In the warm April of early spring, the lush greenery of the forest adorns the rugged mountains with vibrant hues. From afar, the varying shades of green intermingle like a soft and beautiful green carpet gently draped over the hills. Dozens of guards, riding tall horses, escort four carriages as they slowly make their way up the tranquil and secluded mountain path.On this day, the Countess is leading the women of the household up the mountain for a picnic. The fresh air of the outdoors is filled with the fragrance of flowers and grass, mingled with a hint of earthy scent, refreshing the senses with each breath.Selena suddenly focused her attention and said, "Hmm, I think I hear the sound of a violin?"Indeed, as she spoke, everyone gradually began to hear a faint, ethereal violin melody, drifting gently into their ears. Slowly, the sound became clearer, as if the musician was approaching them.Miranda, upon hearing the first note of the violin, was struck as if by lightning, left spe
The blood-soaked world, which had begun to spread from where the man in white stood, was suddenly obscured, replaced by the slate-blue carriage curtains. With Hans' figure no longer in sight, Miranda instinctively glanced at Selena, who had just drawn the curtains.A fleeting glance—half-revealed, half-concealed—left behind a hint of mystery and suspense, enough to stir a young girl's heart. At her mother's signal, Selena slowly let go of the curtain she had lifted, shielding the figure in white from view outside the carriage. “Miranda, what are you thinking about? You seem so lost in thought!”Miranda snapped out of her reverie and gave a faint smile. “It's nothing.”Now fully awake from the shock of seeing Hans again, the intense pain and hatred she had felt gradually settled. She began to contemplate the hidden motives behind Hans’ sudden appearance today.Was this Hans’ own idea, or was there someone else pulling the strings?In this life, she would not be kind. If anyone wronged
Miranda followed the noise and saw two people standing in front of a flowerbed, broken shards of a celadon flowerpot scattered around their feet."You are so thoughtless! My dress is covered in dirt now. What are you going to do about it?" One of the girls dressed as a maid spoke up, "I already told you this orchid belongs to my lady. You insisted on taking it, and now the pot is broken! This orchid is rare and precious, worth a fortune. You have to pay for it!" The other maid, though looking guilty, tried to maintain her composure. "Stop pretending. That orchid clearly belongs to the estate. You tried to steal it, and when I caught you, the pot broke. It's not my fault! I'm a maid of the Croyso family!" "How shameless!" ...Miranda recognized the maid claiming to be from the Croyso family. She worked for Selena, perfectly imitating her mistress’s sharp temperament. Listening to their quarrel, Miranda quickly pieced together what had happened. It seemed that Selena’s maid had seen
After dinner, everyone retired to their respective rooms, the evening winding down into a quiet, peaceful night. Miranda, exhausted from the day's travels and engagements, sought some much-needed rest. She slipped out of her day clothes and into a pale white nightgown, the soft fabric cool against her skin. The bath had soothed her tired muscles, and she felt a weight lift from her shoulders as she climbed into bed. The gentle rustling of the night wind through the curtains was the only sound as she settled beneath the covers, her body sinking into the mattress. Miranda quickly succumbed to the overwhelming tiredness that had been building throughout the day. Within moments, she drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep, unaware of the world around her.She didn't know how much time had passed when, through the fog of her slumber, Miranda vaguely felt someone shaking her. "Miss, wake up! Something’s happened!" A voice cut through the remnants of her sleep."Something happened?" she repeat
The incident began on the east side of the estate where Martha and the others were staying. At the time, she and Nina were sound asleep, but they were abruptly awakened by a rapid knocking at the door. Outside stood a guard, his tone urgent, informing them that bandits had invaded the estate, and the guards were doing their best to hold them off. He urged them to flee for their lives. When they saw the guard covered in blood, although filled with doubts, they didn’t hesitate. They immediately got up and hurriedly dressed. Just as they finished, a man dressed in black broke through the door, knocking down the guard without a word, with other guards in varying degrees of injury trailing behind him.The guards fought valiantly, suffering heavy casualties, but they managed to severely wound the man in black. At that moment, the guards from Croyso's side arrived just in time to rescue Martha and her maid."The guard captain is interrogating the man in black outside. Although he's gravely i
"Miss Miranda is absolutely right!" The head guard nodded in full agreement, though his expression remained hesitant. "But now, my concern is that we haven’t extracted any useful information from the man in black, and we still don’t know where his accomplices are hiding. Could they be at the mountaintop or the foot of the mountain? If we get it wrong, even if we manage to escape the manor, we might just walk right into their trap."This was indeed a crucial problem. If they could pinpoint the location of the man in black, their chances of survival would improve significantly."Regardless, send someone suitable down the mountain to call for help," Miranda instructed. After a moment's thought, she asked, "Did the guards thoroughly inspect the man's attire?"The commander nodded. "We did a careful search, but found nothing.""No, that's not what I meant. I’m asking if there were any other things on his body, like dirt, leaves, or grass. The temperature differs between the top and bottom
About half an hour later, a group of black-clad figures silently infiltrated the manor, only to find it brightly lit yet eerily empty. They searched the rooms thoroughly but found no one. Frustrated, they noticed a line of writing on the white wall in the main hall: "I appreciate your kindness in visiting so late, but as propriety dictates, men and women should avoid contact, so it’s best we don’t meet."Just then, another figure leapt in, throwing a corpse dressed in black onto the ground."This damn fool ruined everything!" one of the black-clad men snarled, raising his blade and hacking at the body. "Because of this fool's blunder, our presence has been exposed, and even the servants have fled. But the only path down the mountain is the one we came up, and we didn’t notice any movement along the way. They must have fled towards the summit.""Good, then we’ll continue the pursuit," another replied.The leader nodded. "Everyone, spread out and surround the area. If you spot the targe
"Eh? There's a little maid here!" A voice of surprise came from the side, followed by the appearance of a shadowy figure clad in black.Under the dappled moonlight, the girl before him had an ethereal beauty, as if she were a fairy. Her exposed skin shimmered faintly, almost translucent, while her tear-streaked face, delicate as white jade, exuded a sorrowful yet enchanting allure. A lewd glint flickered in the man's eyes as he licked his dry lips and chuckled, "I didn't expect to be this lucky, catching such a pretty little maid. Hmph, since the credit never goes to me, I might as well have a little fun with this maid!"He swaggered towards her.Miranda, dressed in a maid's uniform borrowed from Molly, was mistaken for a servant. She was in a daze until the black-clad man appeared in front of her, snapping her back to reality. She took two steps back, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and fear, "What do you think you're doing?" Her watery eyes flashed with three parts anger and