NDT : les scans sont issus de la version chinoise du chapitre. A part "Cain" et "Riff", les noms des autres personnages sont ceux donnés par Strawberry à partir des sinogrammes.

 

A post with a beautiful lady's photo is posted on the wall:
- Many years ago, a queen did her sewing. She picked her finger with her needle, and blood drops fell upon. The queen sighed. "If only I could have a child whose skin was white as the snow, whose hair was black as the windowsill", she said. . . . . . Not long after, the queen did have such a child, and she as named Snow White -

Those who came here for the above post, please don't ever treat it as a ridiculous trick. As long as the sleeping beauty Elizabeth awaked by the Prince's kiss, her savior will inherit The Hardy's and marry her.

Madame Hardy "What I ask for is the prince who could awake my loved child, Elizabeth . . . ", she continues ,"This sounds like a fairy tale, but that's what my loved child searching for."
A guy: "The Prince's Kiss ... for awaking Snow White. It seems that beautiful hostess is no joking at all!"


A guy (to Cain): "You look like a candidate too . . . but you look so young! (estimates and thinks : 'looks like a 13 , 14-year-old') I am Rupert Macos. May I know who you are?"
Cain : "Cain. I am much more interested in Snow White's poisoned apple - especially the kind of 'poison' involved."
Rupert (don't know what to say) :" AH ?"
Madame Hardy: "Er . . . . . . ?" (she thinks: 'That calm and handsome child . . . it looks like he is from a rich family. I think I have seen him somewhere, somehow . . . ')
talk to the guests, "Gentlemen, please follow me to my daughter's study! I haven't seen her for a year. This is it. This is the place where my dearest daughter "falling asleep". "

A young man: "I am the lawyer of The Hardy's. My name is George Neil. This is the will of Miss Elizabeth Hardy."

The young man reads the will aloud: "After a year of my death, the man who awakes me with his kiss would then succeed this family inheritance and the title . . . . . . "

Madame Hardy: "However unbelievable it sounds like, I just want to will my loved daughter. Those who can't stand this, please leave now."
A guy whispers: 'Kiss the dead who died a year ago?'
Another guy: " OH NO ~~~~~~ That's impossible to bring her alive; even kissing her in her just dead situation. '
Another guy: 'This Is Ridiculous! Let's Go ! !'

Cain (to Rupert): "Rupert, you are not leaving ?"
Rupert (in hesitation): "I am a poor student with no dream and nothing to loose . . . But, if it's a terrible dead body, I will flee right away!"
Cain (to the hostess): "Oh, yes . . . please let us meet the princess first!"
Madame Hardy: " Mmm. . . that's what you gentlemen asked for . . . ", order the servants, "Come here and open the coffin."
The servant: "Can we? How could this be . . . "
Another servant : "Ssh! Talk no more !"

Rupert (in fear and thinks) ' It's... it's just like alive! Is it a dead body for a year...?'
Madame Hardy: "oh . . . oh . . . How . .. how could this be . . . ?"


Cain: "Even it's in great care, it can't be looked this this . . . just like she is sleeping inside only. "
Madame Hardy: "Pardon... maybe ... my daughter died a year ago!"
Cain: "What's the cause of the dead ? "
Madame Hardy: "You meant, Elizabeth? The doct. . . the doctor said it's tuberculosis . . . seeing her suffered face, how I wish I could substitute her !"

Cain: "So, if it's your loved daughter, why you punished her?"
Madame Hardy (surprise) : "What?"
Cain: "No matter how well the body is care, there's countless wounds and extravasated blood on the hands . . . there are the marks made by whipping. Just like how Cinderella was whipped by her stepmother. ", keeps on saying and look calm , "Don't you know? In the Middle Age, there was a kind of poison in Rome for poison the successor ------ it is also known as "The Stepmother's Poison". Oh, I remember now, Madame Hardy, did you know this poison 'Antimony' ? It's similar to arsenic, it's one of the strong poisons. It dissolves in water and it's colorless and smells nothing. Started from The Victorian time, it has many uses such as mixing up with wine to obtain the same result.", suddenly holding Madame Hardy's arm and say, "And, its side-effect is keeping the deterioration away ----- like the dead body of Betsy's . . . " "So? Is it true, beautiful hostess . . . "

Madame Hardy: "Shut Up! " Are you saying that I poisoned my own daughter? Though that child was brought here by my husband as the adopted child . . . "
Cain: "Oh . . . so, she is your stepdaughter then ----- Is she not?"

Madame Hardy: "I . . . I beg your pardon. I am over reacted. Because I don't feel good. . . "
Cain: "Well! In this case, please take a good care of yourself."
Madame Hardy: "George! Please walk me to the room."
George: "Yes, Madame . . . . . . !"
Madame Hardy thinks:
Who is he . . . ...? The golden eyes that could see through everything. It's terrible ... Why he is so good at poisons?

Madame Hardy: "George, I remember now! That youth . . . the pair of eyes! And Poison!" "He is the famous poison
collector, the one who just became the Earl ---- Cain C. Hargreaves ! "


Madame Hardy: "Yes! I saw him twice or third in the ball, he is familiar with poisons . .."
George: "The famous and rich successor of The Hargreaves's. How could this be? He won't laid eyes on this minor fortune !"

Madame Hardy: "No... That child called Elizabeth as "Betsy", this is too friendly. Elizabeth's nickname can be 'Lizie' or 'Betty', or 'Beth' and more . . . . But, why he knew that child's nick is "Betsy"? I remember what she said:

Madame Hardy recalls what Elizabeth said:
-- Elizabeth: " 'Elizabeth' is my friend. She lives inside this mirror. She has the same face of mine. Though she is called Elizabeth too, I in this side is called "Betsy" and she in the mirror side is called 'Bess'. In loneliness, in sadness or fear, she is always there for me. It's another me..." -

Elizabeth: "How great it could be if I could come inside and play with the Mirror Bess ... just like 'Alice in the Wonderland' " -

George: "That's because Elizabeth was too lonely. Master Hardy who bore no child bought young, beautiful Elizabeth somewhere . . . She was always lonely because she was forced to apart her closed elder sister . . . "
Madame Hardy: "That's why you had to comfort her? George, don't think that I know nothing. When that child was with you, she smiled happily and in felicity. Yet, Snow White didn't realize the reality. "

Recalls again:
Elizabeth: "George . . . Are you here? Thanks for giving me the flowers and the painting ..." "George"?

- Elizabeth was too shocked when she saw George and her stepmother hugged each other. She broke the photo-frame -

George: "That's ..... that's what you had planned for...."
Madame Hardy: "Yes. I used your name and asked that child to come in. She had to receive her punishment for stealing my belonging ...."