C45 — [2.8 – The Rose Manor]

“Angus, do you have time these days? Let’s go out and play!”
 

“There’s a lot of new stuff in town these days, you’ll love it, what’s the point of reading all day, why don’t we go out and play together?”

 

 

“Yes, yes, I haven’t seen you for many days, it’s hard to meet you, let’s get together!”

 

In the hallway of the castle, Jiu Shu held a stack of notes preparing to go to the library but was stopped by a noble young man with brown hair, and there were two companions beside him, all dressed up in fancy clothes.

 

 

His hair had red roses in it, his face was coated with whitening lead powder, even the neckline of his sleeves were decorated with light pink lace, if he had a decent face then this could barely be acceptable, but unfortunately, in front of Jiu Shu, none of them were considered good looking.

 

 

And everyone seemed very lethargic due to indulging in sensuality, unable to even straighten their waist and back. Even though they were only in their teens and twenties, they didn’t have the vitality that youth should have, and their eyes were very cloudy.

 

As they watched Jiu Shu, their faces were still full of eager anticipation, and he could tell at a glance what was on their minds.

 

 

Jiu Shu lightly glanced at the three people in front of him.

 

 

The sunlight outside the corridor shone through the floor to ceiling glass window, casting a warm, fragmented light on his snow-white face. His deep blue eyes became increasingly clear, reflecting the strange shapes of the three people in front of him.

 

 

Compared with this youth whose features were perfect to the extreme, these people did look a bit poor, they also seemed to feel the gap, staring blankly at Jiu Shu.

 

After meeting that pair of cold eyes, they suddenly avoided his line of sight as if they were ashamed of themselves.

 

Jiu Shu withdrew his gaze and walked away in a detour. He didn’t want to talk to these people, wasting time and energy. The target of punishment was still waiting for him in the library.
 

 

A few noble youths looked at Jiu Shu who walked away, their expression was a little reluctant, but they didn’t have the guts to forcefully stop him, what he did just now had already drained all their courage.

Compared to the aristocrats of the same class who used to be able to date successfully by casually chatting up, this young man named Angus wasn’t only beautiful beyond recognition, but also had a character that is equally cold beyond recognition.

 

 

They simply didn’t know what to do to make this cold beauty look at them differently.

 

 

Obviously they just wanted to have a date to express their good feelings, but this beautiful young man never agreed, and the eyes that looked at them were also very calm, so calm that it was almost cold.

 

 

It made him unattainable, making their hearts itch with dissatisfaction.

 

 

“Ugh, failed again, Angus is too cold right, I really don’t know what he’s busy with all day ……”

 

 

Someone sighed in disappointment, and the others also showed their disappointment.

 

 

Although they usually acted loose, as if they were casual about their relationships, their love for Jiu Shu this time was truly unprecedented.
 

However, he was always far away from their social circle, and was gone all day long. Many of the candidates had fallen in love with him, pining for him to the extent that they couldn’t think of anything else, but they simply couldn’t find him in person.

 

 

The fact that they could happen to meet Jiu Shu today was also the reason why they had been wandering around the neighborhood early, but they still couldn’t get the desired result.

 

 

No one would overlook the beauty of this youth named Angus, even those socialites who claimed to be the most colorful in the Imperial Capital could not compare to half of this youth’s beauty.

 

 

Although these people were commoners who had been abandoned by their families, many of them had actually seen a lot of the world.

 

 

At least in the imperial capital, which had the most beauties in the entire empire, those of them who soaked in the circle of nobles all day long had also never seen anyone more beautiful than Angus, no matter male or female.

 

 

A few days ago when many people were driven away by that damned old count, in fact, the dozen or so people who stayed behind thought not only that they could have more possibilities of inheriting the property, they also felt that they could be close to Jiu Shu, and increase the possibilities of being with him.

 

 

Those who made trouble because they were driven away also had the same idea, they just wanted to make a bigger fuss and take one last look at Angus, but unfortunately Angus didn’t seem to hear the commotion at all that day.

 

 

To them, even if they didn’t get to be lovers, just spending a night together was fine, even holding hands was fine.

 

 

The three of them thought so in unison, recalling the way the blonde youth’s pale, slender palm had just wrapped around the notes in his arms.

 

 

Each finger was well boned, and green veins were faintly visible on the back of the snow-white hand, forming a stark contrast in tone with the black cover of the notebook, giving rise to the urge to lick it.
 

“His lips are also very nice, it seems that there was no lipstick ……” The brown haired youth subconsciously uttered, and the appearance of Jiu Shu just now appeared in front of his eyes once again.

 

 

The brown-haired youth who fell into infatuation revealed an unbearable demented state, attracting playful teasing from his companions, but they seemed to be of the same mind, and even began to discuss where Jiu Shu was the most beautiful.

 

 

Whether it was his tall and slim figure or snow-white and flawless face, this noble youth seemed to be impeccable, and his gentle and indifferent temperament was also unique.

 

 

In the past, when he hadn’t been annoyed by their accosting he would still occasionally talk to them with a gentle smile, and they could tell that he was a mild-tempered person.

 

 

But now there wasn’t even a smile anymore.

 

 

But even without a smile, Angus was just as beautiful to the point that people couldn’t help but hold their breath just by looking at him, for fear of disturbing that heart-stopping beauty.

 

 

Just as they were discussing with a face full of fascination, they suddenly felt a chill on their bodies, as if something terrifying was coldly watching them.

 

 

They had goosebumps all over their body, looked around but didn’t find anything, but they lost the interest to continue the discussion and walked away with low mood.
 

 

And in the shadows of the corridor, the cane made of goldenrod was held tightly by a large black-gloved hand that seemed to be holding back something.

 

 

But after a few moments, he still endured, suppressed the gloomy emotions rolling around in his pitch-black pupils, and turned around to leave the place.

 

 

The old count who had already walked away didn’t see the originally depressed people stop, they suddenly sprang up again and got together to whisper something.

 

 

“Hey, speaking of which have you heard? That very popular ritual recently ……”

 

“You mean the one where you can communicate with the gods and then pray for a marriage? It’s a bit fake, isn’t it!”

 

 

“Fake or not, don’t you know if you try it?”

 

 

The ceremony they were talking about was actually a psychic ceremony that had become more popular in the empire recently, and it was said that one could communicate with the gods underground by drawing down a formation and then pray to Him for a marriage.

 

 

But it only worked better at night.

 

 

Perhaps irritated by the coldness of today’s Jiu Shu, they looked at each other and decided to try it the day after tomorrow, after all, they needed some materials, they would go to the city today to pick them up.

 

It was just for psychological comfort, if it really worked, maybe that beautiful youth would really favor them.

 

 

They thought somewhat obsessively.

 

 

For this empire that was generally superstitious about the occult, there were an unknown number of similar psychic rituals, and there was always one that was popular after a while, a while ago it was the popularity of becoming rich spells, and this time it was marriage.
 

For them, they had already done countless similar spells long ago, but there had never been a time when they looked forward to it so much, constantly praying in their hearts that it would actually work.

“If it does work, I’ll go to church and donate a hundred pounds!”

 

 

“Hmph! I’ll give two hundred pounds!”

 

 

Their playful voices carried a long way down the corridor.

 

 

And at that moment in the secret room, Jiu Shu was looking over the notes in his hands, his beautiful blue eyes reflecting the dense writing on the paper.

 

 

The occult notes after he had organized them were much clearer and more lucid, and he was also able to easily discover the nature of the occult in this world.

 

Just like what was mentioned in Blood of Madness, the so-called occult was just the tip of the iceberg of god.

 

There were gods in this world, and this world’s occultism boiled down to nothing more than studying the slightest breath of those gods that were revealed on earth.

 

 

“……”

 

Thinking of this, Jiu Shu opened the system panel and pulled up the original content of Blood of Madness.

 

 

Compared to the simple love story of Rose Manor, a romantic literature, Blood of Madness appeared more complex.

 

It was mainly about a team of scientific researchers discovering all sorts of abnormalities while exploring an area of mountains shrouded in mists.

 

 

According to the author’s setting, this horror story was set seventy years after the end of Rose Manor.

 

 

At that time, Rose Manor, along with a large portion of the nearby rolling hills and mountains, had been shrouded in a perennial mist.

 

Although human technology at that time could already set foot in many places, it was still impossible to penetrate deep into this lost land.

 

Even airplanes could get lost in the fog and lose their signals, making this formerly populated area a no-go zone for humans.

 

A team of researchers from the University of Hastatos entered the area in order to discover the source of the fog that suddenly spread seventy years ago, and gradually unraveled the true nature of the fog.

 

 

In this movie, in order to emphasize the horrible atmosphere of the mist, the author used a lot of words to describe the huge and strange shadows that appeared in the mist, and the strange and distant chirping sound that came from it made people’s heart tremble.

 

 

It was as if this mist-covered realm no longer belonged to this planet.

 

 

Compared with those huge shadows, the researchers were as small as ants, and could only scurry away in the mist.

 

They broke into a mountain range that was written on the map.
 

The frightened researchers tried to follow the mountain range, but realized that the mountain range could not be reached in any way.

 

In the oppressive environment of the mountain range’s misty shroud, many of the team begin to either go insane or disappear for inexplicable reasons.

 

 

In the end, only three of them barely survived and found an underground ruin covered in mist in the mountain range.

 

 

The ruins looked like a huge labyrinth that had been carved out artificially, and only when they reached the end could they see a huge altar that seemed to have been dedicated to a certain god.

 

 

The altar was surrounded by deep wells leading to nowhere, and human-like bone fragments were piled up in it, filling up several of the holes.

 

 

The various writings carved around the altar were all lost occult knowledge, recording all sorts of bizarre rituals that could supposedly call upon the gods, many of which made people feel physically and mentally ill just by being there.

 

Many of them were so real that it was as if the gods really existed in the world, waiting for sacrifices under this altar.

 

 

The trio was horrified by this ghastly spectacle.

 

 

But they knew that they could no longer go out, so they could only follow the underground ruins all the way forward, and actually came to a nearby manor that had been abandoned for a long time.

 

 

In the manor, they finally understood the ins and outs of the ruins in the mountain range.

 

 

It was the Augustus family, whose bloodline had been severed seventy years earlier, that had made all this happen.

 

 

The Augustus family, who believed in a certain god, had been worshipping a god for generations in the mountains near the estate, and had miraculously carved out a huge underground ruin.

 

 

They documented all their history in a cache on the estate, which was eventually discovered by the science team.

 

But the source of this mist was still unknown.

 

 

The three remaining science researchers were no longer able to explore it, and exhausted, they finally returned to their original starting point.

 

 

Just as they were trying to escape from the area, one of the team members suddenly went crazy and struggled as if he had seen something.

 

 

By the time they returned to the city, the team member had gone completely insane and had to be sent to a mental hospital.

 

 

When his teammates went to visit him, they only heard him muttering unintelligible words under his breath.

 

“Offer the last bone and blood to open the original door.”

 

 

“We did it wrong, the door is already open.”

 

 

Even when his teammates inquired as to what exactly he was seeing, this team member just kept repeating these words over and over again.

 

 

It wasn’t until the teammates began to study the various materials that were brought out from the mists that they realized that the words this insane team member was saying seemed to be all from the ritual codex that had been passed down from generation to generation in the Augustus family.

 

 

And in this codex, the passage meant that when the sacrifice was successful, the door to god’s descent would open.

 

 

The team still couldn’t understand it, and they went to the man again, and the man just said a few words this time, “Norman Augustus …… he is the last of the bone and blood.”

 

“Down there, he was down there at the time ……”

 

 

He said incomprehensible things.

 

 

Although the teammates knew that Norman Augustus was the last count, said to be a bloody count who had killed countless young boys and girls to maintain his youth, they still couldn’t understand the words of the team member.

 

In the end, the matter was left unsettled, and the miserable end of the science team led to no one ever daring to explore the mist-shrouded land again.

 

 

Only one of the teammates still insisted on visiting the insane team member in a mental hospital every year.

 

 

The team member, who was getting crazier every year, always looked in the direction of the mists and kept muttering, “Soon, soon, He’s coming.”

 

 

He followed and looked in that direction, suddenly realizing that the mists seemed to be getting closer, as if something was really coming for them.

 

The night after he returned from the mental hospital, he had a dream.

 

 

In the dream, the team member who had gone insane was standing at the place where they had found the underground altar in the first place, looking down at one of the pitch-black bottomless well holes.

 

 

“It’s down there, he’s down there.”

 

 

The teammate snapped out of it, flipping once again through the ritual codex, which he hadn’t been able to read in any way in the first place, and saw that one of the words, written in ancient Arabic, read that the last bones and blood gave birth to the children of the gods, who descended through the original gates.

 

 

He suddenly remembered that when they had first escaped along the underground ruins they had opened a door that seemed to have this very passage inscribed on it.

 

 

And behind the door, it was all outstretched mist, they couldn’t see anything at all at that time, they could only feel their way forward, and all they could touch was sticky, slippery moss.

 

 

But that didn’t seem to be moss, but some kind of horrible thing that constantly wailed and emitted endless mists.

 

 

It was a child of the Evil god.

 

They had released Him from the ground.

 

 

He opened the door to their room in a trance and saw that the roiling fog had come to the city they were in, and the team member in the asylum was letting out shrill laughter, “He’s coming, He’s already here!”

 

 

The story came to an abrupt end.

 

 

Jiu Shu looked at the original content of Blood of Madness and fell into deep thought.

 

 

The author of this one was very mysterious, the content was obscure, and all the clues were hidden in the plot of the expedition of the scientific researchers.

 

 

There were hints that this manor was the one in Rose Manor.
 

 

There was even a portion of the book that described the life of Norman Augustus, the subject of punishment, and implied to the reader that after the subject’s death, his body rotted and twisted and underwent some sort of grotesque transformation, and was randomly abandoned in the nearby mountains.

 

 

It became the origin of that evil god’s heir described in this one.
 

 

The heir of the evil god, this horrible existence that was mentioned many times in the book but never depicted positively, was a monster that was transformed after the death of the target of punishment.

 

 

Although the book didn’t explicitly write whether there was still human consciousness during the seventy years the subject of punishment stayed underground, those wails made Jiu Shu guess that there might be.

 

 

In the original story, the old count was transformed into a kind of thing that could not be named after his death, and the ability of the evil god’s heir allowed him to constantly emit a thick fog that covered the entire territory and refused to allow humans to come close to it, while at the same time allowing himself to be trapped in the ground.

 

 

In order to change this curse-like fate, not only was occult knowledge needed, but also a thorough investigation of the family’s history.

 

 

And according to the original story, it was in this secret room that the science research team discovered the ritual codex that recorded all the history, and Jiu Shu also found the book.

 

 

But the descriptions in it were too obscure, and Jiu Shu was currently in a state of half-understanding.

 

 

This family has too many secrets, about why the old count would become the heir of an evil god after his death, the description in the original book was too vague, and what was written in the ritual ceremony was not very clear, only vaguely revealing that it had something to do with the curse of the old Count’s family’s bloodline that had been passed down from generation to generation.

 

 

But at least now what could be determined was to ensure that the old count didn’t die.

 

 

Just as he pondered the next step, footsteps came from behind him, it was the old count who had returned.

 

 

He hadn’t been seen just now, he didn’t know where he had gone, so Jiu Shu had been waiting here for him.

 

 

“Lord Norman.”

 

 

Jiu Shu turned his head and looked at the old count who was walking towards him, the masked man seemed to be a little apologetic, apologizing for his lateness.

 

Jiu Shu smiled, “It’s fine, I’m happy just to see that Lord Norman is here.”

 

The young man’s blunt words caused the old count to freeze, and the tips of his ears reddened almost immediately.

 

 

A week had passed since Jiu Shu had confessed on the note, and the old count had gradually gotten used to the young man’s bluntness.

 

 

Although he still didn’t show it on his face, in private, he would always reveal an involuntary smile while recalling the way Jiu Shu didn’t hide his affection for him.

 

 

These days were the old count’s happiest and most troubled times.
 

 

Although he secretly rejoiced that he had gained the affection of his beloved and that they were in love with each other, every time he saw his old face and the young and beautiful face of his beloved, he would feel deeply uneasy.

 

 

Especially those noble youths who were always around Jiu Shu, those fools with young skins, the old count really wanted to drive them all out of the manor.

 

 

Every time he heard those dirty and filthy words in their mouths, he couldn’t help but want to secretly order someone to break that person’s legs and throw them out of the manor, but the result of this was that there were less than ten candidates left in the manor, it would be too obvious to drive them away again.

 

 

The old count remembered the youths who stopped Jiu Shu just now, and his dark eyes were filled with dark emotions.

 

 

When he raised his eyes again, he still barely maintained the posture of an elder and sat down on the chair beside Jiu Shu, attempting to answer his questions as he had done in the past.

Instead, Jiu Shu didn’t immediately ask for advice on the issue as he did in the past, he just stared earnestly at the old count, his gaze as if it could penetrate the mask on his face.

 

 

The old Count’s pupils shrank, and he somewhat wretchedly lowered his head, not daring to face his beloved’s clear eyes that seemed to be able to see through people’s hearts.

 

 

“…… Why are you suddenly looking at me.”

 

 

Only after a long time did the old count speak in a hard voice, and his fingers tightened nervously.

 

 

Was his ugly and unpleasant true face discovered?
 

The old Count’s expression became more and more miserable, and Jiu Shu looked at the old count in front of him as said gently: “It’s just that I suddenly realized that Lord Norman is very durable.”

 

 

“Much more durable than those strangely dressed guys.”

 

 

What Jiu Shu said was indeed the truth.

 

 

Compared to those ostentatiously dressed aristocratic youths, the subject of punishment’s outfits were slightly archaic, but it was black outfits that couldn’t go wrong, and the well-tailored clothing perfectly set off the subject of punishment’s long, broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted body.

 

 

Even though his face looked older than his peers, he also had a calm temperament that was different from everyone else’s, and the elegance and steadiness unique to a noble family made the old count not actually look as ugly as he claimed.

 

 

Although he had never seen the old count’s face under the mask, but just from the slightly hard jaw angle, he could see the old count’s youthful handsome, even when old, he was still a handsome middle-aged man, not to mention his current age wasn’t old at all.

 

 

Jiu Shu could see the agitation that the old count had been hiding under his calm exterior lately, and he wanted to make the old count realize that he would love him no matter what he looked like.

 

 

“!”

 

 

The old count raised his head and met Jiu Shu’s gaze, seemingly not believing his words, but the young man’s eyes full of abject sincerity made the old count hesitate a little and his heart beat faster.

 

 

“Does Lord Norman think I’m lying?”

 

 

The blonde-haired, blue-eyed young man came close, his voice soft as if it were a feather crossing the side of his ear, making his heart beat faster.

 

 

“No.”

 

 

The old count answered, but he didn’t dare look into the eyes of Jiu Shu, which was brimming with moving light, he reached out a hand to try to remove the mask from the old Count’s face.

 

 

“Because I like to see His Excellency Norman very much, that’s why I come to see you every day, ah, doesn’t that prove my words?”

 

 

“!!!”

 

 

The old count subconsciously avoided it, and Jiu Shu paused, but still withdrew his hand, knowing that the subject of the punishment had not yet been completely unraveled, but perhaps it was ready to be confessed.

 

 

Through the letters over this period of time, Jiu Shu knew that the old count had actually accepted this relationship in his heart, he was just still afraid, afraid that he would abandon him because of his old age.
 

And he would use time to prove everything to the object of discipline.

 

 

“You hates me a lot?”
 

Jiu Shu’s voice was bitter, seemingly hurt by the old Count’s rejection, he lowered his head forlornly, and like any other youth whose confession had been rejected and whose mood had sunk to a low ebb, his azure eyes filled with tears.
 

 

The old Count’s breathing stopped, he lost the composure that an older man should have, wanting to step forward to brush the tears from Jiu Shu’s face, but not daring to, “No, I don’t hate you.”
 

“Then does Your Excellency like me?”

 

 

The old count was so nervous, his throat was so dry that he couldn’t utter a single word, not knowing why Jiu Shu suddenly started asking this, his mind went blank and he could only subconsciously answer, “I like, like you.”

 

 

As the words fell, there was a silence in the storeroom, and the old count lowered his eyes with a pale face, almost not daring to look at Jiu Shu again.

 

 

“Me too, I like you too.”

 

 

Jiu Shu’s voice with a smile broke the silence of the moment.

 

 

The young man’s confession, full of genuine affection, raised the old Count’s cool body temperature to a rolling boil, and he felt a warm, soft body approach and give him an intimate embrace.

 

 

“I’m happy.”

 

 

The old count stared blankly at Jiu Shu in his arms, Jiu Shu raised his head, and on his snow-white, flawless face was a smile that was gentle and beautiful to the extreme.
 

They were really together.

 

 

Until late at night, after bidding farewell to him, the old count still appeared to be in a trance, as he looked at the paper roses in his hands, his face, which was not covered by a mask, suddenly reddened.

 

 

The scarlet color didn’t fade even in his sleep.

 

 

The day after the relationship was established, Jiu Shu came to see the old count as usual, only this time he didn’t bring a book with him, instead he wanted to go out for a stroll with the old count.

 

 

 

“Just at the manor, I want to know more about you, can’t I?”

 

 

The young man’s warm and soft voice gave birth to no thoughts of refusal.

 

 

The old Count’s palm was held by the young man, slowly interlocking his fingers before he walked slowly towards the depths of the castle.

 

 

There was a forbidden area of the family where outsiders were not allowed to enter, but the old count who had already lost his senses to lust had apparently forgotten all the rules.

 

 

The roots of his ears that were covered by the mask were scarlet, and his gaze softly looked at the young man on his side, and the feeling of happiness made his whole heart clogged as if it was stuffed with cotton.

 

 

The sweetness of first tasting love made him even forget the age gap between them and his own aging, and his eyes were only filled with this extremely beautiful young man in front of him.

 

 

“You’re always staring at me, is it because you want to kiss me?”

 

 

The blonde-haired, blue-eyed youth always spoke frankly, so frankly that the old count, an old antique, was a bit unable to withstand it.

 

 

His eyes widened and he couldn’t say a word, only his hand that was interlocked with Jiu Shu was slightly sweaty, trying to say that he didn’t have such dirty thoughts, but his gaze couldn’t help but fall on Jiu Shu’s lips.

 

 

Just like what those frivolous noble youths said back then, Jiu Shu had lips that were very suitable for kissing, the full lips were permeated with a healthy rosy color, glowing with a crystalline luster under the light.

 

 

“…… ” Jiu Shu noticed the old earl’s line of sight, and his blue eyes curved up slightly.

 

 

Seeing that, it was even more tempting to kiss him.

 

 

So he reached out and hooked his hand around the old Count’s neck, and the two of them got closer and closer.

 

 

In the end, Jiu Shu gently kissed the old Count’s thin lips, the youthful kiss seemed like a cluster of embers burning his entire face to scarlet, his originally gloomy face finally had some smoldering color.

 

 

“Okay, keep walking! Take me to see your family portrait.”

 

 

Jiu Shu pulled the hand of the old count who was staring blankly, and walked towards the deeper part of the castle.

 

 

Soon arriving at the place where the family portraits were placed, Jiu Shu looked at the family portraits hanging in the depths of the castle.
 

 

The walls of the long corridor were densely packed with all kinds of portraits, and he searched for a while before finding the old Count’s portrait in the corner under his guidance.

 

 

This was a collective portrait of the family, in addition to the target of punishment, there was a man and a woman in the portrait, all dressed in gorgeous clothing but with gloomy expressions, in the dim corridor, it was extremely eerie.

 

Standing beside the man and woman was the subject of discipline, who was about ten years old.

 

 

Wearing a neatly combed big back hair, exposing his bare forehead, his features were exquisite, his pupils were especially dark, and his face still with baby fat had the same gloomy and cold expression, but when Jiu Shu looked at it, he found it adorable.

 

 

“You were cute at that time.”
 

Jiu Shu had something to say straight away, and then smiled as he watched the old Count’s originally calm face become more flustered, and the tips of his ears flushed red.

“Thank you.” The old Count’s magnetic voice rang out, he was a little embarrassed and even began to wonder why he hadn’t put on a smile in the first place, it was hard not to feel ashamed now as he looked at himself in the portrait.

 

 

Not far from the group portrait was the old Count’s portrait when he was young.

 

 

At twenty years old, the old count was indeed very handsome, handsome eyebrows, deep features, black hair spread out in front of his forehead, showing the unique high eyebrows and deep eyes of westerners, much better than those noble youths in the castle now, and completely described as a beautiful man.

 

 

However, he felt that the current object of discipline was more temperamental than the portrait, the aura of age settling in made his eyes less sharp and more appealing instead.

 

 

“…… Thank you.”

 

 

This time, after hearing Jiu Shu’s praise, the old count seemed to become extraordinarily silent.

 

 

He looked at himself when he was twenty years old, not wearing a mask, his face hadn’t yet shown signs of old age, and his spirited face, though still somber, didn’t have the same deadliness as it did now.
 

 

It matched the beautiful young man in front of him.

 

 

Very different from the current him.

 

 

Jiu Shu looked at the old count who had fallen into silence in front of him and seemed to sigh silently, giving him a warm hug.

 

 

“Don’t be sad all day, there is not a single falsehood in what I said, even if there is the younger you standing in front of me now, I would still choose the current you all the same.”

 

 

“Because I love you.” Jiu Shu’s sudden confession obviously left the old count a bit overwhelmed, he looked at the gentle young man in front of him, finally breaking free from the emotions he had just felt.

 

 

Obviously he was the older one, but it seemed that this young man was the one comforting him every time.

 

 

The old Count’s brow eased, his eyes full of love as he hugged Jiu Shu back, completely embracing the thin young man in his generous arms.

 

 

“I love you too.” He was very much in love.

 

 

That’s why I want to give you the best, and I’m obviously not.

 

 

The old count took one last look at the portrait of his youth and withdrew his gaze, and Jiu Shu shook his hand helplessly, and before he could continue to be bothered by the scene, led him away from it.

 

 

And the old count didn’t look back again, his mood became a bit low, but he didn’t show it, he knew that his beloved young man didn’t want to see himself like this.
 

It was their first date, and the old count didn’t want to upset Jiu Shu, so he acted normally afterward, as if he’d forgotten the demoralizing emotions he’d just felt at the sight of the portrait of his youth.

 

 

Jiu Shu knew he hadn’t, but it wasn’t something that could be changed overnight, but he could only take his time.

 

 

The date quickly ended, and by the time night fell, after parting with the object of discipline and returning to his room, Jiu Shu took out the various notes he had made earlier, his face deep in thought.

 

 

Judging from today’s date, the old Count’s inferiority complex didn’t diminish because of the confirmation of the relationship, instead it was hidden deeper.
 

This made him a little worried that the old count would fall into an over-obsession with his looks, just like the original.

 

 

Everything you got would always come at a price, and although the original didn’t describe in detail how the old count returned to his youth, he was still not too keen on letting the old count go down the old path.

 

 

He didn’t believe that he really bathed in blood, and the occult knowledge of this world told him that this way was never going to work.

 

 

“…… “Then the only possibility would be a hidden secret in the old earl’s family, perhaps related to that cursed bloodline.”

 

 

Jiu Shu furrowed his brows and began to continue making notes in his notebook.

 

 

He had to speed up the research now, he had to figure out what was going on before the plot node arrived.

 

Opposite Jiu Shu’s room.

 

 

The old Count was sitting in front of the mirror in silence, looking at his pale self in the mirror, he suddenly remembered the portrait of his youth that he had seen during the day, and somewhat self-deprecatingly narrowed his eyes.

 

 

Feeling ridiculous for his own whimsicality.

 

 

Surprisingly, he was fantasizing about returning to his youth.
 

The old Count’s eyes dimmed, he was still looking forward to tomorrow’s time with the young man, but the affliction in his heart intensified.

 

 

The better Jiu Shu treated him, the more he couldn’t help but think about the day when the young man would leave him with a face full of disgust.

 

 

“…… “The old count touched his face with a sad expression, and looked out the window in the direction where he was; it seemed that the lights were out, so it was time for him to rest.

 

 

After wishing his beloved young man the usual good dreams, the old count walked away from the mirror somewhat numbly and lay down on his bed, forcing himself to sleep.
 

 

He had to meet with him tomorrow, and he could not face his beloved Jiu Shu with an old and tired look on his face.

 

 

However, it was not to his liking, although the old count wanted to fall asleep as soon as possible to slow down his aging, but tonight he slept very uneasily, and in his dreams there were always some noisy voices frolicking in his ears.

 

 

Those disgusting voices were actually a bit like those noble youths who dared to spy on that young man during the daytime the day before.

 

 

Disgusting flies.

 

 

The old earl snorted so disdainfully and lightly in his dream, disdainful of these empty skinned men, and perhaps it was in his dream that his jealousy and disgust became even more unbridled.

 

 

If it was he who became young, he would never be like these fools. The old count said so in his dream, and still seemed to be unable to forget his younger self.

 

 

The next day, after waking up, the old count was a bit tired because he hadn’t slept well during the night.
 

 

He frowned in disgust and decided to eliminate those three annoying candidates today.
 

 

However, the butler froze in the face of the old Count’s request, and only after half a day did he reply with trepidation, “They, uh, something happened to them ……”

 

 

Those three candidates seemed to have had an accident because they were messing around in the manor in the middle of the night, and now they have been sent to the hospital to be rescued.

 

“…… Stand down.” The old Count’s face seemed to have some abnormalities and he waved his hand for the butler to leave.

 

 

It was like the butler got an amnesty, he quickly left.
 

Today’s old Count’s face was simply as white as a dead man’s, and he uncontrollably trembled just standing next to him.
 

The old count didn’t pay attention to the butler’s reaction, he just remembered last night’s dream.

 

 

For some reason, it felt like these three candidates who had accidents were related to yesterday’s dream.

 

 

Perhaps it was an illusion.
 

 

The old count rubbed his brow in a bit of a trance, but in the next moment, pieces similar to dead skin fell off with the movement.

 

 

“…… “The old Count’s pitch-black pupils dilated, and he looked at his palms somewhat blankly, and the originally miserable white skin became extraordinarily white.

 

 

It was even peeling off.

 

 

 

---

TN:

I figured out a proper schedule (⁠✷⁠‿⁠✷⁠)

So starting January, see you on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 🥳🎉🥳🤸

I might still update everyday when I can but this is just a more solid plan, than skipping when I said tomorrow 😬

 

Merry Christmas and happy new year in advance 💗