The Hand of Confession – Chapter 64

Volume 3: Days of Working at the Manor

Baron

Do you know where the Golden Retriever the new groom went?

Staring at the flickering flames in the fire pit, Shen Maomao felt somewhat chaotic inside.

At first, she thought the main plot of this instance would revolve around the four young ladies, but now, inexplicably, it involved the plague and the Black Death… Is there necessarily a connection between the two?

Thick black smoke drifted out through the window crevices, filling the room with a smoky smell.

She thought about many things, from what to wear after Lou Jingmo’s uniform was burned, to whether the black smoke would attract attention, and even to the plot of this instance.

Compared to her entanglement, Lou Jingmo was quite calm. After burning the clothes, she began pondering how to sneak into the castle.

Before she could figure anything out, a burst of noise came from outside.

Their location was near the manor’s gate, so any commotion outside could be heard clearly from inside. The manor gate was usually bustling with people, so Shen Maomao didn’t pay much attention to the noise.

However, Lou Jingmo listened carefully for a while and then raised her hand to close the window.

Shen Maomao: “Sister Lou? Are you planning to let us die of carbon monoxide poisoning in here?”

Lou Jingmo replied, “It seems like the baron has returned.”

The baron? Doesn’t that mean it’s important plot development?

Shen Maomao poured a basin of water on the fire pit, instantly filling the room with a large cloud of white steam, mixing with the pungent black smoke, enveloping them both.

She grabbed Lou Jingmo’s hand, fumbled to open the door, and walked out with her, then closed the door…

From the outside, you couldn’t tell at all that inside was filled with immortal aura lingering (a phrase often used to describe a mystical or ethereal atmosphere).

“Let’s go—” she whispered to Lou Jingmo, “let’s go watch the fun.”

Lou Jingmo: “…” She understood the reasoning, but with such a basin of water, could the fire pit still be used?

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In the morning, there were only a few people outside, but now, on both sides of the road in the middle of the manor, it was full of servants, heads close together, a vast crowd looking spectacular.

The noise they heard in the room just now came from these servants, as the baron’s carriage hadn’t actually arrived yet.

The four young ladies walked out from the garden’s corridor, followed by their servants. Guards held swords, maids held umbrellas, and the other servants watching loudly praised the young ladies’ beauty, their voices like waves of heat, one higher than the other.

Shen Maomao hid behind Lou Jingmo, trying not to let others see her face.

For now, no servant dared to squeeze into the center, so the area around the young ladies was barely a vacuum. So she could clearly see: besides the young ladies, all eight servants were present, including herself.

The two tutors, dressed in brand new, soft clothes, followed behind the young ladies without a word. The man was expressionless, while the new female tutor looked deathly pale, appearing more like a real player than the man.

Another half a day had passed, and Shen Maomao couldn’t be sure whether the people they had breakfast with in the morning were still human; the two tutors had never been with them from the start, though it seemed they must have also experienced some terrifying events.

Before long, a convoy of carriages approached from afar and finally entered the manor’s courtyard.

The long-unseen butler in tails, Laison, went up to greet them, standing respectfully beside one of the carriages.

The driver opened the carriage door, and a pair of gold-trimmed boots stepped onto the ground. A tall man in formal wear emerged from the carriage, revealing his masked face…

Shen Maomao peeked over Lou Jingmo’s shoulder at the people in the center and couldn’t help but quip, “Did he just come from a masquerade ball?”

Lou Jingmo pulled her into her arms and mercilessly covered her mouth with her hand, preventing her from making any more noise.

Fortunately, their position was far back, so they did not attract attention.

Laison bent over in a bow to the man, saying, “Lord Baron, welcome home.”

The baron nodded regally and looked toward the four beautiful young ladies.

The young ladies lifted their skirts, curtsying to him in unison, “Father, welcome home.”

“Good children…” the baron spoke, his voice like sandpaper scraping against stone, extraordinarily rough.

The third young lady seemed somewhat afraid of him, involuntarily stepping back a bit upon hearing his voice. Realizing what she had done, she immediately returned to her original position, lowering her head as if nothing had happened.

The baron, however, walked over to her, using a silk-gloved finger to lift the girl’s delicate chin, saying playfully, “Little Anna… what are you afraid of?”

The third young lady’s long eyelashes trembled continuously, but she forced a smile, saying, “I’m not, Father.”

The baron released her, gave a cold snort, and walked straight towards the castle, leaving everyone else behind.

All four young ladies sighed in relief, with the third young lady, Anna, directly collapsing into Dewdrop’s arms.

From Shen Maomao’s angle, it was easy to see that Dewdrop’s whole body was stiff.

Butler Laison did not follow the baron into the castle. He looked at the young ladies and coldly said, “Please maintain your composure, young ladies, and do not disappoint your tutors’ expectations.”

Anna silently straightened her back again.

The new female tutor waved her hand, saying, “Nothing of the sort.” Although her face was pale, her expression remained calm and composed.

Only then was Laison satisfied, turning to check the goods and merchandise the convoy had brought back.

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The status of the four young ladies wasn’t as high as Shen Maomao had imagined. This was evident from the attitude of both the baron and the butler towards them.

However, upon reflection, it made sense; after all, they were only adopted daughters, and their position in the household was understandably awkward.

So what about the baron’s own children? He’s such a grown man and a baron; surely, he couldn’t have failed to find a wife?

Shen Maomao smacked her lips, thinking that if this were true, it would be quite a sad state of affairs for the baron.

After watching the spectacle, the mixed group of human and ghost maids and guards were taken back to the castle. She and Lou Jingmo left the manor’s front courtyard before the servants dispersed.

With such a big event, almost everyone in the manor who could come had come. Of the thirteen players, twelve were present, whether dead or alive, except for Golden Retriever and the newcomer He Yongchang, who missed this key plot point.

He Yongchang was the cook, and since it was mealtime for the master, he was likely busy in the castle kitchen, unable to leave.

So where had Golden Retriever gone?

If Lou Jingmo hadn’t mentioned it, Shen Maomao wouldn’t have realized that Golden Retriever hadn’t appeared all morning.

Perhaps to accommodate the players’ lifestyle habits, or due to the baron’s benevolence (though this was debatable), the servants in the manor also received lunch. The two returned to their bedroom, were smoked out by the thick smoke, and then went to the kitchen to get their lunch, eating while waiting for Golden Retriever to show up.

After waiting for over an hour, there was still no sign of Golden Retriever.

Although she didn’t want to think it, it was very likely that something had happened to Golden Retriever.

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“Hello, do you know where the new blond groom has gone?”

The groom shook his head: “No idea, I just got back from the caravan, you should ask someone else.”

Shen Maomao thanked him, undeterred, and continued searching inside the stable, asking everyone she met, “Do you know what happened to the new blond groom?”

After asking around, someone finally answered, “That kid? He took a horse to the farm and hasn’t returned yet. The other horses are about to starve, and when he comes back, the overseer will surely whip him with a riding crop!”

Shen Maomao wasn’t concerned about whether Golden Retriever would be whipped when he returned; she was more worried about whether he would return at all.

Lou Jingmo reassured her, “Don’t panic, we’ll go out and look for him. I’ve teamed up with him before; if something happens to him, I can sense it.”

Even with this reassurance, Shen Maomao was still extremely anxious.

Lou Jingmo inquired with the groom about the specific location of the farm, and without much hesitation, she led Shen Maomao out of the manor.

Compared to the environment inside the manor, the outside world seemed particularly filthy and chaotic.

Shen Maomao held Lou Jingmo’s hand, watching the men and women passing by her without a glance, feeling as if there had been some subtle change in the outside environment compared to before.

The air was filled with an indescribable unpleasant smell, like something molding and decaying in a corner untouched by sunlight…

After passing through rows of low, dim buildings, they came upon a stone bridge.

On the bridge were carriages coming and going, hurried pedestrians, and guards patrolling with guns; below the bridge was foul-smelling, filthy water, green and yellow in color, with unidentifiable animal carcasses floating on it, flies buzzing around.

People seemed completely unfazed by such conditions, even used to it, walking across without holding their noses.

Shen Maomao couldn’t handle it; she wished she had a couple more hands to cover her nose.

“Wow, this smell is really authentic!” she mumbled, “With an environment like this, it’s no wonder there’s a plague.”

Lou Jingmo placed her left index finger horizontally in front of her nostrils, walking forward in silence. Once they left the bridge and river behind, she took a deep breath and said, “Even though you might not smell the stench when you breathe through your mouth and talk, the odor, viruses, and bacteria enter your body directly through your mouth.”

Shen Maomao: “…” She felt no emotional stirrings, and even felt a bit nauseous.

After crossing the bridge, they needed to walk along a path up the mountain. They hadn’t gone far before they saw the baron’s farm.

The farm gate was tightly locked, and there were no guards in sight. Inside the iron fence stood a horse, and at its feet was a blond-haired person lying with closed eyes, his condition unknown.

Shen Maomao quickly ran to the gate, just about to shout Golden Retriever’s name, when Lou Jingmo covered her mouth again: “Mmph?”

Lou Jingmo whispered in her ear, “Don’t startle the snake.” (meaning not to alert the enemy)

After speaking, she grabbed the bars of the farm gate, using the wrought iron patterns to swiftly climb to the top.

The gate had a row of spikes for security, and Shen Maomao watched in alarm as Lou Jingmo lifted her long legs, narrowly skimming over the spikes, and she let out a long sigh of relief.

A single misstep would have resulted in a scene of unbearable pain.

Lou Jingmo landed safely, dusted off her hands, and stopped Shen Maomao from climbing over as well: “You stay outside in case of an emergency. If you’re bored, you can study this gate and see if you can open it from the outside.”

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