The young girl’s pure eyes were as clear as a pool of water.
Upon hearing the other’s words, a barely noticeable flicker of doubt passed through her gaze.
Why didn’t Fu Ruxue come to ask herself?
Xunian pretended to be puzzled. “What door?”
Li Hua’s tone grew a little impatient. “The door out.”
Xunian tilted her head, her eyes still clear and innocent, as if she truly didn’t understand.
Li Hua bluntly exposed her. “Don’t pretend. You know what I’m talking about.”
The Duke’s Daughter’s gaze drifted over, and Xunian felt a sudden pang of guilt under that look.
“I know what you want, and you know what I want. How about a fair trade where we both get what we need?”
Li Hua launched into a complicated tongue-twister of a proposal.
The Duke’s Daughter watched the two with great interest, a cryptic smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
Conspiring so loudly in front of her—looks like Xunian was asking for punishment again.
The bell inside the box hadn’t even been used yet.
Images of Xunian’s flushed face in moments of passion, her heart-wrenching pleas, echoed in his mind, making his heart beat faster.
She was already looking forward to the evening.
“I don’t understand what you’re saying,” Xunian shook her head in confusion. “Close the door.”
The Duke’s Daughter nodded with satisfaction.
Not bad.
Maybe a reward for tonight.
“Click.”
The door shut.
Li Hua examined the “key,” his fingertips tracing the grooves of the cross, a victorious smile curling his lips.
The deal was sealed.
Out of the Duke’s Daughter’s sight, Xunian gave Li Hua an “OK” hand gesture under the table.
Soon, he would be able to leave this cursed place.
……
“La la la, la la la…”
The braided girl carried a basin of laundry, humming a folk tune as she lightly stepped along the red carpet of the Second Floor Corridor.
Suddenly, a sharp pain exploded at the back of her head. Before she could cry out, darkness took over.
Her slender body collapsed to the floor.
From the shadows behind, a man emerged.
A thin hand gripped a dagger, pressing it against the suture line on her pale neck.
“Ssshhk—”
Her head fell with a dull thud, rolling across the woolen rug until it came to rest.
The girl’s pitch-black eyes held no life; a stiff smile remained frozen on her face.
Bloodstained, the rug glowed more vividly under the dim yellow light.
The girl, who had just recently seen the light of day, now plunged once more into endless, sunless darkness.
……
The girl’s silky black hair draped over her shoulders as soft light outlined her serene profile.
She was deeply engrossed in reading.
Beside her, a golden-haired woman with breathtaking beauty stared blankly at her face, seemingly doing nothing else but finding satisfaction in just watching her.
Suddenly,
The Duke’s Daughter’s expression darkened, her demeanor grave, her face shadowed. “I’m going out for a while.”
For a fleeting moment, Xunian realized this might be their last meeting.
“Wait.” Xunian grabbed her hand.
The Duke’s Daughter turned back; her golden hair swept gracefully behind her. Her sharply defined, coldly beautiful face met Xunian’s gaze.
In her eyes were emotions Xunian couldn’t decipher—beneath the soft gaze was a trace of pain, and… a hint of resignation?
Xunian felt the burn of that look deep within her chest, a strange bitterness rising as if something precious was about to be lost.
Her eyelashes fluttered; her lips quivered slightly before she softly asked,
“I never asked… what’s your name?”
“Motifira Caesar,” she withdrew her hand, offering a forced smile as she explained, “Motifira, in Latin, means deadly, bringer of death.”
She hated her surname, hated her given name even more, and only spoke it because Xunian asked.
No sooner had the words fallen than she turned away, her back resolute.
Perhaps she already knew.
That Xunian was going back to the real world, not staying here.
Her mood was heavy, as if a massive stone pressed down on her chest, making it hard to breathe.
Her heart felt empty, her eyes burning; the world before her blurred.
How could this be?
Xunian clutched her chest, catching a glistening tear.
Her eyes were filled with confusion, unable to understand why such sorrow had taken root in her heart.
Besides her parents, there had only ever been one person in her heart; there was no room for a second.
Was it really because they were too alike?
She asked herself.
But she never found the answer.
Unknowingly, after days of spending time together, the Duke’s Daughter had silently taken root in her heart.
She might never forget her.
“Bang—”
The door was flung open forcefully. Li Hua stood at the entrance, breathing heavily, one hand clutching the doorknob, the other tightly gripping the “key.”
“Can you finally tell me where the door is?”
He hurried forward in three quick steps, standing beside Xunian. “Tell me, where is the door?”
Xunian glanced behind her but saw no familiar figure. She asked him,
“Where’s Fu Ruxue?”
“Don’t worry about her now,” Li Hua grew anxious. “The Duke’s Daughter can only be distracted for so long. If we don’t leave soon, she’ll take revenge on me.”
“What did you do?”
“Tell me!” This time Li Hua was truly annoyed, his gaze sharp. “Are you going to back out on me?”
“Help me unlock this, and I’ll tell you where the door is.”
Xunian cast a sidelong glance at the Teddy Bear lying on the bedside and shook the iron chain in her hand.
“Alright.”
Seeing she wasn’t lying, Li Hua reluctantly pulled out the pliers he had prepared earlier.
“You can’t get the iron ring off your wrist,” he said, “so I’ll cut the chain below.”
Despite his lean frame, Li Hua was strong. In a few quick snips, he snapped the iron chain apart.
“Let’s go, get out of here first, find somewhere no one is around.”
Xunian hugged the plush toy and headed out. Li Hua, constrained by her control, had no choice but to follow.
“Hurry up and tell me!” he muttered softly.
Xunian led him to the Castle Manor’s main gate.
Having already struggled with the Duke’s Daughter, Li Hua was exhausted, leaning against the bushes, holding onto a branch to catch his breath. “Alright… where’s the door?”
“Give me the key. I’ll open it.”
Li Hua immediately grew wary, casting a suspicious look. “You’re not playing me, are you?”
“Play you? What nonsense. You saved me; why would I play you?” Xunian frowned in displeasure.
A scholar’s affairs could never be called deceit.
“I’ve been here before. The key didn’t fit at all. Why bring me here?”
Li Hua narrowed his eyes; a rare gleam of killing intent flashed in his usually calm gaze.
“That means you were using the wrong method,” Xunian said confidently. “I know the correct way to insert the key.”
“The Chess Game I played with the Duchess before was right, wasn’t it? I know all the ways to pass through.”
Xunian gently guided him to recall the process of obtaining the “key.”
Li Hua remembered how decisively Xunian had played the chess game, struggling as he handed over the key.