439: 8.39 You Will Tell Me

8.39 You Will Tell Me

The two women were, unmistakably, alive and kicking.0

Lu Yizhou took a seat on Luca's left, just like yesterday, his head full of brewing storm. Either he was hallucinating everything last night, or the two women here were really a ghost just like 666 had claimed, Lu Yizhou couldn't think of any other explanation.

Ji Yan gingerly sat himself opposite Lu Yizhou, all the while giving Luca a tight-lipped smile. Gone was his sunny and carefree disposition, and in its place was only caution and wariness. He was the most experienced one among them all, no one knew more than him how unusual and uncommon Diana's death was. "Good morning, Master Luca."

"Good morning, Lady Ji Yan," Luca replied smoothly with a smile on his face. "Did you have a good night's sleep?"

The mention of sleep seemed to make Ji Yan even more guilty. "Yes, I did…"

Surprisingly this time, Olivia plopped herself down on the only empty seat beside Ji Yan, scowling. Leaving Ailín to fend for himself on the furthest corner. Evidently, she still had not gotten over their argument earlier. 

Lu Yizhou sighed, somehow feeling like he was seeing a children's squabble; or maybe he was just that old mentally. The two women could wait until dinner, for now he focused all of his attention on Luca. Was it only his imagination or did his complexion look a little more ruddy this morning? Luca was not gray and brittle like Baines, yet somehow he still gave off that hushed and deathly vibes that was really suitable as the master of a haunted mansion. But this morning, he seemed normal. Too normal, even.

They did not need to wait long for the food to arrive. Lu Yizhou had prepared himself for the reappearance of fingers or a bowl of worm, that's why he was slightly surprised to see that the breakfast was completely normal. Each of them had a plate of bagels, a few pieces of sizzling bacon, sausage, a poached egg, decorated with tiny red tomatoes and juicy green leaves.

He could hear Ozzie gulping beside him. 'I don't need to eat because I am a familiar but this smells really good meow!'

Lu Yizhou had automatically grown wary of things that looked deceiving on the surface, but no matter from which angle he scrutinized it, the food seemed ordinary. He frowned, a nagging feeling tugging on the back of his mind. Why did everything look so normal today? It really made his gut twist as he kept expecting something to happen only to be bamboozled when his guesses were proved wrong.

In front of him, Ji Yan and Olivia started eating. Olivia had been the one who was unaffected by Luca's spell last night but she did not look like she noticed something was off as she chewed on the bacon. Hmm, Lu Yizhou groused inwardly, so breakfast would be normal but then dinner would be problematic?

He lifted his wine glass and toasted toward Luca, who blinked in surprise as if not expecting it. "Thank you for the amazing food and hospitality, Master Luca," Lu Yizhou put on a smile. Hospitality my ass, he thought, one of the players ended up poisoned to death on the very first day. Amazing hospitality indeed. 

"My, you're too kind, Lady Irene." Luca put down his utensils, grabbed his own glass and clinked it gently on Lu Yizhou's. This morning, Luca was wearing a looser tunic, more casual than he was yesterday. The sleeves were silky enough that it slid down when he brought the wine to his lips. 

Lu Yizhou's eyes widened by a fraction. The discoloration on his arm was gone!

How…?! He carefully did not let the surprise show on his face as he sipped the wine, letting it flow smoothly down his constricted throat. First, the two women were still alive and then, just as Lu Yizhou wanted to match the discoloration on Luca's arm with Diana's, it was no longer there! It might only be his imagination but Luca's skin seemed even firmer and smoother than before!

'Daddy, do you think he can be a vampire?' Ozzie speculated. 'You know, that creature that sucks blood and vitality from humans.'

Lu Yizhou creased his brows. Ozzie wouldn't know it because she wasn't even born yet but Lu Yizhou, this veteran in playing inhuman roles, had lived as a vampire for six months; not to mention that he was their King. Even if you sucked all of the blood from the human's body, it wouldn't make you become younger. Lu Yizhou had no idea what kind of creature Luca was, but the fact that Luca seemed more vigorous, younger and healthier couldn't be denied.

Exactly what had happened behind the closed door last night?

To his surprise, breakfast passed by uneventfully and then it was time for Luca to send off the previous batch of doctors. Lu Yizhou, along with the other three, trailed along behind the group. 

"Thank you very much for your effort, ladies. I really appreciate it." Luca Knox inclined his head, his tone sincerely grateful. Lu Yizhou stared at his back, trying to make out any jerky movements like yesterday but found none. He couldn't detect anything amiss from the two ladies either. His frown got deeper. Everything was getting more and more strange and he couldn't even begin to wrap his head around it.

[666.]

[666: Y–Yes, Host?!]

[Can you hold off the carriage the two women ride in? Just create a small — remember, just a small — accident. I will catch up with them soon.]

[666: Oh! Small accidents! 666 is very good at creating small accidents! Just leave it to 666!]

Somehow, that did not sound reassuring at all, but what choice did he have than to give 666 the benefit of the doubt? 

When Luca was done sending the guests off, he turned to address them, "Ladies, I know you have been eager to treat my wife and daughter's illness, but sadly, I can't be rest assured to let you examine them face to face right now. My wife and daughter's temper has not been very… good lately, to say the least. They are easily provoked and I don't wish to see their health getting worse from dealing with strangers. How about this? The library in this house is very large and resourceful. It's better for you to find out about this illness first. You're all very intelligent doctors, I am sure you can learn something from there."

[[Side quest(6/?): Obtain more clues about the mystery in the Knox Family from the library. Number of clues: 0/3]

After saying that, Luca went off to God-knows-where and left Baines to lead them to the library. As Luca had said, the library was indeed enormous with tall shelves that were filled with books, lining up neatly to the back of the room where the light did not quite reach. A floor to ceiling window took the space of one side of the wall, offering the light they needed to read. 

Baines inclined his head, "Please summon me if you need any help, ladies." After that, he stepped back and closed the door with a soft click.

"Woah…" Ji Yan's mouth was agape as he scanned the surroundings. "It's so huge! We have to find three clues amidst all of these books? How can we do that in one day?!"

"Yeah, that's why this is a seven-person and seven-days game. But now, we are down to four people." Olivia said, dripping with sarcasm. When she couldn't get a reaction out of Ailín, she huffed. "Well, at least now our progress is already nearing half. That's quite reassuring."

"Oh, right!" Ji Yan clapped. "We have never asked about how Miss Irene managed to pull it off! Miss Irene—" Ji Yan's face morphed into confusion as he looked around. "Huh? Where is Miss Irene? Have you guys seen her?"

There were only three people inside the library. Lu Yizhou had long since been gone.

***

In the end, the small accident 666 had managed to pull off came in the form of a flock of pigeons that besieged the coachman from all sides. The horses neighed anxiously as the poor man was trying his best to hold onto the reign while chasing the pigeons away. "What is wrong with these birds today?! They are not usually so aggressive!" He cursed out a storm.

Coincidentally, there were only two women inside the carriage. They peered their heads out through the window and gasped, "Oh my! What a mess it is outside!"

"Let's wait a little more, shall we?"

Thinking nothing of a flock of pigeons, they chatted lightly and chuckled at each other's jokes. But then in the next second, the door suddenly swung open and an out-of-breath lady stumbled in. "My apologies for disturbing you," Lu Yizhou said while trying to regain his breath. Damn this weak stamina of his! Even trying to catch up with the carriage was already putting a toll on his body!

To no one's surprise, the two women were shocked by this sudden intrusion. "You are…" Recognition dawned on them as they took a good look at Lu Yizhou's face. "You're one of the doctors who just arrived yesterday, aren't you? Is there something wrong?"

"Yes." Lu Yizhou did not beat around the bush. He was racing with time here. He had to get his answer as soon as possible before anyone could discover where he had gone. His eyes shimmered in a crimson glow as he pinned the women with his stare. "There is something I must ask the two of you so… answer me truthfully. Last night, did you stay in your room all night?"

The two women's eyes turned sluggish and dazed. "No… Baines knocked on our door a little past nine pm."

Lu Yizhou continued. "What did he want with you two after curfew?"

"He invited us to examine Madam. We couldn't refuse. After all, we have been waiting for a full week for that single chance."

"Good." Lu Yizhou smiled in satisfaction. "Now, you will tell me everything that has happened inside the master bedroom. Remember, every single thing you have seen and heard." His crimson eyes intensified as he demanded, "Do not leave anything out."

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