chapter 6

“Whimper… whimper…”

She saw a pair of pitch-black eyes, staring at her relentlessly through the crack in the door. She didn’t know how long they’d been watching her, and the continuous whimpering cries echoed from behind the door.

[Current Pollution Value: 20%.]

Her whole body began to tremble violently, completely out of her control. Instinctively, she wanted to run, but her body was paralyzed by fear, unable to move.

Suddenly, the person behind the door spoke.

“It’s you.” The voice was still hoarse from crying, but it was clearly that of a young girl. “Did you come to the Kitchen at this hour because you’re hungry?”

Tu Nan’s breathing was heavy, especially noticeable in the dim light.

Calm down. She needed to stay calm.

Since the Rule clearly stated there would be no fatal danger before the Wedding, then it must be true. The greatest risk was probably this uncontrollable Pollution Value.

Going out at night wouldn’t be life-threatening, but if the Pollution Value exceeded a certain threshold, she wouldn’t last until the final day-she’d be lost in the Instance.

“Why aren’t you speaking?” The eerie voice grew noticeably colder. “Do you think I’m not worthy of talking to you?”

As her words fell, the temperature around them dropped sharply.

Tu Nan bit down hard on the tip of her tongue, the pain helping her focus. In the final second before the strange girl lost her temper, Tu Nan raised her hand and pointed to her own throat, letting out two “ah ah” sounds.

“Oh, I forgot you can’t speak.” The eerie voice returned to normal, and the temperature slowly began to rise again.

Tu Nan’s hand at her side trembled slightly. She clenched her fist tightly, her whole body drenched in cold sweat, her shirt sticking to her back, clammy and cold.

With a creak, the Kitchen door was opened from the inside. The person hiding behind it finally revealed her true face.

Tu Nan glanced at her quickly, then immediately looked away.

Her entire body was tinged with an unnatural blue-purple hue, swollen as if she’d been soaked in water. A chunk of flesh was missing from her left cheek, exposing the stark white bone beneath, which gleamed eerily in the moonlight.

The most terrifying thing was her pair of huge, pitch-black pupils, almost filling her entire eyeball, leaving only a barely visible sliver of white.

Though it was just a fleeting glance, Tu Nan still noticed she had long, curly brown hair, adorned with a Pearl Hairpin.

Perhaps the Pearl Hairpin was too conspicuous-Tu Nan recalled instantly where she had seen it before.

It was the Maid who had stood beside her during dinner.

Was it a coincidence, or intentional?

Could it be that the so-called Fairy Tale World at night, as described in the first Rule, was different-that all the NPCs became eerie at night?

But judging by her behavior, she hadn’t completely lost her mind.

“What are you doing in the Kitchen?” the Maid asked.

Tu Nan didn’t have time to think further. She felt her pocket, relieved she hadn’t taken out her paper and pen yet. She lowered her head and quickly wrote a line:

-I ate too little at dinner. I’m a bit hungry.

“You really didn’t eat much tonight.” The Maid nodded blankly. “Come in with me. It’s not convenient right now, so I can only find you something simple to eat.”

Tu Nan followed her into the Kitchen. The Maid lit a Candle, and the dim light instantly illuminated the room.

It also lit up her terrifying face.

Tu Nan did her best not to look at her, but her gaze kept drifting toward her uncontrollably.
The Maid brought her a piece of white bread. Tu Nan breathed a sigh of relief, tore off a piece from a spot the Maid hadn’t touched, and put it in her mouth, pondering what had just happened.

She had been drawn here by the sound of crying. Why was the Maid hiding alone in the Kitchen, crying in the middle of the night?

In the context of Strange Tales, this was clearly very unusual-perhaps it was a clue not to be missed.

She thought for a moment, put down the bread, and wrote on a piece of paper:

Why are you hiding here and crying alone?

The Maid’s pitch-black pupils blinked. Seeing the question, she began to sob again, making a faint, mournful sound.

The crying was subtle and full of grievance, and paired with her ghastly, frightening face, it made the dim Kitchen feel even more eerie.

“My sister is missing.” The Maid wiped the corner of her eye, and a suspicious object immediately fell from there. She seemed not to notice and continued, “She’s been missing for a week now. No one knows where she went.”

Tu Nan tried to ignore whatever had fallen from her eye, lowered her head, and wrote:

Did you tell the Prince?

“Of course I did.” The Maid’s voice was full of sorrow, her dark eyes numb. “But Maids often disappear in the Castle. The Prince says they must have angered the Sea God, which is why they vanish inexplicably.”

Sea God?

Tu Nan unconsciously tapped her notebook with her index finger.

Maids often disappeared in the Castle, and yet the Prince explained it away with such an absurd reason-there must be some hidden secret behind it.

She thought for a moment and wrote another question:

Do the missing Maids have anything in common?

The Maid looked confused, and after a long pause, finally replied, “They’re all young and beautiful.”

Tu Nan frowned, recalling Eric’s strange reaction when he saw her earlier, and a vague suspicion began to form.

At this point, the Maid lowered her head and began to sob again. “My sister and I grew up together, but now she’s disappeared for no reason. How can I face our deceased parents? If only someone could help me find my sister…”

[Congratulations, Player, you have triggered a Side Quest: Missing Maid.

Maids in the Castle always disappear mysteriously. Some say it’s because they angered the Sea God, others say they couldn’t bear the hardship and ran away on their own…

Please investigate the truth behind the Maid’s disappearance.

Quest Type: Triggered Quest (Optional)

Quest Deadline: Before the Instance ends

Quest Reward: ???]

The sudden appearance of the quest window made Tu Nan pause. She quickly glanced at it-a Triggered Quest. If she hadn’t chosen to go out tonight, she might have missed it.

Though the reward was unknown, this quest was clearly related to the Castle’s secrets and might provide clues for clearing the Instance.

She chose to accept it.

Tu Nan wrote on the paper: Maybe I can help you. Please tell me something about your sister.

The Maid looked at her in surprise. “Really? That’s wonderful. My name is Lily, and my sister’s name is Emma. We’re twins and look exactly alike.”

Lily took off the Pearl Hairpin from her head and handed it to her. “If you see my sister, please give her this Hairpin. When she sees it, she’ll know I’m looking for her.”

Tu Nan accepted the Hairpin and wrote: Did anything strange happen before she disappeared?