Chapter 200: Walking Into The Trap
The blizzard that lasted two nights finally stopped, and Clark’s mood was as clear and clean as the sunny sky.
Taking Mireille’s hand, Clark hurried all the way to the secret door closest to the castle door.
“Although… a bit… untimely, but… do you want to bring a few pieces of clothing?” Mireille was probably freezing badly and couldn’t help asking.
Clark’s limbs were also shaking badly; the secret passage was really too cold. He stood in place thinking for two seconds before decisively giving in, “Okay, then… let’s go back and get a few more pieces of clothing.”
Actually, when Clark had gone to Valente’s room, he had already changed into a set of warm clothes from the other’s room, but during the time they spent in the secret passage, he had given some clothes to Mireille. He just didn’t expect the secret passage to be not only as cold as a refrigerator but also unexpectedly damp. After a while, the clothes on him and Mireille were like ice pimples; moving would make the clothes crunch, just like stepping on glass shards.
Considering that after escaping the castle, they didn’t know how long it would take to reach a safe place, changing into clean, warm clothes was a risk they had to take.
So which room should they go to?
Clark unhesitatingly chose Bluebeard the Count’s Room. The clothes of a great noble were undoubtedly the best in this castle. When he had searched Bluebeard the Count’s Room, he had seen more than one exquisite, precious, and warm animal fur coat, as well as many close-fitting linings woven from high-grade fabrics. These clothes were far better than the clothing in his and Mireille’s rooms, by more than just a little.
Seeing Clark’s route forward, Mireille gradually understood Clark’s idea. Although freezing and shivering, a hint of excitement showed on her face, just like a younger sister pranking for the first time.
Luckily, Clark and Mireille returned to Bluebeard the Count’s Room with trepidation, prepared to be discovered by the fused monster at any moment, but they never encountered it. Butler Valente and Miss Hera seemed to have disappeared into thin air.
Even so, Clark still didn’t dare relax his vigilance. Stammering, he casually grabbed a few sets of clothes and changed right there. Mireille shyly hugged the few sets she picked and hid behind the bookshelf to change.
“Oh…” While changing clothes, a commotion came from Mireille’s side.
“What’s wrong? Hiss…” Clark immediately turned back with concern to ask. In that turn, he suddenly felt his back itching and painful. He found a reflective spot in the room to look and discovered a frostbite on his back at the scapula position.
Mireille seemed to be enduring pain too; rustling sounds of dressing came from behind the bookshelf. “It’s nothing… just a sore on my back.”
“Really? What a coincidence, me too…” Clark thought it might have happened in the secret passage when they were pressed together against the cold wall. Then he noticed Mireille’s figure appearing in the reflective mirror in the room. His heart warmed a bit, and he awkwardly turned his back.
But he still caught a glimpse: a frostbite protruding abruptly on her left shoulder blade destroyed her perfectly flawless alluring body. Unlike her pure and lovely appearance, Mireille actually had a vibrant sequin embedded in her navel, seeming like a gemstone.
Clark only knew that in some regions of the world, ethnic women had the custom of embedding gemstones and goldware in their navels. His hometown on the west coast of the New York region was a global immigrant city, and he had been lucky to see women who inherited this ethnic tradition combined with modern trendy styles; their bellies were as beautiful as Mireille’s.
He was still very curious to this day: doesn’t it hurt to do that?
A bit distracted, but Clark didn’t slow down his dressing speed. He soon finished putting on his clothes. Mireille was a bit slower; after all, she was a slender female wearing clothes from a fat male, which was a bit troublesome to sort out, but luckily Mireille was very nimble.
“Still cold now?” Clark couldn’t help but chuckle a bit at Mireille’s current puffy-cat-like appearance, but he still asked with concern.
“I’m fine.” Mireille puffed her cheeks and gave Clark a small glare, probably seeing the amusement in his eyes.
Returning to the secret passage again, Clark and Mireille this time headed straight for the secret door closest to the exit without hesitation, the path filled with their panting from running.
They moved quickly and arrived at that secret door in less than ten minutes.
Similarly, before opening the door this time, Clark pressed his ear to the wall to listen for any sounds of the fused monster, to see if they were nearby.
“Seems like they’re not here.” Mireille was also listening to the wall; she didn’t hear any commotion.
“Good, I’ll count to three, and we’ll go out together, quietly.” Clark said.
Clark gave a look, then counted softly.
Three… two… one… Go!
Clark and Mireille pushed hard together, opening that secret door, and quickly stepped out, soon reaching the stairs in front of the castle door.
Although the stairs were only a short dozen meters from the door, by the time the two reached the castle door, it felt like they had run an intense hundred-meter race, sweating all over.
They’re getting out! They’re getting out!
Clark’s heart surged, and together with Mireille, he pushed open the castle’s entrance door with force.
Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap… Urgent footsteps sounded behind them. The moment he pushed open a door crack, Clark’s heart sank halfway.
Creak…
The door was forcefully pushed open, but what greeted them was not warm sunlight under the sun, but a huge shadow.
There stood Butler Valente and Miss Hera, whom they hadn’t seen for a while, fused even more thoroughly, so much so that no specific body parts could be distinguished. They had expanded like a flesh worm with slender limbs, but with two faces.
Butler Valente and Miss Hera grinned evil ferocious smiles at the terrified Clark and Mireille. They seemed to have anticipated they would appear here and had been waiting here for a long time.
“Hehehe, we’ve been waiting for you for a long time; you’ve finally come.” Valente laughed sinisterly, his eyes full of mockery. “You didn’t think I didn’t know there was a secret passage in the castle, did you?” As he spoke, he stretched out his palm, revealing a bloodstained gold key, now fused with the bones in his palm as if grown together.
If only Bluebeard the Count knew about the secret passage, then the thing in Valente’s hand must be the memory object bearing Bluebeard the Count’s memory.
“We wanted to see exactly when you two would scurry out here like rats, so we’ve been standing here waiting, waiting for you to come out.” Hera cackled strangely, stretching her face, splitting a snake-like neck from her swollen body, bringing her head close to the two, encircling Clark and Mireille.
