Chapter 232 Case File 3: The Mysterious Shadow at Rose Villa (8)

Winston subconsciously still wanted to refuse: "I said before, I don't need compensation."

"Oh, you misunderstood. Madam doesn't want to discuss compensation with you." The housekeeper smiled. "Madam wants to discuss the case with you."

Winston: “…”

He could refuse compensation, but since the other party was talking about serious matters, it was difficult to refuse.

Winston couldn't help but sigh and stood up. "Okay then."

Led by the butler, he entered the small door at the end of the banquet hall. Behind this door was the host's lounge. Usually, when the host was hosting a banquet or a dance and needed to make a grand appearance, he would take a break here, tidy up his clothes, and take care of his appearance to ensure that he appeared in the best condition in front of the guests.

At this moment, this lounge became a place for guests to communicate privately with Madame Butterfly and discuss compensation. Guests could enter from the door on the banquet hall side and leave from the other end of the small room.

As soon as Winston entered the room, the butler closed the door behind him. Without the light behind him, the room became unexpectedly dim. Winston couldn't help blinking and took a long time to adjust to the light.

There was only one candle burning on the small round table in the middle of the room. He walked forward a few steps and saw that Madame Butterfly was sitting in front of the small round table with her head lowered, as if in deep thought.

"Madame Butterfly." Winston called out as he looked around the room. The lounge was not big, but it was filled with many things: there was a round table in the middle of the room, with a chair on each side, and Madame Butterfly was sitting in the chair opposite.

Thick tapestries hung on the walls of the room, and in the corners stood two statues of heavy armor. The one on the left held a huge axe in both hands, and the one on the right held a long sword in both hands.

This kind of armor is rarely displayed in such a small room. It is usually placed in the hallway to show off its majesty. Winston felt suspicious and couldn't help but take a few more glances.

...It was a bit strange. Madame Butterfly didn't respond, and the room was completely silent. Incense was burning, and the air was thick, sweet, and heavy, with an eerie scent.

Winston couldn't help but become more cautious. He pretended not to notice and walked to Madame Butterfly and gently nudged her. "Madam? Madame Butterfly?"

The body fell limply, and the butterfly mask fell to the ground, revealing the corpse of historian Duskus van Gently, whose eyes were open in death. There was a knife wound on his throat, and the blood had long since dried up. The strong smell of blood mixed with the incense was so sweet that it was nauseating.

A piercing sound came from behind. Winston was prepared, throwing the candlestick from the table with his backhand, and then slid across the round table to avoid the attack. The armored knight, holding a longsword, had already knocked the candlestick away, and the candle was cut in half and fell to the ground.

The candlelight went out instantly, and the room was plunged into darkness.

Winston pounced on another suit of armor and pulled the greataxe from its hand. The suit of armor fell to the ground with a crash as he pulled violently, revealing the body inside - Ceylon, the magician who had been protecting the historian.

——Two more people died.

Another sound of breaking through the air came from the darkness. Winston had been trained as a shadow detective for many years and had long learned to locate the enemy by sound in the dark. He blocked with his giant axe, and it collided with the long sword, causing a few sparks to fly.

He exerted force on his hands, swung the axe with brute force, and sent the attacker flying. The attacker stumbled a few steps, and his armor clanged against the wall behind him.

Winston brought down another blow with the axe, striking the helmet with a clang. The armor remained intact, but the resonant roar was enough to devastate the occupant. The man staggered and swayed a few steps, then hurriedly removed the still-resonating helmet, revealing long blond hair and a handsome face—the supposedly dead Valentine de Rosewood.

Valentine was so shocked that blood came out of both ears. He cast a healing spell on himself and grinned at Winston with an almost crazy smile.

The next second, he attacked, swinging his sword, his attacks so fast and furious. Winston, wielding his great axe, was unable to maneuver in the small room, crashing into corpses, round tables, and cabinets one after another. He was desperate to dodge, and finally had no choice but to break through the window.

This is the first floor, and the back garden is outside the window. Winston broke the window, rolled a few times to relieve the force, and subconsciously raised his giant axe to block, barely blocking Valentine's sword.

"Good moves." Valentine retreated after one strike. While Winston was still unable to stand up, he quickly took off the inappropriate and heavy armor on his body, leaving only a white shirt and trousers.

The heavy rain had stopped at some point, and a brief gap appeared in the clouds, through which the silvery moonlight filtered through, outlining his figure, as if giving him a layer of glow.

Winston stood up with the axe in hand. "It turns out you're the murderer. You faked your death... just to kill me? Why?"

"Why?" Valentine tilted his head and tucked his blond hair behind his ear. "Of course it's because... of the blood flowing in your body!"

He rushed towards Winston and stabbed three times with his sword at an incredible speed. Winston retreated and blocked, successfully blocking the first two swords, but tripped over the edge of the flower bed when he was about to strike the third sword.

He had nowhere to retreat, so he suddenly tightened his core and leaned back. The sword pierced his vest and shirt, and finally cut a long bloody wound between his chest and abdomen.

Winston fell into the rose bushes, and the wound was in great pain. Fortunately, he retreated in time, having absorbed most of the force. Although the wound was long, it was not deep. It was just a bloody wound, without damaging any vital organs or internal organs.

Valentine's sword shook, and the tip of the sword picked up a necklace - it was the one that Winston had placed in his vest pocket before. The necklace was stained with his blood, but it triggered a mechanism. The pendant opened automatically with a click, revealing two oil portraits hidden in the pendant.

Valentine took the necklace and held it before his eyes for a moment before throwing it into Winston's arms. "Take a good look at it. This is a relic of your mother, Princess Deresi Delman. She cast a spell on this necklace. Only the blood of a child who has both her and another person's blood can open the pendant."

Winston subconsciously took the necklace, glanced at it, and his pupils dilated slightly: the portrait in the necklace was of the blonde Princess Dracy, and judging from her appearance and features alone, she was indeed 50% similar to him.

As for the portrait in the necklace lid, it is of the young Maybury Huntington, His Majesty the current King of the Duchy of Huntington.

Even though Winston had already suspected something, the truth still left him with a moment of shock. Valentine attacked, kicking the axe away from him. He then lunged forward, pressing his long leg against Winston's wound. He grabbed Winston by the collar and pressed his leg hard. He watched Winston's face contort in pain, blood pouring from the wound, but he smiled gleefully.