Chapter 15: Castle Stories 15 Come Again

Waiting obediently for the Young Lady was out of the question.

A clock on the basement wall read 7:12.

Xu Nian had already tested at the dining table: she was special to the Young Lady, and even a mysterious castle figure like her couldn’t break the rules.

This gave Xu Nian confidence.

She didn’t know why the Young Lady felt so strongly for her, but if she could use those feelings to clear the game, it was a win.

Hopping on one foot, Xu Nian reached the torture tools, searching for clues.

Two silver handcuffs gleamed among the tools—likely useless. She glanced and moved on.

Finding nothing, she turned to the guillotine, its blade crusted with blood. Something finger-sized glinted.

Limping over, she picked it up.

A white chess piece, topped with a cross, small but stately.

Chess?

The dim candlelight last night had hidden it.

Instantly, her mind connected to the rules, eyes darkening.

Rule Three: The Duchess loves chess. You can play with her if she’s willing.

The Duchess hadn’t appeared, and Xu Nian had nearly forgotten this rule.

Since arriving, the Duke hadn’t shown either.

Odd.

Of the five rules, only the Young Lady was a confirmed presence.

More chess pieces were scattered on the guillotine. Xu Nian gathered them, counting 22.

Five black and five white pawns were missing—10 pieces short of a full chess set.

She searched under the bed, in cabinets, and on the table, sweating, brows furrowed.

No more pieces anywhere.

Comparing them, the missing pieces were all pawns: five black, five white.

Xu Nian toyed with the pieces, eyes narrowing, pondering their link to the rules.

Was the rule hinting at playing chess with the Duchess?

Why were exactly 10 pawns missing, and why pawns?

They must be elsewhere.

She couldn’t stay long.

Sitting on the bed, Xu Nian calculated silently.

Including the first night, it was their fourth day in the castle.

Three days left. If she didn’t find the “key,” escape would be tough.

No time to waste with the Young Lady.

She needed a way out.

When the Young Lady returned, she saw a bundle under the blankets and chuckled.

Her eyes softened as she set something by the bed, poking the bundle. “Get up.”

The bundle shifted, unwilling to emerge.

“Go out first.”

A muffled voice came from within.

The Young Lady hugged the blankets, whispering, “I’ve seen everything already. No need to be shy.”

“No way.” A black-haired head poked out, Xu Nian glaring. “Turn around.”

“Fine.”

The Young Lady turned.

Rustling followed, then a faint voice. “Done.”

Turning back, she saw Xu Nian’s slender frame in fitted medieval clothes, accentuating her sweet face with elegance. Silky black hair cascaded over her shoulders, bangs framing a perfect face.

Stunned, the Young Lady couldn’t look away.

The once-unattainable figure was now within reach.

Her heart raced, blood roaring, urging her to touch.

Xu Nian shoved a silk scarf into her hand. “I don’t like scarves.”

“What about… those marks?”

The Young Lady’s red eyes gleamed with delight, admiring Xu Nian’s neck like a masterpiece.

Sensing trouble, Xu Nian rushed to a full-length mirror, ignoring its sinister grin, and slapped it, spotting the marks covering her neck.

The mirror’s “Xu Nian” glared furiously, poised to lunge, but shrank under the Young Lady’s glare.

Xu Nian realized the mirror showed no one behind her.

Whirling around, she saw the familiar face smiling. “What’s wrong?”

Xu Nian touched her pocket, where all the chess pieces were safely stashed.

Pretending nothing happened, she tied the scarf around her neck. “Nothing. Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

The trapdoor burst open without force, and the golden figure swept Xu Nian up, leaping out.

She locked eyes with Fu Ruxue, who’d come to check on Xu Nian.

The Young Lady’s red eyes were cold, her gaze terrifying.

Fu Ruxue looked away, stepping back.

She didn’t want to be a third wheel.

Xu Nian noticed Fu Ruxue but froze mid-step, ankle throbbing worse than yesterday.

The Young Lady, sensing this, scooped her up, smirking provocatively at Fu Ruxue.

Fu Ruxue averted her eyes, embarrassed. She wasn’t trying to steal Xu Nian. Why did the Young Lady look at her like she was a corpse? She was a decent person!

Dining Hall

Fu Ruxue and the flamboyant duo reached the table, Xu Nian calmly placed in her seat under everyone’s stares.

Only two of the three men were present.

Cheng Li’s face was dark, Li Hua calm as ever.

Zhang Zhuanghao was missing.

Five plates were set, but one was absent.

No one bothered to fetch him. Time was tight, and they could barely save themselves.

No one dared assume he was dead. The timid girl’s death left no plate, so Zhang Zhuanghao might be… fine?

The Young Lady had vanished. The table grew restless.

Cheng Li raised his voice, cautious not to be too loud, confronting Xu Nian and Fu Ruxue. “Were you playing me? The garden had nothing but a corpse!”

Last night, guided by them, he dug for treasure, finding only a male corpse with nothing valuable.

A corpse?!

Fu Ruxue glanced at Xu Nian, who remained impassive, unsurprised.

Fu Ruxue realized Xu Nian hadn’t lied—she knew something was buried and sent Cheng Li to dig.

“Answer me!”

Xu Nian, slow to react, feigned surprise halfheartedly. “Oh? Guess I was wrong.”

Cheng Li opened his mouth, but a figure’s arrival silenced him.

A shocking presence, like a ticking bomb, exploded in their minds.

“Good morning, everyone. Enjoying yourselves?”

A handsome face smiled, his ornate clothes and emerald gem marking his distinction.

The butler!

Xu Nian recalled the diary. By its pattern, the butler should’ve died last night.

Among the players, that corresponded to Zhang Zhuanghao.

Propping her chin, she boldly suggested in front of the butler, “Why don’t we check the butler’s room to see if he’s dead?”

The butler, unruffled, smiled perfectly.

At 8:00, Li Hua tossed his utensils down, splattering green ooze from a white bug in his plate.

“Let’s go check?”

“What’s to see?!” Cheng Li snapped, reluctant.

Another gruesome scene was the last thing he wanted.

Seeing others stand, he grudgingly followed, unwilling to be alone with the neck-twisting butler.

The butler’s smile deepened, his gaze burning into their backs as they left.

At Zhang Zhuanghao’s door, Fu Ruxue hesitated, stepping aside. “You open it.”

Li Hua pushed it open without precaution.

A familiar scene.

Blood painted the room. Zhang Zhuanghao’s head rolled, neck gushing, eyes open in deathly rage.

His bloated body lay on the bed, blood soaking the headboard, splattered across the floor.

Empty wine bottles and a drained goblet sat by the bed.

Cheng Li, staying back, grimaced. “I can’t handle blood.”

Li Hua’s eyes gleamed with hidden joy, quickly masked. “So the diary came true?”

Xu Nian scanned the room, lips curling into an ambiguous smile.

Human or supernatural? Hard to say.