Roman's eyes sparkled at his words. "For me?"
"It's something from the instance, so you might not be able to take it out. Try it on?"
Roman pulled back his hood, accepted the Olive Crown with both hands, and solemnly placed it on his head, even though it was only a crudely made stage prop.
Once he had it on, he said nothing, merely blinking as he watched for Lu Mi's reaction.
Lu Mi studied him with one hand propping up his chin, then reached over to adjust it.
"Black curls with a golden olive crown-it really does suit you. Put on some white Greek-style clothes, and you'd be Apollo himself."
"Really?"
The delight in Roman's eyes was almost overflowing, making Lu Mi feel a little awkward. "Why would I lie to you? Look at you, getting so excited. You're like a silly little puppy."
Smiling, Roman raised his left hand to stroke the Olive Crown on his head.
His right hand, still hidden beneath his cloak, gently rubbed the little thing embedded in the center of his palm-a bloodstained human fingernail.
Finding a new clue had greatly lifted Lu Mi's spirits.
Over the next few days, he frequently searched every nook and cranny of the castle and entered Noel's dreams several more times, hoping to find more clues.
What baffled the other players even more was that he sometimes practically fought for the chance to teach Noel.
"Are you sure?" After they drew lots to assign tasks that evening, Mo Yu stared at him in disbelief. "You really want to trade your blank slip for my history lesson?"
Lu Mi nodded earnestly, then said something that left her utterly stunned. "The blank slip means cooking. If you don't want to do that, I can handle it too."
Mo Yu stood there with her mouth hanging open for a long while before asking Roman, who stood beside him, "Is he okay? Has being stuck here so long messed with his head?"
Seeing Roman's icy expression, she could only mutter under her breath.
"You could at least acknowledge me. Lu Mi, how on earth do you get along with him?"
Lu Mi looked at Roman, then at Mo Yu, and answered with absolute certainty, "He's just very shy."
Mo Yu: "..."
Her conscience ultimately kept Mo Yu from giving Lu Mi the blank slip. Even so, she saw him again while supervising Noel's dinner.
Seeing her surprise, Lu Mi explained, "I'll watch her. You can go get some rest."
Mo Yu: "Huh-??"
That only made her more surprised!
That day, while several players gathered to take a break, Mo Yu joked, "These past few days have been strangely peaceful. I'm almost tempted to settle down here and retire."
Her companion Jiang Chunyan poked her. "What are you thinking? Look at Lu Mi. He's been running himself ragged these past few days. He doesn't just lock Noel up at night-he even cooks during the day. Don't you feel bad?"
"I've been doing my share too, okay? Whenever I have time, I go to the library. It's a little less damaged there, so I figured I might find some clues."
Mo Yu continued, "I asked Lu Mi about what he's been doing too. He just said to be more patient with Noel and not force her to eat so much."
Jiang Chunyan's expression instantly grew grave. "You're saying Lu Mi is cutting down on how much food Noel gets?"
"I think so. He said he couldn't bear to watch Noel eat until her stomach burst."
"Is he trying to get us killed?!" Jiang Chunyan cried, then hurriedly covered her mouth and glanced around. "Good thing the butler isn't here... What if the butler finds out? If he has a death wish, what happens when he drags us down with him?"
"But he hasn't found out, has he?"
"What if he has? What if the butler is just waiting for the right moment to massacre us, like before?"
Mo Yu remained unconcerned. "I trust that he has a plan. You haven't seen him teaching Noel. Those two are as close as real siblings now. Besides..."
She also checked that no one was around before lowering her voice. "Before, if no one interrupted Noel while she was eating, she'd just keep going until she went berserk. But now... Haven't you noticed?"
Jiang Chunyan asked, "Doesn't she still go berserk? Every time mealtime comes around, I have to run around hiding."
"It's almost time for Noel's breakfast. Go see for yourself."
In the kitchen, Lu Mi wore an apron as he stirred something white in a pot.
Suddenly, he turned around warily. "Who's there?"
The kitchen door slowly opened, and Jiang Chunyan walked in. "Um, I'm here to help."
Lu Mi nodded. "Thanks, but there's no need. It's almost ready."
Jiang Chunyan gave an awkward "Oh." "Can I ask whether you're..."
She leaned close to Lu Mi's ear, afraid someone might overhear. "Secretly breaking the butler's rules?"
Afraid Lu Mi would deny it outright, she pointed toward the dining room. "I've heard all about it. Don't worry, just tell me. If anything happens, you'll take the fall yourself."
Lu Mi took out a large bowl and filled it to the brim with dog meat before replying, "Come see for yourself."
Jiang Chunyan was left speechless. Do none of you people know how to use your mouths?
Seeing her frustrated expression, Lu Mi explained, "A player was still trying to kill me a couple of days ago, and his reason was absurd. So I need to stay a little wary of companions I don't know well. I hope you don't mind."
"Someone was trying to kill you? Oh, I thought it was something... Wait, a player? Did I hear that right? A player?" The shock on Jiang Chunyan's face grew even more pronounced.
How can you people say such terrifying things so casually?
Lu Mi thought for a moment. "I think his surname was Zhang, but I haven't seen him in quite a while. Maybe he didn't hide well enough at night and Noel ate him."
In the dining room, Noel sat up straight, eating from her bowl in tiny bites.
Jiang Chunyan watched closely from beside her, but so far, she saw nothing different from usual.
"You're making the young lady's lunch again today?" The butler appeared without warning in the doorway, questioning Lu Mi in a suspicious tone.
Lu Mi pointed at Jiang Chunyan. "No, we're close, so I kept her company while she cooked."
The butler gave a slow "Oh," then walked over to watch Noel eat closely.
Gradually, Noel began eating faster.
With a clatter, she flung her spoon onto the floor, then lifted the bowl and gulped down its contents. Meat juices ran from the corners of her mouth and trickled into her clothes.
Although Jiang Chunyan had watched Noel eat many times before, she was still a little frightened. If this kept up, wouldn't she go berserk?
But seeing how composed Lu Mi was reassured Jiang Chunyan a little.
Perhaps because Lu Mi had been appearing in the dining room too frequently lately, the butler did not leave.
Only after he saw the butterflies fly away from Noel's eyes, with every sign that she was about to go berserk, did he nod in satisfaction and leave.
Jiang Chunyan appeared calm, but inside, she was panicking like mad. She grabbed Lu Mi. "Dude, run! Once she's done licking the plate, she's going to start licking us!!"
Before you continue