Magic Manor 5

Toward evening, the two of them went to the dining room specifically to watch Noel eat.

Although the players in charge of cooking were afraid, the little girl looked sweet and well-behaved. With the butler's warning still in mind, they stayed to supervise her meal.

Lu Mi asked, "Dog meat again?"

He Shengguang stared fixedly at Noel as she ate. "We don't have a choice. It's the only ingredient we have. We haven't found any seasonings either, so we can only boil it plain."

Noel ate silently with her head lowered, chewing faster and faster.

When her cutlery fell to the floor, she ignored it and reached straight into the bowl, grabbing a whole chunk of meat and stuffing it into her mouth.

At the same time, the two butterflies over her eyes fluttered away, revealing a pair of eye sockets like black holes.

Several players began backing toward the exit uneasily.

He Shengguang stopped them. "She did the same thing at noon, and everything turned out fine, didn't it? The butler said we have to watch her finish all her food."

Someone argued, "We only avoided getting eaten at noon because we ran out. Look at her! She's like a starving ghost reincarnated. It's terrifying."

He Shengguang grabbed him by the collar. "Get your facts straight. Lu Mi and the others went back in at noon and kept watching Noel eat, all right?"

Too frightened to speak, the man could only huddle by the door and watch.

Seeing this, Lu Mi brought up what had happened at noon. "It's best not to let her eat too much. The butler's instructions aren't necessarily right."

He Shengguang was fairly polite and respectful toward Lu Mi. Hearing that, he stopped Noel from eating any more.

At around six, the players gathered in the castle hall again to draw lots for the next day's teaching assignments.

He Shengguang placed the paper balls on the table and noticed a man standing far away. "You, come draw your lot."

The man's name was Yu Shaoqiang. He looked like someone not to be trifled with either, and his voice was loud. "I'm not drawing."

"Not drawing?" He Shengguang rolled up his sleeves. "What, do I have to beat you into the floor before you'll do it?"

Yu Shaoqiang looked ready for a fight too. "Think about whether this is fair. Those of us teaching that little monster during the day have to rack our brains and watch out for getting killed."

"If you ask me, anyone who's taught a class should get a proper rest at night. You cooks have it easy during the day, so you should put in some work at night. Draw lots to pick one or two of you to play with her."

His words brought the other players who had taught classes to their senses.

"Exactly. You should draw lots among yourselves to decide who stays up."

"When I was teaching her, that butler kept staring at me from the sidelines. I felt like he was going to kill me any second. If I don't get a proper rest tonight, I'll drop dead."

He Shengguang sneered. "You think cooking is easy? We have to spend the entire day in the kitchen and supervise her while she eats. Besides, didn't we already decide the night-watch rotation yesterday?"

Both sides had people chiming in.

Clearly, everyone had realized that staying behind at night was the most dangerous job.

As the argument raged on, Lu Mi shouted, "Stop arguing! It'll be dark before you're done!"

Yu Shaoqiang remained defiant. "Then what do you suggest?"

Lu Mi rose from the sofa. "I'll take the night watch."

A maid led Noel out, dressed in a clean set of pajamas.

"Would you like me to show you to the Children's Room?" the maid asked.

Lu Mi shook his head. "Take us to Noel's bedroom."

A trace of hesitation appeared on the maid's face. "You're not allowed to enter the young lady's room without permission..."

Lu Mi was about to say, "Then find us another room where we can sleep," when Roman stepped forward, his tone exceedingly gentle.

"Take us there. Otherwise, I'll twist your head off and give it to Noel to kick around."

Noel's room was on the third floor.

Luxurious red tapestries hung down, and numerous paintings adorned the walls.

Yet even though it belonged to the manor owner's daughter, the room had not escaped being ravaged by the soldiers.

Lu Mi threw the filthy, foul-smelling bedding outside the door and brought in the down comforter he had bought yesterday.

He gauged the size of the bed and told Roman, "It'll fit three people. You're just a bit too big, so you'll have to curl up a little."

Hearing this, Noel asked, "Three people in one bed?"

Lu Mi made sure to ask her opinion. "Do you mind? If you do, the two of us can sleep on the floor."

"No, but..." Noel bit her lip, unable to understand why she had to share a bed with her tutors.

Lu Mi said, "Good, then. Down comforters are too expensive. I can't bear to buy another one."

As Roman made the bed, he kept feeling that those words sounded familiar.

Lu Mi patted the bed. "Come on. Would you like a bedtime story or a lullaby?"

Noel obediently lay down and nodded, intrigued by the novelty.

Sitting beside the bed, Lu Mi began singing a lullaby softly.

Noel listened attentively, then smiled happily as though remembering something. "Mommy did this too."

Mommy?

That sounded like an important clue, but the butterfly wings over Noel's eyes had already closed firmly.

Lu Mi kept singing, only stopping once he was certain Noel was sound asleep.

Drawing his gaze away from the little girl, he looked up and discovered that Roman was watching him too.

Lu Mi pointed toward the door-Let's talk outside.

"She had lessons all day and didn't take a nap. Noel must be exhausted." Lu Mi leaned against the corridor wall. "But the butler wanted us to play with her until ten at night. The more I think about it, the stranger it seems."

Beside him, Roman murmured his agreement.

Lu Mi turned to look at him. "You seem to have something on your mind."

Roman was quiet for a while. The wind howled through the winter night, and Lu Mi peered into the room to make sure it had not woken Noel.

"I'm sorry."

Lu Mi heard those words as he drew his head back.

"Huh?" He paused. "Why the sudden apology? What trouble have you caused this time?"

"I'm sorry for speaking badly of your friend, Ning Zhuangzhuang." Roman lowered his eyes, his manner so sincere that, for a moment, he hardly seemed like himself.

"I didn't observe Ning Zhuangzhuang much, but I know she's a girl with an incredibly tenacious will to live. I shouldn't have said she wasn't brave enough... She faced death calmly, right in front of the exit."

Lu Mi looked at him, a sorrowful smile touching his lips, but he could not speak.

"She probably misses you too, and wouldn't want you to feel guilty over her."

Roman's tone was light. "She's still alive, in a sense. She just can't leave the instance."

Seeing Lu Mi's astonished gaze, he explained what he had done in the Central Control Building.

At the end, he added that he had become a player because he had affected the quality of their broadcast, not because of this.

Lu Mi stood stunned for a long time before asking hoarsely, "Why?"

In the Public Rest Area, even raising one's voice could lead to a brutal execution, let alone something like this.

Roman only said, "Because you were so upset."

Lu Mi actually wanted to know more. Why was Roman so good to him? Why did he attach so much importance to his thoughts and feelings?

They both fell silent for a while. Suddenly, two butterflies flapped their wings and flew out through the gap in the door.

Lu Mi hurried into the room. Noel was still sleeping, her breathing steady. Sure enough, the butterflies over her eyes were gone.

He glanced down at the time. "Ten o'clock."

It was precisely the latest time the butler had told them to finish playing with Noel.

"Go to sleep." Roman slipped under the covers and closed his eyes. Before long, he seemed to have fallen asleep.

Watching him sleep peacefully, Lu Mi felt the longing he usually suppressed quietly awaken.

As if drawn by some unseen force, he approached Roman's bedside, reached out, and gently pressed his hand against the black mask-