Waiting obediently for the Duke’s Daughter to return? That was impossible.
The walls of the basement also had a clock, its hands pointing to 7:12.
Xunian had already figured it out at the dining table—she was a special existence to the Duke’s Daughter, and even the mysterious presence of the Duke’s Daughter in this Castle could not break the Rules.
Now, Xunian felt somewhat emboldened.
She didn’t understand why the Duke’s Daughter harbored such feelings for her, but if she could use this affection to clear the trial, it would be to her advantage.
With one foot on the ground, Xunian hopped over to the pile of torture instruments, searching for clues.
Among the instruments were two pairs of silver handcuffs, probably nothing useful; she glanced at them briefly and turned away.
After a quick scan and finding nothing, Xunian turned disappointedly toward the guillotine, where the blade still held congealed blood. That’s when she noticed something small flickering atop it.
She jumped over, steadying herself against the wall, and picked up the object to examine it.
It was a white chess piece, crowned with a tiny cross—a small but dignified symbol.
International Chess?
The candlelight was too dim at night; she hadn’t even noticed the chess pieces here.
Almost instantly, the Rules came to mind, and Xunian’s eyes darkened.
【Rule Three】: The Duchess likes to play chess. You may play with her if she is willing.
The Duchess had yet to appear, and Xunian was beginning to forget about this Rule.
Since arriving here, the Duke had never shown up either.
Very strange.
Out of the five Rules, the only real person they had encountered was the Miss.
Her gaze landed on the scattered chess pieces on the guillotine platform. She gathered them all and counted—only 22 pieces.
Five black pieces and five white pieces were missing.
Ten pieces short of a complete set of International Chess.
She searched under the bed, in the cabinet, and around the table again, sweat forming lightly on her brow as she frowned.
Every possible place had been checked—no leftover chess pieces anywhere.
Comparing the pieces closely, she realized the missing ones were all pawns: five black pawns, five white pawns.
The young woman toyed with the pieces in her hand, her expression growing serious as she pondered the connection between the chess pieces and the Rules.
Was the Rule hinting that she needed to play chess with the Duchess?
And how could the pieces be missing exactly ten, all pawns? Such a coincidence?
They had to be hidden somewhere else.
This was no place to linger.
Xunian sat on the edge of the bed, silently calculating the time.
Counting the first night, it was already their fourth day in the Castle.
Only three days left—if they didn’t find the Key within three days, it would be difficult to leave.
She had no time to waste on the Duke’s Daughter anymore.
She needed to find a way out.
……
When the Duke’s Daughter entered, she saw a curled-up figure under the blanket on the bed and couldn’t help but smile.
Gentleness radiated from her brows and eyes. She placed what she held beside the bed and poked the bundle with slender fingers.
“Time to get up.”
The figure under the blanket stirred but seemed reluctant to emerge.
“Go out first,” a muffled voice came from inside.
The Duke’s Daughter hugged the blanket, leaning close to whisper, “You’ve seen everything you needed to. No need to be shy.”
“No,” a black head poked out from the corner of the blanket, revealing a pale face. Xunian frowned at her. “Turn around.”
“Alright.”
The Duke’s Daughter turned away.
Rustling sounds came from behind, followed by a soft voice, “Done.”
She turned back. The young woman’s slender waist was perfectly fitted by the tight dress.
The medieval attire added an elegant grace to her sweet face, her black hair as smooth as silk draped over her shoulders, with bangs framing her flawless features.
A look of astonishment flashed in the Duchess’s eyes; she couldn’t pull herself away.
Until the figure in front of her stepped forward—once unreachable, now within an arm’s reach.
Her heart pounded wildly, blood racing through her veins, a fluttering sensation stirring in her chest. She instinctively reached out to touch.
But instead, a silk scarf was pressed into her hand.
“I don’t like wearing scarves,” Xunian said, uninterested.
“Then… what about the Mark there? Doesn’t it bother you?”
The blonde woman’s red eyes gleamed with delight, admiring the marks on Xunian’s neck as if gazing at a masterpiece.
Seeing this expression, an ominous feeling rose in Xunian’s chest.
She dashed to the full-length mirror, ignoring the wicked smile the reflection wore, and slapped the glass hard.
Her eyes caught the Mark branded across her neck—a pattern left by the Duke’s Daughter.
The “Xunian” in the mirror glared with fury, snarling to attack her. But the golden-haired shadow behind her gave a sharp look, and the reflection withdrew its menacing expression shamefacedly.
Only then did Xunian realize there was no one behind her in reality.
She whipped around and saw a familiar face smirking at her.
“What’s wrong?”
Unconsciously, Xunian touched the chest pocket of her blouse, where she had stashed all the chess pieces—none missing.
Feigning calm, she picked up the silk scarf and tied it around her neck.
“Nothing. Let’s go.”
“All right.”
The wooden door leading to the basement suddenly slammed open on its own.
A golden figure swiftly scooped up a dark one and leapt out lightly.
The Duke’s Daughter and Fu Ruxue, who had just emerged nearby intending to bypass the room to check if Xunian had come out, locked eyes.
The red gaze carried a cold edge, an almost terrifying stare.
Fu Ruxue looked away silently and quietly distanced herself.
She had no intention of being a third wheel.
As soon as Xunian landed, she noticed Fu Ruxue.
Taking a step toward her, she froze.
Her ankle was still injured, worse than the day before.
The Duke’s Daughter noticed immediately and bent down to lift her effortlessly, raising an eyebrow challengingly at Fu Ruxue.
Fu Ruxue awkwardly averted her gaze; she had no intention of competing with the Duke’s Daughter for Xunian’s attention.
Why did the Duke’s Daughter always look at her like she was a corpse examiner, when she was very much alive?
……
In the living room.
Fu Ruxue and the two men who made a conspicuous entrance followed behind her to the dining table.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Xunian was calmly seated by the Duke’s Daughter at the table.
Aside from Xunian and Fu Ruxue, only two of the three men were present.
Cheng Li wore a sullen expression, while Li Hua remained as calm and composed as always.
The missing one was Zhang Zhuanghao.
Five plates had been prepared, but one person was absent.
No one planned to call him. Time was running out; they barely had time to look after themselves, let alone others.
No one dared to say if something had happened to him. After all, the timid girl had died, and even the plate prepared for her vanished from the table. Zhang Zhuanghao might… hopefully still be fine.
The blonde Miss had left at some point, and restlessness stirred around the table.
Cheng Li raised his voice slightly, careful not to be too loud, and accused Xunian and Fu Ruxue,
“Are you messing with me?! There was nothing in the Garden, just a corpse!”
Last night, under Xunian and Fu Ruxue’s direction, he had dug around the Garden for treasure but found nothing—except for a dead man.
Even after rummaging over the body for a long time, he found nothing valuable.
A corpse?!
Fu Ruxue instinctively glanced at Xunian, who remained unfazed and expressionless, unsurprised by Cheng Li’s claims.
Fu Ruxue suddenly realized that Xunian’s earlier words, the ones seemingly meant to trick her, were not lies—Xunian really did know something was buried in the Garden, which was why she had sent Cheng Li to dig.
“I’m asking you!”
Faced with the accusation, Xunian slowly feigned surprise, a trace of dismissal in her tone,
“Ah? Maybe I guessed wrong.”
Cheng Li was about to retort but fell silent when someone entered.
A figure appeared, shocking everyone like a ticking bomb exploding inside their hearts.
“Good morning, everyone. Hope you’ve been well.”
A smile curved the butler’s handsome face; the emeralds on his luxurious clothes underscored his distinction.
Xunian recalled the diary’s contents—in line with the pattern, the one who should have died last night was the butler.
Among the players, that corresponded to Zhang Zhuanghao.
Resting her chin on her hand, Xunian openly proposed before the butler,
“How about we go check if that guy is really dead in the butler’s room?”
The butler remained unfazed, greeting everyone with his flawless smile.
At last, at eight o’clock sharp, Li Hua tossed his fork and knife onto his plate.
A white bug inside the plate squirted green slime as it was smashed.
“Let’s go take a look?”
“What’s there to see?!”
Cheng Li looked dumbfounded, reluctant to go.
If they encountered that kind of scene again, he didn’t want to experience it a second time.
Seeing everyone else stand, Cheng Li had no choice but to follow, though he really didn’t want to be alone with the butler who could twist his neck 180 degrees.
The butler’s smile deepened, watching them leave with a friendly gaze, his burning eyes almost piercing their backs.
The group reached Zhang Zhuanghao’s door.
Fu Ruxue was the first to arrive but hesitated to open it, stepping aside.
“You open it.”
Li Hua pushed the door open without defense.
The scene was hauntingly familiar.
His eyes reflected the blood-red room.
Zhang Zhuanghao’s head rolled on the floor, his neck spurting blood as he died with eyes wide open, pain evident in his expression.
His bloated body lay on the bed, the headboard soaked crimson; splattered blood stained the floor.
Several empty wine bottles stood by the bed, the red wine in the goblets nearly drained.
Cheng Li frowned and refused to enter, staying far away.
“I can’t—I’m squeamish about blood.”
Li Hua’s eyes gleamed with concealed joy, quickly lowering his gaze to hide it.
He silently thought: finally, that guy is dead.
Feigning calm, he asked, “So the diary’s predictions were accurate?”
Xunian glanced around and tugged at the corner of her mouth with a mysterious smile.
Whether it was human action or supernatural, no one could say for sure.
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