C87 — The devil’s Banquet (I)

Kou Dong’s gaze lingered on the words “master and servant” for a brief moment.

Master and servant?

This round of the game wasn’t a team instance, but a solo one. The identity of this “servant”…

He looked down at himself and realized he was draped in a deep crimson cloak. It was extremely wide, wrapping him tightly from head to toe. Lifting it aside, he found a white shirt beneath with an exceedingly intricate collar; the sleeves were puffed, and every button was a smooth, round pearl.

Below that was… suspenders?

Kou Dong touched the thing fastened around his thigh, unsure what to call the thin band connecting to the stockings. …A garter?

There were also slightly sloped high heels.

The garter itself was trimmed with delicate gold edging, dotted with tiny diamonds.

All in all, this outfit was something Kou Dong found very hard to accept. Wrapped in silk, jewels, and ornate finery, he even felt a faint sense of suffocation.

 

There was also a smooth, polished cane resting by the seat, engraved with intricate patterns. On closer inspection, it depicted an eagle with outstretched wings, along with a cursive English letter: G.

Kou Dong guessed this was his family crest.

Judging by this, he should be the host named in the invitation.

Viscount Glen.

He fixed his identity firmly in mind, then noticed his pocket bulging as if something else had been stuffed inside.

When he took it out, he discovered another folded letter.

Written in a messy hand, it read:

“My dear friend,

I am terribly sorry to trouble you in this way. However, while in Count Kester’s territory, I have encountered something extremely strange—something difficult to explain in words.
I have realized that I am trapped, and I believe I have encountered a demon crawling up from hell. If you see this letter and I have not returned after a month, please help look after my wife and daughter.
Do not come searching for me. Treat this place as my grave. I will pray day and night for your kindness, and may the Lord bless you.

Your faithful friend,
Selin.”

…

Kou Dong’s heart jolted violently.

Even as a dating-game streamer, he could see the flags all over this letter—death flags filling the page.

It gave him a very bad feeling.

His fingers rubbed heavily over the word “demon” when he suddenly heard a low male voice outside the carriage:

“Master, we’re about to arrive.”

The voice was all too familiar. Kou Dong’s heart lifted with delight. He pulled aside the carriage curtain and, just as expected, saw Ye Yanzhi’s refined profile. Ye Yanzhi was riding a chestnut horse, dressed in riding gear, his trouser legs tucked into black boots that made his long legs look straight and striking.

When their eyes met, Ye Yanzhi smiled faintly and guided his horse a little closer to the carriage. Kou Dong leaned out the window to speak with him more easily.

“Any other intel?” Kou Dong asked softly. “About this place?”

“Just one thing.”

Kou Dong gestured for him to continue.

Ye Yanzhi said slowly, “We’re here under assumed identities—we infiltrated this place.”

 

The moment those words left his mouth, Kou Dong nearly exploded.

“Infiltrated?”

“Yes,” Ye Yanzhi replied quietly. “The original Viscount Glen contracted a strange illness. You took him away and locked him in a room. You received the invitation directly from the courier, replaced Viscount Glen, and ordered me to disguise myself as your servant.”

 

“Don’t worry,” he added, glancing at Kou Dong’s expression. “Viscount Glen is from the East and only recently inherited his title. No one here will expose your identity. But you must play your role well—”

The corner of his lips tugged slightly, as though he were smiling.

“You won’t have any problems, will you?”

He had clearly slipped fully into character.

Kou Dong gave a small nod. In the distance, he could already see the towering spires of the castle within the estate—it seemed shrouded in a mass of clouds that refused to disperse, every window tightly shut.

The iron gates of the manor were pulled open by two servants wearing gray-white wigs, who bowed respectfully toward the carriage. The carriage passed through dense woodland, clattering its way along the narrow path leading up to the castle.

There, an elderly butler with an affable smile stood waiting at the entrance, accompanied by several servants.

At that moment, the system’s voice sounded again in his ears:

[Special Rules for This Game Instance:]

Players have two ways to clear the dungeon.

1. Avoid having your human identity discovered within the time limit.

2. Uncover the truth of the castle and unlock the side storyline “The Fallen Lucifer.”

It paused, and an odd hint of laughter crept into its voice.

[Additionally, the system will bestow upon the player a valuable extra hint.]

[Do not bleed. Do not bleed.]

[—Do not bleed.]

[Please remember this well.]

It repeated those four simple words three times before vanishing completely. Thinking of the traps the system usually laid, Kou Dong found himself uncertain whether this tip was entirely trustworthy.

A hand lifted the curtain. He slowly stepped down from the carriage. Ye Yanzhi dismounted from his horse, stepped forward slightly, and took his arm, carefully helping him down—truly looking every bit like a servant attending a delicate, high-born noble.

The butler also wore a gray-white wig. His pale gray, glittering eyes made him look like an old eagle locked onto its prey.

“You must be Viscount Glen,” he said in a low voice. “The other guests have already arrived. Please, follow me.”

A valet had already silently taken Kou Dong’s luggage away. The old butler bent at the waist and extended one hand.

“May I ask—do you require someone to attend you?”

His gaze fixed intently on the portion of the young man’s face revealed beneath the wide hood. His skin was finely textured, entirely unlike that of Caucasians—like the finest silk. His sharp chin was slightly lifted, openly displaying a noble’s pride.

“No need.”

The young viscount answered succinctly, flicking his hand backward.

“I brought my own.”

A young servant behind him stepped forward.

The butler studied him carefully. He too had rare black hair and black eyes, with handsome features.

Indeed, the type a noble might choose.

Without further comment, he led them through the main doors. Only then did he bend again and gesture with his hand. “Please allow me to—”

He was about to remove the viscount’s cloak.

The servant following Viscount Glen stepped in at some unknown moment, silently inserting himself between the two, and said, “Allow me.”

The old butler looked at him darkly.

The servant’s pitch-black eyes met his gaze, firm and unquestioning. “My master does not like being attended by others.”

The butler clenched his jaw. Only after a long moment did he nod, reluctantly agreeing to this breach of protocol.

The servant’s long fingers undid the clasp of the cloak, gently pulling it open. Accompanied by the soft rustle of fabric brushing against itself, the face of this Eastern-blooded viscount was finally revealed bit by bit—

Bright eyes.

Not the usual black. His hair was slightly long, neatly tied back with a red ribbon. Under the dim candlelight, the jet-black strands reflected a strange, beautiful golden-brown sheen.

His features were pale and refined, his figure slender. When his gaze drifted over from head to toe, it seemed like an appraisal, yet it didn’t feel offensive at all. This sort of aristocratic arrogance, when placed upon him, looked unexpectedly fitting—as though he were born to be pampered and indulged in just this way.

Such radiance even made the old butler, long accustomed to seeing beautiful people in this manor, pause in faint surprise. Recovering himself, he quickly led them inside. “This way, Viscount.”

There were already quite a few people in the reception hall.

The noblemen were sunk deep into soft chairs by the fireplace, the firelight casting layers of shadow across their faces. They spoke in low voices, discussing the usual topics nobles discussed.

Estate yields, hunting, balls, and wine.

The old butler knocked on the door three times, then gestured for Kou Dong to enter.

Kou Dong stepped inside.

The shoes he wore had a slight heel, and even on the plush carpet they made faint sounds. Hearing this, the nobles turned their heads, their gazes abruptly converging on him, and for a moment the room fell into a brief silence.

He was like a perfectly burning torch, moving from outdoors into the room, his brilliance affecting the others to the point of dizziness and fascination.

A blond, blue-eyed young man was the first to rise from his chair, smiling. “Viscount Glen?”

“This is Baron De. Leglis,” the old butler said softly. “A friend of Count Kester.”

Kou Dong remembered both names—they had appeared on the invitation.

The latter was the master of the estate; the former, the writer of the invitation letter.

He smiled slightly in return. “It is my honor to receive your invitation.”

“To miss a beauty like you would be our misfortune,” Leglis said with a smile, signaling the butler to add another chair for the new guest. “Today is a fine day.”

By the time Kou Dong arrived, it was already close to evening, yet what he had seen was mist and dark clouds filling the sky, gloomy with not a trace of sunlight—hardly what one would call good weather.

He nodded. “Indeed.”

Ye Yanzhi had entered with him and now stood by the wall. Leglis spotted him at once and said, “And this is the offspring you have newly guided?”

The corner of his mouth lifted, understanding gleaming in his blue eyes. “A servant?”

Kou Dong didn’t understand what he meant by “guided,” but the word “offspring” startled him.

How did this NPC see through their father–son relationship?

Was his fatherly affection really that obvious—written all over his face?

He sidestepped these two unfamiliar topics and replied vaguely, “Edward is a good child.”

That was the name Ye Yanzhi had told him.

“No need to be nervous,” Leglis leaned a little closer, his eyes fixed on Kou Dong as he spoke in a low voice. “Since I invited you and this newly born child, it means we have already accepted you and your offspring. Both you and he may take part in our banquet. Trust me—this will be something you’ve never seen before.”

“But—”

He suddenly twitched his nose slightly and drew in a deep breath. His face nearly pressed against the side of Kou Dong’s neck, his breath brushing against Kou Dong’s skin.

Kou Dong didn’t step back, though his spine tingled uncontrollably.

He didn’t know where the sense of danger welling up inside him came from. These young, handsome nobles were all looking at him, their gazes—

“Has anyone ever told you?” Leglis said softly, almost greedily staring at the faint bluish veins on the young man’s neck, as though he could see through that thin layer of skin to the bright red blood flowing beneath.

He inhaled deeply and murmured under his breath.

“You smell wonderful.”

Where Kou Dong couldn’t see, Leglis opened his mouth slightly. His tongue curled gently, unobtrusively licking over the two sharp, protruding fangs that had emerged.

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