Fairy tale: Little Red Riding Hood's wolf mentor

New Shadi Kingdom, the royal capital, the palace.

The night had not yet passed, and the magnificent palace cast a heavy shadow.

Deep within the palace, in Prince Peter's bedroom, guarded by heavy troops, an inexplicable fear and unease had grown in his heart as the power that shouldn't have belonged to him increased.

He kept a dagger under his pillow, and the oil lamp in the room still flickered.

Stretching the shadows of the room's furnishings long.

But even so, today, a shadow still crossed the layers of obstacles, coming from the darkness outside the window.

The shadow wandered around Prince Peter's bedroom for a few weeks.

Within the shadow, Princess Marlene looked at the wardrobe in the bedroom, which contained many clothes belonging to other women. Were these the clothes of Prince Peter's rumored deceased wives?

Princess Marlene was silent. She looked at a locked box placed on the ground not far away.

Her gaze could emerge from the shadows.

In that dusty box, she saw a rusty picture frame, which contained a portrait of her.

"You have spent your seventh year in the shadows—now, you will have the ability to see through the darkness, to see past a person's bright exterior, to see the appearance in his shadow!"

"People are always composed of two sides, the body in the sun, and the shadow behind the sun."

"When you were young, the beauty in your memory was the part under the sun, but now, you want to become king—you must master those in the shadows."

"Even if the shadows will destroy the beauty in your memory."

Princess Marlene heard the voice of her ancestor in her ear. He was speaking, and behind him were overlapping shadows.

Memories...

Princess Marlene bit her lip, and distant memories appeared in her mind.

In the Shadi Kingdom that had not yet been destroyed, in the palace.

Prince Peter knelt down. He was handsome, eloquent, and his words were full of philosophy and connotation.

Everything was so beautiful to her.

A perfect prince.

She thought at the time, and that prince also looked at her, his eyes full of gentle love.

"He looks really good, but... my daughter, you have only been in contact with him for a few days. Have you really thought about it?"

But the king sat on the throne. After Prince Peter left, the Shadi King, who had just been smiling, now had a scrutinizing light in his eyes.

It was an unprecedented sternness.

"Of course, I can feel that he is very good, I want to marry him!"

Princess Marlene heard her own voice.

"But you are the only princess of Shadi. If you marry him, after I die, the entire Shadi Kingdom will be handed over to you, or... to him.

The fate of countless people and boundless land will be entrusted to your decision, and do you really understand the weight of this decision?"

The Shadi King narrowed his eyes. His old face looked a little haggard in the shadows.

"Yes, I've thought about it, I believe him!"

After hearing Princess Marlene's words, the Shadi King did not reply, but took a long breath. His gaze moved away from his daughter's face and looked at the ground under his feet.

In the shadows covering the golden steps, he seemed to be able to see something, but he also seemed to see nothing.

In the old king's silence, he seemed to hear some voices.

From the shadows—like the legendary secrets passed down from that family.

"No, daughter, you haven't thought about it. You should be the child of Shadi Kingdom who is closest to the shadows in so many years. After you were born, I heard the voices of the ancestors."

The old king raised his head again and stared at Princess Marlene.

The young Princess Marlene still wanted to argue, but this time, she couldn't say a word.

Because, she saw an unprecedented expression on her father's face.

It was a king's majesty, mixed with extremely gloomy coldness.

"Child, perhaps, I have taught you too little—Shadi needs a king, an unprecedented king, but I hope that king is yourself.

What you see is too superficial, now, I think, perhaps the ancestors are right."

After that, the king ordered craftsmen to build a black tower in the back garden of the palace, but without leaving any windows or doors.

"Father, what is this tower for?"

Princess Marlene asked, but there was not much joy on the king's face:

"This is a bridge for you to communicate with your ancestors."

"Bridge?"

"Yes, you always pester me to ask about the secrets of our family, the stories I promised to tell you."

"Am I talking about that powerful ancestor?"

"Yes."

"The ancestor will teach me a lot of things? I... am I leaving the royal capital? Will it be painful?"

The Shadi King listened to Princess Marlene's words and suddenly laughed. There was a strange meaning in his smile, but Princess Marlene at that time could not see the slightest abnormality in her father.

"Of course it won't be painful, child, if I could, I would like to replace you, but the ancestors obviously prefer you!"

The Shadi King said. Before this, he had never told Princess Marlene a lie.

These words dispelled the last trace of unease in the young Princess Marlene's heart.

"Then can I marry Prince Peter after I go out?"

"Of course, after you finish studying with your ancestors, after you can see things in those dark shadows, you can decide anything for yourself."

Princess Marlene smiled happily.

Until that day, the construction of the black tower came to an end.

She watched helplessly as she was left alone in the shadows of the black tower. The last ray of light shining into the tower was slowly sealed off by the rocks.

Princess Marlene cried and wanted to go out, but she was pushed back into the shadows of the tower again and again.

She pleaded bitterly, her eyes seeing her father's cold eyes in the last ray of light that was sealed off:

"This is the first lesson I give you, do you see... my shadow?"

The last ray of light was sealed off.

Suffocating darkness surged up like a tide, drilling into her orifices and swallowing the girl's cries...

......

"Shadow, shadow..."

Princess Marlene took her memory back into her heart, turned her head again, and looked at Prince Peter sleeping on the bed.

She stepped forward, her body melted like a stream of water composed of shadows, merging into Prince Peter's shadow under the candlelight.

In a chaotic shadow, Princess Marlene raised a finger, and the shadows began to show outlines, which was a palace.

Gray nettle grass grew on the ground.

In front of her, a person's shadow showed details—it was Prince Peter.

In the shadow world, Prince Peter's expression seemed a little dazed, like he was in a dream.

Princess Marlene thought for a while, and the surrounding shadows began to gradually be dyed with colors, and many shadows formed the faces of blurred dancers—a banquet hall.

"Hello, Prince Peter, I am Marlene, do you remember me?"

Princess Marlene looked at Prince Peter's somewhat familiar face and suddenly asked.

Listening to Princess Marlene's voice, Prince Peter's dazed expression began to disappear. His voice became a little surprised, but also mixed with some strange emotions:

"Oh, oh, beautiful Marlene, of course I remember you—you are still so beautiful."

"I'm sorry, I've been locked in the tower for the past few years and can't come out..."

Princess Marlene said in a low voice, then looked at Prince Peter and suddenly asked, "You know I was locked in the tower, right?"

"Ah, yes, I know, your damn father locked you in, but I couldn't save you!"

"Why?"

Princess Marlene asked, after coming out of the tower, she asked the two guards next to the tower.

But they didn't know more, the only thing they knew was to guard the tower, and the orders they followed came from the Shadi Regent—Prince Peter.

Hearing this question, Prince Peter's expression became a little scared.

"I'm sorry, this is because... because of my power, the Srui and Wither people destroyed Shadi and killed all the royal family members except you, so I was able to take this position.

But I know, if you come back, those Shadi people will definitely support you as the king—not me, this... regent."

Hearing his words, although Princess Marlene had already prepared herself, her body still trembled slightly. After a long while, her lips trembled again and asked:

"Srui? What does the Srui Kingdom have to do with the destruction of Shadi?"

"Srui supports the Wither Kingdom from behind, they are even more powerful than the Wither Kingdom."

Prince Peter swallowed a mouthful of saliva here, as if he was a little scared, but under the influence of Princess Marlene in the shadow world, he continued to say, "They agreed to let me control the Shadi Kingdom after this, so that I could sell the Shadi royal bloodline that was secretly preserved.

I agreed, after all, your father, he hindered my love for you, always suspected me—he shouldn't have existed long ago!"

"You refused to cooperate with the Gode Kingdom before, also because of Srui, right?"

"Yes, although those Srui people are also arrogant one by one—but I have no way, right?"

"What about the Shadi people who died because of Srui? You are now the regent, you should protect them!"

"This is something that can't be helped, dead people? But I'm not a Shadi person, what does it matter?"

Prince Peter said frankly, now he is a shadow. In the light world, things that cannot be said because of morality, shame, and darkness, at this time, his shadow can be exposed without scruples.

"I see..."

Princess Marlene's voice trembled more and more.

In the shadow world, she saw many shadows of the dark side of the world. Although she didn't see as much as her mysterious ancestor, she had already prepared for it.

But at this time, she looked at the shadow of the person she once admired in front of her, as if something was slowly dying in her heart.

"Do you... really have love for me?"

Finally, Princess Marlene asked this question. Her bright eyes stared at the prince who had occupied her heart seven years ago. She had already made a decision in her heart, but for some reason, she still wanted to ask this...

Some illusory and fragile questions.

"Of course, your appearance is so beautiful. At the first meeting, I was sure—I want to possess you! I will protect you in the depths of the palace, you will belong to me alone! I will be the king, and you will always be my wife!"

Prince Peter's shadow's voice was filled with undisguised fanaticism. Princess Marlene didn't ask further, and he continued to say,

"After you left, I missed you so much, so I found nine girls who looked very similar to you as my wives, but in the end, I killed them all—

Because, they are not you after all, they are all flawed, only you, beauty, the one I love, has always been only you!"

The shadow-simulated palace banquet began to dissipate, and re-formed into the dim shadows of the shadow world.

The fanatical expression on Prince Peter's face also gradually disappeared, and became dazed again.

And on Princess Marlene's cheeks, there were some turbid tears in the shadows. She looked at Prince Peter in front of her, raised her hand, and pushed the prince's shadow out of the shadow world.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

"This will be the last night for you and your shadow, rest well."

After that, the shadows began to shatter.

Outside, at the end of the long night, the night fell and the dawn flickered.

Leake and Polo's carriage traveled to the new Shadi capital. The curtain of the carriage was lifted, and Princess Marlene bowed and got out of the car.

At the palace gate.

"I'm sorry, the regent doesn't have time..."

A minister just wanted to refuse Leake and Polo's request, his eyes were instantly attracted by Princess Marlene behind them.

The Shadi royal dress, the silver crown on her head, plus that beautiful face—

After the Shadi royal family was brutally slaughtered, the only missing Shadi princess became the only lifeline of the Shadi royal family, and most of the lords and vassals knew Princess Marlene's appearance.

They had been looking for her for a long time for this.

"You, you are... Her Highness Marlene?!"

"Yes, am I qualified to see the regent?"

Princess Marlene asked, and none of the Shadi soldiers and ministers in front of her dared to stop her again.

Only after reporting, they led them to the hall where Prince Peter was located.

"Miss Leake and... Mr. Polo, don't worry, can I go first and persuade my 'fiancé'? I promise, the Shadi Kingdom will stand with you."

"Okay."

Leake looked at Princess Marlene and nodded. From a certain moment, the last princess of Shadi had a kind of inexplicable majesty on her face, and this feeling was exactly the same as the old shadow king she had seen before.

Princess Marlene walked into the golden hall.

Prince Peter was sitting on the throne at the front, and the other positions were empty, without even guards.

"Marlene? Is it really... you?"

Prince Peter's face lit up with surprise. His expression was sincere, and he approached Princess Marlene with a smile, opening his arms as if to embrace her. "I think of you every moment – you're finally back!"

"Yes, it's me."

But in contrast, Princess Marlene's face was devoid of any emotion. She merely fixed her gaze on the shadow behind Prince Peter. "If you truly missed me, why didn't you break open the walls of the tower – to rescue me? You could have done it."

"What tower? I'm sorry... I, I didn't know where you were. If I had known..."

Prince Peter's face showed what seemed like genuine remorse.

"No, you knew."

But immediately, Princess Marlene shook her head, interrupting him. A touch of sorrow surfaced in her eyes. "Your shadow is clearly more honest than you are – I regret getting to know you again.

But the Kingdom of Shadi, please return it to me, thank you."

As she spoke, Prince Peter's expression stiffened. He lowered his head, noticing the shadow at his feet suddenly coiling around him like a snake or vine, climbing up his body.

It burrowed into his orifices.

This sudden and shocking change turned Prince Peter's face purple as he began to suffocate in the shadows. He tried to struggle, but he couldn't even utter a sound. He could only watch as the scene before him faded, plunging him into darkness and shadow...

"Creak—"

A moment later, the door to the hall opened.

Lake looked at Princess Marlene, asking with some anticipation:

"How was it? Prince Peter, he..."

"The Kingdom of Shadi has agreed. As the last princess of the Kingdom of Shadi, I hereby pledge—"

Princess Marlene looked at Lake, extending a hand. "Every Shadi person, every Shadi warrior, will be your partner. We will fight alongside you."

"We will stand with you, raise our blades, and block the schemes of the Srui people from our territory!"