The eyes, previously filled with a gentle smile, were now obscured by the cold glare reflecting off his glasses, making them unreadable. But whether it was her imagination or not, the maid thought she saw the butler’s face twist for a moment.
It was as if... something terrifying lurked beneath his handsome exterior.
A chill shot through the maid's limbs. She was so terrified her teeth chattered, though she didn't know why.
She lowered her head deeply, as if afraid of being discovered by some monstrous beast.
As soon as Jiang Siyan left, the head maid came over to instruct Nan Yue to step forward and join the group of ten personal maids assigned to Master Wen.
Many envious glances fell upon Nan Yue, but she remained expressionless, her head slightly bowed, hands crossed in front of her, quietly waiting.
“Tap, tap, tap.”
The sound of leather shoes on stone steps echoed from afar, making the already solemn atmosphere so thick it felt as though water could drip from it.
“Master, you’ve returned.”
Butler Zhao hurried forward. Nan Yue then subtly raised her head, quickly glancing at the man entering.
The man wore a custom-tailored suit; just by its cut, one could tell it was expensive.
He was exceptionally handsome, but for some reason, Nan Yue felt deeply uneasy the moment she saw him.
Master Wen was incredibly good-looking, even more so than Jiang Siyan, yet there was something peculiar about him.
Nan Yue couldn't pinpoint the source of this peculiarity for a moment, so she quietly lowered her head.
“Where is Miss Wen?”
“Miss Wen is in her room.”
“I’ll go see her.”
Master Wen’s gaze never lingered on these servants, whom he considered beneath him. He regarded them no differently than the statues or collected armor in the rooms.
To him, these hundreds of living people were less important than inanimate objects.
Only Butler Zhao and the head maid, who were responsible for Eden Garden, were qualified to exchange a few words with Master Wen.
Master Wen ascended the staircase, a jet-black, ruby-studded scepter in his right hand, tapping against the expensive staircase with each step.
It was a symbol of his status.
Master Wen’s words also indirectly confirmed Nan Yue and the others' earlier suspicions.
Miss Wen had been in the castle all along.
Either she was reclusive, or there was a special reason preventing her from leaving her room for days.
Nan Yue was assigned to the group personally serving Master Wen. Seeing him go upstairs, the head maid gave a look, and Nan Yue, along with four other maids, quickly followed.
Jiang Siyan had been standing with downcast eyes behind Butler Zhao, but the moment Nan Yue moved, he looked up and watched her until her figure disappeared behind the staircase.
This was Nan Yue's first time on the upper floors of the castle. The group followed far behind Master Wen, like five shadows.
Master Wen slowly ascended to the fourth floor of the West Castle, where the decorations were even more opulent.
The walls of the corridor and the cabinet tables were all filled with blooming roses, making it seem as if they had entered a rose garden at first glance.
The rich scent filled the air, so overpowering that Nan Yue felt a slight dizziness.
This Miss Wen must be very fond of roses.
Walking behind Master Wen, Nan Yue remained extremely vigilant, but Master Wen didn't have them follow him all the way.
The fourth floor had only two rooms. One was open, and its interior was very spacious. Nan Yue glimpsed inside as they passed; it appeared to be Miss Wen's walk-in closet.
Thousands of clearly expensive clothes hung neatly in wardrobes, sorted by color, season, and occasion. Around twenty maids moved through them, smoothing out wrinkles.
The other room, closed and engraved with gilded roses on its door, was likely Miss Wen's boudoir.
The leading maid among the five stopped about five or six meters from there, and Nan Yue and the others could only stop with her, not far from Miss Wen's room.
Master Wen didn't knock. He simply pushed the door open, leaving the heavy wooden door ajar.
Master Wen seemed to be saying something to Miss Wen. Too far away, and with the wooden door dampening sound, Nan Yue couldn't make out their words, but Master Wen seemed to be doing all the talking, while the mysterious Miss Wen remained silent.
A moment later, a terrifying scream suddenly erupted from the room, followed by the sound of glass breaking and heavy ornaments crashing to the floor.
“Get out! Get out, you bloodsucking things!”
A shrill woman's voice carried out. Nan Yue couldn't discern her exact age, because even though she was highly agitated, her voice was incredibly weak.
If not for the vocal tone suggesting Miss Wen was still young, her weakness would have made her sound like an old woman on her last legs.
Miss Wen must be very ill. This was Nan Yue’s first impression.
Her second impression was that the siblings had a terrible relationship, and Miss Wen was clearly at a disadvantage.
This was not only because Master Wen could freely enter and exit the castle like its true owner, but more importantly, after Miss Wen's piercing curses, Master Wen emerged shortly after.
His expression showed no anger, but rather a hint of amusement.
...like someone teasing a pet that bares its claws, yet is helpless.
“You don't need to follow me. Take good care of Miss Wen. Make sure she gets some fresh air; it’s not good to hide in her room all day.”
Master Wen casually stroked his ruby scepter. “From now on, the five of you will assist Wen Shen in looking after Miss Wen.”
The sudden promotion caught all five of them off guard, including Nan Yue.
However, the leading maid, clearly accustomed to such situations, bowed her head and asked, “What about the ones inside?”
Master Wen began descending the stairs, tossing a light remark over his shoulder, “Those who saw what they shouldn't have, need not remain.”
What they shouldn't have seen, of course, was the siblings' argument.
Once Master Wen left, Nan Yue and the others didn't even need to act; people from the security group came up and led out the maids who had been serving inside.
Logically, they knew very well that death awaited them, and the cause of their demise was simply being at their posts and hearing things they shouldn't have.
But Nan Yue noticed that the expressions of these maids being led out were all numb. They looked as if they were merely being transferred to a different post, not going to their deaths.
The security group didn't even need to escort them; they just led them out.
Nan Yue suddenly felt that these people were like walking corpses who had lost their own emotions.
Except for work and related matters, nothing else stirred their emotions; they were indifferent even to their own deaths.
“Come in.”
A woman dressed identically to Nan Yue and the others, but whose robe was light gray, appeared at the doorway.
She appeared to be in her forties, her icy expression conveying seriousness. Unlike the other seemingly soulless servants, she had emotions.
But her emotion was indifference.
Nan Yue slowly followed her into the room, then looked at everything before her with some surprise.
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