426: 8.26 Dear Sister

8.26 Dear Sister

That was a ruse, Lu Yizhou realized even before Baines finished speaking. For starters, the way he spoke was so familiar as if he had visited — or in his words, checked — this place countless times before. But from the amount of dust on the floor, Lu Yizhou could tell that it had been quite long since someone had stepped foot in here. More importantly, did Baines even know Ella? Did he know that Ella was trapped here or worse… was he an accomplice?0

The veins on Lu Yizhou's head throbbed. What to do? He was oh so tempted to pull open this door and snapped Baines' neck in one move. It would be so satisfying to see his lifeless body lying beneath his feet. Lu Yizhou could take a bit of his anger out on Baines and help Ella to vent her accumulated grievances. 

Slowly, his hand moved to the door handle…

[666: Host, no! D–Don't do that! You will only make the situation worse! What if… What if the people below are alerted?! You will destroy the game without even clearing it!]

'Daddy, Daddy! Wait a minute, calm down and listen to me meow! This is only our first day here. Baines is one of the key figures in this mansion. If you get rid of him, then you will create unnecessary tension for the next few days. Who knows what kind of reaction the Master and Madam will have when they find out that their head servant is missing. Moreover, you don't want to kill him, Daddy. Trust me meow! He certainly knows something. We can extort a lot of information from him first. After that, you're free to dispose of him however you like meow!'

Compared to 666's flustered persuasion, Ozzie was calm, precise and quick to lay out the advantages and disadvantages. As expected of his and his lover's beloved daughter. Lu Yizhou slowly felt himself calming down as Ozzie's words sank into his mind. 

That's right. It would be very easy to get rid of Baines once and for all. But it would be such a hassle to deal with the aftermath. For that reason alone, he would let the man live for a few more days.

But how should he shake Baines off his trail? He couldn't use Devil's Whisper as the skill was still in cooldown…

"Miss?" Baines' voice sounded again, this time closer as if he was planting his face right on the door and whispering right into the little crack. "Miss, if you don't answer, then I am going to take it as a yes."

Lu Yizhou's fists clenched as he prepared himself for combat. But before he could do that, all of a sudden the temperature around him plunged a few degrees lower and a hand materialized out of thin air to clamp his mouth shut! The darkness in the air seemed to gather to form a formless silhouette which was pressing Lu Yizhou tightly against the wall, almost covering his body from head to toe. Lu Yizhou's breath hitched as a pair of luminous golden eyes blinked open and stared down at him coldly.

[666: !!! G–G–GHOSTTT…!!!! AAAAAH HELP!!!!]

'Shut up, you useless system! Stop screaming in Daddy's mind! Mommy has come to our rescue!'

"What do you want, Baines?" His lover's voice was hoarse and raspy as though scraped from the depth of her throat. However, the warning in her tone was crystal clear. It was dark, snappy and brooked no arguments.

Baines paused for a second too long. "...M–Miss Ellie?" His voice trembled. Of fear and caution, Lu Yizhou keenly noticed. "I apologize. I have no idea that today—" He seemed to fumble on his words and slightly pulled away, judging from how he did not sound as close anymore. "Then, this servant will not bother you anymore. Please excuse me, Miss."

Lu Yizhou blinked at his lover as he mouthed her name. Ellie.

The shadow slowly condensed to form his lover's body. Her long hair fluttered akin to gossamer silk and her body was clad only in a thin black robe that left nothing much for imagination. She looked paler than usual, but it might just be the darkness that made her look like she was quietly simmering, draped in a soft halo that made her golden eyes stand out even more. Her lips had a black hue to it this time, and Lu Yizhou vividly sensed that her body temperature was even colder than before… it felt as though he was pressing himself to a block of ice.

"Baines," she suddenly called out to the head servant, still not taking his eyes off Lu Yizhou. "This is your last warning."

"Yes, Miss." Baines did not flee, but his footsteps did not sound as steady as earlier anymore.

After making sure that Baines had descended down the stairs, Ellie slowly let him go. Her lips parted to speak, but then her gaze suddenly landed on Lu Yizhou's cheek. Almost in an instant, fiery rage blazed within her golden orbs, so intense as though it was going to burn everything down in flame. 

"Who slapped you?" She whispered the question in a soft voice that betrayed none of the anger she showed. Yet from such a close distance, Lu Yizhou could hear how hard she was gritting her teeth. The arms that were propped beside Lu Yizhou's head were shaking. "Tell me."

Lu Yizhou was confused. Who the hell would dare to— ah, he suddenly remembered that he had slapped himself back in the room to snap himself back to his senses. It couldn't be… Exactly how delicate was Irene's skin that such a little slap could remain for so long?

Staring at his lover who was barely restraining her anger, the corner of Lu Yizhou's lips twitched. He did not doubt even a bit that Ellie would instantly barge out the moment he said a name and teach them a terrifying lesson they wouldn't forget.

…Yes, just like how she had done for Ella.

Lu Yizhou couldn't help but smile. He lifted one hand to cup his lover's face and rubbed his thumb on her freezing skin. "You are Ella's dear sister, aren't you? Ellie… Ellie…" He tested the name on his tongue and loved how it had rolled out smoothly. Yet another precious name to be added to his collection. His lips curled into a wider smile and the gentleness that oozed out of his eyes was enough to freeze the other's erupting anger. "I finally know your name."

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