Chapter 7: Castle Past 7 Diary

Xu Nian saw the woman’s full appearance clearly for the first time, and in that moment, her composure faltered.

Not just the voice, but her face too…

Her breathing quickened, hands trembling under the table, eyes flashing with shock before she lowered her gaze, hiding the dark thoughts stirring within.

Perhaps she truly had forgotten a past with this woman.

Anywhere, a face like that would make her pause.

It was strikingly similar to her.

The stunning blonde woman, clutching the eerie teddy bear, fixed her terrifying red eyes on the group. The visual impact left everyone holding their breath, too stunned to speak.

The blonde woman picked up the medicine bottle with interest, studying the liquid swirling inside.

A figure appearing in the castle wasn’t to be underestimated. The group tensed, awaiting her next move.

She chuckled softly, the sound echoing through the hall, sending shivers down their spines.

The bottle was placed back on the table.

But she did nothing more, merely smiling at them before ascending the stairs.

As she turned, her gaze seemed to linger on Xu Nian, a teasing glint in her eyes, as if challenging her.

Xu Nian pretended not to notice, looking away.

Soon, a door opened, her blonde hair flowing behind her as she vanished inside.

The group exhaled in relief.

“She’s the Young Lady?”

She didn’t seem terrifying, though her tattered teddy bear was unsettling.

The calm man, Li Hua, suggested, “Why don’t we share what we’ve found?”

The burly man, Zhang Zhuanghao, lips stained with red juice, licked them savoring the taste. “Before that, shouldn’t we introduce ourselves?”

He puffed out his chest proudly. “I’m Zhang Zhuanghao. Call me Big Hao.”

Li Hua frowned slightly, touching his nose. “I’m… Li Hua.”

“Hahaha,” Zhang Zhuanghao roared with laughter. “Bro, your name’s hilarious. I wrote letters for you back in high school.”

Li Hua ignored him, turning to Xu Nian. “And you?”

“Xu Nian.”

“I’m Fu Ruxue, Fu as in the single-character surname,” Fu Ruxue said.

The remaining first-floor man hesitated. “I’m Cheng Li.”

Li Hua pulled a sheet of paper from his inner pocket, placing it on the table. “Now, can we share information?”

The paper bore a single line:

The land of eternal despair buries sin.

The handwriting was elegant and precise. Xu Nian memorized it.

“What’s that mean?” Zhang Zhuanghao snatched the paper, but before he could read it, the other end caught fire.

“Fck! @#￥%”

He flung it away, cursing loudly.

The paper burned to ash in midair, vanishing.

“Your clue’s useless, Hua,” Zhang Zhuanghao said. “Check mine.”

He tossed a small notebook onto the table.

“Look.”

Li Hua picked it up, scanned it, and said gravely, “It’s a diary.”

“October 31, overcast. Today’s that motherless brat’s birthday. The Duke finally locked her up, so she won’t ruin my plans again. Almost had it last time. Tsk, where’s that damn btch? Slacking off, not cleaning?”

“November 1, overcast. Another gloomy day. There’s paint at the Duke’s door, but they made me clean it. Where’d that dead maid run off to? Escaped? Wait till she’s back—I’ll break her legs.”

“November 2, overcast. Why’s it always gloomy? That damn b*tch still hasn’t shown. The vampire mother and daughter from the countryside are asking for money again. Annoying. Can’t even birth a son, yet they want my cash.”

“A page is torn out after that, and it ends.”

Li Hua closed the notebook, having read only the last few pages, skipping earlier complaints.

“Let me see.”

Li Hua handed it to Xu Nian, who flipped to the last page with purpose.

“The paper matches the burned sheet—same material, same size. It was likely torn from this.”

She tossed it back to Li Hua.

She’d skimmed it once and had no desire to read more. It was either gripes or filthy language, scrawled messily, an insult to her eyes.

Fu Ruxue tapped her chin, her delicate face serious. “If I’m not mistaken, this is likely the butler’s diary. The ‘motherless brat’ locked up is probably the Young Lady.

The maid vanished on October 31 and never returned—likely something happened to her.

November 2 mentions the butler having a wife and daughter in the countryside.

The diary ends there. Did something happen to the butler afterward?

And that torn page—‘eternal despair,’ what was the rest? The handwriting was clearly different from the butler’s.”

Xu Nian nodded, agreeing. The diary aligned with what she’d learned from the maid.

“You missed two key points,” Li Hua corrected. “First, we’ve only met the butler, maid, and Young Lady, all elusive. We don’t know how many others are in the castle. This diary might not be the butler’s.

Second, we can’t confirm the ‘motherless brat’ is the Young Lady. If the Duchess is alive, it might not refer to her.”

His fingers tapped the table, awaiting Fu Ruxue’s response.

“You’re right,” Fu Ruxue said, tucking her bangs behind her ear and standing. “Let’s verify those points. You don’t mind us checking your rooms, right?”

She looked at Xu Nian, who nodded, then at Zhang Zhuanghao.

Their eyes met. Zhang Zhuanghao, legs crossed, frowned. “Why’re you looking at me?”

Li Hua sighed, rubbing his forehead. “She’s asking if we can check your room for clues.”

“Go ahead.”

They pushed open Zhang Zhuanghao’s door, and a wave of opulence hit them.

The butler’s room had a display cabinet filled with high-end wines, a smashed box on the floor, gold bars on the table, and a half-drunk glass of red wine in a goblet.

All eyes turned to Zhang Zhuanghao.