novelraw Chapter 339: The Book of Sarah's Death
Chapter 339: The Book of Sarah's Death
[Guests drifted between the halls of the mansion.]
Dark silhouettes roamed the wind-swept hall, the mansion illuminated by flashes of lightning.
[The evening reception was filled with bright lights and a lively atmosphere.]
The chandelier hanging from the hall's ceiling swayed and chimed, casting wavering shadows that danced across the strange, dark figures.
[Guests conversed in low tones, occasionally glancing toward the guest of honor—a slender young aristocrat. The other star of the evening, Sara, was expected to appear at any moment.]
A faint, unintelligible whisper, like muttering, drifted through the howling wind.
The Baroness, Lu Li, and the others observed the uninvited guests in the hall.
Each dark silhouette moved in its own way, as if they were real people.
[Sara, like a star in the night sky, drew everyone's attention. More and more guests noticed the beautiful figure heading toward the hall. The Viscount, who was speaking with the younger son of Count Fran, Fran Francis, caught sight of his daughter. "My friends, you all know the true purpose of tonight's gathering. My daughter Sara and the younger son of Count Fran, Fran Francis, will announce their engagement!"]
"He has terrible taste in names. Sounds like a stutterer trying to speak," the Baroness muttered from her position by the door, dressed as a maid.Lu Li and the others merely observed; this part of the story didn't involve them.
[A flawless smile, the kind she'd perfected in etiquette class, graced Sara's face. She walked through the parting crowd toward her father. Her gaze wandered restlessly over the faces of the guests. The look in Francis's eyes made her feel like hunted prey.]
[The Viscount announced their engagement. Francis wrapped his arm around Sara's slender waist. Any unease Sara felt was lost in the chorus of congratulations and applause. "Will Adam come?" Sara wondered, her eyes scanning the guests' faces. She was suddenly overcome with turmoil.]
["Ah, if only I were in Sara's place..." the maid Eileen sighed dreamily, not noticing that the servant Lu Li was watching her.]
The Baroness involuntarily turned and met Lu Li's gaze.
"Tsk," David clicked his tongue quietly, covering his nose with his hand.
The ancient voice faded, as if preoccupied.
After a long pause, it spoke once more.
["You two, go and chat, Francis. I leave Sara in your hands," the Viscount said with a fatherly air. "Very well, Viscount," Francis bowed slightly and, putting his arm around Sara, led her to a corner of the hall. The maid Eileen instinctively wanted to follow, but the Viscount stopped her and ordered both her and Lu Li to serve the guests.]
[For some reason, her heart was suddenly filled with anxiety and sorrow, as if she had a premonition of misfortune.]
The Baroness and the exorcists exchanged glances before separating, though they remained close to one another. They moved through the hall, filling the black goblets held in black hands with a dark liquid.
The ancient voice fell silent as Sara and Francis slipped from the hall unnoticed.
"Perhaps Sara intends to lead Francis to some secluded place and kill him," the Baroness thought, holding a tray of drinks.
The downpour and the darkness obscured everything, and soon they lost sight of Sara and Francis.
A flash of lightning tore through the dark clouds, turning the rainy night to day for an instant. Standing in the downpour, Lu Li was soaked to the skin. The cold was already beginning to seep into his bones.
But for the dark silhouettes, it was merely a pleasant, cool evening in the middle of a hot summer.
The light from the garden lanterns struggled to pierce the deluge, casting only dim, shimmering reflections. Without realizing it, Lu Li found himself drawing closer to the bushes.
Only vague shapes were discernible in the rainy night.
But then, the ancient voice sounded in Lu Li's head.
[Sara tried to push Francis away, but even his slender frame was too strong for her. He held her fast, his once-handsome face twisted into a grimace.]
Lu Li looked around, but the pouring rain prevented him from making anything out.
[Sara wanted to scream, but Francis clamped a hand over her mouth. Her desperate struggles were drowned out by the storm and the revelry just dozens of meters away. Tears of despair streamed down her face.]
Lu Li frowned. He wanted to do something, but he suddenly began to cough.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
"Hurry back to the hall," came Anna's concerned voice. "You'll catch a cold in a rain like this."
Lu Li remained silent, his eyes narrowed as he surveyed the area.
Because the ancient voice had suddenly changed.
["Cough, cough, cough..." The sound came from right beside the bushes, as sudden as a thunderclap on a clear day. Francis froze, looking warily in the direction of the noise. Sara's eyes flew open and she bit down hard on his hand. A muffled cry of pain, and Sara tore herself free, fleeing into the night.]
["Damn it!" Francis swore, glaring at his bleeding hand and watching the retreating figure with vexation. "Fine," he thought. "I'll have plenty more opportunities to be alone with my fiancée."]
Having heard everything, Lu Li returned to the hall. He stopped Petra, who was carrying a tray, and said quietly, "Francis tried to... force himself on Sara."
Petra tensed.
"Wait," he told Lu Li and stepped away to get David and the Baroness. "What happened?"
Lu Li briefly recounted what he had heard. "In the end, my cough scared him off."
David looked up, but there were no black threads or bony hands on the ceiling. "It seems you saved Sara. Perhaps she'll be grateful."
"She doesn't know who coughed," Lu Li replied.
He could, of course, approach her and tell her, but there was no point.
"Where is she now? In her room?" David asked.
"She must be. Let's get back to our roles," Petra said, turning toward the dark silhouettes with his tray.
Lu Li and the others dispersed.
...
In the empty bedroom, the story continued to turn, methodical as the gears of a clock.
[Stumbling, Sara burst into the room. Her hair was disheveled, and one of her slippers had been lost somewhere along the way.]
[Fortunately, this would all be over soon.]
[She kicked off her remaining slipper and walked barefoot to the balcony. Suddenly, she froze.]
[The bedsheet she had tied to the railing was torn. Only a small shred of fabric remained.]
[In a daze, Sara approached the railing and looked down. Horror seized her. The figure among the flowers seemed painfully familiar.]
[A scarlet liquid was spreading beneath Adam's body. The life had left him. His eyes, which once shone like stars, had grown dim.]