Chapter184

Not only had he betrayed her, he even tried to control her with Gu.

Heh, she really had poor judgment. She still had a lot to learn about this world.

A trace of hostility rose in Elara's heart. She wasn't a kind person. After holding a high position in both lifetimes, she was already used to controlling her emotions. Very few things could stir her up.

Now that she knew the truth, the feeling of being crushed after showing kindness made her chest tighten uncontrollably.

But it only lasted a few minutes. Elara quickly suppressed that emotion, and along with it, destroyed every bit of affection and expectation she had for Haochen.

"Besides me, has he used Gu on anyone else?"

Elara's voice had turned cold.

She had always been an extremely calm person. Once she confirmed someone was an enemy, she would never show mercy and would only repay them a hundredfold.

After all, it made no sense for her to suffer while the enemy remained unharmed and carefree.

"No. I only detected your presence on him."

So when her father said those words back then, it wasn't because he was being controlled, but because that fake Haochen had used some unknown method to fool everyone.

Oswyn noticed her emotional shift. He picked up a cup of hot water and handed it to her. "You don't need to worry. I've already verified it many times. Although I don't know the exact reason, there are no traces of Gu planted on you. You won't be controlled by him."

The day Oswyn discovered the presence of the Soul-Devouring Hidden Gu, he dropped everything and rushed to test her condition.

After repeated confirmation that she indeed wasn't infected, Oswyn finally let out a long breath.

Maybe it was because he had given her the Nine-Turn Pill back then, or maybe it was the pills from the White-haired Master in the Medical Valley, or even the awakened Sacred Spirit Blood within her. In any case, she was still herself, perfectly fine.

The medicinal powers within her were still quietly nourishing and strengthening her body, preventing any filthy or disgusting thing from taking over.

"But now that it's confirmed, don't let that parasite, which is basically the king of all Gu, stay near you too long. Even though you have all kinds of medicinal powers and Sacred Spirit Blood, we still know too little about the Soul-Devouring Hidden Gu."

Even the top poison experts in the valley, the senior and second senior brothers, might not be able to handle it at all. So you should think of a way to drive out that fake child as soon as possible, quietly..."

Oswyn paused as he spoke, his gaze shifting away from Elara. His voice grew softer. "You have to protect yourself..."

Elara, who was deep in thought about how to retaliate, didn't notice the look on Oswyn's face.

She simply replied, "Thanks," then turned and left the room, not noticing the young man's lingering gaze on her back until she completely disappeared from sight.

Outside the courtyard,

Elara walked toward her own chamber, thinking over various plans for revenge.

[Master, don't worry. Although the Gu poison from the Puppet Sect is weak compared to the Soul-Devouring Hidden Gu, you spent five hundred days of your life to forcibly control it. That strengthened its traits, so it won't be easily consumed.]

[Also, you don't need to blame yourself. Even I didn't detect the Soul-Devouring Hidden Gu. It's one of the world's rare mysterious products, just like your Sacred Spirit Blood, the White-haired Master's centuries-long vitality, and Emory's disguise ability from the Thousand Faces Sect.]

[They're all rare and mysterious things in this world, beyond ordinary understanding. It's perfectly normal that you didn't see it coming.]

This was the part of the world Elara found most difficult to put into words. She had already confirmed multiple times that this wasn't a world based on mysticism.

But everything that kept happening felt like it belonged to one.

Elara didn't like being caught off guard. But she had only been in this world for a few months, and the world itself was too vast. It was normal that she couldn't know too many hidden secrets.

Listening to System 92's explanations and reassurances in her mind, Elara returned to her study and began organizing her thoughts.

First of all, the fake Haochen most likely came from a second-class or even a first-class nation. For some reason, he had noticed something on her body or within Petunia's borders that they all desired.

That's why he had replaced the real Haochen in Anqi Town and silently stayed close to her.

The fact that he seized the exact moment she went to rescue Haochen's family in Anqi Town showed that this fake had already been lurking near her for quite some time. He knew her movements perfectly and followed her there.

In other words, the fake Haochen had likely been nearby long before, just under a different identity.

So who around her had the chance to sneak in easily and interact with her at close range?

Elara narrowed her eyes. The answer was already obvious.

It was the male consort from the back courtyard of her Princess Mansion.

Ever since she arrived in this body, she hadn't recruited any new male consorts.

So this fake Haochen must have been brought in by the original host.

Elara suddenly remembered the mysterious expert she had encountered while living in the Princess Mansion. She still hadn't figured out who he really was.

If the fake Haochen had the ability to follow her all this way, and could deceive everyone with his disguise, then his martial strength must be incredibly high.

Such skill and ability could very well belong to that mysterious expert who once sneaked into her study at the Princess Mansion.

A sarcastic smile lifted the corners of Elara's mouth.

That mysterious expert... in order to uncover his identity, she had once asked Oswyn to help her narrow down the suspects while she was still in the Princess Mansion.

One person still remained vivid in her memory.

It was the man who had climbed into her bed before she left the mansion.

She still remembered his name — Rafael.

If it was really him, then this man, very likely from a second or even a first-class nation, what exactly was he trying to take from her?

The knowledge she had gathered to develop Marigold? Impossible. Rafael had entered the original host's courtyard long before she came.

Was it the same as the Puppet Sect, aiming for her Sacred Spirit Blood? Or was it... that totem tablet she had pried out of the imperial sacrifice?

Thinking about the imperial rituals shared across all nations in the world, Elara leaned toward the latter.

And whether that was the case or not, she just had to test it to know.

That night, Elara stayed in the study for a long time.

After she quietly checked every part of the study and asked Uno to help her inspect all the blind spots she couldn't see,

Elara returned to her desk. As usual, she began planning the development direction of Marigold, writing various cases, and preparing strategies for the coming battles.