Chapter 73
Everyone’s eyes darted at Bertha, whose hands and feet were covered with mud. She held the key in her hand, and her eyes were bloodshot, full of rage because Madeline forced her to dip her hands and feet into that dirty pond.
"Oh my, you’re finally here!" Tia said. "You can unlock Ethan yourself. But it’s okay. The winner is clear as day."
Bertha looked at Ethan, who had lost all of his fruit. She knew that she wouldn’t win if she didn’t confront Madeline. So she pointed at Madeline and yelled, "That snake is a fucking cheater!"
"Cheater?" Tia was surprised, but Madeline didn’t seem to budge. Tia turned her head towards Madeline and asked, "Is that true, Madeline? Did you cheat?"
Madeline crossed her arms and asked back, "Then elaborate on how I cheated. I feel like I’m playing the game as fairly as possible."
"Fair? You did something to the megabats! You also seduced the snake charmer, so they won’t help me!" Bertha accused.
"That’s just part of the game to put obstacles, no? The puzzles are easy. That’s why we tinker with it," Madeline argued. "Besides, you also did the same, Bertha. You snatched the toy cars from the baby monkeys and threw them into the pond. That’s just cruel, you know that, right?"
Bertha gritted her teeth. "Then how about the key? There are many eyewitnesses. Jasmin and those cameramen as well! You stole my key and threw it into the pond!"
"Oh no, stealing is not allowed..." Tia said. "I may have to disqualify you from this game, Madeline."
Madeline wasn’t scared at all, as she replied, "I didn’t steal. I just happened to find it while searching for mine. You guys make the puzzle way too easy for me to figure out, so it’s not my fault, I get it."
"Ah, if you accidentally find it, then there’s no problem," Tia sighed.
"Wait—NO!" Bertha continued arguing. She knew she would be eliminated next, so she tried to disqualify Madeline, no matter how. "Then why do you need to throw my key into the pond?"