Chapter 312: Chapter 312: Fool’s Cage (Part Six)_1
“Is all this for you to eat?”
Given the sumptuous spread on the table, Fu Qian turned back to look at Violetta.
“Yeah!”
The little girl promptly nodded, her eyes seemingly glued to the table.
Fu Qian, being very tactful, stepped aside to let her return to her seat.
After climbing onto the chair, she almost immediately grabbed a piece of dessert and stuffed it into her mouth.
...
“Where did all this come from?”
Watching Violetta wolf down the food, Fu Qian was incredulous.
This was nothing like what he had imagined!
The night, lightning, downpour, an impasse on the road, forced to stay at an inn, and dubious characters outside attempting to abduct someone.
Under normal circumstances, shouldn’t she be huddled up with her arms around her legs, shivering and staying close to the bed?
But now, the room didn’t have a hint of misery or melancholy; it rather looked like a birthday party was being held.
He had thought his own dinner was passable, but now it seemed so pitiful by comparison that he almost wanted to cough it back up.
“This is dinner, huh.”
Violetta seemed somewhat puzzled by Fu Qian’s question.
“They asked what I wanted to eat, I told them, and then they brought it to me.”
The disparity in treatment was just too great!
Fu Qian shook his head and let out a long sigh.
“I thought you were here to look for your mother.”
“Yes, but Mom also said that dessert is the most wonderful thing in the world, and I must not miss it if I encounter it.”
Heh, makes sense.
Fu Qian didn’t pursue the matter further, also declining the paper cupcake Violetta handed to him.
“Did your mother ever say where to find her?”
“…Yes.”
Violetta carefully cleaned her hands, then cautiously opened a small bag and tipped out its contents.
Squinting, Fu Qian saw that there were just two things—a black-and-white photograph the size of a palm and a gold key that had been worn very smooth.
“This is the key my mother gave me; as long as I find her room and open it, I’ll be able to see her.”
Violetta held the key with a very serious look on her face.
“Mhm.”
Fu Qian took the key and laid it flat in his palm.
It was a very classical type of key, not complicated in structure.
Theoretically speaking, he could open such a lock without the key at all.
Of course, that was just theoretically, and considering the unsettling nature of this task, the key likely held more symbolic meaning.
Indeed, if he were to try and pick the lock with a hairpin, it wouldn’t be surprising if a bolt of divine lightning struck down from the heavens.
“Did your mother tell you where her room is?”
Returning the key to Violetta, Fu Qian picked up the black-and-white photograph beside him.
The photograph was simple, showing a woman in an elaborate gown holding a somewhat younger Violetta.
The woman didn’t look old, her mouth even curving into a playful smile and appearing quite aristocratic; the pair bore a distinct resemblance to each other.
“Just follow the road, and you’ll get there.”
In response to Fu Qian’s question, Violetta spoke with an unusually firm tone.
…
I knew it!
Fu Qian sighed, though he hadn’t held out much hope in the first place.
He tried flipping the photograph over but didn’t discover any special information.
“The person outside earlier, why did they want to grab you?”
“Because I am Snow White.”
Violetta repeated what she had said initially.
“They won’t let me go out to find my mother.”
…
“Who exactly are ‘they’ that you’re talking about?”
Fu Qian gave it some thought and asked again.
“Many, many of them, they live in a wooden castle.”
“Many?”
Fu Qian frowned.
“Up to now, I’ve seen a straw man in red clothes, the female custodian just now, and the Magic Mirror. What else is there?”
“You saw the Magic Mirror?”
Unexpectedly, when Violetta heard the words “Magic Mirror”, her reaction was extraordinarily large.
For a moment, she even put down the dessert in her hand and looked around warily.
“The Magic Mirror is a very dangerous thing. My mother told me it knows everything, so when outside, you must not casually look into mirrors, and even if you do see one, you must never speak to it.”
Regrettably, I not only looked into a mirror just now, but even had a pleasant conversation with it.
Fu Qian thought to himself and then suddenly realized something.
Under Violetta’s astonished gaze, he walked over to the beige curtains, and with one pull—behind them was still a wall.
No wonder I felt something odd earlier; this room doesn’t even have windows.
And not just that, Fu Qian looked around the room.
In the entire room, there were no objects that could be considered reflective surfaces, not even the door handles, which were made of dark, non-reflective metal.
They were really going to great lengths to avoid the Magic Mirror, even more thoroughly than my own room…
Subconsciously turning around, Fu Qian stared at the little girl who wasn’t even of school age yet.
Was this a coincidence, or did she possess some kind of mysterious power?
Considering that there was no answer to this question at the moment, Fu Qian decided to put it aside and continue coaxing slowly and patiently.
“So after they catch you, they will take you back to the wooden castle?”
“No, they will kill me.”
Unexpectedly, this time Violetta shook her head quite naturally.
So certain?
Fu Qian frowned.
“Kill you?”
“Mhm, Snow White will be killed if she doesn’t run.”
Violetta spoke with an unwavering tone as if stating some sort of rule.
“I see.”
Fu Qian gave a sound of understanding, recalling the contents of the fairy tale.
“Will they give you a poisoned apple? Then put you inside a crystal coffin, and one day a prince awakens you?”
“What’s a prince?”
Violetta looked puzzled.
“They won’t give me an apple. They will take out my lungs and liver.”
…
“Then chop off my head and plant it in the garden.”
…
“Next year a tree will grow, and then I will become a little bird on the tree.”
“Did your mother tell you this as well?”
“Yeah.”
Your mother’s version of the fairy tale is really… Fu Qian rubbed his head, at a loss for what to say for a moment.
However, Violetta’s reaction was so calm, it may not necessarily mean she was resigned to her fate. Rather, a child her size might not yet understand the real concept of death.
“Will you help me?”
Fu Qian didn’t say anything for a moment. Violetta, however, took the initiative to ask, her amber eyes shining like morning stars.
“Because I am Dr. Sir?”
Yes!
Violetta nodded vigorously.
That’s good, it seemed her mother had a peculiar sense of humor in removing the prince from the story but still left the dwarves.
Of course, the key was that, as Dr. Sir, I really had to play the role of a nanny and put on a little show of Snow White looking for her mother.
“Yes.”
Fu Qian sighed deeply, giving a positive response.
“Thank you!”
With Fu Qian’s affirmation, Violetta’s expression immediately relaxed and she revealed a genuine smile.
At that moment, a clear knocking sound came from the direction of the door.