Chapter 395: Chapter 394: The Mysterious Castle

Several pages of the letter were before him, and Richard flipped through it, finding that most of it discussed the conditions of Wooden Island, including its language, customs, and security. It was evident that Heidi had put considerable thought into it.

Richard quickly scanned the contents, gaining a general understanding of the so-called Wooden Island. Turning to the back of the letter, he discovered some rather personal remarks from Heidi, concerning the relatives she was staying with. As he read, his eyebrows slowly rose.

In the letter, Heidi expressed that she didn’t know why, but she always felt there was something not quite right about the relatives she was staying with, although she couldn’t pinpoint what was amiss.

“… When I arrived here, it wasn’t much trouble to meet Aunt Mary. Though she seemed not very enthusiastic about my arrival, she wasn’t exactly cold either–she not only arranged a large room for me in her castle but also assigned an Old Servant to take care of me.

But… the longer I stay here, the more uncomfortable I feel. The castle is large, yet there are hardly any people around, and I barely see Aunt Mary. The Old Servant who takes care of me doesn’t hear very well; sometimes when I call him, he doesn’t hear, making me feel as if I’m alone in this vast castle.

Moreover, the food I eat and the water I drink always seem to have a strange taste, but when I try to taste it carefully, it seems not to be there. Maybe I am too sensitive, but… I really am not used to it.

Lately, I often wake up in the middle of the night, then hear lots of footsteps walking around the castle and continuous talking, as if Aunt Mary is hosting a party with many guests. But when I try to get up and look, I find I can’t move at all, as if I were petrified in bed.

It’s only when daylight comes and all the sounds disappear, and everybody has left, that my ‘petrified’ state returns to normal. When I get up and ask Aunt Mary if there really were people over last night, she denies it. Then, when I ask why I couldn’t move after waking up, she says that it might be because I wasn’t really awake and was just having a nightmare. She tells me that I’ll get used to it here in time.

Is that really so? Was it truly just a nightmare? Is it really because I haven’t been here long enough to get used to this place? I am a bit scared, Mr. Richard. I wish you could come. But I don’t know if you will receive this letter, nor if you will come after reading it…”

Richard looked at the letter, his eyes slightly flickering.

…

Meanwhile,

In a somewhat sinister castle far away.

“Tap, tap, tap…”

Footsteps sounded, an aged, hunched man who looked almost seventy or eighty years old and closely resembled a skull appeared. He slowly ascended the moss-covered stairs to the upper floor of the castle, heading towards a room.

In his hand, he carried a tray with two plates and a wooden cup. The plates contained burnt food of indiscernible material, and the cup held a strangely reddish liquid.

“Tap, tap, tap…”

The Old Man stopped in front of the room for a moment, then knocked on the door.

“Thud, thud, thud! Miss Heidi, your dinner is here,” the Old Man said in a hoarse voice, rough as grinding stones, which sounded somewhat eerie.

As the Old Man spoke, the contents on the tray rapidly changed–the burnt food turned into slices of bread and meat, and the reddish, strange liquid turned into clear water.

“Screech,” the door opened, and Heidi came out, looked at the items in the old man’s hands, and quickly took them over, politely saying, “Eugene, thank you for your efforts.” The Old Man’s name was Eugene.

“That’s what I’m here for, Miss Heidi,” the Old Man responded, staring into Heidi’s eyes as he spoke, “Enjoy your meal. I’ll come back later to clear the dishes.”

“Alright–” Heidi responded softly, carrying the tray into the room, taking a small sip from the cup, and frowning slightly as she muttered, “There still seems to be a strange taste…”

“Eugene!” Heidi called out to the Old Man who hadn’t departed yet.

“Do you need anything, Miss Heidi?” the Old Man slowly turned around and asked.

Seeing the Old Man’s eyes, Heidi instinctively avoided his gaze, not wanting to look him in the eye, and quietly spoke while holding the cup, “Um, Eugene, could you get me something else to drink?”

“What would you like to drink, Miss Heidi?” the Old Man inquired, without refusal, appearing quite amiable.

“Um… do you have tea? Just the most ordinary kind will do…”

“No,” the old man gave a negative answer.

“What about something else…” Heidi was not ready to give up.

“There are ale, absinthe, brandy, tequila,” the old man replied precisely, “Miss Heidi, which one would you like?”

“This…” Heidi’s expression turned a bit bitter, “Is there only alcohol available? Nothing else?”

“No.”

“Well, I guess I won’t change then.”

“Alright, I’ll be leaving now…”

“Eugene, wait a moment, I wanted to ask you, where has Aunt Mary been these last few days?” Heidi suddenly thought of something and spoke up.

The old man’s expression did not change, and he looked at Heidi, “Are you asking about Lady Mary? She has always been in the castle.”

“Then why haven’t I seen her for so many days?” Heidi was puzzled.

“Perhaps the lady has been busy with some matters.”

“Then… then… Can I see her? I want to chat with her, I want to ask her if I can leave the castle to wander around.”

The old servant looked up, slightly furrowed his brow, and spoke softly, “Miss Heidi, I will convey your request to Lady Mary. However, as for the idea of leaving the castle… I do not advise you to do so.”

“Why not?”

“Because lately, it is not very safe outside, according to Lady Mary’s wishes, it is best for you to stay inside the castle–it’s all for your own good.”

“But until when?”

“That’s hard to say.”

“Ugh, alright, thank you, Eugene.”

“It’s my duty, Miss Heidi, you’re welcome,” the old servant said. “By the way, if you have no other concerns, I will take my leave now.”

“Goodbye.”

“Goodbye, Miss Heidi.” The old servant slowly turned around, walked down the stairs, and disappeared from Heidi’s sight.

Heidi closed the door and walked back to her room, her brows deeply furrowed, feeling that something was increasingly amiss.

“Meow!”

A cat’s meow rang out, and the black cat Mi Qi, brought by Heidi, emerged from the corner, quickly ran a few steps, and jumped into Heidi’s arms.

Heidi stroked its soft fur, her body slightly relaxed, but the next moment a trace of doubt arose in her mind: every time the old servant Eugene appeared, Mi Qi would always hide, she wondered what the reason could be. Could it be that Mi Qi was afraid of Eugene? But that’s impossible, Mi Qi was the bravest cat she had ever had…

If not that, then what could it be?

Heidi didn’t want to think too deeply…

Looking out the window, Heidi saw that the night had deepened. Despite being in her room in the castle, she felt a chill and instinctively shivered.

At that moment, Heidi suddenly felt truly scared–an inexplicable fear.