Chapter 24:Castle Stories 24 Madam

“No, no… we can’t talk about the Duchess so casually…”

The maid backed away, staring at Xu Nian like she was a beast.

“Xu Nian?” Fu Ruxue lit up. “How’d you escape?”

“…Used some tricks,” Xu Nian replied vaguely.

A slight sacrifice of her charm.

“The blood moon seems tied to their power. We need to leave today. I’ve figured out the gate and key’s location.”

So fast?!

Li Hua and Fu Ruxue’s eyes blazed with excitement.

No time for reunions, Xu Nian needed answers. She turned to the maid, her cold gaze scrutinizing the timid girl clutching her clothes.

The maid’s refusal to talk—was the Duchess a forbidden topic?

“Why won’t you tell me about the Duchess?”

Xu Nian weighed how to pry her mouth open.

“She’s just shy,” Fu Ruxue interjected.

“Miss Maid, can you tell me about the Duchess?” Xu Nian softened her tone.

The maid met her calm, icy eyes, shrinking back. “Sorry, I can’t…”

“Can’t?”

Xu Nian toyed with an ornate box, a note attached: To Miss.

Fu Ruxue touched her pocket, noticing it felt lighter.

When did Xu Nian take it?

“Ah! My box…” The maid panicked, reaching for it, but Xu Nian dodged.

“Refuse, and this box might…”

Xu Nian smiled, tightening her grip, the box creaking.

“It’s from the Duchess, please don’t…” The maid’s eyes reddened, tears welling.

Xu Nian’s irritation flared but eased, tossing the box back. “Fine, keep your secrets.”

She, a frail girl, couldn’t crush a solid wood box anyway. The sound was a bluff.

She had other ways to confirm her suspicions, just more troublesome.

As Xu Nian grabbed Fu Ruxue to leave, a soft voice stopped her.

“Wait, I can talk…”

Xu Nian turned, tilting her head. “Sure?”

“Yes. But… one condition.”

“What?” Xu Nian focused.

“Be kinder to Miss,” the maid pleaded, eyes on Xu Nian. “The Duke’s harsh, forcing her to practice noble skills half the day. If she fails, no food. Since birth, she’s only known me, no friends her age. You’re her first friend. She trusts you, so I do too. I’ll tell you what I know about the Duchess. Just… show her some warmth, even a little. She’s suffered so much…”

Her voice broke, eyes mixing melancholy and sorrow. Without the neck stitches, anyone would’ve been moved.

Xu Nian softened. “I will.”

At least until she left.

The maid wiped tears with an unfamiliar handkerchief. “Ask away.”

“Where’s the Duchess now?”

“She died when Miss was seven.”

No surprise—they’d suspected as much.

“How was the Duke and Duchess’s relationship?”

“Not good. I was ten, saw them argue often. The Duchess was frail, coughing heavily when pushed by the Duke.”

“The Duke’s vile,” Fu Ruxue fumed, wishing she’d stabbed him more.

“When the Duke was away, the Duchess taught me to read,” the maid reminisced. “Now Miss does.”

“Where and how did the Duchess die?”

“I don’t know. She gave me money to buy candy. When I returned, she was lifeless on the floor… The doctor was too late. If I hadn’t gone, maybe…” Guilt laced her voice.

“This bottle?” Xu Nian showed the drug from the Duchess’s room.

Fu Ruxue’s lips twitched—it was hers, creases and all. How did Xu Nian pickpocket so flawlessly?

“It was by her feet when she died. I kept it in a drawer.”

The Young Lady seemed grown, so the Duchess’s death was likely over a decade ago, explaining the bottle’s viscous contents.

One last question lingered, everything building to it.

“Did the Duchess, before dying, give…”

Noticing Li Hua’s glance, Xu Nian hesitated and stopped.

The maid waited, then asked timidly, “No more questions?”

“None.”

The maid stayed, mopping nearby.

“Sync up?” Xu Nian asked the others.

“Sure.”

“Okay.”

Li Hua recounted seeing stitches on the butler’s neck that morning, then being chased to the castle.

“Something odd,” Fu Ruxue whispered, eyeing the maid. “The Duke and maid… they go to the Young Lady’s room at night. I saw it.”

Xu Nian pieced it together. The maid’s neck stitches, the butler’s, their nightly retreat to the Young Lady’s room—something clicked.

She glanced warily at the maid.

The maid, as if sensing it, looked up, eyes briefly flashing red.

Brown or black eyes shouldn’t flash red.

Unless…

Trouble.

Walls have ears.

Xu Nian grabbed Fu Ruxue’s arm. “Quick, to the Duchess’s room.”

Li Hua, with no better option, jogged after.

“Why run?” The maid blinked, confused.

Why was she cleaning here?

She’d meant to leave after answering, but some force kept her, compelling her to do chores.

In a room, a slender arm snapped a table corner in rage.

Crushing the wood to dust, she smirked playfully.

Dare trick her?

Good thing she’d sent the maid to “bump” into them, seeing their schemes through her eyes.

No rush. They should worry.

Finding the key? Useless.

She controlled the gate. Key or not, they’d never find the exit.

In the Duchess’s room, two cold, snake-like gazes swept over them.

The painting’s blonde Duchess frowned, her child staring with a mischievous grin, showing sharp little fangs.

“Come in.”

Fu Ruxue and Xu Nian entered.

Li Hua lingered, recalling the painting tripping him once.

Placing 22 chess pieces on the board, the Duchess’s frown became a neutral line.

Fu Ruxue unwrapped the gardener’s fingers, pouring them onto the board.

The Duchess’s expression softened, lips curving gently.

As she smiled, the fingers aligned on the glowing board.

Almost there.

Fu Ruxue added the Duke’s hard-won fingers.

The board glowed brighter, the Duchess’s smile deepening, eyes approving.

But nothing appeared.

The child’s eyes matured, as if housing an adult soul, staring at them.

Li Hua, watching from outside, met her gaze and vanished behind the wall. “I’ll wait here. Call if you need me.”

The glowing board’s pieces moved, forming a chess game.

Xu Nian guessed the key was in the game.

“Do you know chess?”

Both shook their heads.

“I know the rules but never played,” Li Hua said.

This was bad.