Thick, mire-like storm clouds blanketed the night sky, erasing all trace of the stars and the bright moon. Howling night winds swept through the dark forest, stirring waves of mournful whistling, while shadowy trees seemed like ghosts eternally bound to this place.
Now and then, ghostly blue firelight flickered out in the darkness. Wandering figures hid in its depths, seemingly waiting for ignorant prey to appear before swallowing it whole in this land forgotten by the living.
The black castle stood silently in the deepest part of the forest.
A faint, dim light shone from the few windows. Amid the mournful wind, other sounds could vaguely be heard; upon listening closely, they sounded like some ethereal and pleasant song.
Forest, ancient castle, singing...
When these elements intertwined, one would naturally think of a certain possibility—the ghosts hidden within the ancient castle, wandering here for thousands of years, quietly awaiting the arrival of travelers...
Within the empty, gloomy corridors, the light cast by several Origin Crystal lamps had been compressed into an extremely small area by the ink-black night. Strangely enough, the place had been cleaned until it was impeccably neat.
♪~♪~
The sudden sound shattered the stillness of the night.
It sounded like a young girl humming, yet it carried a special ethereal quality, unlike any song a living creature could hum.
The singing echoed through the empty corridors, draping them in an eerie atmosphere.
A girl dressed in a white maid uniform drifted through the ceiling, then vanished into the wall opposite. Faint radiance rippled slowly through the air like water.
And this was merely a scene that appeared in the castle every night.
"Phew~"
Ruoye landed on the ground, clapped her hands, and smiled in satisfaction at the spotless corridor.
As Death Castle's steward and head maid, she