At this critical moment, a shadow flashed by.
Li Xin rushed forward with lightning speed, grabbing Lady Karin’s wrist with a firm grip and twisting hard.
A sharp “crack” rang out, accompanied by Lady Karin’s piercing scream, as the dining knife clattered to the floor.
Li Xin moved swiftly and decisively, snatching up the knife with her other hand, pinning Lady Karin firmly against the dining table so she couldn’t move.
Li Xin’s eyes were icy cold, like a drawn sword, locked tightly on Lady Karin as a clear warning: “Lady Karin, please restrain yourself.”
Mu Xi was stunned.
She looked at Li Xin, so close, her cold profile, sharp gaze, and the strong arm tightly gripping Lady Karin’s wrist—all of it gave her an unexpected sense of security.
At that moment, Li Xin was like a knight standing up to protect her “princess.”
Mu Xi’s heart suddenly beat faster, an inexplicable feeling quietly growing deep within.
Ye Lan set down her napkin, elegantly wiping the corner of her mouth, as if none of this concerned her.
She said deliberately, “Karin, it seems you’re not happy with my pet.”
Lady Karin, still pressed down by Li Xin, gritted her teeth through the pain but refused to back down.
She yelled sharply, “Ye! Did you see that? This lowly maid dared to mock me! And your subordinate actually laid hands on me! You owe me an explanation!”
Ye Lan stood up and walked over to Lady Karin, looking down at her from above, her gaze freezing cold and emotionless.
“Karin, you’ve repeatedly crossed my bottom line. Here, my pet is off-limits to your mischief.”
Lady Karin’s face drained of color.
Only now did she realize she had truly angered Ye Lan.
She summoned her last bit of stubbornness and shouted fiercely, “Ye! Don’t forget who I am! Without my father’s support, you’re nothing!”
A cold smile curled on Ye Lan’s lips like frost in the dead of winter, sending chills down the spine.
“Don’t worry, Lady Karin. Soon, your father will be waiting for you in hell.”
She turned to Li Xin, “Take her away and lock her in the dungeon.”
“The dungeon?!” Li Xin raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Punishing a Guest by locking them in the dungeon seemed excessively harsh.
Lady Karin was stunned as well.
She never expected Ye Lan to actually take things this far—and to send her to that dreaded place!
“Ye! Are you crazy? I am your Guest! How dare you imprison me in the dungeon!”
Panic overtook Lady Karin.
She screamed hoarsely, filled with terror and despair.
But Ye Lan remained unmoved, looking at her coldly with a voice as hard as steel: “Take her down.”
Without hesitation, Li Xin hoisted Lady Karin up and dragged her out of the Dining Hall.
Lady Karin screamed and cursed all the way, but it was useless.
Soon, her cries faded at the doorway.
Silence returned to the Dining Hall, leaving only the scattered mess on the table and a heavy stillness.
Mu Xi stood there dazed, glancing at Ye Lan, then towards the direction Li Xin had gone, emotions swirling within her.
She knew Ye Lan was truly ruthless.
To protect her “pet,” she could mercilessly offend an important “Guest.”
And Li Xin…
Mu Xi looked after Li Xin’s departing figure, feeling a complex mix of gratitude, surprise, and an unspoken flutter stirring in her heart.
Ye Lan approached, gently stroking Mu Xi’s head like soothing a frightened kitten.
“Don’t be afraid, my little cat.”
Her voice was low and magnetic, with a subtle warmth beneath the surface.
“Here in this manor, no one—not even Karin—can threaten your safety. Your security is more important than anything else.”
Mu Xi thought silently: Ye Lan is like a tyrannical CEO, her logic being “what’s mine, I can bully; if others touch it, it’s unacceptable.”
Yet on the surface, Mu Xi obediently nestled against Ye Lan, feeling that false sense of protection.
Ye Lan took Mu Xi’s hand and led her into a vintage elevator with gilded edges, ascending back to Mu Xi’s room.
The elevator rose slowly.
Through the carved glass window, Mu Xi watched the manor’s scenery gradually fall away beneath them—the Gothic spires, the neatly trimmed lawns, the distant woods—all bathed in a serene and luxurious glow.
Back in the room, Ye Lan casually sank onto the chaise lounge, her posture lazy yet elegant.
She gestured for Mu Xi to sit and then asked offhandedly, “Want to know what kind of relationship Karin and I have?”
Mu Xi nodded, curious.
Lady Karin’s arrogant, overbearing attitude didn’t seem fitting for someone addressing the manor’s mistress.
Instead, it was like she was dealing with a junior who could be easily manipulated.
“Karin’s father and my father were sworn brothers.”
Ye Lan spoke calmly, as if discussing the weather.
“When I started from nothing, relying on connections everywhere, Karin’s father helped me a lot. After my father passed away, he supported me even more, helping me reach where I am today.”
Mu Xi was surprised to hear that Lady Karin’s father had been kind to Ye Lan.
But Ye just said she’d kill Karin’s father.
Wasn’t that ungrateful?
She couldn’t help but blurt out, “Karin’s father treated you so well, and you… still want to kill him?”
Ye Lan’s lips curled into a cold smile, her eyes gleaming with danger.
“Love the house, hate the person; hate the house, hate the person too, right?” she said lightly.
“Killing Karin will inevitably anger him. Since that’s the case, better to cut off the root and end all troubles.”
Mu Xi shivered.
Ye Lan’s ruthlessness and decisiveness went far beyond what she imagined.
Suddenly, she felt herself trapped in an extremely dangerous place, with Ye Lan at the unpredictable center of it all.
Seemingly sensing Mu Xi’s unease, Ye Lan reached out again to stroke her hair, her tone softening somewhat.
“Don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you. You’re different from them.”
Mu Xi forced a smile and nodded but felt even more wary inside.
Ye Lan rose and headed to the door, then suddenly paused, turning back with a meaningful look.
“Mu Xi, remember, in this manor, you only owe loyalty to me.”
With that, she turned and left, leaving Mu Xi alone in the room.
Silence settled once more.
Mu Xi sat on the chaise lounge, Ye Lan’s words echoing in her mind.
When she recalled the phrase “Ye Lan’s father,” an inexplicable feeling welled up inside her—a heaviness as if something was blocking her chest, suffocating and oppressive.
A wave of indescribable sadness overwhelmed her.
Her eyes involuntarily grew wet, tears silently streaming down her cheeks.
She didn’t remember who Ye Lan’s father was, nor had any impression of the man, yet her body reacted with genuine grief, unable to contain it.
This sorrow felt innate, deeply imprinted on her soul, impossible to shake off.