Today was the day, three days later, the ceremony for appointing the heir was to be re-conducted, and Karl had specifically instructed his butler to wake him up no matter what on the night before.
The butler knocked several times without hearing a sound, so he took a key from his pocket and inserted it into the keyhole.
The young master of the house had always been one for pleasure-seeking. Just yesterday, he had brought home a woman from who knows where, and if the butler didn't go in to wake him, he feared Karl might sleep until the afternoon.
With a turn of the key, the door creaked open.
As the butler walked into the bedroom and saw Karl lying stiff on the bed, he frowned slightly.
"Sir Baron?... Young Master Karl?!"
He approached and cautiously extended his finger to press on Karl's neck.
Below his finger, the skin was ice-cold, devoid of all warmth, just like meat stored in a fridge.
The butler's hand trembled, and he turned to rush out the door.
