Chapter 166: Affliction and Doubt
"Mother, you arranged this, didn't you!"
Tracy's question, laced with grief and hatred, made Katarina's smile freeze slightly. For a moment, she even felt pure confusion.
Arranged? What did I arrange?
I haven't done anything lately...
But she immediately realized that something had happened! And it was a big deal related to Tracy's "little secret"!
She instantly dropped her playful expression, replaced it with a look of concern, and quickly walked up to Tracy, asking softly, "What exactly happened, little Tracy? What's wrong?"
Tracy's face was grim, and she didn't speak.
The moment she learned of Brando's news, she could clearly feel that a large portion of the Demoness of Afflictions potion within her had been digested. But right now, she was in no mood to care about that!
Katarina scrutinized Tracy for a few moments, seeing her distraught and on the verge of collapse, and already guessed about seventy to eighty percent of the situation. She smiled faintly, and in a testing tone, softly speculated, "It couldn't be—your 'other half,' that interesting boy named Brando, something happened to him, didn't it?"
At the mention of the name, Tracy's body trembled violently. She looked up, her bloodshot eyes, almost dripping with blood, fixed on Katarina.
"Mother, was it you who did it!"
In her opinion, it was all too coincidental! Before, she had used all her informants but couldn't find any news of Brando. Yet, as soon as Mother arrived, Mithor immediately sent news of Brando's death.
She knew the conduct of a Demoness too well! It was entirely possible that Mother, in order to make her digest the potion, in order to make her taste affliction and despair, had found Brando first, and then... The moment this possibility came to mind, Tracy clenched her hands, her nails digging deeply into her flesh, her entire body trembling slightly with rage.
From Tracy's expression, which looked as if she wanted to devour her alive, Katarina completely understood her thoughts.
Honestly, she felt a trace of helplessness at this moment, and—a wicked pleasure of finding it more interesting after being wrongly accused.
Although she had indeed considered using that little fellow named Brando to help Tracy digest the potion, and incidentally satisfy her own curiosity.
But she hadn't had time to act yet! Lately, she had been busy traveling back and forth to the sect's headquarters, dealing with those damned materials and Merits matters, and hadn't had time to look for that new adventurer.
Moreover, her specific arrangements would have to wait until she met Brando himself before making a decision.
It wasn't necessarily about using such a brutal method of separation and death. If little Tracy was so invested, he might be a very interesting person.
If that were the case, she wouldn't mind having a thrilling, youthful "romance" with him. Doing so could both stabilize her own state, which was somewhat dull due to her long life, and also be a more elegant way to make little Tracy feel affliction and despair.
Thinking of this, Katarina even felt a hint of regret.
She raised a hand, gently covering her mouth, a perfectly appropriate look of sadness on her face: "Little Tracy, how could you doubt me like this?
Mother has been busy running around for your Merits all this time; how could I possibly do such a thing?"
Then, she took a step forward, gently stroking Tracy's back like comforting a startled kitten, and said in a soft voice, "Calm down and tell me what happened. Things may not be as bad as you think."
Hearing this, Tracy calmed down slightly.
Perhaps truly needing comfort, she hesitated for a long time, and finally, in a voice almost hoarse, slowly began, "Mithor sent news. Because of... because of that ten thousand pound bounty, Brando was killed."
"Oh dear—" Katarina covered her mouth, letting out a perfectly timed gasp, "Is it that ten thousand pound bounty—"
She sighed, and in a tone tinged with a little reproach and regret, said, "Little Tracy, Mother warned you before that a bounty isn't a good idea; there's no need to be so impatient. Love isn't something that can be obtained through such crude methods."
Hearing this, the anger that had just subsided in Tracy's heart flared up again with a "crackle."
She was afraid! Afraid that Brando would fall into your and the sect's hands, which is why she resorted to such a desperate measure! Who would have thought things would turn out this way!
After a while longer, accompanied by a slight spiritual fluctuation, Mithor, through mirror magic, transmitted the two items used as "physical evidence" into Tracy's room.
A canvas shoulder bag and a pair of men's trousers stained with a little blood, fell with a "thud" onto the luxurious carpet.
Tracy's gaze was fixed on the shoulder bag. She recognized it at a glance; it was something Luo En always carried with him.
During the days drifting at sea, he had always carried this bag on his back, never leaving his side.
As if all her strength had been drained, she slowly knelt to the ground, extending a trembling hand to hug the shoulder bag to her chest.
It couldn't be wrong...
She buried her face in the shoulder bag, sniffing hard. On it, there was still an extremely faint trace of Brando's scent. Although very light, she would never mistake it.
These were indeed his personal belongings.
Could it be that Brando... really—
In an instant, her body trembled uncontrollably, and a suppressed whimper, like that of an injured beast, escaped her throat.
Watching Tracy in such profound grief, Katarina, on the side, had a flicker of satisfaction in the depths of her eyes. She could clearly feel that the aura of the Demoness of Afflictions on Tracy was becoming more solid and profound at an astonishing speed.
What a good time to digest the potion, Katarina thought.
She did not step forward to disturb, but instead prepared to quietly enjoy this drama directed by "accident."
However, just then, her keen intuition as a high-ranking Demoness made her feel an extremely subtle, indescribable "unease."
Things didn't seem that simple.
She glanced at Tracy, who was still immersed in grief, and decided not to get involved for now. She silently retreated to the large full-length mirror, her figure flashing, and merged into the mirror surface, leaving the place.
Katarina's departure did not attract Tracy's attention.
In her world, there was only affliction and despair.
No... that's not right!
Just as she was about to be completely swallowed by despair, a sliver of rationality, belonging to a pirate captain, forcibly pulled her out of the Abyss of emotion.
Perhaps there was still a chance! Without seeing the body, she couldn't jump to conclusions so easily!
Tracy suddenly looked up, and a fierce glint reignited in her bloodshot, tear-stained eyes.
She forced herself to rally, grabbed the dressing mirror used for contact from the bedside, and in a cold tone, gave Mithor an order:
"Investigate for me. Find out the whole story of this matter, thoroughly!"
"Also, hold that guy who wants to claim the bounty! He must not escape before I arrive in person."