Chapter 139. You bled beautifully
In a modest manor nestled on the outskirts of Cybele City, the once-peaceful silence was now drowned by dread. The wind tugged gently at the pale curtain through a crack in the window, but the soft breeze was the last thing on anyone’s mind.
Not when fear clung to the air like the thick, suffocating humidity before a storm.
Inside the master bedroom, a man crouched in a concealed compartment—an old, hidden closet tucked within the stone framework of the manor walls. He wasn’t alone.
His wife clutched his arm tightly, and between them were their three children, huddled close. His chest rose and fell in heavy gasps as he tried to keep his breath quiet. Sweat beaded down his brow.
The man—Baron Cybele—once stood proud as a mid-ranking noble, running his estate with moderate success and staying far from major political games. But tonight, that distance had shattered.
Blood had already spilled through the corridors of his home. His servants, men and women he’d trusted for years, had been silenced—some cut down where they stood, others simply gone without a trace.
And now he was prey, hiding like a rat in his own house.
"Daddy," a small voice whispered.
His six-year-old son looked up at him, confusion and innocence still flickering in his eyes like a fading candle. "Daddy, who are we playing hide-and-seek with? Is it uncle Manik? Or auntie Xiani? Why are you and mommy scared? This isn’t fun... everyone’s so clustered and quiet..."
Before the boy could ramble further, his mother gently placed a trembling hand over his mouth. She bent close, whispering soft and sweet as a lullaby into his ear, despite the sheer panic in her gaze.
"Shh... baby, we’ll lose the game if we make noise. And we don’t want to lose, right? Listen, if we win—Mommy and Daddy will buy you any toy you want. The big kind, with lights and music and everything."