this orphanage. Don't I have the right to decide? Catherine, I know you've brought a lot of honor to our family over the years, but these honors were built with the blood of the orphans in the attic. I'd rather not have such honor."
As Anna finished speaking, there was an old scolding voice, followed by a burst of rapid knocking sounds.
"Anna, what nonsense are you talking about? As a child of the family, are you really going to throw away the family's honor?"
When Anna saw the old duke, she secretly sighed that she was too careless. Catherine was just trying to trick her. It seemed that she had secretly sent someone to invite her father when she just entered the door.
"Father, why are you here?"
The old duke's cane knocked heavily on the wooden floor several times, making a thudding sound.
"If I hadn't come, would you have asked the police to take me in today?"
Anna shook her head helplessly. "Dad, why do you have to say that? I just want justice for the children. They can't die in vain. Don't you always teach us that we should have no regrets in life? I'm just doing what I think is right."
After hearing her words, the old duke's face became even uglier, and a layer of haze quickly covered his eyes.
"Anna, when you abandoned your family and fled to another country, you were the first to betray your family and your beloved family. You abandoned us for your so-called love. Now that you have returned, are you going to throw away the honor of your family once again?"
Anna's face turned pale and she took a few steps back weakly. She was the youngest child in the family and had been treated as the apple of her family's eye since she was a child. Her sisters and brothers managed the family business and gave everything to continue the family's glory, while she was just a little princess who enjoyed the family's benefits.
But she was tired of being a caged bird, and for the sake of love, she resolutely chose to leave. If Chris had not been injured and she had been forced to come back, she might never come back here again in her life.
After she came back, she was tormented by self-blame and regret every day. She knew that she was too impulsive and reckless and hurt her beloved family and friends.
Today was the first time she had seen her father since she left. His blond hair had turned gray, his face was covered with countless wrinkles, his body was hunched, and he needed a cane to walk.
At this moment, huge regret overwhelmed her. Seeing Anna's painful expression, Catherine couldn't help but feel secretly happy. She thought Anna had grown up after these years, but the fact was, she was still that innocent little princess.
"Your Excellency the Duke, I'm very sorry. I have no choice but to disturb you today."
The old Duke looked at Catherine coldly, his moist eyes filled with heartache and longing for his little daughter.
In fact, he didn't want to be so hostile when they met, but Anna's neglect over the years made him completely disappointed. His little daughter, who was raised in pampering, cried and told him that everything the family brought her made her feel suffocated, and she wanted to go out to pursue her own happiness.
The children of the VON family are branded from birth. Even their tiny socks are engraved with the VON emblem, and they are forced to devote their entire lives to the family.
Taoyao was in the hospital, curled up in the quilt. Edward was reading to her. Two little snakes were lying beside the white pillow, one white and one black.
Edward finished reading a chapter of the story and looked up to see those bright light green eyes.
"Chris, aren't you sleepy yet?"
Tao Yao shook her head worriedly. Anna had been gone for so long, why hadn't she come back yet? It was almost dawn.
Taoyao looked at Edward aggrievedly, "I miss my mother."
Edward closed the book in his hand and touched Taoyao's soft hair lovingly.
"Chris, the lady will be back soon, go to sleep first."
Tao Yao grabbed the tail of the black snake with her small hand and said, "Dog system, is something wrong with Anna? Why hasn't she come back yet?"
The tip of the black snake's tail shook, then it turned on remote monitoring, and then reported the situation to Tao Yao guiltily. It really couldn't be blamed. The quilt was too warm, making it drowsy and want to sleep.
"Catherine, the old duke was called in. He protected Catherine and wouldn't let Anna check on her."
Tao Yao rubbed the tip of its tail vigorously, and the system spat at her fiercely to scare her.
"Fox spirit, you can't touch the tip of a snake's tail."
The next second, its snake head was pinched by a pair of hands, and then an unhappy and indifferent male voice sounded above its head.
"No spitting or showing your teeth."
Tao Yao felt secretly happy for a moment. This damn system was lazy all day long and even dared to be mean to her. Now it was punished by Edward.
"Fox spirit, get your lackeys to let go of my head. It hurts so much."
Tao Yao laughed smugly, "It's your fault for slacking off and making it so hard for you to even keep an eye on someone. You deserve it."
The system's snake head was about to be crushed by Edward. It felt so sad that it couldn't even cry. No one except its master dared to treat it like this, but it didn't dare to attack. Edward carried a familiar and strong aura of oppression.