Time flew as the meal was prepared. Xie Qi wore a snow-white chef's uniform, and although the dark circles under his eyes detracted from his looks, at first glance he looked every bit the professional, elegant chef.
Mrs. Caster had also come downstairs. She seemed to know all about what had happened that morning, and when the guests complained to her about the chef's bad attitude, she merely listened with a smile. She said nothing about punishing Xie Qi for it.
Only when she heard that the wealthy businessman had been the one to lose did her smile deepen. Her slender eyes tilted upward slightly, and the look she directed at him made him feel as though a beast had fixed its gaze on him.
Fortunately, the feeling lasted only an instant. Mrs. Caster turned toward the kitchen, where Xie Qi was already wheeling out the food cart.
Today's meal was different from yesterday's, but it was just as melt-in-the-mouth delicious. The guests and Mrs. Caster were all very pleased.
The wealthy businessman could only sit alone to one side, watching them feast while he went hungry.
"Damn it! They really won't let me eat just because they said so. Just wait. Once I get back, I'll send people to this lousy island and have you all arrested."
The wealthy businessman glared viciously at Xie Qi, who stood to one side, muttering under his breath all the while.
[You should be grateful they didn't let you eat. Do you know what it's made of?]
[Grateful for what? He already ate it yesterday, and he looked like he really enjoyed it too (vomit--)]
[Say what you will, this chef really can cook. Forget the ingredients—just looking at it makes me hungry.]
[If you ask me, the novelist is the sneakiest. He said he was a vegetarian right from the start and got out of it.]
[New viewer checking in. Wait, judging by the earlier comments, has this world already gone this crazy?]
[How can a gourmet who doesn't eat lamb call himself a gourmet? (doge)]
With the wealthy businessman watching longingly and everyone else satisfied, lunch came to an end.
Mrs. Caster still didn't exchange pleasantries with anyone, simply going back upstairs to her room.
After Xie Qi and Nikalos—mostly Nikalos—finished cleaning up the kitchen, they also said goodbye to the guests.
They also told the guests they were free to look around, though it would be best not to leave the villa. There was forest all around it, and wild animals occasionally appeared. It would be bad if anyone encountered one and got hurt.
All at once, it seemed as though the eight of them were the only ones left in the hall.
The servants hadn't appeared all morning, and there was still no sign of them now.
Just then, Bailey pushed up his glasses and spoke to everyone seriously:
"Everyone, we're all in the same boat now. There was too little time to talk last night, but could each of you tell us what you think of this place today? I keep feeling that there's something very strange about it, but I can't put my finger on what's wrong."
His words echoed what everyone was thinking. A villa had appeared out of nowhere on a desolate, remote island, and the people in it were all very strange. No one could possibly turn a blind eye to that.
"I think we have too little information right now. We should split up and search the place, then discuss it together."
Song Nan folded their arms and offered their opinion.
"If you ask me, why bother? The people here are either old or young. I could knock each of them out with one punch, and then everything in this villa would be ours."
Brussels was two meters tall and powerfully built. Leaning against the sofa, he even flexed his arm muscles at Song Nan.
The blonde woman was still leaning against him. Seeing how strong he was, she nestled tightly in his arms, admiration in her eyes.
"Pfft—"
A derisive sound rang out. Brussels turned to look, and it was that white-haired pretty boy.
"Phil! Don't think I wouldn't dare hit you. We're not in Manhattan now. Do you think the Chris family can still protect you like they did before?"
Phil swirled the wineglass in his hand. It held red wine left over from lunch.
He was very handsome, with a chiseled jawline like that of an English aristocrat, but the disdain on his face spoiled it all.
"If you've got the guts, come on. Let's see what happens if I don't make it back alive but you're perfectly fine. When my brother finds out I'm gone, do you think he'll make you all disappear off the face of the earth?"
His pronunciation had an English elegance to it, but the words he spoke sent chills down their spines.
Everyone else fell silent when they heard him.
Even the wealthy businessman knew the Chris family was beyond his reach. At most, he was a nouveau riche, whereas the Chris family were nobles from Y Country who had immigrated to M Country only half a century ago. Their family businesses spanned every field, and they even funded people in politics. They were not a family people like them could afford to cross.
[I didn't expect this white-haired guy to have such a high status. He's smart too, using it to make the other guy wary of him.]
[Yeah, this deserted island is in the middle of nowhere. Who knows when someone might stab him in the back? Now they're all afraid they'll be held accountable when they get back, so they don't dare target him.]
[When I saw how arrogant he was at first, I thought he'd be the first to die. Now it looks like he'll survive until later.]
[Doesn't anyone think he's handsome? He's got that tsundere vibe (evil grin)]
[Can the people who only care about his face get lost? The chef should turn you into ingredients.]
[Did the person above have to be so hostile? To add, I'd be very willing to become ingredients for the chef (shy)]
[...I salute you! (fist salute)]
Clap, clap—
Bailey clapped his hands twice, drawing everyone's attention back.
"This isn't the time for infighting. We still have to stay here for seven days. During that time, we can only work together to find ways to make things easier for ourselves."
He turned to Phil and said earnestly, "The owner of this place is mysterious, the chef is very strange, and the servants only appear at night. If we don't uncover this villa's secrets, I'm afraid we'll have a hard time holding out until the cargo ship arrives."
Phil knew he had a point. He turned away and drank by himself, paying no further attention to Brussels's provocation.
Bailey wanted to get back to business, so he turned to Annie, who had been hiding off to the side, and asked:
"Annie, you said last night that you knew about the Caster family. Can you tell us anything else we don't know?"
When everyone looked at her, Annie seemed startled.
She had washed her black hair the night before, and it now hung down her back like silk. She was plainly a beauty at first glance, but the timidity between her brows spoiled her whole bearing, so people who saw her rarely noticed her looks.
"I don't know much either. I only know that the Caster family's ancestors seem to have been nobles in Y Country, but their title was low-ranking, so they weren't very well known. Their family also has a congenital hereditary disease. In every generation, none of them live past forty..."
Her voice was so faint that, had the hall not been quiet at that moment, they probably wouldn't have caught what she said.