The other two men, reminded by that sentence, also wore grim faces and hurried back to their rooms.
Only the two girls remained, standing in place without leaving.
Xunian paid no attention to the corpse on the bed or the severed head on the floor; she stepped into the room and began searching for useful information.
Fu Ruxue hesitated at the doorway, eyes carefully avoiding the head on the floor as she asked, “Any clues?”
Xunian shook her head.
On the desk lay a feather pen and parchment, with some messy handwriting listing trivial cleaning tasks.
Xunian flipped through each sheet, front and back, but found nothing useful.
She neatly stacked the papers in the corner of the desk, pulled open the drawer, and the sound of metal clinking against wood rang out.
Inside was a well-preserved metal box with a note attached. She could barely make out the words:
For Miss.
Xunian weighed the box in her hand; something hard inside shifted.
Fu Ruxue braced herself, carefully avoiding the still-bleeding head, and leaned closer. “Is this… something the maid gave to Miss? Could it be important information?”
Neither expected to find something so significant. Xunian pried open the metal lid, and both their gazes fell inside.
Within the box was a moldy, shriveled piece of bread.
Their hopeful expressions vanished.
That’s it?
They exchanged a glance, disappointment written all over their faces. They had expected something important, but it was just a moldy piece of bread.
Fu Ruxue pulled at the corner of her mouth, puzzled. “Why would the maid give Miss a piece of bread?”
Xunian’s eyes mirrored the confusion. “I don’t understand.”
Miss is the Duke’s daughter, likely raised in luxury without lacking anything. Why would a maid give her bread?
Could it be that Miss, used to rich food, wanted a change with some dry bread?
The investigation hit a dead end.
They searched elsewhere but found nothing suspicious.
In the cabinet rested several maid uniforms. They searched every pocket but only found a cleaning task list.
The room was spotless, and aside from the box, nothing could be called a clue.
The maid really loved cleaning.
Finding no leads, Xunian’s attention returned to the corpse on the bed.
The blood had nearly dried, coagulating neatly at the cut on the neck. The exposed skin was pale and grayish from blood loss.
“The cut is almost identical to the maid’s.”
Xunian’s eyes darkened as she studied the body and drew her conclusion.
Fu Ruxue only glanced briefly, noticing nothing unusual. She secretly thought it was terrifying that Xunian dared to carefully observe and remember even the maid’s headless neck.
She forced herself to look a little longer but still found nothing different.
“Let’s go.”
Before she realized it, Xunian was calling from the doorway, her beautiful face expressionless, seemingly unmoved by anything.
“Wait for me.”
Fu Ruxue tiptoed over the red-and-black stained head on the floor and hurried to the door, afraid of being trapped by the room’s horrors.
Xunian looked up toward the second floor, where a door remained shut.
Had she guessed wrong?
She had deliberately lured the snake swarm to chase her, hoping to “draw the snake out.”
But the person she wanted to lure hadn’t appeared.
Could the person in her dream not be the Duke’s daughter?
Based on what she knew now, only two women had blonde hair and red eyes: the Duchess and the Duke’s Daughter.
She had guessed the Duchess before, but the reaction hadn’t felt like hers.
Then it must be the Duke’s Daughter.
“See you at noon.” Fu Ruxue’s expression suddenly changed as if she realized something, and she hurried upstairs.
The empty hall held only Xunian, a breeze fluttering the hem of her clothes.
Having thoroughly assessed the room, she knew any clue to the Key would have to come from elsewhere.
Suddenly, she realized something was different.
This was indoors—where was the wind coming from?
She looked up.
The Castle’s main door stood wide open. Outside, the greenery flourished, and the sky was a gloomy blue, contrasting sharply with the vivid colors of the courtyard, creating an eerie atmosphere.
Xunian squinted, eyes sharp. She slipped her hand into her sleeve, gripping the hidden knife, and cautiously approached the door.
The outside scene slowly unfolded before her eyes. She took in the surroundings; apart from the dark sky, it looked like an ordinary yard.
The Rules never said she couldn’t leave. It must be allowed.
Without hesitation, Xunian stepped over the threshold.
A shadow darted from around the corner, swiftly closing in. Before she could react, it grabbed her firmly.
Pale hands clutched her collar, a blood-red neck twisting with cracking sounds. Painful, shrill screams pierced the air, “My head, my head…”
Xunian let her hold the collar. She knew struggling wouldn’t free her. Calmly, she patted the woman’s shoulder and said, “Keep your voice down. Otherwise, I can’t hear you clearly.”
The maid painfully released Xunian’s blood-slicked neck and smeared blood over her hands. “Where is my head? My head…”
Suddenly, she stopped and reached toward Xunian, her nails glinting in the light, dripping blood. Her pale hands twitched with veins bulging as she scratched at Xunian.
“It’s you, it’s you, you took my head…”
Her voice brimmed with endless anger and resentment.
“When did you lose it?”
The sharp nails halted mere centimeters from Xunian.
The maid froze, confused. She didn’t remember how she lost her head; memories of that day were missing. She’d been searching for it ever since.
“When did you lose your head, and where? I can help find it.”
Xunian pressed on, feigning concern.
“I don’t remember.” The maid’s voice sounded sorrowful.
“Then what day did you lose it?”
“On Miss’s birthday.”
“Did you see anyone before you lost it?”
“I saw… Duke Caesar.”
Xunian quietly took note. “Duke Caesar?”
Mention of the Duke sent the maid into a panic. Her headless neck scanned around, seeing nothing.
She absentmindedly tugged at her uniform’s hem, staining the clean servant uniform red with blood, murmuring:
“No, Duke Caesar came. I can’t let him find me here, or else…”
The maid hurriedly left.
Xunian crossed her arms, calculating the massive amount of information.
It seemed the maid died on Miss’s birthday. Someone cut off the maid’s head, and before dying, the maid remembered seeing Duke Caesar.
Judging by her reaction, the maid feared the Duke deeply.
The maid’s death was undoubtedly connected to Duke Caesar.
Unfortunately, the maid had left in such a hurry that Xunian hadn’t had time to ask about the box given to Miss.
Chasing after her recklessly wouldn’t be wise.
Following her memories, Xunian continued searching the Castle for the vast Sea of Red Spider Lilies visible from the windowsill.
Suddenly, she collided into a warm embrace. A weight neither heavy nor light pressed against her.
Xunian’s skin crawled. She instinctively raised her knife and pressed it against the neck of the person behind her.
The person was unfazed, resting her chin on Xunian’s shoulder and smiling softly, her voice melodious.
Their black and golden hair intertwined; golden strands draped down. Only then did Xunian realize it was the woman from her dream.
“Duke’s Daughter, you finally appeared.”
Xunian pressed the knife closer, nearly touching the golden-haired woman’s neck, using it to threaten her to let go.
“Hmm, you figured out who I am?”
The Duke’s Daughter’s hand slowly slid down to clasp Xunian’s free hand.
Their bodies pressed close, fingers intertwined. Pink bubbles seemed to float in the air as a subtle intimacy filled the space.
Xunian had never been this close to anyone before. Not even with her sister had she ever shared such proximity.
She disliked closeness like this.
Yet, with this woman, she found herself unable to resist.
Her voice was like a spell; whenever she heard it, she became soft and unfailingly gentle.
Xunian tried to pull her hand free but was held tight, unable to break away.
Suddenly, soft lips covered her ear, repeatedly brushing her sensitive earlobe. A tingling sensation spread through her body. Her legs weakened, nearly dropping the knife.
Soon her ears flushed red as blood rushed in. Sharp teeth nibbled her earlobe, causing the woman before her to shiver.
“Mmm.”
Within moments, Xunian’s face flushed deeply. She felt embarrassed at the strange sound she had made.
“G-go away.” She angrily and shyly demanded.
She barely held the knife steady before the woman behind her easily snatched it away and tossed it aside.
Xunian seized the moment to shift her weight, grabbed the Duke’s Daughter’s hand and pulled hard, aiming to throw her over her shoulder. But the woman felt like a solid boulder, immovable.
Spotting a figure moving through the garden nearby, Xunian’s anxious heart jumped to her throat. Afraid of being seen, she struggled fiercely.
In her struggle, she accidentally bumped her waist and let out a muffled groan.
“Hmm, someone’s here~”
Her other hand was also caught in intertwined fingers. The woman’s warm breath brushed her sensitive ear, sending a soft shiver through her. A gentle, sweet voice whispered nearby,
“Don’t worry, no one will see us here.”
Cheating.
That voice… she could never resist.
To her, that voice…
Xunian bit her lip, struggling to stay clear-headed, her eyes defiant.
She, Xunian, had never lost to anyone in her life. Just a Duke’s Daughter…
Even if she was forcibly kissed, she would kiss back to retaliate!
She turned to face the Duke’s Daughter directly, slowly leaning closer, staring at her lips as soft and ripe as a peach.
Her heartbeat quickened, drawing nearer and nearer.
Surprise flickered in the translucent red eyes as they were met for the first time. Xunian’s beautiful eyes widened.
The Duke’s Daughter dared not move hastily, breathing slowed, waiting for her to come closer.