Chapter 5:Castle Stories 5 Garden

The other two men, reminded by her words, hurried back to their rooms with grim faces.
Only the two girls remained, unmoving.
Xu Nian, unfazed by the corpse on the bed and the head on the floor, stepped into the room, searching for useful information.
Fu Ruxue lingered at the door, hesitant to enter, her gaze avoiding the blood-dripping head. “Any clues?”
Xu Nian shook her head.
On the desk lay a quill and parchment with messy handwriting listing trivial cleaning tasks. Xu Nian flipped through each sheet, front and back, finding nothing useful.
She neatly stacked the papers at the desk’s corner and opened the drawer, the sound of metal and wood clashing. Inside was a well-preserved metal box with a note, faintly readable:
To the Young Lady.
Xu Nian weighed the box; something hard rattled inside.
Fu Ruxue steeled herself, carefully stepping around the bleeding head, and approached. “This… something the maid gave the Young Lady? It could be key.”
Both hadn’t expected such a significant find. Xu Nian pried open the box, and their eyes fell on its contents.
Inside, a moldy piece of dry bread lay curled up.
Their hopeful gazes faded.
That’s it?
They exchanged a glance, disappointed. They’d expected something important, not just moldy bread.
Fu Ruxue’s lips twitched, baffled. “Why would the maid give the Young Lady bread?”
Xu Nian’s eyes held confusion. “No idea.”
The Young Lady, the Duke’s daughter, likely grew up with luxury. Why would she need bread from a maid?
Was she tired of lavish meals and craving plain, dry bread for a change?
The investigation hit a dead end.
They searched further but found no other leads.
The wardrobe held a few maid uniforms. Checking the pockets yielded only another cleaning list. The room was spotless, leaving no clues beyond the box.
The maid really loved cleaning.
With no leads, Xu Nian turned to the body on the bed.
The corpse’s blood had nearly drained, congealed at the neatly severed neck, the exposed skin grayish from blood loss.
“The cut matches the maid’s almost exactly.”
Xu Nian observed calmly, reaching her conclusion.
Fu Ruxue glanced briefly, unable to spot differences, inwardly shocked that Xu Nian could study a headless neck so closely and remember it. Terrifying.
She forced herself to look longer but still saw no distinction.
“Let’s go.”
Xu Nian called from the doorway, her beautiful face still expressionless, as if nothing could stir her.
“Wait for me.”
Fu Ruxue tiptoed around the bloodied head, hurrying to the door, fearing the room’s horrors might latch onto her.
Xu Nian looked toward the second floor, where one room remained closed.
Had she guessed wrong?
She’d deliberately lured the snakes, hoping to “draw the snake out of its hole.”
But the person she expected didn’t appear.
Was the dream figure not the Young Lady?
Based on her clues, only two women had blonde hair and red eyes: the Duchess and the Young Lady.
When she’d guessed the Duchess, the woman’s reaction didn’t fit.
That left only the Young Lady.
“See you at noon.” Fu Ruxue’s face shifted, and she hurried upstairs.
In the empty hall, Xu Nian stood alone, a breeze tugging her clothes.
Having scouted her room, finding the “key” meant looking elsewhere.
Suddenly, she noticed something off.
A breeze indoors?
She looked up.
The castle’s door stood open, revealing lush greenery outside, the sky a dull blue, stark against the vibrant yard, the atmosphere eerie.
Xu Nian narrowed her eyes, hand slipping to the knife hidden in her sleeve, gripping it tightly as she approached the door.
The outside unfolded before her, scenery unremarkable save for the gloomy sky.
No rule forbade going out, so it should be fine.
Without hesitation, she crossed the threshold.
A black shadow darted from the side, swiftly entangling her. Before she could react, a pale hand grabbed her collar, a blood-red neck twisting with cracking sounds, a pained scream piercing the air. “My head, my head…”
Xu Nian let the maid clutch her collar, knowing struggling was futile. She calmly patted her shoulder. “Keep it down, or I can’t hear you.”
The maid, in agony, released Xu Nian, clutching her blood-oozing neck, smearing her hands red. “Where’s my head? My head…”
Suddenly, she stopped, her hand reaching for Xu Nian, nails glinting, dripping blood, veins bulging, clawing toward her.
“It’s you, you took my head…”
Her voice dripped with rage and venom.
“When did you lose it?”
The sharp nails halted centimeters from Xu Nian.
The maid froze, stunned. She couldn’t recall how she lost her head; that day’s memories were gone, and she’d been searching ever since.
“Where and when did you lose it? I can help look.”
Xu Nian pressed, feigning concern.
“I don’t remember.” The maid’s voice was tinged with loss.
“What day did you lose it?”
“The Young Lady’s birthday.”
“Who did you see before you lost it?”
“I saw… the Duke.”
Xu Nian noted this silently. “The Duke?”
At the mention, the maid panicked, her headless neck twisting blindly, hands tugging her clothes, staining them red, muttering, “No, the Duke’s coming. He can’t find me here, or else…”
The maid hurried off.
Xu Nian crossed her arms, processing the information.
The Young Lady’s birthday was likely the maid’s death day. Someone beheaded her, and she’d seen the Duke beforehand.
Her fear suggested the maid was terrified of the Duke.
She saw the Duke before dying and feared him. Her death was likely tied to him.
Pity the maid left too quickly; Xu Nian couldn’t ask about the box for the Young Lady.
Chasing her wasn’t wise.
Following her memory, Xu Nian searched for the sea of spider lilies visible from the window.
Suddenly, she collided with a warm embrace, a weight pressing against her. Goosebumps rising, she instinctively pressed her knife to the person’s neck.
The figure, unfazed, rested their chin on her shoulder, chuckling softly, voice melodic.
Black and blonde hair tangled together, the blonde strands falling. Xu Nian realized it was the dream woman.
“Young Lady, you finally showed up.”
Xu Nian pressed the knife closer, nearly touching her neck, demanding release.
“Hmm, figured out who I am?”
The Young Lady’s hand slid down, interlocking fingers with Xu Nian’s free hand.
Their bodies pressed close, fingers entwined, the air bubbling with an ambiguous warmth.
Xu Nian had never been this close to anyone, not even her sister.
She disliked such intimacy.
Yet, with this woman, she couldn’t fully resist.
Her voice was like a spell, softening Xu Nian’s resolve, making her falter.
She tried to pull her hand free but was held fast.
Her ear was suddenly enveloped, soft lips brushing her sensitive earlobe, sending tingles through her. Xu Nian’s legs weakened, nearly dropping the knife.
Her ear flushed red as teeth grazed it, making her tremble.
“Mmph.”
Her face burned, mortified by the strange sound she made.
“Get… off.” She spat, embarrassed and angry.
Her raised knife wavered, easily taken and tossed aside by the woman.
Xu Nian shifted her weight, pulling the Young Lady’s hand to throw her over her shoulder, but she was immovable, like a solid boulder.
Spotting a figure in the garden, Xu Nian’s racing heart leapt, fearing being seen. She struggled fiercely, accidentally brushing her waist, letting out a muffled grunt. “Mmph, someone’s there~”
Her other hand was interlocked, the woman’s warm breath teasing her ear, soft and sweet. “Don’t worry, no one will see us here.”
Unfair.
That voice… Xu Nian couldn’t resist it.
To her, that voice…
Biting her lip, she fought to stay clear, defiance in her eyes.
Xu Nian had never lost to anyone. A mere Young Lady…
Even if forcibly kissed, she’d kiss back to get even!
She turned to face her, slowly leaning in, eyes on the Young Lady’s peach-soft lips, heart racing as she drew closer.
Surprise flashed in the Young Lady’s translucent red eyes. For the first time, Xu Nian responded. Her beautiful eyes loomed larger, and the Young Lady held her breath, unmoving, waiting for her approach.