["The maid Eileen remained silent for a long ti, then spoke in a conflicted tone, 'I am truly grateful for everything you've done for ... But I must do this.'"]
"I am truly grateful for everything you've done for ... But I must do this," the Baroness delivered the rehearsed line without hesitation. Her clumsy acting would have ruined any performance.
However, it was clear the "audience," if one even existed, did not possess refined taste.
"By doing this, you will ruin your life and Sara's."
Lu Li spoke before the ancient, whispering voice could be heard.
He had no intention of giving the evil spirit an opportunity to manipulate him. It wasn't a matter of pride, but of avoiding the sa kind of trap that had ensnared Eileen.
The ancient, whispering voice fell silent for a mont, then continued its narration.
["'By doing this, you will ruin your life and Sara's.' Disappointnt was plain in the servant Lu Li's eyes. Eileen remained silent. She understood, of course, what Lu Li was saying: she would lose a good friend, and Sara, her freedom. As a maid, Eileen's past poverty had taught her the value of a stable and secure life. She couldn't bear to see her mistress throw it all away for so penniless youth... Everything she did was for her mistress's sake, and one day, her mistress would surely understand!"]
"But your actions are pointless," Lu Li said, his words carrying a deeper aning. "Don't let soone else's thoughts control your own."
Lu Li was hinting that the Baroness should break free from her prescribed role and take control of the narrative herself.
The Baroness understood the hint, but before she could say a word, the ancient, whispering voice interjected.
["'Pointless?' the maid Eileen asked, bewildered."]
"You plan to tell the head of the family about the necklace being sold? Sara will be locked in her room, and she'll find out it was you who betrayed her. That's why it's pointless. The head of the family is already against Sara's relationship. Do you really think your ddling will change anything?"
Lu Li's voice was flat, his acting no better than the Baroness's.
"Even if Adam uses the money to buy an expensive gift, will the head of the family change his mind?"
["The servant Lu Li's words washed over Eileen like a downpour. She realized her actions truly were pointless. Fear gripped her. She suddenly thought: if her mistress finds out the truth, how could she ever face her again?"]
["'Thank you. You've helped
again...' Eileen gave the servant Lu Li a grateful look, bowed deeply, and ran out of the manor."]
["Lu Li watched her go and let out a soft sigh."]
Lu Li sighed, his face devoid of expression.
The ancient, whispering voice fell silent.
The Baroness and her butler returned an hour later. The jewelry was gone. No one but her knew what had happened. During the day, events had moved swiftly, with several hours compressed into just a few sentences.
Sara awaited the next day as eagerly as she had awaited today. She was distracted during her piano and etiquette lessons, much to her teacher's displeasure.
Evening arrived. Sara had her dinner and, attended to by the maid Eileen and the other servants, went to bed.
Another sleepless night followed.
At six in the evening, the story for the day concluded.
Tomorrow, Adam would arrive with his gift, and the plot would begin to unfold.
"It seems like a rather clichéd story. I can already predict what happens next," David comnted.
The exorcists changed their clothes and gathered in the drawing-room, waiting for dinner.
A fire burning in the hearth radiated warmth.
"The hero will show up, get chased away, the count's son will make an appearance, the heroine will refuse the arranged marriage and run off with her beloved. In the end, the hero will probably die, and the heroine will gain her freedom."
A black mist suddenly began to swirl beneath the ceiling, so five or six ters up, coalescing into threads that drifted downward.
David noticed it, shrugged, and added nonchalantly, "I'm talking about *Rodrigo's Romance*. That book started the whole trend of these kinds of love stories."
The black threads dissolved, the mist dissipated, and the drawing-room grew quiet once more.
Such a book did indeed exist, and its plot matched David's description.
The exorcists chatted for a little while longer before Baroness Joseph appeared.
She was once again in a luxurious gown, her face adorned with exquisite makeup that highlighted her noble beauty. It was hard to imagine that just a short while ago, she had been wearing a simple maid's dress, her face dotted with freckles.
The cooks began to serve dinner.
This hadn't happened on previous days. After their discussion, everyone would simply disperse. But when the Baroness learned that Lu Li seed to enjoy good food, she had decided to turn the daily debriefing into a communal dinner.
Lu Li decided not to disabuse her of this notion.
The Baroness, as before, took the lead in the conversation. She recounted what had happened when she was alone with "Sara."
"She nervously asked
many questions. If you ignore her appearance, she's just an ordinary girl."
The Baroness spoke in a husky voice. Dishes were being served on silver platters along the long table.
Lu Li picked up a glass of orange juice and brought it to his lips, but then he suddenly paused, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly. He set the glass back down on the table.
The Baroness, who had been watching Lu Li discreetly the whole ti, gestured to a maid. "Bring Mister Lu Li a glass of milk."
Several pairs of eyes turned to Lu Li. He said nothing.
The Baroness continued her story. When the green eyes that had filled the orange juice vanished, Lu Li picked up the glass again and took a sip.
The hallucinations, brought on by his declining Mind Level, had beco a part of Lu Li's daily life. One could assu that when the situation worsened, and he had read every book in the shelter, these visions would beco his primary form of entertainnt.
Dinner did not last long. All the necessary information was exchanged within the first fifteen minutes. Lu Li silently finished his milk, set the empty glass on the table, and departed for his detective agency in a carriage provided by the Baroness.
The Baroness, having lost interest in the conversation after Lu Li's departure, also left soon after. The remaining three exorcists talked for a little while longer before retiring to their rooms.
A rainy night enveloped the bustling city of Belfast.
A quiet night.
People were falling asleep.
...
In the Baroness's brightly lit mansion, only one room was plunged into darkness.
And in that darkness, sothing was stirring.
["That night, Sara slowly awoke."]
The ancient, whispering voice sounded, quiet and inaudible to anyone but her.
["Sleepiness slowly receded. Gazing at the moonlight outside her window, Sara sat up in bed. The thin blanket slid from her body. Sara didn't wake the sleeping maid, Eileen. Barefoot, she walked to the balcony."]
A dark silhouette, darker than the darkness itself, erged from the shadowed room.
Raindrops fell upon it.
["Cold moonlight spilled from the full moon onto the grounds below. Looking at the vague outlines of the manor, Sara suddenly rembered that the guard at the gate had quit several days ago."]
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