Chapter 382 - 147: Ye Taina??
"Is anyone there? Hello?"
For some reason, Su Ziceng felt a sense of expectedness; Pello was never a passive person, and she didn’t expect him to obediently lie in bed at this hour. However, she was somewhat disappointed that Pello did not call for her.
Su Ziceng turned around, intending to go back to her room, but when she reached the middle of the corridor, those red ribbons that had not appeared for a long time suddenly filled the entire hallway.
Visually, it seemed as if the corridor had sunk to the seabed; those continually twisting and extending bright red ribbons resembled wildly growing seaweed that had changed color.
Why such a change occurred was beyond Su Ziceng’s capacity to understand. Compared to the previous few times, there were more red ribbons this time, but they seemed gentler, not forcing Su Ziceng or restraining her movements, merely floating alongside her.
Perhaps it was because they reached their "hometown" that these bright red ribbons learned a more amiable way to host their visitor.
She knew that, even without coercion, the red ribbons were meant to guide her to do something.
The corridor remained eerily quiet; the lights did not flicker or change despite the appearance of the ribbons. Su Ziceng took a few steps forward, then turned back and closed the doors to both her and Pello’s room.
The ribbons spread along the corridor toward the fifth floor of the villa, where she had heard from the old housekeeper that it was Count Olson’s bedroom. Su Ziceng didn’t feel guilty for her behavior akin to that of a thief; in her mind, there was no need to consider the moral boundaries regarding people like Olson.
Su Ziceng removed her shoes from her feet. Upon reaching the fifth floor, the soft carpets disappeared. The marble steps made her toes numb from the cold.
The fifth floor didn’t have as many rooms partitioned off like the floors below; at the end of the straight corridor, there was only one door.
"Lucky," Su Ziceng murmured upon seeing a key left carelessly by a servant in the door handle. She pushed the door open and entered, while still asking: "Is anyone there?"
The gentle voice was quickly swallowed by the darkness that poured out of the room. Even though there were no electric lights on, the room was bright, with moonlight, frost-like, streaming in through the undrawn curtains.
After entering Count Olson’s room, Su Ziceng felt warmth returning beneath her feet; by touch, it seemed that Count Olson’s bedroom had wooden floors.
The waxed floor was slippery, and Su Ziceng walked very carefully, squinting her eyes to better discern the items around her.
In the air, there was a sudden sharp intake of breath. Someone was present.
Su Ziceng backed away several steps, retreating to the wall, and looked in terror at the figure sitting on the sofa chair by the dragged-down curtains. The sound of her retreating footsteps echoed in the room.
The sound of Su Ziceng’s gasp was muffled by her hands.
The silhouette on the sofa chair remained still.
"Hello? I accidentally..." Su Ziceng quickly glanced at the location of the door; it was open at a 30-degree angle, and if she moved fast, she could escape the room in ten seconds.
There was no response; the person on the sofa did not move at all. "He" might have fallen asleep,
or perhaps was hard of hearing and did not make out Su Ziceng’s question.
The floor beneath was still slipperily waxed; Su Ziceng looked at the bright red ribbons beside her and felt a surge of courage fill her body.
"Hello!" She took a few steps forward, attempting to discern who the lifeless figure was, sitting under the moonlight at midnight.
Upon reaching the edge of the sofa, Su Ziceng saw a pitch-black head of hair, as strands of a woman’s long locks emerged from the armrest. "It’s a woman," Su Ziceng recalled, Housekeeper Dennis had not mentioned the Countess.
Whether it was Olson Manor or Mussen Manor, this estate which had changed owners twice, had only one Countess.
Su Ziceng took a breath, then stepped forward to face the "woman" who seemed so serene.
The scream that should have erupted remained absent under the moonlight.
The face before her, this person, was familiar to Su Ziceng.
She couldn’t resist reaching out her hand until it brushed the "woman’s" face.
The "woman’s" long hair still clung to her rosy cheeks, "her" petite nose, delicately shaped brows and eyes, and lips sparkling with dazzling color.
"Ye Taina," Su Ziceng whispered, trailing her fingers across "Ye Taina’s" face, feeling the icy coldness in her hand. It was pliant, yet devoid of human warmth, a wax figure of "Ye Taina."
This was a highly realistic "wax figure," even more lifelike than those at Madam Tussauds Wax Museum. The figure was fixed onto the sofa, clad in a white silk shirt and a high-waisted black skirt.
Its surface was devoid of any dust. Was this wax figure left behind by Olson or Mussen? Why was it placed here?
Facing such a realistic wax figure, most people would feel terror. But Su Ziceng seemed to have little reaction. She looked at Ye Taina as if she were seeing a dearly beloved relative.
"Aunt Ye, I’ve come to see you," Su Ziceng sat on the floor, leaning against the sofa, murmuring softly.
Her head could touch "Ye Taina’s" skirt hem. The maker of the wax figure had taken great care; "Ye Taina’s" clothes and skirt were all custom-made from handcrafted silks, costing a fortune.
Several papers fell out from the sofa, which Su Ziceng picked up randomly. After flipping through them, just having seen the first page made her freeze.
"Mussen’s Blessing, Red Love Ring, Orange Love Earrings, Yellow Love Necklace, Green Love Brooch, Green Love Cufflinks, Blue Love Pen, Purple Love... Bracelet." Su Ziceng gripped the papers tightly, almost crying out in excitement; she had actually found the complete set of Mussen’s Blessing jewelry.
Illustrated personally by Ye Taina, the seven pieces comprising Mussen’s Blessing. "I must tell Pello," Su Ziceng became restless, standing up then sitting down again because she noticed there were eight pieces of paper. Wasn’t Mussen’s Blessing supposed to contain only seven items?
What could possibly be on the last page? Su Ziceng flipped open the final page, which fell to the floor, and indeed, the last page featured a man.
Not Pello, nor did he look like a foreigner.
The portrait was of a much younger... Su Qingzhang.
The paper slipped from Su Ziceng’s hand to the floor, soundlessly, yet Su Ziceng felt as though her heart plummeted with a huge crash.
The Su Qingzhang on the eighth page had a beaming smile, radiating happiness; the woman who painted this must have loved him deeply. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel free to support it with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)