On this night, the guests didn't sleep as deeply as the night before.
Perhaps it was because they only took a few small bites at dinner, or perhaps it was because they knew what had happened in the castle.
They felt that this place was too spooky. They felt more and more uneasy.
The sensitive nosed Zhou Qi also said that she smelt something. It was stronger than before.
Zhao Jiatong searched the room completely from the bottom of the bed to the wardrobe and the blankets but was unable to find the source.
Before going to bed, Zhou Qi suddenly leaned against the wall beside the door and sniffed it for a moment before saying: "Sister Tong....It seems to be coming from the wall."
Hearing this, Zhao Jiatong's hair stood up.
"Xiao Zhou, tell me honestly what field you worked in." Zhao Jiatong said jokingly to try and ease the atmosphere.
Zhou Qi waved her hand: "No, it's really not it. I just have a dog's nose."
She used her coat as a blanket and laid down onto the carpet. Looking at the candle chandelier above her head for a while, she suddenly said: "But I haven't been this sensitive before. Maybe this exam is special."
Zhou Jiatong laid down beside her. She thought inside: It is indeed special.
Special to the point that...…. It was as if there was something in the exam secretly giving Zhou Qi warnings.
Zhao Jiatong closed her eyes and secretly thought this. She then paid careful attention to sounds next door.
With the bastardly things A and 001 did, if she was the Duke, even she would go mad. It would be impossible for her not to go find them to pay them back. As soon as the Duke comes, she plans to secretly follow.
However, when there really were sounds coming from outside, she was unable to do so.
Because Zhou Qi again had a fever.
This young lady's fever was very high, and she was also having a nightmare.
She struggled with knitted brows and mumbled incoherently as she dreamed but she just couldn't wake up.
Zhao Jiatong moved closer and could vaguely make out: "...I want....Why won't you let me see...."
After that it was crying and whimpering.
With two consecutive nights of high fever, it was too strange.
Zhao Jiatong couldn't help but recall Qin Jiu's words.....This sickness seemed to be deliberately restraining Zhou Qi to prevent her from venturing out late at night.
Was it to prevent her from encountering something?
Or was it to prevent her from seeing someone?
***
The walls of the long corridor were dimly light at night. All the servants in the castle had disappeared. It was empty before the doors, like they were never there in the first place.
Suddenly, there were footsteps coming from the stairs.
Several male servants went up to the third floor. The one at the front held an oil lamp while the others walked behind him in a line.
Their faces were half illuminated by the swaying light. With their faces taut and expressions stiff and expressionless, they looked lifeless.
The unfortunate butler had been turned into a pig and was unable to help the Duke, so it was now their job to get the guests.
"It's ahead." The servant at the front said quietly.
He pointed at a door in the distance and instructed another servant: "Go knock. The others should block off the room."
"What about the other one?" The servant who was tasked to knock raised his hand and asked hesitantly: "Didn't Master ask us to get two?"
The leader said: "It's next door. Once we invite this one over, we will invite the other one. We have many people, don't worry."
"Oh, okay."
They formed a semicircle and the servant knocked on the wooden door.
Knock———
After one knock, the door opened.
Male servant: "?"
You Huo who opened the door looked at them expressionlessly.
The servant opened his mouth and forgot his lines for a few seconds. He then said mechanically: "Good evening, sir. You....didn't sleep?"
"What do you think?" You Huo was taller than this servant. When he looked at him, he looked down through half-lidded eyes. The servant who was neither dead nor alive panicked.
The servant froze again. For a moment, he didn't speak.
It was the one holding the lamp who spoke: "If you haven't slept, that's great. The Duke would like to invite you over for a chat."
As he said that, the other male servant gripped tightly on a metal rod behind his back.
From what they have seen, guests would always panic when they are invited, and they would try to yell.
The butler Douglas would always carry some equipment with him, and this metal rod was something he usually used.
The servant got ready to strike as soon as the guest shouts.
But unexpectedly, that person said: "Oh."
The male servant almost struck his leader's face with that rod.
Awkward expressions slowly appeared on their pale faces. The man who held the lamp took a step back to make way for You Huo.
Unexpectedly, this guest took a step and then stopped. He turned to the room and said: "We're going, hurry up."
The servants were stunned. They said: "What? Madam also isn't asleep?"
You Huo who heard the word "madam" glanced at him.
The servant maintained a stern expression: "The Duke only invited sir. Ma—-"
He wanted to say: Madam, please wait here.
But when You Huo pulled the door open, it revealed a man a little taller than him.
Male servant: "?"
He couldn't finish his "ma"
He stared at the lower half of Qin Jiu's face and froze for a second before stepping back and checking the room number. He said calmly: "The Duke said that married couples should stay in the same room. Why is sir here in the middle of the night?"
"Why do you think?" Qin Jiu asked.
Male servant: "...."
He took this in, and his expression remained stiff: "The Duke doesn't like unfaithful people. We were also going to get you. Since this is the case, can both please come with us."
Qin Jiu didn't care. He calmly walked out.
He then turned and looked into the room.
Inside, a third person yawned. He mumbled: "Hey, wait for me to put my shoes on."
Servant: "???"
While putting on his boots, Gao Qi hopped out. His stubble came face to face with the male servant.
"...…"
The expression on servants pale face was indecipherable. He then waved his hand: "Take them all away!"
What a joke. Three men...…
How could something so ridiculous be accommodated in this castle!
With just this, Master will definitely scare them until they cry.
***
The corridor was still dim. The same oil paintings hung on the stone wall.
Three servants followed behind Qin Jiu. With them half surrounding him, he walked at the front.
The servants also surrounded You Huo. They walked about seven or eight metres behind Qin Jiu
Two more steps behind them was Gao Qi and the rest of the servants.
The oil lamp held by the servant creaked. The light from it was like turbulent water; suddenly bright, suddenly dim. It left a long shaking shadow behind Qin Jiu.
When You Huo removed his eyes from the oil paintings, this was what he saw.
He suddenly felt that he had seen a scene like this many times...
The same long corridor, the same lingering stare…..
There would always be a group of people following behind Qin Jiu. The same was for him too. Occasionally, he could hear Gao Qi's long yawn.
Sometimes they were walking towards each other, other times they walked one after the other just like now.
Either way, there was always a neither short nor long distance between them.
For some reason....
He had always felt that Qin Jiu would suddenly stop to grab some documents or something and lazily talk to the people around him.
As for him, with the group including Gao Qi...he would continue walking.
When they passed, Qin Jiu would casually glance over while talking before looking away.
......…
"Why are you walking faster and faster. Showing off your long legs?" Gao Qi's voice sounded.
You Huo returned to his senses. At this moment, he realised that he had unknowingly increased his speed and was just a few steps away from the person ahead.
When Qin Jiu turned the corner, he stopped. His eyes fell past the three servants and stopped at you Huo.
This time he didn't look away. He winked at You Huo and said: "Hurry up. We shouldn't make the Duke wait."
As they descended to the first floor and got closer and closer to the bedroom on the first floor of the west tower, the others started to move.
If the male servants walked a little slower, they would be able to hear faint phone alarms going off past the closed wooden doors.
Soon afterwards, a door on the third floor quietly opened.
A head came out. It looked around before turning and saying to the people inside: "They should be downstairs. I just heard some sounds just now."
Soon afterwards, another door nearby opened.
A second head stuck out. It even waved at the first head.
And then there was a third, and a fourth....
In a blink of an eye, most of the examinees came out from their room.
This was something they had agreed on previously.
Since killing the Duke can get rid of the curse, when was it a better time to do it than today?
If they could finish the exam early, they could return and take a break early too.
They lowered their voices and gestured to each other quietly before silently slipping down to the first floor.
***
The large bedroom on the first floor of the west tower was terrifyingly quiet.
The Duke wore a long hood. Its silk hem swept across the ground.
He was currently lying out candles for Douglas.
His face was astonishingly pale. It was probably because blood no longer flowed. The curve at the corner of his mouth clearly showed that he was currently in a bad mood. He was very angry. He was angry at both the pig acting dead in front of him, and also the guests that were heading this way.
With the candles set up, he straightened up and pulled out a towel to wipe the bone cleaver.
He narrowed his eyes and licked his lips: "Douglas, your negligence worries me. Without you, it takes me more time and effort to take control of those two."
"Of course, this extra time and effort is negligible.
Afterall, most of the time the guests would be in a state of fright.
"Hopefully those stupid servants dragged two gentlemen here with their faces facing up. I told them but it's hard to say whether they will remember. Afterall…..Afterall, they're too stupid. They're still different from living beings.
He touched the blade and again muttered: "But when they were alive, they also weren't very clever. I still remember that one time when Alyssa caught a cold. Those idiots made it worse and she only recovered after a month."
The Duke paused and glanced under the bed: "My Alyssa....Hey…..Wait until I have dealt with the two gentlemen and I'll help you find their wife. Just wait a little more. Just a little more....." He softly joked: "First, let's let our butler look more human."
Footsteps were heard outside the door.
The Duke hummed a tune in excitement. He placed his knife behind him and stood at the door waiting to greet the unfortunate guests.
But when the door opened, the male servants respectfully urged three people into the room with their heads lowered.
Three men…..
Three men who are all taller than the Duke and stronger than the Duke.
"........"
The Duke's smile immediately disappeared.
The tallest Mr. Perfect glanced at the pig and candles before smiling: "Yo, have you completed all the preparations?"
As he said that, he pulled out two pairs of white gentleman gloves from his pocket, patted it and handed it to the person next to him.
The other cold and aloof Mr. Perfect received it. He wore it and then pulled out a knife: "Resolve it quickly and cleanly."
KK has something to say:
OMG I lol'd at the servants reaction