Zhou Qi hardly touched the food in front of him.
She took a sip of wine, really just a little.
Because when he picked up the cup, the duke sitting at the head of the table gave her a very strange look.
Where is the weirdness
It's as if he doesn't want to look over, but his eyes don't obey him, and he just wants to turn around...
There is a very uncoordinated stiffness.
After only one glance, he continued to smile and talk to the two candidates beside him.
But Zhou Qi was frightened enough.
As soon as her lips got wet, she put the glass down hastily.
The dinner ended at 10pm.
The footman led the way, leading the guests back to their rooms. And this way, Zhou Qi was a little absent-minded.
"Xiao Zhou, are you okay? Why is your face so bad?" Zhao Jiatong asked worriedly.
"With the mask in the way, you can still see her face?" Gao Qi was addicted to alcohol, and his tongue became big again.
"Can't you tell from the white lips?" Zhao Jiatong arched him away, "Go aside."
You Huo and Qin Jiu walked in front and turned around to look at the words.
"What's wrong?"
Zhou Qi hesitated for a few seconds.
A very absurd idea popped into her mind—the duke gave her a look just now, as if to remind her not to drink.
But it's really ridiculous.
The Duke, as the title NPC, is really not like a good person, would he give her such a reminder? Even if she was reminded, would she only be reminded
What can she do? Makes no sense.
Moreover, these big guys in front of them have a very casual attitude towards food and drink. They can eat as much as they want. They may have rich experience and strong strength, and they don't care if there are any problems.
Gao Qi drank a lot.
At this time, I told them that there might be a problem with alcohol. Isn't that annoying
Zhou Qi swallowed his words again, shook his head and said, "It's okay, I just don't like it here. It's uncomfortable to stay here for a long time, and I'm a little scared."
Yang Shu said lukewarmly, "Don't eat or drink, you're hungry."
Zhou Qixin said that I'm really not too hungry...
But she didn't want to mess with this domineering young lady, so she nodded and said, "Maybe."
Zhao Jiatong kicked Gao Qi: "Didn't you go to the rest area before you came? Did you buy food?"
"No." Gao Qi took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and said innocently, "Just bought this."
"... I want you to have a fart." Zhao Jiatong said, "It's alcohol and cigarettes, can you have a good habit?"
Gao Qi was used to being nagged by her, so he wasn't angry, he just raised his hand in surrender and said, "Okay, I won't smoke, okay?"
He said, stuffing the cigarette into the pocket of Youyou.
"Well, I'll send it to you."
You confused: "I don't smoke."
Gao Qi took out the lighter again and stuffed it together: "I've never seen you smoke, but aren't you always used to bring a pack when invigilating exams?"
"Why?" Zhao Jiatong was curious.
Although they used to follow examiner A, not everyone can be as familiar with A.
Anyway, Zhao Jiatong used to be a little afraid of him. Curious, but afraid.
Gao Qi replied, "I don't know why."
He said, and secretly glanced at Examiner A himself.
Youhuo didn't raise his head.
Gao Qi spread his hands to Zhao Jiatong and said with his mouth: Don't ask, I probably forgot why.
So it really doesn't make sense to say that the brain is broken.
Gao Qi and Zhao Jiatong sighed.
Youhu squeezed the lighter, and was about to put it in his pocket, when two slender fingers suddenly stretched out beside him, grabbed the lighter and took it away.
Just by looking at his hand, he knew it was Qin Qiu.
"What?" You Huo asked.
"I'm a little curious, I'll borrow it to take a look."
Qin Jiu walked side by side with him, turned the lighter between his fingers, and suddenly asked, "Did someone always borrow fire from you before?"
Maybe his voice was too low, or maybe he was too close.
You Huo moved in his heart, as if something that was almost forgotten was mentioned, and suddenly there was a trace of impression.
He looked at the gadget in Qin Qiu's hand: "How do you know?"
"Because you asked me if I smoke or not."
Qin Qiu said, looking up at him.
You Huo was quiet for a moment, then drew the lighter back into his pocket: "You said you didn't."
Qin Qiu stopped, he didn't stop wandering, and walked ahead in a blink of an eye.
Gao Qi and Zhao Jiatong raised their heads and asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Why did you stop here?"
Qin Qiu rubbed his empty fingertips, looked up and said, "It's nothing, I thought about something."
"What's the matter?" Gao Qi turned around and looked around: "Did you find anything?"
"It has nothing to do with the exam." Qin Jiu paused and said, "A little private matter."
***
The Duke's wine has a first-class sleep aid effect.
After everyone returned to the house, they quietly changed rooms, and soon became sleepy.
In the middle of the night, the castle was silent.
Butler Douglas stood in front of a room on the second floor with a lamp, and knocked a few times.
After a while, the door was opened.
The man scratched his hair and asked sleepily, "Who is—"
The old housekeeper had sagging flesh and an old face. The light of the oil lamp shone on his face from the bottom up, and the person who opened the door shuddered and woke up completely.
He was none other than Zhang Pengyi, who was late for the dinner earlier.
"Go, Mr. Butler?"
Douglas nodded and said, "I'm sorry to disturb your sleep, sir."
Zhang Pengyi rubbed his face vigorously, his fingers trembling slightly.
He doesn't want to sleep.
The Duke's question at the dinner frightened him. He and Jiajia were both scared and didn't plan to go to sleep at all, but they fell asleep inexplicably, and now they are inexplicably awake.
"Is there something?" Zhang Pengyi glanced inside the room.
It was strange that when he woke up, Jiajia was still sleeping soundly.
It wasn't like this before, when he turned over, Jiajia would wake up.
Douglas said slowly: "I don't know if you still remember, Sir, the Duke said that he had something to do with you at night."
Just this sentence, Zhang Pengyi's bladder swelled up.
"Can it be daylight tomorrow?"
"I'm sorry, but I think you'd better go now."
Zhang Pengyi glanced at the corridor again.
There were many people living in the castle, but it was extremely quiet at the moment.
Neither human speech nor snoring could be heard.
He remembered the Duke's reminder at the dinner, as if everyone who lived here would automatically fall asleep at night.
Not only that, but the servants who were guarding the door during the day were nowhere to be seen.
Most of the wall fire in the corridor was extinguished, leaving only the light shaking in the hands of the old housekeeper.
Zhang Pengyi was in a cold sweat.
In a hurry, he opened his mouth and called out, "Help—"
"Ah" did not come out, the slow old butler's face suddenly grim, an iron rod slammed down on his head.
Zhang Pengyi's cry for help came to an abrupt end, and he fell to the ground.
On the big bed in the room, He Jiajia seemed to be deaf, still asleep, unconscious.
The old butler returned to his expressionless expression and reached out to grab Zhang Pengyi's collar.
The skin on the back of his hand was wrinkled, and the pale ground was covered with bruised tendons.
He was obviously old and thin, but he dragged Zhang Pengyi along without changing his face.
In the corridor, the rustling of the cloth and the ground, from the second floor to the first floor, finally stopped in front of a bedroom door in the west tower.
The old butler knocked on the door.
The Duke's voice came from inside, very soft and hoarse: "Is it Douglas?"
"Who else, sir."
"You're a little slow today."
"Sorry, sir."
"It's ok."
The door creaked open, and the two footmen held the doorknob expressionlessly, as if they hadn't seen the old butler dragging someone else.
The Duke stood there wearing a mask.
It was obviously a midsummer night, but he rubbed his hands as if afraid of the cold.
"It doesn't matter, I have the most patience in the world with you and me," the Duke said softly. "What would I do without you?"
"I am always here."
Douglas dragged Zhang Pengyi into the huge bedroom.
The Duke followed behind him, still rubbing his hands in air, with a smile at the corners of his mouth, a bit like the person in the oil painting, but... not exactly the same.
Without looking at it, he said to the footman, "Go out."
The two servants moved and closed the bedroom door after they went out.
Douglas threw Zhang Pengyi into an armchair, and slowly took a bunch of candles, one by one.
The Duke stood in front of the armchair, took off Zhang Pengyi's mask, pinched his chin and looked at it.
He gave a "tsk" and said, "I don't like this face very much, and you broke him."
"Sorry, sir."
"It doesn't matter, you don't have to use him. But I don't like his figure either." The duke lifted the other's collar again.
He coughed a few times, his lips were bloody, and said regretfully: "But forget it, my heart can't hold it anymore."
***
Zhang Pengyi suddenly felt cold, and then had a splitting headache.
He vaguely heard the voice, and suddenly he was shocked and opened his eyes.
I saw myself sitting in an unfamiliar room, surrounded by white candles and some dead branches.
He watched TV series a lot, and suddenly thought of something magical like medieval witchcraft.
But in the next second, those thoughts were emptied.
Because fear prevailed - he found himself immobile.
Douglas, the old butler, was standing outside the circle, while the Duke was standing in the circle, right in front of him.
The other leaned over, staring at him through the holes in the mask.
Zhang Pengyi smelled a strange smell.
rotten, cold...
The Duke smiled.
From a close look, you will find that his smile is very stiff, and he cannot control it very well, and he can only touch the corner of his mouth.
"Look at me," said the Duke.
His eyes were full of bewitching power, and Zhang Pengyi became a little dazed for no reason.
"Good guest, will you do me a little favor?" asked the Duke softly.
Zhang Pengyi opened his mouth.
His lips and brain seem to be separated, and he wants to say "no", but his lips are not obedient to say "yes".
He competed with himself, his eyes rolled up as he struggled, looking embarrassed and pitiful.
The Duke gave another "tsk" and grumbled to Douglas, "It's uglier."
Zhang Pengyi didn't hear it.
He felt the pressure on his jaw tighten again, he saw the other person's eyes again, and then all the struggles slowly stopped.
After a while, he said in a hoarse voice, "Yes."
The Duke smiled: "Thank you very much."
***
There was a muffled sound in the bedroom, as if something had pierced into the flesh.
It stopped after a while.
Then, there was the sound of a screech of heavy objects being dragged away.
In the corner stood a mirror with intricate patterns. The Duke stood in front of the mirror and wiped his fingers, sizing up the people inside.
He changed into Zhang Pengyi's dress, the buttons on his upper body were open, and there were fine blood lines around his neck and waist, like even stitches.
Douglas buttoned him.
The Duke said: "I have thought about it, and I still don't need his face."
"And what about this gentleman's wife?" said Douglas. "You can see they are very affectionate."
"Love... that would be the best," said the Duke. "Let's try it later."
The Duke touched his chin again and said, "This face still needs to be replaced as soon as possible. I don't think it's very obedient these two days."
While speaking, he nervously rolled his eyes and moved his neck from side to side.
It was like... his head was struggling.
The butler said, "I see, sir."
"It's too troublesome to put together like this. It would be great if there was a perfect guest." The Duke thought for a while, and then said, "I was lucky at this dinner. I saw two such guests. If there are any of them. Whoever disobeys my request and makes the slightest mistake is the best."
"Hopefully they're the ones who don't follow the rules," replied the butler, "I'll pray for you."
The Duke lifted his chin and asked the butler to button up.
He glanced at the housekeeper and said, "Douglas, your body is too old this time, when can you replace it?"
Douglas: "Wait for your reunion with Mrs."
The duke's eyes softened and he said, "Come on, don't you mean that the guest's wife is very affectionate with him? Then my Eliza will be back soon."
He turned to look at Douglas again and said, "When you change back to your youthful face, I want to find a painter, add a few strokes to those paintings, and paint you too."
***
The night was darker, and the sky was overcast again.
A few thunders rolled over, and the rain that had just stopped for a while started to fall again.
The stone wall became wet, and the water vapor formed long marks.
Douglas carried the oil lamp and returned to the door of Zhang Pengyi's room.
"You go first," he said to the people behind him.
Wearing Zhang Pengyi's dress, the Duke walked into the house and went straight into the bedroom.
On the crimson bed, He Jiajia curled up in the quilt and slept soundly.
The Duke sat down beside the bed, took off the other's mask, and looked at her sleeping face.
In his chest, the beating of his heart became fast and fast, and he closed his eyes and felt it.
To Douglas: "Very good...very good, I can feel..."
There was another circle of white candles beside the bed.
The Duke's eyes softened a lot.
He patted He Jiajia's face lightly and said, "Dear, wake up."
The person who was still asleep for a second actually woke up.
She half-closed her eyes and asked vaguely, "Pengyi? Why did you get up?"
The Duke stroked her face, looked down into her eyes, and said, "Wake up and look at me."
"Right, that is it."
"Good girl, would you like to do me a favor?"
…
***
The thunder suddenly became louder.
On the third floor directly above the bedroom, Zhou Qi woke up suddenly, his heart beating fast.
She suddenly dreamed of her lost boyfriend, who was standing in front of a huge full-length mirror, wearing the dress in the old castle, and holding the removed mask in his hand.
He turned pale and said to her, "Qiqi, I'm a little cold..."
She wanted to walk over, but the other party stepped aside and said, "Don't come here, don't look me in the eyes, sleep well, it's so cold here..."
Then she woke up.
Next to Zhao Jiatong, there was a faint scent of red wine on his body, and he slept very deeply.
Zhou Qi sat on the bed for a while, his body was hot and cold.
She remembered the words of her boyfriend in the dream, and lay back again.
Instead of touching the bed, they slept on the carpet.
She opened her eyes and watched the vapor sliding down the wall.
as if someone was crying...
She shrank, leaned against Zhao Jiatong and closed her eyes again.
…
3am.
The room on the third floor near the east tower suddenly rang the mobile phone alarm.
When it's over, it's pushed down.
It continued after a few minutes, and was pressed again.
…
You Huo finally withdrew his arms and opened his eyes.
He got up with a full stomach, frowning and looking aside.
Qin Jiu stood beside him and looked down at him: "If I don't wake up, I will take drastic measures."
Youhu closed his eyes for a while and finally sat up.
With a low air pressure, he said, "What do you want me to do, I set an alarm clock."
Qin Jiu shook his phone, pointed to the screen and asked him, "Are you referring to this alarm clock that rings eight times?"
Confused: "… "
With a paralyzed face, he touched the empty pockets of his trousers, looked at Qin Qiu for a moment, and said, "Why is my cell phone in your hand?"
"It's too noisy, I stole it."
Qin Qiu bent down and said, "Now that you are awake, return to the original owner."
Of course, they don't sleep in tight dress jackets, only snow-white shirts and trousers, with pockets close to their hip bones.
Youhuo watched someone withdrew his fingers, and the phone was showing a corner from his pocket.
…
Gao Qi took his coat from the bedroom and saw You Huo stand up from the animal skin bench, lowered his eyes and pushed the phone into his pocket.
The dress here is also boots, and at first glance it really looks like a proctor.
Gao Qi was stunned for a moment, and said, "It's the same boots, so why are they long and straight on your legs, I'm panicking..."
Youyou looked up at him.
Gao Qi felt that he couldn't say anything good when he opened his mouth, so he interrupted quickly: "Forget it, I didn't say it. That... Really want to harass the Duke now? Why do I think this idea is so bad?"
"You don't have to go." You Huo said.
Gao Qi felt that there was a crack in the friendship.
He was about to persuade him a few more words when a person suddenly jumped off the balcony.
Zhao Jiatong said to them: "Don't be too busy to harass the duke, save the lives of your companions first."
Confused for a moment.
Zhao Jiatong pointed to the side and said, "Xiao Zhou is not quite right, can you take a look?"