At the doorway.
“Knock, knock, knock.”
A delicate-looking girl stood in front of Xunian’s door, hesitating before knocking again.
No response.
Had she gone to bed this early?
A flicker of doubt crossed her eyes, but she didn’t disturb further and returned to her own room.
……
A thin veil of mist clouded the clear eyes, the recently kissed corner of her lips still tinged with faint moisture, tender and soft.
She suppressed the inexplicable flutter in her heart, narrowing her eyes to try and make out the woman’s face, but the vision remained blurred.
“Long time no see.”
The blonde woman chuckled softly, her breathy voice oddly familiar.
Xunian almost immediately recalled the faint laughter she heard when handing the handkerchief to The Headless Maid.
“Is that you?”
The woman’s pleasant voice held a trace of joy. “Finally remember me?”
Xunian tensed, wary of the woman’s movements, and asked,
“Who exactly are you?”
The slender hand curled a strand of her hair. The blonde woman didn’t answer, simply sitting on the edge of the bed, playing with Xunian’s hair.
“Golden hair, and appearing in this room… are you the Duchess?”
Xunian spoke to divert the woman’s attention while her hand slipped behind her back to retrieve the knife hidden beneath the pillow.
Unexpectedly, the blonde woman seemed irritated by her words, her voice turning cold. “Looks like you still haven’t remembered me.”
Xunian’s hand froze under the pillow.
No knife?
She was certain it was hidden there.
Distracted, her limbs were suddenly trapped in the blonde woman’s embrace, the sudden closeness making her gasp out loud:
“What do you want to do?!”
Softness and warmth radiated through the clothing; the woman’s face was inches away, warm breath caressing Xunian’s cheeks.
Even without a clear view, she could vaguely recognize the beautiful contours before her, along with the obsession flickering in her blood-hued pupils.
“Forgotten, have you? That’s alright. I’ll make sure you remember me forever.”
“I don’t even know you… mmph—”
The woman gently cradled the back of her neck, cutting her off with a kiss. The burning breath made her dizzy; her body softened, almost melting into a puddle, as if submerged in a warm ocean.
She struggled desperately but gradually sank, passively accepting this forceful kiss.
Inexperienced, Xunian didn’t know how to breathe properly and was nearly suffocated by the kiss.
Only when released did she feel like a drowning person finally rescued, her gaze vacant as she leaned against the headboard, gasping for air.
The woman stroked her slightly chapped lips with satisfaction, eyes lingering with a dark tenderness.
She intended to brand her mark on Xunian, so she would never forget and could belong only to her.
“Mmph…”
“Don’t…”
For some unknown reason, Xunian found strength again and struggled.
In the midst of the struggle, her leg brushed against something soft and furry; the person on her body paused.
Immediately after, a strong pulling sensation swept over her, and the scene—including the woman—began fading away until everything turned pitch black.
Xunian snapped open her eyes. Above her was the ceiling, adorned with chandelier-like artwork.
She reached beneath the pillow—thankfully, the knife was still there.
So.
It was a dream?
Her hand brushed over her soft lips, the sensation of those lips pressed against hers still lingering.
“Phew…”
She exhaled deeply.
Sitting up, she realized her body was damp; sweat had soaked her clothes, sticky and unpleasant.
She glanced down, motionless for a long moment.
After sitting still for some time, the heat in her face finally subsided.
How could she have such a ridiculous dream in a place like this?
As soon as she entered the room, a strange fragrance overwhelmed her, which was why she had the chance to look for the “Key” to clear the level.
She rummaged around and found this place hadn’t been inhabited for a long time, thick dust covering every corner.
The furnishings were as simple as could be; besides the bed and a wooden writing desk, there was only one cabinet.
Deep inside the desk’s cabinet sat a bottle of liquid, its label torn off—unknown whether it was wine or medicine.
Creak—
The dusty wooden cabinet was opened, neatly hanging several luxurious dresses worn by medieval noblewomen.
By now, she was certain this was the Duchess’s Room.
Although dust blanketed much of the room, the clothing here was spotless, faintly smelling of sunshine, as if freshly washed and dried.
Behind her, the Duchess’s Portrait—the golden-haired woman and the child cradled in her arms—still stared at her.
Borrowing one shouldn’t be a problem.
Xunian took down a garment that suited her taste and held it up toward the golden-haired woman in the painting.
“Just borrowing this.”
She turned and entered the bathroom. Behind her, the woman in the portrait nodded slightly.
The bedroom even had its own bathroom, and inside was a steaming wooden tub of water, which should have long since cooled, but when she reached in, heat still rose.
She stripped and stepped into the tub; the hot water flowed over her shoulders, enveloping every inch of skin, relaxing muscles tense from the day.
She stirred the water with her hand. Suddenly, the face on the surface rippled and smiled at her, the curve of the lips unnervingly strange.
Her reflection’s mouth split open, revealing a bloodthirsty maw ready to bite.
Xunian’s heart jolted. She hurled the soap at the water’s surface and kicked up an arc of water, leaping out of the tub.
Her foot slipped on the tiles, her body losing balance. She grabbed the tub desperately but slammed her heel hard against the bathroom door.
Xunian gasped sharply.
The tub overturned, water gushing out with a loud splash, rushing toward the drain.
Feeling the dull ache in her heel, Xunian regretted her carelessness.
“Tsk.”
No room for letting down her guard.
After a long moment, she steadied herself, propping her hands on the floor to rise, turning on the faucet to rinse off.
The water that flowed out was pale red—blood-tinged.
Her gaze shot up, suddenly noticing her reflection in the mirror was smiling, eyes and nose bleeding profusely.
Xunian’s face remained expressionless as she slapped the mirror.
“What are you looking at?”
The mirror’s “Xunian” looked dazed, eyes wide with shock, bleeding from all orifices.
It tried to open its bloodied mouth wide again, forming a new sinister curve.
Slap.
Another blow landed.
Xunian gave no chance for retaliation and swiftly turned away from the mirror.
The ferocious “Xunian” in the glass vanished with lingering resentment.
The blood-red moon cast pure white moonlight, illuminating the elegantly dressed noble girl.
Her demeanor was aloof and graceful as she stood by the window, moonlight painting her face fair and translucent.
The girl’s gaze landed on the garden below, where vast clusters of red Manjusaka bloomed—a sea of flowers symbolizing the cycle of death—glittering brilliantly under the flicker of fireflies, both eerie and beautiful.
Xunian looked out at the flower sea through the window and curved her lips lightly, her calm gaze devoid of any emotion.
The Other Shore Flower, symbolizing death? Interesting.
“Ah—”
Suddenly, a piercing scream shattered the night’s silence.
It sounded like it came from downstairs.
Xunian furrowed her brow and hurried to the door, her hand on the handle but not pressing down.
Her gaze fixed on the metal doorknob; her long, thick eyelashes fluttered slightly.
The hair she had placed in the door crack was gone.
It wasn’t in the crack or on the floor—strange.
Memories from the dream flooded her mind again, vivid and tangible, making her feel it was less a dream and more a carefully woven illusion.
So, was it a dream—or…
She changed her mind.
Now was not the right time to go out. The scream was likely from a Player; it could be dangerous outside.
The hair’s disappearance meant someone had entered while she slept, yet she was still standing here unharmed.
At least, that meant no immediate threat inside, and whoever it was harbored no ill intent.
But she didn’t want to endure that kind of dream again.
Just recalling it made her annoyed; in the dream, her body was completely out of her control, manipulated by another. The feeling was terrible.
Xunian’s ears flushed red, her eyes swirling with anger.
She tucked the knife beneath her pillow, ready for any emergency, and leaned against the door, enduring the night without sleep.
The next day.
7:40 a.m.
Xunian estimated the time and planned to go downstairs to check on things.
[Rules Five]: Meals must be eaten on time every day.
She had asked the Butler last night; breakfast was at 8 a.m., so it was safer to go down a bit early.
As soon as she opened the door, she ran into the delicate girl who had left at the same time.
The girl closed her door and smiled at her. “Good morning.”
Xunian nodded. “Morning.”
They descended together. The girl found an excuse to strike up a conversation.
“Did you hear the scream last night?”
“What scream?”
Xunian’s genuine confusion convinced her.
“Around midnight, there was suddenly a scream, seemed to come from the First Floor.” The girl invited, “How about after breakfast, we check out the First Floor together?”
“Sure.” Xunian had planned to investigate anyway and glanced at her before agreeing.
Xunian noted the girl said “after breakfast” and found it amusing.
Would that meal even be edible?
Protein from maggots is six times that of beef, right?
That would really be the most protein-packed meal.
“Oh, by the way, I don’t even know your name.” The girl asked casually.
“Xunian.”
“Xunian,” she repeated the name carefully. “Such a lovely name.”
“I’m Fu Ruxue. If you don’t want to live next to the duchess’s daughter,” Fu Ruxue twirled her hair as she spoke, “you can come find me. I’m more than willing to swap rooms.”
“No need. I’m quite comfortable where I am.”
Xunian refused immediately without hesitation.
The girl called Fu Ruxue gave her the impression of intentionally trying to befriend her.
Xunian didn’t want to get close to anyone; she just wanted to find the “Key” Fu Ruxue mentioned and clear this level to go back.
Suddenly, faint laughter echoed in her ears again, overlapping with the voice of the golden-haired woman from the dream.
Damn it.
Not again.
Xunian frowned.
“What’s wrong?”