On the balcony, Join glanced at Mary, stretched his arms, then asked Anh Ph??ng:

  – “I remember you once said you had a cousin, right?”

  Anh Ph??ng immediately shot him a sharp look:

  – “Why are you bringing her up here?”

  Mary replied at once, her tone slightly irritated:

  – “Because Join and I came back and didn’t see her anywhere. She’s still your cousin after all. At least say hello out of courtesy.”

  Anh Ph??ng curled her lips in disdain:

  – “No need. What’s the point of greeting that orphan? Besides, she already moved away. Who knows where to find her now.”

  Join frowned slightly, thinking to himself. He sighed inwardly:

  – “This woman is really something… She takes someone else’s inheritance and then acts as if they never existed. Her cousin’s parents — her own aunt and uncle — died, and she doesn’t even remember them, not even a stick of incense.”

  Beside him, Mary also knitted her brows, making a silent decision:

  – “When we go back to Canada, Join and I absolutely have to stay away from Anh Ph??ng. Hanging around someone like this, sooner or later you’ll get stabbed in the back.”

  Beneath the bonsai trees, Bách Di?n, Phong Túc, and Anh Tú heard every word clearly. The eyes of all three darkened with fury; only Anh Tú sneered:

  – “I told you. Anh Ph??ng is the worst of them all. When Princess Trang lived here, she must have been treated terribly.”

  Bách Di?n spoke softly:

  – “Back then, we only intervened to stop those who wanted to physically harm Princes. As for all the petty cruelty caused by the three sisters in this family, there was far too much. Once, a neighbor gave Princess some pastries. Anh ?ào snatched them and threw everything straight into the trash.”

  Phong Túc clenched his fist, his voice low and heavy:

  – “The worst was when Anh Th? stole a diamond ring and framed Princess. The whole family knew the truth but still covered it up, then used that as an excuse to drive her out of the house.”

  He let out a quiet sigh:

  – “For three days and three nights after that, Princess wandered the streets. I had to follow her closely to watch over her. But when she finally found a rented room — ‘arranged by Lord’ — he himself, in the guise of an old scrap collector, was already there. Along with undercover agents posing as neighbors and laborers stationed around the area, I finally felt more at ease.”

  Anh Tú spoke slowly, his gaze dim:

  – “I came later, so I don’t know all the details. But from what Erion’s group and Trúc Di?n told me, I understand part of it. The photo album I found this afternoon… I’ve already taken pictures of it. As for the fake documents used to legally seize the assets, and… a vial of gray crystals, I asked an imp to bring them back to Erion.”

  Bách Di?n nodded:

  – “I’ve already told them. That substance is arsenic.”

  Anh Tú widened his eyes:

  – “Just as I suspected. But… why would there be arsenic in this house?”

  Phong Túc replied, his voice icy:

  – “When Princess was first brought here, she was only five years old by Earth’s time. They poisoned her with arsenic because she… survived that accident.”

  Anh Tú ground his teeth:

  – “They’re that cruel…?”

  Bách Di?n curved his lips into a half-smile:

  – “Even worse than that. That’s why Lord ordered Phong Túc and me to take turns playing the role of dì T?, to protect Princess. Even the memories Princess has of being abused by the couple named D?ng… those were fabricated, designed by Phong Túc and implanted into her mind.”

  Phong Túc continued, his voice calm yet filled with pride:

  – “Lord had his reasons. For twenty years, he intended to hone a black diamond — to make it cold, unbreakable in will, and capable of enduring anything.”

  He smiled faintly:

  – “A gem unpolished cannot shine… Only now do I truly understand that saying. Lord is truly beyond comprehension.”

  In the early morning, as the first light of dawn appeared, birds chirped cheerfully throughout the garden. Anh Tú had already been awake for a while. He went downstairs to make coffee and saw dì T? standing by the stove. Lowering his voice, he asked:

  – “Is it Bách Di?n or Phong Túc today?”

  Though the appearance was that of an elderly housekeeper, the voice was male — deep and slightly playful:

  – “Bách Di?n here. Phong Túc went to handle matters for.”

  At that moment, C?u D?ng came downstairs. Anh Tú immediately slipped into character and turned to say:

  – “Dì T?, please make me a cup of coffee — just a little milk, okay?”

  Dì T? nodded:

  – “I’ll do it right away.”

  C?u D?ng stepped closer, his tone even:

  – “The decoration team will arrive later. Th? likes a fairy-tale theme. If you want any changes, suggest them to the team.”

  Anh Tú smiled politely:

  – “My sense of aesthetics is decent at best. Maybe we should get a few more opinions, just to be safe.”

  C?u D?ng nodded in agreement:

  – “Alright. Call the others down later. And remember to tell them to use fresh flowers — your mother and I won’t accept artificial ones.”

  Anh Tú bowed slightly:

  – “Yes, I’ll remember, Dad.”

  At that moment, M? Linh also came down to the kitchen. While picking up a bottle of filtered water, she said:

  – “Why don’t you join in and give the kids some advice too, ch? T??”

  Dì T? smiled and waved her hand dismissively:

  – “I’m old now, I don’t understand the youngsters’ styles anymore. Back in my day, wedding gates were all made of coconut leaves and banana trunks.”

  C?u D?ng took a deep breath and went outside with m? Linh:

  – “Your mother and I are going out for some exercise. You and your siblings go ahead and have breakfast first.”

  Anh Tú replied respectfully:

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  – “Enjoy your walk.”

  Once the iron gate closed, dì T?’s voice immediately dropped back into a deep male tone:

  – “I heard from Din that he plans to push that centipede demon straight into gambling. He owns a chain of casinos, after all.”

  Anh Tú nodded slightly:

  – “I’ll guide that centipede demon along — and Anh Th? as well. They used to owe the underworld five billion because of gambling debts. At this rate, bankruptcy won’t be far off.”

  ***

  At the Gothic-style villa across the way, Erion and Din were also making coffee for breakfast. Din curled his lips, his eyes cold and sharp:

  – “I’ll exploit that centipede demon’s gambling addiction — and Anh Th?’s too — to reclaim Princess Trang’s assets. I don’t know how much will be left, but I’ll take back every last bit.”

  Erion nodded, his voice low:

  – “You must force D?ng to mortgage the land deeds of his properties to pay off the debts. They’ve lived in luxury for far too long.”

  A sinister glint flashed in Din’s eyes:

  – “Leave it to me, General. Once someone is addicted to gambling, they fall fast.”

  At the international hospital, My looked much more lively. Tu?n was peeling fruit, while Mr. Quy worked on his laptop and casually asked:

  – “Have you and the other two prepared to attend Anh Th?’s wedding yet?”

  Tu?n replied immediately:

  – “Yes, sir. For men it’s simple — what really matters is that women have a lot more to prepare.”

  Mr. Quy nodded:

  – “For us men, trousers with a shirt or a suit are enough. Women are the fairer sex, so of course there are more details to take care of.”

  Even though she had just recovered, My’s sharp tongue was still very much intact. She raised her voice:

  – “Then I have to dress really beautifully. I need to see which evening gowns are trending.”

  Mrs. Lan looked slightly displeased:

  – “You’re attending a wedding — being more eye-catching than the bride isn’t appropriate. Dressing moderately actually makes you look prettier. Overdoing it just makes you look older than your age.”

  At that moment, Doctor Tùng walked in:

  – “Today, Ms. My’s health has improved significantly. Tomorrow I’ll approve her discharge. We’ll continue with medication and psychological treatment. The family should remind her to take her medicine exactly as prescribed — no skipping doses or changing them on her own. A psychologist will meet with her twice a week. If it’s inconvenient for her to come to the hospital, we’ll come to her place.”

  Mr. Quy shook the doctor’s hand:

  – “Thank you to you and your team for taking such good care of my daughter. I’ll show my appreciation later.”

  ***

  At C?u D?ng’s villa, the three sisters — Anh ?ào, Anh Th?, and Anh Ph??ng — were sitting in the living room having breakfast. Join and Mary, though guests, were helping out in the kitchen. Anh Tú felt a bit embarrassed:

  – “You two can sit and relax. Let me and dì T? handle this.”

  Mary smiled:

  – “We do these little chores all the time.”

  Join nodded:

  – “In the dorm, we cook for ourselves too. Only when we’re exhausted or busy with exams do we eat out.”

  While cutting ingredients, Anh Tú said:

  – “Here, even the men cook for themselves. When you’re far from home, who’s going to cook for you? The men in this house are all good in the kitchen.”

  Join and Mary looked a little surprised:

  – “The men in this house?”

  Anh Tú explained:

  – “Well, me — and Huy too. I heard he’s quite good at cooking.”

  In the living room, the low but lively chatter of the three sisters echoed. Join glanced up and blurted out:

  – “Putting looks aside, their attitudes and expressions… every one of them seems sharp-tongued. Not gentle at all.”

  Mary looked toward dì T?:

  – “You’ve worked here for twenty years, so you must know them well, right?”

  Dì T? quickly glanced toward the living room, then replied softly:

  – “I’m just a housemaid, I wouldn’t dare pry into the affairs of the homeowners. But there were times I tried to remind the young ladies to be less sharp-tongued… it never really worked.”

  Anh Tú lowered his voice:

  – “In class, Anh Ph??ng probably isn’t very well-liked, right?”

  Mary answered immediately:

  – “No one likes her. She hangs out with me and Join only because our parents are businesspeople. If we were poor, she wouldn’t even look at us.”

  Join added, looking slightly weary:

  – “Back in Canada, at first there were a few male students who wanted to date her. But she’s so arrogant that, over time, no one wanted to talk to her anymore.”

  Inside the apartment, Quang and Quan sat drinking coffee, their eyes fixed on the laptop screens. Quan turned to his boss and sneered:

  – “Haven’t seen your ATM show up these past few days. Don’t tell me she found herself a new pretty boy already?”

  Quang curled his lips into a cold smile:

  – “Let her be. As long as she keeps transferring money to me regularly, that’s all that matters.”

  Quan took another sip of coffee, then suddenly remembered something else:

  – “I haven’t seen that Chinese family from Ch? L?n either. Think they went on a trip or something?”

  Quang shot him a sideways glance, sounding indifferent:

  – “Who cares? If it’s not our business, why bother?”

  Suddenly, lively laughter echoed from the hallway. Quan tilted his head to listen:

  – “Speak of the devil…”

  Out in the corridor, all four members of the Serpent Clan had returned in full disguise — posing as an ordinary, happy family. The apartment door opened, and Quan greeted them cheerfully:

  – “I haven’t seen you all for a few days. I figured your family must’ve just gotten back from a trip?”

  H?u K?, in the form of a middle-aged man, smiled politely:

  – “You’re right, Quan. Once in a while, we have to take the wife and kids out somewhere. Nothing fancy — just a short trip.”

  Nh? Phu, playing the role of a gentle middle-aged wife, added softly:

  – “Has My stopped by recently? I wanted to ask about her experience with the products, see what she thinks.”

  At that moment, Quang stepped out of his room and nodded:

  – “Hello, everyone. My girlfriend’s probably busy with work at the company, so she hasn’t come by these past few days.”

  ??i Ng?c, acting as a college student, spoke eagerly and naturally:

  – “It’s just that ch? My promised to give me a few lipstick shades, so I’ve been really looking forward to it.”

  Quang immediately understood and smiled lightly:

  – “Alright, I’ll remind her. She’s in the cosmetics business too — heard her shop just got some new lipstick colors in.”

  L?p Thành, back in the role of the youngest son, pretended to yawn and rub his eyes:

  – “I’m so sleepy…”

  H?u K? placed a hand on his son’s shoulder:

  – “He’s tired. We had to wake up at two in the morning to get back here.”

  Quang nodded sympathetically:

  – “Then your family should go rest. I’ll treat everyone to dinner this evening.”

  H?u K? waved his hand gently, staying perfectly in character:

  – “Eating together would be nice, but we’ll rest first. Sitting in the car from two in the morning until now has left my back aching.”

  The door to the Serpent Clan’s apartment closed. Inside their own place, Quan frowned:

  – “That My really is strange. She promised to give people cosmetics and still makes them bring it up themselves.”

  Quang only smirked and waved it off:

  – “All that girl ever thinks about is young guys — young guys and more young guys. That’s it. Nothing else in her head.”

  Inside the Serpent Clan family’s apartment, H?u K? suddenly recalled something:

  – “The other day you said you were researching something. Any results yet?”

  ??i Ng?c nodded lightly:

  – “Yes, but I want to find more clues.”

  Nh? Phu asked, thinking back to earlier:

  – “What was it? I saw you asking about lipstick shades at My’s cosmetics shop just now.”

  ??i Ng?c lowered her voice, thoughtful and calculating:

  – “The last time she came here, when she was drinking water, a bit of lipstick stained the rim of the glass. At first, I thought it was normal — anyone who applies too much lipstick smudges it while eating or drinking. But when I washed the glass, I smelled something strange in the lipstick residue. It wasn’t the scent of benign herbs or plants.”

  L?p Thành frowned suspiciously:

  – “So what kind of smell did you sense?”

  ??i Ng?c closed her eyes for a few seconds, then opened them:

  – “Datura.”

  Everyone was startled. H?u K? paled slightly at the name:

  – “Datura? That plant causes confusion, delirium, hallucinations — leading to irrational, even insane behavior.”

  ??i Ng?c nodded:

  – “That’s why I asked Quang about it, to get more samples.”

  L?p Thành jumped to his feet impatiently:

  – “Then let’s go buy some directly.”

  Nh? Phu quickly stopped him:

  – “We just said we were going to rest. If we go out immediately, Quang will get suspicious. And have you informed His Highness yet?”

  ??i Ng?c shook her head:

  – “Not yet. I need more samples — to see exactly whether there are other substances mixed in as well.”

  H?u K? opened his laptop:

  – “Let’s inform His Highness first, then continue investigating.”

  At the Bình Chánh headquarters, Trúc Di?n and Lita were practicing archery in the standard training yard. Trúc Di?n’s phone buzzed with a message. He set the bow down and checked it:

  – “Your Highness, ??i Ng?c has discovered a new lead. I’ve sent the details by email — please check it as soon as possible.”

  Trúc Di?n frowned:

  – “What is it this time…”

  Lita ran over, worried:

  – “What happened? You look tense.”

  Trúc Di?n glanced at her, concern flickering in his eyes:

  – “H?u K? says ??i Ng?c found something. Let’s go inside and take a look.”

  Inside the main hall, Demon King Satan, Charles, Master V?nh, and the Grand Matriarch were chatting animatedly. Seeing Trúc Di?n and Lita enter in a hurry, Master V?nh asked:

  – “Junior brother, Princess Lita — what’s so urgent?”

  After opening the email from H?u K?, Trúc Di?n showed it to everyone. Charles frowned:

  – “Datura? This plant exists in many places around the world — roadsides, stream banks, fields, hillsides, mountain foothills. Vietnam has quite a lot of it too.”

  Trúc Di?n turned to the Grand Matriarch:

  – “Grand Matriarch, you often formulate cosmetics and perfumes. Can this be mixed in?”

  She nodded thoughtfully:

  – “Yes. If it’s for cosmetics, people would use the flowers. The stem, leaves, and seeds have a very distinctive smell, but the flowers are lightly fragrant. When combined with cosmetic scents, it’s almost impossible to detect — unless the user has knowledge of traditional medicine.”

  Lita asked doubtfully:

  – “So is that why she’s been obsessively infatuated with Trúc Di?n — because she’s using cosmetics mixed with poison extracted from these flowers?”

  Satan shrugged:

  – “Not necessarily, my dear. Before she ever knew Trúc Di?n, she was already crazy about Tu?n. She just changed targets because Trúc Di?n is… more appealing.”

  Charles added:

  – “Whether she uses it herself or not aside, these cosmetics have been sold to many people. We need to investigate who supplies the goods to My.”

  Trúc Di?n continued:

  – “Quang mentioned that her shop just imported several new lipstick shades. We should go check it out directly.”

  Satan nodded:

  – “Then let the Serpent Clan members handle the investigation. Phong Túc is here as well — he’s just completed the task I assigned him. If needed, he’ll follow along to assist.”