The missing two beads had almost certainly been pocketed by Cheng Qian.

But what was she supposed to do about it? Forcibly take them back, or search her? Either way, it could be the last straw that broke someone already on the edge.

Zhu Shu didn’t want to do that.

Because a person backed into a corner would snap.

Su Man, Yu Yaqing, and Hu Ya came downstairs. Every face was bleak.

Zhu Shu stepped forward and asked them: “Did you see where Bluebeard went? Wherever he went is most likely where the locked room is — the key to clearing the game might be in there!”

Hu Ya said, “He was too fast. By the time we ran up to the third floor, he was already out of sight. We only heard the sound of a door closing!”

Hu Ya spoke quickly, as though desperate to release the suppressed tension that had built up on the third floor. She repeated it again and again: “He was just so fast! Each step cleared six or seven stairs at once! Like a monster! …No, no, not *like* a monster — he *is* a monster!”

Zhu Shu couldn’t help asking, “Were there any drag marks on the floor? Footprints, scratches — anything?”

Hu Ya shook her head, her face still pale.

Su Man picked up the thread: “The carpet on the third floor is old — there are marks in front of every door. We couldn’t tell which ones were new.”

She paused, then looked at Bai Youwei: “I counted the rooms. Same as the second floor — 128. We checked every one. Neither the Duke nor Zhao Lanfen was found.”

Bai Youwei furrowed her brow, sitting in her wheelchair, stroking the plush rabbit in one slow, rhythmic motion after another, lost in thought.

Her legs being what they were, she couldn’t run up and down the stairs as nimbly as the others. But since both Su Man and Hu Ya said they’d found nothing, searching again would likely yield the same result.

Unless they could find a new angle to approach it.

Bai Youwei tilted her head back to look at the great crystal chandelier hanging over the hall, and following those brilliant fixtures upward with her gaze, she could see the spiral staircase reaching to the highest level, connecting to the railing of the third floor.

“The Inspector said this manor has four floors including the basement. Since you all saw the Duke go to the third floor, and the third floor is the highest, the locked room must be on the third floor.”

She murmured to herself, pensive: “…Could there be a hidden compartment?”

“If there is one, we’ll probably have to wait until tomorrow to find it.” Yu Yaqing, who had been silent until now, spoke in a low, flat tone. “The light on the third floor is too dim — it’d be nearly impossible to spot anything.”

This manor was bathed in sunlight during the day, but at night it became eerie and oppressive. The lighting dimmed with each ascending floor. The great hall on the first floor was brilliantly lit; the second floor was considerably dimmer; and the third floor was like a shadowy alleyway, with aged light bulbs casting only a faint, weak glow.

At Yu Yaqing’s words, Cheng Qian nearly burst into tears. “We… we have to spend the night here? Will we even survive tonight…”

“That part, at least, we needn’t worry about.” Bai Youwei said calmly. “The Duke seems to be able to kill only one person per day. When you all attacked him earlier, he simply stood there and fought back — yet his other hand kept hold of Zhao Lanfen the entire time. Even when leaving, he didn’t actively go after any of you. The game’s rules must constrain him — he can only make a move against one bride per night.”

Zhu Shu had blown half his face apart, and in a state of berserk fury, the most ferocious attack he’d made was picking up a broken sword and throwing it.

He had not pressed his pursuit of Zhu Shu. He had not continued engaging with Su Man and Yu Yaqing. He had left quickly.

…Why so quickly?

Was it simply his natural speed, or was there another reason?

“He doesn’t want people to discover his secret…” Bai Youwei murmured pensively. “Could the secret be the same as in the fairy tale?”

“AAAAAH!!!”

A scream suddenly erupted, cutting off her train of thought.

Everyone startled.

The screaming came in waves — piercing, dread-soaked!

They whipped their heads around, trying to find the source — but the sound was impossible to locate.

“It’s Zhao Lanfen…” Cheng Qian trembled, shrinking behind Yu Yaqing. “She… she didn’t die…?”

—